Who cares?

"the last thing I’m going to do is telegraph what my strategy and plan is at this point"

I would love to play poker with Dr. Sands if this is the best that he can do not to telegraph what his intentions are, anyone with the slightest degree of political acumen can clearly see that he has leadership ambitions.

I would not put the FNM out of the running yet. I keep emphasizing to people that I speak with about this topic that a <b>plurality</b> of votes is all that's required to win a seat in our system, not a majority. In theory, more people could vote "against" the FNM than for it, and they would still win the seat.

I think that there are going to be quite a few unknown factors going to into the next election.

I wouldn't blame Minnis for this one, these closures are nothing new. RBC had a big wave of them a while ago. The banks only care about one thing, their bottom line, and it is becoming increasing harder to justify keeping less trafficked physical locations open in the era of online banking. Unfortunately, the less-tech savy seniors end up suffering the most.

I am personally in favour of decriminalization, I think that it is absolutely outrageous that so many of our young people's lives are ruined for the mere possession of a plant, however, I think we need to examine 1.) the effects on our relationship with the US 2.) the long-term health effects before I can support full legalization.

I do not believe that the US will levy any form of economic sanctions on us in response to the legalization of weed, however, they can easily pull their pre-clearance facilities/other travel benefits and make our lives a living hell trying to obtain visas. We are one of a handful of nations in the world that have pre-clearance facilities within our national borders, and we have enjoyed visa-free travel (something only a few countries such as Canada, United Kingdom, etc.) for quite a while now. The possibility of losing those privileges needs to be discussed before we make a move on legalization. We also need to remember that we <b>are not</b> Canada. Canada is one of the largest trading partners for the United States; for as much huff and puff that Trump likes to make regarding their relationship, both nation's economic wellbeings are co-dependent on one another. The Bahamas could drop off the face of the earth, and the US would not care any less. Let us not overestimate our value here.

That being said, I think that we need to look into the health effects of marijuana before we consider legalization. Cannabis psychosis is a very real thing, and I think there should be very strict rules and regulations surrounding the cultivation and distribution of marijuana if we are to legalize it. We also should keep up to date on any new scientific information what may suggest long-term health implications as well; let's remember that people thought tobacco was harmless at one point in time as well.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9196192/

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out…

If this is the kind of filth that fills the void of organized religion, I will take a theocracy any day of the week. Whatever complaints you may have about Christianity of any denomination cannot compare to the results of growing irreligiosity combined with the worst of American consumerism.

Having complaints about the Church is one thing, but I have yet so see someone show me a better alternative.

Please explain to me which church is the national church of the Bahamas. I hear this argument so much, and it infuriates me to hear because it is a fallacious one based on ignorance. The Church of England was disestablished a very long time ago.

If you want to advocate for an irreligious Bahamian society, go ahead, but the Bahamas has had no established church for a very long time now.

I found the sermon made by Bishop Ellis to be revolting and disgusting. To question whether Minnis truly believed in God was a personal attack that should have never been made on the pulpit. It would be one thing to make that remark privately, but making that statement in "God's house" is simply unacceptable.

The Bishop's remarks also highlights the continued ignorance by a large section of the Bahamian populace of what the Emergency Orders are. It is even sickening to see politicians such as Sands and Davis play petty politics and oppose them for the sake of opposing the government. Are we really going to pass through multiple readings of a bill, send it to the Senate and back, send it to GG etc. just to pass legislation imposing a lockdown, especially with the supposed reopening on November 1st. I have seen far too many Bahamians on social media proudly display this ignorance as well; this government has not been perfect, but we cannot just oppose measures for the sake of opposing them. It is disingenuous and the last thing we need is to be caught up playing petty political games in a moment of crisis.

Shame on Bishop Ellis, shame on Sands, shame on Davis, and shame on everyone else who opposes the government for the mere sake of opposition. You do not have to say that they are perfect or agree with everything that they do, but let's keep our criticism meaningful and work together to actually improve this situation.

The FNM need to hurry up and hold the convention that they have been delaying for a while now. It is very clear that Sands holds Prime Ministerial ambitions, and they need to hurry up and let him and Minnis battle it out for leadership of the FNM.

The constant negative press generated by comments such as these (I noticed the frequency has increased lately) only serves to illustrate how dis-unified the party is, and makes the incumbent government look very weak. They are not helpful at all, and it needs to stop one way or the other.

I say let him and Minnis battle it out : winner take all, loser goes home. If he feels that he can do better, let him throw his name in the ring and be done with it. Let the party choose who they want to lead them, and let the loser shut up. We need to come together under one accord in times like these, this is not the time for political games.

Joining the WTO would be a good idea if we actually had a skilled and educated workforce that could compete in the global market. As it stands right now, we do not have that.

Should we ever complete our accession process, I think that it is critical that we are able to ensure that certain industries remain closed shop. Fishing, real estate, and a few others come to mind as needing protection in the event that we complete accession.

Another thought to consider is how will we replace the revenue lost from import duties? We still derive a large chunk of revenue from customs fees, and it would necessitate that we fill the void if we are to be serious about joining. We need to hear more about a plan to replace the lost revenue in my personal opinion, the government is too comfortable collecting VAT and duty at this moment.