Nice letter, but many of the assumptions are flat out wrong.
Thatcher / Reagan went full hog on neoliberal economics. The result is what we see now in both countries.
Who thinks this looks good?
Both countries are rotting from the inside out, due specifically because of unfair economic decisions made by the wicked witch Thatcher and movie star Reagan.
Thatcher said, "There is no such thing as society." Only worry about yourself. Isn't this the exact opposite of what Christianity teaches? Or, are we all brain dead now?
Trickle down economics is a myth. It has never worked. Except in the university system that was bought and paid for years ago.
Most tycoons in the world got to where they are by unprecedented government giveaways, such as the billionaires Russia produced.
Most wealth in the world is now from inheritance, not hard work.
I agree we have a government that doesn't understand economics, nor is wise enough to hire experts willing to tell them the truth.
But the Bahamian problem has now trickled down to the entire nation, as in the fish rots from the head down. We have too many people on the government payroll who have poor work ethics and even worse societal responsibility.
Too many of our own people, who are not politicians, are not honest and are stealing too much, and have no care about the society they live in.
Overall, I agree with the premise of your invoking the Laffer Curve to explain a major problem in The Bahamas.
However, besides taxation, the government clearly crossed the line in allowing the criminal class to legalize webshops by purchasing the pirates who run the government.
There is no greater harm done to our nation than we are experiencing from the gambling epidemic.
Save for maybe alcohol consumption, unchecked violence, unheeded laws on our roads, lack of accountability in all government offices, an uneducated workforce, taxation without representation, poor leadership, teen pregnancies and children raising children.
It is not difficult to imagine a society that worked towards producing a higher standard of living for everyone, instead of one that was really good at producing tycoons and ignoring the masses.
But then again, who is it that the politicians listen too?
Yes, the government is taxing the people to death and killing our economy, and our quality of life.
However, they were raised in an environment that does not seem to value honesty, integrity, proficiency, and basic democratic values. It almost seems like our politicians were schooled by Margaret Thatcher, in simply not caring about anyone but themselves.

Well done, Paula.
Sort of throws a wrench into this idea of Original Sin, doesn't it?
It seems we are born pure, and only until we are thoroughly saturated by adult thinking do we lose our innocence and start acting in ways that can truly only be called sickening.
On the other hand, I sort of get the idea behind the phrase, "No adults in the room" to describe our own so-called civil society.

Mr. Young,
You are one lost soul.
Sorry about the decline of the west, especially Britain and the US.
So, what do you think, Mr. Young? Or do you need to check with Boris first?
Yes, wokeness, why don't you define it?
It certainly wasn't the completely wrong Thatcher / Reagan " there is no such thing as society"
TINA / government is bad revolution, was it?
Of course the white people lost their colonies and just can't get over it, can they?
Anyone who still thinks about a monarchy, at all, is the opposite of woke.
Which is what? Asleep or brain dead?
Get with the times.

Let's just speak about justice.
Do woman who get raped by their husbands get justice here? Oh yeah, that's allowed by the bible.
How about those who were assaulted by Peter Nygard? Where, according to his son most of his crimes occurred? Police can't find the file? Ha ha.
How about Sarkis? Did he get justice here?
How about those who get beaten by the police?
Make me laugh about justice.
What we really care about is damage control.

So, overall, most Bahamians are finding it easier to pay their bills and "get ahead" after these 50 years of national development. Is this correct Mr. Bowe?
And, the value of financial experts to The Bahamas?

Thank you!
Voices of reason are few and far between.
We have the results to prove it.

"has not collapsed"? Perhaps not for the reasons you suggest, but is there a closer point to collapse that you can imagine?

Nor be reminded that they are human.

After Peter Nygard's-- Yes?

No surprises in the comment section here. Educational scorecards be damned. Enlightenment may somehow, some way reach. But not this century.