You really talk some bullshit sheeprunner. First of all most of the well qualified teachers from the UK and the USA have been terminated in favor of Cubans so if you have a beef about quality talk to the Deputy Director who recruits these teachers. You talk about perks and as a long serving foreign teachers allowances. What allowances? Firstly any contracted teacher was entitled to a 15 % gratuity IN LIEU of pension. Let me explain.Your gratuity was your pension for years worked. If the expat chose to blow it on a car so be it , but the intention was that the expat upon completing his / her contract could put that money into a pension fund. Bahamians get their teachers pension at the end of their tenure. Furthermore lets be clear any expat teacher who decides to stay and remain (at the approval of the MOE) is non pensionable.That means if I work 35 years in this country and had two, two year contracts for 6 years then the remaining 29 years that I work DO not count for a pension. End result I did the same work as my Bahamian colleague for 35 years but on retiring I get a National Insurance pension wheras my native born colleague gets a teachers pension and national Insurance pension.Perk no discrimination. You say Perks ? Expats however long they have served, however dedicated or hard working they are are usually excluded form promotions etc. As for being better qualified that is nonsense ,there are good and bad Bahamian and expat teachers but the difference between the British or USA teacher and the Cuban teacher can be significant.Cuban teachers come here, do not integrate, spend as little as possible, go home loaded with I pads, cell phones tools etc and often cannot be understood by the schoolchildren. Blame your Director for that.

Such truth. In speaking with many Bahamians so many as a last resort say" well we have great beaches and sunshine". True but a failure to recognize that so many other countries have the same and much cheaper. Its possible to fly long distances to exotic destinations often cheaper than the airfare to the family islands. In the same vein as air B and B the winter residents contribute huge amounts to the economy through, maids, gardeners, grocery shopping, car repairs and licensing/insurance etc etc yet they are often taken for granted. Make the process of paying property taxes simple, why all this you can stay for 30 days and then have to go for an extension,what real benefit is a homeowners card ? . Believe me when I say that so many winter residents have had enough and are leaving. As an aside why not charge a"hook tax"on the 3-500 tourist boats moored in George Town harbor after all they benefit from water on the dock to garbage bins on the dock , free fishing. If you can afford an expensive yacht or cruiser you can surely afford $5 -20 a night for the privilege.

This inefficiency is reflected at every level. Take the licensing of a motor vehicle if you are a foreign home owner or foreigner thats rents forbthe winter months. The homeowners have to show proof of paying property taxes - fair enough but what about long term regular renters who keep a car here but don't own the property.? Yes it can be licensed but after much toil and effort.
Having lived here all my life the number of foreign homeowners selling up is staggering and they all say the same thing " ridiculously high cost of everything (milk almost $12 a gallon) to the most common statement " I have had enough".

Not entirely true. Hatchet Bay had a very sucessful farm suplying the island and run by sn American compan. Independance came and lets throw the foeigners out and replace them with inexperienced PLP supporters. End result , once sucessful local industry bankrupt and cloed down

90 days, my God in Central Eleuthera we can't get water every day for the last 10 years.

It is a total farce. I know one of the contestants, and she is very likely only there because no other teacher in the school wanted it, and most certainly there are better qualified in the system.

This country is mired in debt, and one contributing factor is the bloated wage bill for persons hired (for political reasons like the last election). The FNM has to balance the books and people have to be needed and wiling to put out. Nobody as hard as it is entitled to a job and countless departments from education to social services to other depts. are overstaffed and persons have noting to do. I cannot calculate the number of times I have had business to do in a government office only to be told "he/she has just stepped out". The books need to be balanced otherwise todays economy will look like paradise compared to the future. And talking about unemployment there is plenty of work but you may have to lower your financial expectations, expect to get your hands dirty and work hard. Every Saturday I go past a corner in central Eleuthera where there are 15 to 20 Hatiens with their tools and lunch bags setting off to work. Why no Bahamians?????

This is the man that flew first class, stayed in the best hotels and what does the average Bahamian have to show for it. For your information yes the world of investors does take careful note of government policies, stability, creditworthiness and comments expressed by fools like yourself. Have you not realized that this is not the only country with sun sea and sand and investors and tourists can choose umpteen more accessible and friendly places. Bahamian people are friendly no doubt but that is only if there are visitors to be friendly with, and that you idiot depends on people like you and government ministers putting out positive vibes. But there again your not really bothered are you,, when did you last go to a food bank, have your power turned off or lay on a gurney in A and E for two days?

You really have a simplistic understanding of a countries beauty and value. Years of abysmal governance has reduced the Bahamas to a nearly bankrupt, overpriced inefficient country, Between Brave Davies comments and your beliefs you have already put off many potential investors. Yes Bahamians should govern this country, should have opportunity but not when there are insufficient trained modern thinking natives. Yes there are many hard working and sucessful Bahamian businesses but equally many foreign owned small and large companies that work hand in hand with locals. This country has potential but are we better off after all the years of mainly PLP mismanagement, clearly not. Look at the potholed roads,crumbling infastructure, inefficient power plants, grade D average in schools,huge personal debt,unemployment and on and on. This is a dog eat dog world Ta and the Bahamas has to either change with the times or fail. Nobody outside of this country really cares and certainly doesnt owe us a living.

Quite agree. On the islands we get our BEC and BTC bills two months out of date. Thank God for email. Used to subscribe to Mechanics weekly in 2001, received one copy out of 12. How can the building be blamed for that. A new buiding, which I agree is needed will not stop theft.