The intelligentsia in the Bahamas look into the mirror and mistakenly believe that their status, work ethics and values are representative of the Bahamian people. In this assumption they are gravely mistaken. Let's remember that our national grade average is an E. Those that have been lazy in attitude, education, work ethics and morals are unfortunately the majority. At this point it is not important whether that is good or bad, it just is. You may not want a hand-out but unfortunately they feel entitled to a hand-out. I am a proud Bahamian and therefore, I have no desire to denigrate my fellow Bahamians but we will never correct or change what we first do not acknowledge. What do you think would happen if we had a politician that says that for the next 10 years we all will have to make sacrifices and will lose previously earned benefits. Do you think such a person would have a chance in hell to be elected. Unfortunately, to make some of the structural and systemic changes necessary to put us back on track this may be exactly what is required.
We don't need any Queen's oversight. Men have fought and died to devolve power from the Queen into your hands to give you freedom and democracy so that you can become the beneficiary of your own destiny. As Lee Kuan Yew once said, "a society needs a certain amount of literacy, moral and ethical values to be able to successfully run a one man one vote system". When are we going to consistently demonstrate such courage, literacy, moral and ethical values. However, instead of taking personal responsibility, at every juncture we try to outsource to the government or the Queen all of those obligations that rightly should be fulfilled by the family. We want every possible government handout and social welfare benefit yet we also want the government to balance the budget. We are always looking for Lynden Pindling or Hubert Ingraham or Perry Christie or anyone but ourselves to save us. We are partly in the mess we are in because we believed the Independence lie that we were feed by these so called nation-builders who are incentivised to continue to tell us what we want to hear for our votes.. The irrational exuberance with which we welcomed Independence gave us permission, a license of sorts to be weak, dependent, unethical and undisciplined. It gave us permission to have a false sense of pride even if that pride was unearned. The solution is not with the Politicians, the government, the Queen or in a marching group of directionless rabble-rousers.
Apparently the PM and his cohorts have either failed to read the S&P report or willfully refuse to acknowledge that it is not about Bahamar or any one-off economic growth spurt in 2017 or 2018. At the heart of the report is the premise that successive governments have failed to produce any evidence of a sustainable economic growth or development plan and that economic growth to this point have largely been reliant on exogenous factors like FDI which going forward will become a less effective, less efficient and more costly growth mechanism. In other words the government's gross mis-handling of the Bahamar deal have accelerated the demise of the FDI model and as a result future FDI deals will likely have more current and future costs associated with it than any benefits that will be derived from them.
There certainly have been mismanagement and I agree persons must be held accountable. However, even if we were to re-coup every cent we would still have a multi-billion dollar deficit. The issue is structural in that the benefits and liabilities are growing faster than the collections and returns. We are about to implement NHI with the same structural imperfections, especially when you add on the top of that the free-rider and moral hazard issues with respect to public goods that are endemic in our society.
The article is about NIB unfunded contingent liabilities. Essentially it is saying that a Caribbean economy like the Bahamas cannot afford or fully fund a social security program like NIB. Simply put we cannot afford it. This prognosis can very well apply to NHI as well, but we as Bahamians appear to be unable to see the forest for the trees. We want the benefits from these programs and I guess we expect the sandman, the bogeyman the fairy godmother or just anyone else to pay for the costs. It just don't work that way in real life.
JohnDoe says...
So exactly how does this benefit Butler-Turner again? You cannot make this stuff up on your best day.
On Govt and Central Bank in rate cut ‘panic attack’
Posted 30 December 2016, 2:59 p.m. Suggest removal
JohnDoe says...
The intelligentsia in the Bahamas look into the mirror and mistakenly believe that their status, work ethics and values are representative of the Bahamian people. In this assumption they are gravely mistaken. Let's remember that our national grade average is an E. Those that have been lazy in attitude, education, work ethics and morals are unfortunately the majority. At this point it is not important whether that is good or bad, it just is. You may not want a hand-out but unfortunately they feel entitled to a hand-out. I am a proud Bahamian and therefore, I have no desire to denigrate my fellow Bahamians but we will never correct or change what we first do not acknowledge. What do you think would happen if we had a politician that says that for the next 10 years we all will have to make sacrifices and will lose previously earned benefits. Do you think such a person would have a chance in hell to be elected. Unfortunately, to make some of the structural and systemic changes necessary to put us back on track this may be exactly what is required.
