Can the BPL chairman also have patience with us? Can he slash his salary by 50% until BPL gets it right or, at least, gets headed in the right direction. On a brighter note the power was off in my area from 1:00 p.m yesterday. BEC workers troubleshooting discovered a blown transformer around 9:00 last night. They worked from then until 6:00 am to restore the transformer and get the power back on. There ***are***some hard working and dedicated workers in the Bahamas. In fact many of them.

Should be "less than a third of Bahamian owned businesses are turning a profit. " Thanks for the fact checking.

Besides doubling your electricity surcharge and now requiring you to pay for garbage collection, which should be inclusive in your property taxes, did you know a package of salami sausage that cost $4.69 two years ago now cost $6.29 **not** including vat. Last year that package of sausage sold for $5.44. Pork chop ends were at $1.99 pre- vat and last year sold for around $2.59 (plus vat). Today pork chop ends sell for $3.69 a pound plus vat. The regular pork chop sold for $2.69 in 2015, went up to $3.99 last year and is now at $4.69 a pound now (plus vat). Lamb chops went from $2.99 pre vat to $3.99 last year to $4.99 plus vat now. (66% increase in price not including vat) Corned beef climbed from $1.69 in 2015 to $2.78 plus vat a tin of cream went from 99cents to $1.19 plus vat, and even water in the food store saw a price increase of 66% Aquapure from $3.50 to $5.50 today. So the average Bahamian has lost status all around economically. Let us not lose hope.

If the government goes back and does its research it will see that part of the argument for levying property taxes was to pay for things like garbage collection, parks police and fire services and other community services. Now the people are paying the taxes still have to turn around and pay for these services as separate items. The people are taxed to their bones. Many are not working, less than a third of Bahamian owned businesses are not turning a profit. Many have not realized a profit since the recession started in 2008. And many have used up all their savings trying to keep their businesses afloat or merely trying to survive. And if the government continues to tighten the screws on the testicles of Bahamians, many who feel like a jack-in-the-box, (everytime one pushes his head out the box it is forced back down with more bills and more taxes and more expenses), you will soon start to see ***mass suicides*** in this country like never before. Bahamians need ***compassion and government assistance*** first before they are burdened with more bills. More than 50% of the average Bahamian' income is consumed in taxes. That's 15-20% more than the average American and the Bahamas does not have to pay for all the armed forces and infrastructure Americans have to pay for.

based on current trend, the country will record around 135 murders this year if something does not change (for the better or the worse). We are beginning to accept these killings as 'normal'. May God Almighty, help us.

If they (government) can kick start and grow the economy then there will be no needs for additional cuts. Focus more on building consumer confidence, investor confidence, unemployment reduction and the painful cuts will be minimal and short term

Government should then make those shares exclusively available to Bahamians. This is one way Bahamians can begin to take control of their economy. Remember when Atlantis made shares available to Bahamians. Then they quickly bought the shares back. They claimed they took the company (back) private because they didn't want persons to take control of the company VI's a VI's the New York stock exchange. Or was it that Kerzner did not want the public to know what Atlantis was really making. And in the end he still lost ownership.

"Talks of leaving scissors in certain women" (plural) a clear case of libel. Even to the extent of implying the incidents were intentional. You can't brush over that one easily.

MaLambee hatred will cause you to tell many lies and even become delusional. Go pray for your own sins and stop being so wenchful!

It has been preached from the highest hilltop in the Bahamas: crime is not a problem in itself but a symptom of other things gone wrong in the country. And while putting an all out assault and attack on crime may yield temporary results. No permanent solution will happen until the problems that persist are fixed. The age group of offenders is not increasing. This means that as they are killed off or put in jails and prisons, they are replaced by a new breed of criminals..