I typed "Et Tu Brute'? " (from the scene in Julius Caesar), but autocorrect decided to minimize the effect of my post.

Yes this may be a case of ‘Et tu Brute ‘ (that’s Latin for ‘Let’s get )’. If you are a senior doctor and still have to fight government about salaries, it means you are also not successful at your private practice. So you attempt to increase your income by forcing the government. And just like the devil, you decide to bring the angels (nurses) with you.

And on the telephone book from bootlegging to the post office... not a bad run.

Don’t forget to put Brent Symnonette on the stamp. And he pa too, ya hear?

You would think, (just saying) that since most of the senior physicians engaged by the government also have a private practice that this type of (strike) action will not be necessary. Not only do these doctors have the opportunity to subsidize their income from the government but they can also set the yardstick for the industry. meaning that as government is less likely to meet their demands they would increase their private practice. This would also give junior doctors more opportunity to climb the ranks and if government realizes that it can no longer retain qualified personnel under the current conditions, they will have to improve them. A matter of the system balancing itself and finding its own equilibrium. And even the nurses have a likewise situation. If too many migrate towards private practice, not only will government have to increase salaries, but the private industry may find it can *reduce* pay grades to be more in line with the public sector. So instead of there being a wide margin between salaries in the private and public sector, it will be mostly a matter of trade-offs

The transition period is what is killing most businesses. Collecting both VAT and customs duties at the border puts a high strain on a business's operating capital and causes its inventory to have a high carrying cost. So when adjustments have to be made for inventory shrinkage, or inventory becoming obsolete, it is a very high charge on the books because the write-down or write off include the cost of the goods, freight, insurance, brokerage, trucking plus VAT and customs duties. And when government increases its VAT without prior announcement this is also a high charge to businesses because of they have to find the difference between the lower VAT and the new rate, which may not always be passed to the end user. Some businesses may not be around to see the complete elimination of customs duties.

And the controversy continues to today: ***"The Haiti indemnity controversy culminated in an agreement by Haiti to a 1825 gold demand by ... In 2003, President of Haiti Jean-Bertrand Aristide demanded that France pay Haiti over 21 billion U.S. dollars, ... in today's money of the 90 million gold francs Haiti was forced to pay Paris after winning its freedom from France."***

My personal belief is that even though membership into the WTO may be voluntary, there is going to be some serious arm twisting and balls-busting for the few countries that do not join. Donald Trump has already told the UK that its (the UK's) exit from the European Union means that the US will be doing less trade with it. And lest we forget Haiti when it had the second most booming economies in the Western hemisphere. France then invited Haiti to "buy its freedom"
and preserve its independence for $21 Billion dollars. Unbeknown to Haiti, France had secretly entered into agreements with all other countries not to do trade with Haiti, thus collapsing its economy and making it impossible to pay off its debt.

This would be gross negligence to allow RBDF's fleet to deteriorate to the level described by the 'article.' Especially after the government injected some $200 million into these ships and facilities. But you never know. Who wrecks cars faster than the police force. But at least someone seems to have exercised sense this year and bought smaller and less expensive vehicles to cut the chase in.

"The Bahamas’ chief WTO negotiator has urged businesses to identify overseas markets this nation should target, arguing it has “billions of dollars” in untapped trade potential to unleash."

The key words here are. 'trade" and "potential". There are only about 10 or so countries around the world that have not yet joined on to this organization. So what will change? Except the bigger and powerful nations will continue business as usual and the smaller and less powerful countries, like the Bahamas, will be forced and bullied into toeing the line. For example, the agreement says in the time of crisis, like a hurricane or earthquake or even an uprising, member nations must relax their immigration laws and allow the free movement of peoples in the affected countries to cross their borders. Another article of the treaty says that member states must share their excess products with other member nations. So if oil was found here or it is determined that the Bahamas has excess fisheries or even aragonite, they cannot automatically implement control and preservation measures, but must first meet the needs or other member nations. So the world will be like one big socialist nation, share and share alike. Less autonomy.