Well an economist will tell you that the current inflation is just the first stage. And whilst the inflation of gas prices is blamed on the war, increasing prices of other items is due, not to shortages of goods, but the inability of the supply chain to get these goods to market in a timely manner. So either of two things will happen: Consumers will continue to buy goods at increasing prices because they need them. But because of the increasing prices, they will not be able to buy at the rates needed to sustain the current levels of production. So factories and manufacturers will have to cut back on production and there will be layoffs, and factory and store closings. Hence you have prices increasing during a recession or stagflation. And the other scenario is consumers instantly lose their confidence. They realize that prices are getting too high and they are losing purchasing power and cannot maintain their standard of living. So they virtually shut down on consumption. They curb their lifestyle and only buy mere essentials. The idea is to save for a rainy day or wait until prices come down. And so people get laid off , factories close down and everyone is happily miserable. Until someone decides b’eell let’s have a sale. In fact let’s have several sales. And they may manage to draw the consumer back out of his shell and get them back into the malls again. And back onto the ships and airplanes and into hotels and restaurants. The good thing now is consumer appetites are still high , got travel and vacation and social life. So they are spending despite inflation and hopefully prices will start to come down before this level of confidence and spending dries up.

So why couldn’t the vendors be allowed to operate with a makeshift stall whilst all the planning designing and construction is going on? How difficult is an umbrella and a wooden table?

As efforts continue to exclude ordinary Bahamians from one of the most lucrative industries in the country, government appears balls less and helpless in assisting its people. Don’t be like the US when is shipped most of it’s manufacturing jobs abroad just to avoid a certain sector of it’s society from benefiting from these industries. Now some four decades later, the USA is virtually crippled by one of the greatest supply chain failures in its history . Shelves remain empty if basic and essential items and the shortage of goods demonstrates to the world how lacking the US in on producing goods (and services) to sustain itself. The tourism industry cannot continue to grow and exclude Bahamians from the economic pie. There is an opportunity cost to Bahamians for every tourist that visits this country and Bahamians should not continue to financially support tourism with higher taxes and increases in the cost of living but should now, and even before be benefiting with lucrative jobs, modern and well maintained infrastructure, including airports, seaports, roads, electricity a and water supplies and medical facilities and services that are accessible and affordable. Bahamians must benefit because if tourism and not suffer in spite of it. Else the tables will tournament on those who are hoodwinking and bamboozling us. They can build more ships and larger ships. They can build more hotels and larger hotel properties. But there is still only one Bahamas. And Bahamians want their things ms boy. And fry want it now!

This tragic story went mostly unnoticed. And must have been a horrendous experience for both families of the two deceased men as well as for friends and school mates. To lose loved ones when they are in the prime of their lives and have a bright and promising future ahead of them kid not easy. RIP,

A judge has declared the mask mandate throughout the US as being unlawful. So travellers can board planes, trains, buses and other means of public transportation without wearing masks. So they will only have to donn a mask when boarding an international flight then discard the masks once they arrive at their hotel or decide to walk Bay Street or the Cable Beach Strip. The privilege of coming to The Bahamas and not being Bahamian.

Then watch as they try to sneak or force these ‘funny and unpopular’ bill’s into law. The marital rape bill, for example, that destroys the sanctity of marriage by giving powers to persons joining in holy matrimony to withdraw consent. And this bill is not for the benefit of Bahamians. It is for many who come to The Bahamad and get married for business partnership and at least one of the parties never intended to submit or be intimate . The bill will also cater to the LGBQTrsvp community where rape between two parties of the same sex is apparently common. Females on females more so. So the bill will silently and more secretly redefine marriage to be an intimate relationship between any two consenting adults. It will no longer be a relationship between a male and a female and it will not require that a marriage be consummated to be legal. So either or both partners does not have to consent or become intimate from the outset of the relationship. Then there is the legalization of the sex workers bill( or is it also attached or included in the marital rape bill? So apparently prostitution is already legal in the country but this bill would give the sex workers the right to solicit. In the casinos for sure, on the beach maybe and at certain public events. Concerts, carnival for sure and Junkanoo?? How about the Fish Fry or potters Cay?

