Tap the people did the government a favor by organizing themselves together and marching to Rawson Square in a peaceful but forceful way to let the government know they are displeased with their leadership and where the country is headed, among other things. The government now has the option to listen to the voice of the people or to continue business as usual. I hold no brief for no one but 6 months is not a long time from Election Day. Then the people will speak again Tal

Tal Russell, not only can you not write English that others can read and comprehend but, unfortunately (for you) you also cannot count. Or maybe you are just blinded today by the truth.

The IRS used this tactic about 20 years ago. they used their powers to audit to investigate, imtimidate, harass and demean many small and medium business owners. Because many of the businesses were not incorporated but personally owned it also meant that an audit investigate the owner's personal affairs as well as his business. Many people didn't take too kindly to the IRS prying in this manner so those who were unable to incorporate closed their businesses down. So when you go to the US now, instead of seeing lots of independent stores in the malls and shopping centers you see mostly chain stores. And when you travel from one part of the USA the shopping malls and places are mass duplication of each other. The same with hotels and restaurants. Business people find it is more simple to be a part of a large chain, rather than to trying to operate as a small independent business. These corporations have teams of lawyers and accountants and it is more difficult for the IRS to intimidate them. Now Donald Trump, despite his unpopularity, has promised to give more freedom back to small businesses, less taxes and less red tape.to operate under. he realizes the importance of the small and medium independent business people. This Bahamian government is moving in the opposite direction. In ignorance do they not realize that there is a sub-economy operating in the Bahamas? The more they squeeze and tax legitimate Bahamian businesses, the more power they give to this sub-business culture...run be illegal Haitians, Jamaicans and yes, Chinese too.

Of course there should be zoning restrictions and regulations. Just watch how Carmichael Road is developing. Almost like an over sized ghetto with anything anywhere and no regulated setbacks for buildings from the roadside even. While there should be room for webshop owners to exercise their expertise and creativity and business acumen and expand and grow their businesses there has to be some regulation, especially as to placement of webshops. Distance from each other, no locations in school zones, greater restrictions in residential areas and restrictions in locations near churchs should be considered. What many businesses do today is 'piggyback' off an existing business location. Say for example webshop, High Sky, has a very successful location on Town Hill. Soon another webshop "Follow sue Draw" will open branches in the same area. Then even a third or even a fourth shop will open. This may have been the original webshops' best location. but because he now has to share his market with two or three more stores, he can no longer see a profit and may be forced to close shop. In the main while the other shops may have locations that are doing well so they can take their losses at this location until one or more of them are forced to close then they have cornered the market. And if this continues to happen it will get to a point where only one or maybe two webshop franchises remain. If you look at the fast food industry it is dominated by one family or company that owns three franchises and a total of 16 locations in New Providence alone. The retail food industry is controlled by less than 5 companies. The wash house business is dominated by one company that controls about 80% of the market and a similar situation exists in the laundry/dry cleaning business. Go to the wines and spirits businesses and see who owns them and the same is with the auto dealerships in the country. The Bahamas is just too small to allow everyone to do as they please.

Go and google "zombie drug" aka Flakka and see what is going on with young people..Posted here over a year ago.

Think of yourself as a teenager today: friends you grew up with are getting killed. Others are going to jail and yet others are turning to drugs and substance abuse. There is a drug on the streets now that is said to more dangerous and more harmful than cocaine. Adults don't understand what is going on and so the youth are even more lost. They want to know where is the life full of happiness and prosperity that is promised to them. Is there really any rewards for hard work when they see their parents getting up everyday to go and slave, 'just to keep a roof over dey head." And those who have lost their homes and businesses in the struggle. There are young men who have to work from 3-10 and even until 12 midnight to 'help out at home and keep food on the table.' They will be the ones most affected by a curfew. To deny them the right to work will make even greater problems. So whilst curfews and national service may be tools to be utilized there has to be earlier intervention to prevent the need on a national level. A one pronged approach to such a complex problem will not work.

Look on the front page of today's newspaper: An eighteen year male charge with every serious crime conceivable, including murder, kidnapping, rape, armed robbery and receiving. Eighteen years old. Search the news media a little more and see the video of a group of females rolling around in the dirt at a famous social spot fighting like cats (and dogs) while others in the crowd, including young men, urge others to 'leave them alone and let them *thug it out." Look at the hundreds of people who got out their beds at 4 this morning and went to BTC's outlet and was willing to engage in pushing and shoving matches and even fistfights for a cell phone. The problem is the entire value system in this country has shifted. Our youth are under attack, spiritually, and the last thing that is needed right now is for someone to 'lull them to sleep," with false hope that a curfew and national service will fix everything that is wrong with them. The biggest problem is that the children are not being properly prepared for spiritual warfare. They are not prepared or properly equipped with armor to resist all the weapons and firery darts that are being thrown at them. Many are products of split-parenting where it is ok to do certain things when they live with their daddy but it is not ok with their moms. They watch and observe what is going on with government and other institutions. They for the most part are confused (and yes some are lost). You cannot wait until a child turns 15, 16,17 and say you gonna fix that with national service and curfews. A child is most formative when he/she is two/there/four years old. That is when the battle must start and for some parents it is some of them who need curfews and national services. Some need parenting school. This is the going into the fifth generation where crime has been prevelant in this country and going into the third generation where murder is is a major concern.

Maybe the organizers of the March should offer free phones for people to come out to march and Perry Christie should offer free phones for them to stay home...just saying *(comments based on the number of persons who got out their beds at 4 a.m.,in Nassau and Freeport*, to catch BTC's phone give-a-way..even the police couldn't restrain them in Nassau. Freeport was more well behaved.

It is good that protests are being organized and carried out so close to election. With less than six months before Bahamians will be dipping their fingers in ink and electing a new government there is strong evidence that there are many, many citizens who are not satisfied with the current governments' performance in office over the past four and a half years. Is there enough time on the political clock for the government to fix the things that remain broken, do things that remain undone and to satisfy persons that are displeased? The sad thing is there are so many who, regardless of which side of the political divide they find themselves on, are not exercising their constitutional right to register and be counted as a registered voter with the power to change, things come election day, or maintain the status quo. Maybe whatever happens tomorrow will serve to motivate more people to go and get registered, if only for the hell of it.

The government is surely turning the screws on businesses to make the environment more hostile, more difficult for Bahamians to do business and damn near impossible for small and medium businesses to realize profits. When Donald Trump won the election and maintained his stance that he will be reducing taxes on businesses, the Dow Jones broke the 1900 mark and has been setting records since. Here this blindfolded government is getting more than 50% taxes on some businesses and is still looking for more ways to milk the cow. Does it not realize that we now live in a global economy? many consumers need only a smart phone to go online and beat overtaxed prices in the Bahamas, especially on retail items. Their insatiable appetite for more tax revenue may eventually lead to them seeing less tax revenue.