On 'We will march without permission'
Posted 30 December 2016, 11:45 a.m. Suggest removal
JohnDoe says...
We don't need any Queen's oversight. Men have fought and died to devolve power from the Queen into your hands to give you freedom and democracy so that you can become the beneficiary of your own destiny. As Lee Kuan Yew once said, "a society needs a certain amount of literacy, moral and ethical values to be able to successfully run a one man one vote system". When are we going to consistently demonstrate such courage, literacy, moral and ethical values. However, instead of taking personal responsibility, at every juncture we try to outsource to the government or the Queen all of those obligations that rightly should be fulfilled by the family. We want every possible government handout and social welfare benefit yet we also want the government to balance the budget. We are always looking for Lynden Pindling or Hubert Ingraham or Perry Christie or anyone but ourselves to save us. We are partly in the mess we are in because we believed the Independence lie that we were feed by these so called nation-builders who are incentivised to continue to tell us what we want to hear for our votes.. The irrational exuberance with which we welcomed Independence gave us permission, a license of sorts to be weak, dependent, unethical and undisciplined. It gave us permission to have a false sense of pride even if that pride was unearned. The solution is not with the Politicians, the government, the Queen or in a marching group of directionless rabble-rousers.
On 'We will march without permission'
Posted 29 December 2016, 10:17 p.m. Suggest removal
JohnDoe says...
Wow!
On Govt on ‘course of correction’ after downgrade announcement
Posted 29 December 2016, 11:12 a.m. Suggest removal
JohnDoe says...
Apparently the PM and his cohorts have either failed to read the S&P report or willfully refuse to acknowledge that it is not about Bahamar or any one-off economic growth spurt in 2017 or 2018. At the heart of the report is the premise that successive governments have failed to produce any evidence of a sustainable economic growth or development plan and that economic growth to this point have largely been reliant on exogenous factors like FDI which going forward will become a less effective, less efficient and more costly growth mechanism. In other words the government's gross mis-handling of the Bahamar deal have accelerated the demise of the FDI model and as a result future FDI deals will likely have more current and future costs associated with it than any benefits that will be derived from them.
On Govt on ‘course of correction’ after downgrade announcement
Posted 29 December 2016, 3:38 a.m. Suggest removal
JohnDoe says...
Nonsense
On FNM ‘will privatise Carnival and invest in Junkanoo’
Posted 28 December 2016, 10:18 p.m. Suggest removal
JohnDoe says...
Who is they that is going to devalue the currency?
On FNM ‘will privatise Carnival and invest in Junkanoo’
Posted 28 December 2016, 3:16 p.m. Suggest removal
JohnDoe says...
There certainly have been mismanagement and I agree persons must be held accountable. However, even if we were to re-coup every cent we would still have a multi-billion dollar deficit. The issue is structural in that the benefits and liabilities are growing faster than the collections and returns. We are about to implement NHI with the same structural imperfections, especially when you add on the top of that the free-rider and moral hazard issues with respect to public goods that are endemic in our society.
On NIB creates new fears of ‘fiscal crisis’
Posted 28 December 2016, 1:45 p.m. Suggest removal
JohnDoe says...
The article is about NIB unfunded contingent liabilities. Essentially it is saying that a Caribbean economy like the Bahamas cannot afford or fully fund a social security program like NIB. Simply put we cannot afford it. This prognosis can very well apply to NHI as well, but we as Bahamians appear to be unable to see the forest for the trees. We want the benefits from these programs and I guess we expect the sandman, the bogeyman the fairy godmother or just anyone else to pay for the costs. It just don't work that way in real life.
On NIB creates new fears of ‘fiscal crisis’
Posted 27 December 2016, 7:57 p.m. Suggest removal
JohnDoe says...
Even if, as you suggest, he is speaking for 75% of Bahamian men, which I doubt, does that make it socially acceptable or correct?
On Moncur aggressive over views on marital rape
Posted 22 December 2016, 1:09 p.m. Suggest removal