Many merchants are also experiencing only a small increas in sales. Not just in the Bahamas but across the US major stores and chains are offering discounts up to 70 percent, extending store hours. Sone staying open 24 hours until Christmas and offering door busters that include $100 flat screens. 2014 has been a rough year for many people and many are suffering from consumer burn out. But gas prices have fallen to $2.00 in many parts of the US and will result in many other prices falling so 2015 will be a better year. The stock market in the US is experiencing one of its best performances ever. It is now up to BEC to reduce electricity bills like the rest of the world to start the drop in the cost of living locally. Then government must gain investor confidence and stimulate the economy so that 2015 can be the best year the Bahamas has experienced since the recession started inb2008. Then of course they must do something abour CRIME. Seriously why are persons who have committed multiple murders still getting bail? And why is it that less than 10% of persons who kill going to trial each year and less than 5 % being convicted? HOW can you in earnest expect the murder rate to go down Bahamas when you leave 90% of the persons who kill oncthe streets unpunished? Yet you wann fire the commissioner? What wrong with the court system , like you don't know But 2017 soon come!

Hoe many more murders in six more days 2014?

Did you notice how garbage has piled up around the island again. Did privatiisation of solid waste collection fail?

Unionised Bahamian workers just love shooting themselves in the foot. Bahamasair will take months to recover from this action but yet the union wants their demands met.

As long as cold blooded heartless killers continue to go unpunished the murders will continue. As long as the murders continue the blood of the murdered will be on the hands of perry christie, bernard nottage, keith bell and all those that sit in suthority in this country. Judges who grant bail yo known killers are not excluded. Not to mention lawyers who manipulate the system to free murderers to wreak havoc in this country. Your judgement day is coming and it will be harsh.

The Chicago Police Department is claiming that serious crime, including MURDER, is at its lowest rate since the 1970,s. But the average citizen in Chicago is not buying the story. They believe that the police department has "COOKED" the books! Too many residents in Chicago know of their own experiences with crime or that of family members, neighbors or loved ones. Many know personally of persons including family members and entire families who have been murdered. They are not buying the police numbers and many believe the statistics have been cooked and covered with Bar B Que sauce!

Hubert Ingraham is testing the waters to see if he should come back. It will be a tuff 2017 election. Oil prices will be around $45.00. This alone will stimulate the world economy. If Bah Mar and other local projects are successful many Bahamians will be over employed in 2017. If Perry Christie and the PLP can shake off the reputation of being corrupt, bring crime under control (crime will go down as the economy improves) and restore themselves as being a caring, people orientated government, they will be hard to beat. On the other hand Hubert Ingraham administration may be the best during a booming economy because it knows how to spend money and get value for it. The Christie administration tackled the difficult issues gambling immigration the referundum BoB? and if their efforts are successful 2017 may be one of the best economies the Bahamas ( and the world) has seen in decades.

oil prices are expected to drop to $50 a barrel (some say $40) by mid 2015. This will lead to the biggest cost of living drop in the free world in 20 years. Consumers will have more disposable income, airline ticket prices will fall and tourism will boom. But will the Bahamas be in a position to benefit? Even with the reality of Cuba opening up and becoming a preferred destination for many American travellers. The biggest problems in the Bahamas is government inefficiencies and corruption that contributes directly to the extremely high cost of living. Then there is the high cost of electricity. Even with VAT the Bahamian consumer will see a 15 -20% drop in cost of living as world prices on consumer goods will fall. However the main component that will determine sustainability of the lower cost of living will be the government's ability to get its act together. It must control spending. It must pay down the national debt and it must get MORE value for money. Crime must be curbed. Failing this the Bahamas will price itself out the tourist market. Despite travellers having more money to spend, they will seek out destinations where they get value for money and feel safe. The Bahamas will be left sucking on grapes. sour ones!

What is ethnic cleansing?

If this was a Bahamian company the headlines would be screaming.