The Brave Davis government apparently seems hell-bent on scoring points with its foreign masters and international observers, rather than catering to the needs of the Bahamian people. And it appears the intent is to tax Bahamians out of existence. They’ve already hounding Bahamians for property taxes, which under the Minnis Administration, have been doubled, tripled and even quadrupled. And this is in the wake of a pandemic where many people are just getting back to work or getting their businesses back up and running. And remember, many of the foreign companies have concessions on these taxes and don’t have to pay them. They are also chasing businesses down for business license fees and vat and national insurance remittances, even though the Minnis Administration gave businesses some leeway with the understanding that many were closed for long periods of time or with the understanding that businesses that were open did not lay off or terminate staff, and so these businesses kept their part of the deal, now this heartless Davis government is reniging on its part. The facts are, the Bahamian economy is not ailing or crippled and the Davis Administration is seeing as much to FIVE times more revenue than the Minnis Administration saw over it’s last two years in office ( when the pandemic was in full effect). And, apparently this how Minnis was duped into calling an early election. Under the premise that the economy will be ailing for several more years and Millions more Dollars would have to be borrowed. But a recession is not predicted for at least another year, so rather than continuously sending out economic shock waves and killing consumer and investors confidence. Davis dem needs to stimulate the economy and let it grow.

They are trying the blame the oil/ gas prices on the war, but the oil companies have been trying to push oil prices up to $150 a barrel and gas and diesel prices up to $10-$15 a gallon for over a decade. China has again shut down a major port (due to Covid) which will result to additional disruptions to the supply chain. Remember when the US (for whatever reasons) shipped all its manufacturing jobs overseas. Now part of the supply chain problem is too many empty containers need to be shipped back to the Far East. When there is a balance of trade, ship loads of loaded containers would come from the Far East to tge US and ships will return to the Far Least with mostly loaded containers. But today it is mostly empty containers leaving the US and this is not only adding to the cost of shipping but a shortage of containers in the supply chain.

Government makes $1.27 on each gallon of gas and the retailers make fifty four cents, regardless of what price gasoline diesel is being sold for. Yet government cannot keep the roads in good repair. When the fixed margins came into effect, the retailers realized they could not stay in business just selling gas products. When the fifty-four cents fixed rate came into effect, gas stations were closing down like clockwork. Some stations operators were foreclosed on, then locked out or forcibly removed from their gas stations. Only the operatators that owned their stations were able to survive. They were able to offer additional services , like tire and battery sales , tire repairs and oil change etc. Some started selling soft drinks and convenience items to make up the shortfall. Then the oil dealers ‘renovated’ the stations turning them into convenience stores and take-away restaurants selling everything from coffee and fried chicken to cigarettes and corned beef. And this was not without protests from food stores and restaurants. And it put additional pressure on small mom and pop businesses and many closed. And the petroleum wholesalers, who owns most of the stations, got a percentage of everything that was sold at these stations. In fact it got so sophisticated, the retailers/ station operators could only purchase items to sell in their stations from certified sellers and this is how the oil dealers kept tabs on what was being sold. Today one must be of high net worth to become a gas station operator. Not do you have to stock out the oil products of gasoline and diesel but you have to stock out a conversation store and a fast food take-away. And because they are operating on such a small margin, dealers can easily go bankrupt before gaining enough experience to operate the gas stations successfully. Some experts say gas prices have peaked, at least for the interim and will be coming down over the next few weeks. But bear in mind that it was always the intention for the oil producers to get oil back up to $150 a barrel and to get gas/diesel prices up to $10-$15 a gallon worldwide. That is where the world is headed.

We have a lot of foreign workers that have jobs in this country. And they have high paying jobs. And, by law, they are required to contribute to the NIM fund, at least to the ceiling established by the Ingraham Administration. And many of these workers return home or are reassigned, leaving The Bahamas without making any claims with NIB. So the problem is not that NaiB is not getting enough funds, but what is being done veith those funds. If minimum wage is increased by some 30 percent this year , that translates into a 12 percent increase in NIB contributions , And as NIB phased out its non-contributor pensions and other such benefits, the financial position of the board should strengthen. Also more Bahamians are becoming more educated ( never mind then with thrirD average talk) and gaining more technical and financial experience globally. Once these people become employed and start to contribute, then the heavy drag of less skilled and less educated persons who make smaller contributions should lighten . And government needs to amend the laws of NIB to allow it to use a relatively small amount of its funds in , at least, medium risk investments, rather than have hundreds of millions sit idle in non/ interest bearing bank accounts. The banks loan out these funds and make money and NIB makes zero, Appoint persons to the NIB board who has financial and investment experience.