Thanks DDK.

I tend to agree Dawes. And, the collapse has already begun

Agree with proud.
Our health care facilities don't get maxed out every year from the flu.
Thank you

Mr Carlino,

Your letter makes me sick. It hurts to read. I sincerely feel your predicament and the stress it has caused you. My background is the restaurant business, so I can relate to it all. From keeping food fresh, to paying your bills and your staff, to figuring out how to get customers in the door. Thank you for taking the time to do this interview.

Branville said it right, "The ideas, you're right, have been there before," he said of the Committee's proposals.
"It's putting them into action and trying to make it work. I totally agree. Having the political will to execute upon it is a whole different story. We quite often fall short in that respect."
Yet, I would question the word "often". Perhaps better words would be "nearly always"

I don't think PM Minnis has been reading the Bahamian papers these last few years.
"Regarding small businesses, Dr Minnis said funding has been the greatest barrier for entrepreneurs." No Dr. Minnis, it is one of the challenges, but not the major barrier. The major barrier is the attitude of our government employees who feel it is their responsibility to hold Bahamians back by saying "no" more often than they say "yes, how can we help?" As a business person, I can tell you that the challenges to doing business are not funding. They are the piss poor attitudes of our fellow Bahamians, who either too jealous, too incompetent or too lazy to do their job. Some have a problem even being at their job. No, Dr. Minnis, your administration is only more of the SOS that we have gotten with every other administration. You want to boost local business? Put some of that Crown Land into Bahamian hands, instead of foreign hands. You want Bahamian businesses? Get rid of some of the onerous taxes and duties required to start businesses. You want Bahamian businesses? Find some public servants who understand what "helping" their fellow citizens actually means. You want Bahamian businesses? Find some Ministers who actually want to help their constituents, not just secure a pension, draw a salary and get kickbacks.
Dr. Minnis, you could have a million dollars cash in your hands and still be very disappointed that so many barriers were thrown up to you, as a Bahamian, just for trying to better yourself and your country. I think I have actually heard you say that yourself, some long time ago. Like education, we talk the talk, but just can't find the wisdom to see the reality as it exists. Words, words, words. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Bahamians are tired of eating shit.
This paper has been rife with stories about how Bahamian entrepreneurs have been held back at every turn over the years. I do not expect an easy fix. No one alone can do it themselves. Not even you. But, to suggest that funding alone that will change anything in Bahamian business terms is an absolutely ignorant statement, with no basis in reality.

Mr. Williams,
I applaud your spirit, as well as your actions. They are commendable. However, I disagree with your statement, "Fast forward to October, 2020, with no vaccine in sight and mandatory mask wearing and social distancing measures yielding very little effect, The Bahamas seems to have fallen deeper in a state of recession." Mr. Williams, had Bahamians understood, and taken more seriously the calls for social distancing and wearing masks, we would likely be in a much, much better position presently. The reason that our, and many other countries and economies are still shut down, is because we do not believe we are our brother's keeper. We see this attitude in word and in action throughout the world, but for our purposes, most acutely in The Bahamas. Most Bahamians seem to believe the laws were written for someone else, not them. Covid 19 is transmitted person to person. It appears, that where we are now was entirely predictable if only looking at the bungled government response and the selfish attitude of our own people. This is not to criticize helping the less fortunate. On the contrary, had we all had your attitude, along with an educated understanding of what our responsibilities are to our more vulnerable family members and fellow citizens, we may well have been on the road to recovery by now.
Wearing a condom some of the time, and only with some of our lovers, yields the results we are experiencing today with regard to the plethora of children born today in less than ideal circumstances, decreasing their hope for the future. I see a correlation of attitude and action.

Dr. Smith,

Your letter makes way too much sense to be understood by our politicians. They care about getting votes, getting kickbacks and getting their pension. We will be spending nearly a million dollars a day on interest alone on these combined loans. A nation of 400,000 people cannot, and will not, be able to get out from under this odious burden. It is a matter of simple math. I do not have hope for The Bahamas. Bahamians will soon be on their own. The sidewalks are important however. This is where many Bahamians will be living in the coming years.

Chucky. I am published in many venues. I spend a few minutes each day here because I care about my family's future here. With simpletons like yourself, that hope dwindles daily. I attended private schools in the US through advanced university. For your lack of logic, i make no further comment.

Yes, against all the emergent science. The Bahamian people will see not a penny. 30 years? About the time most of The Bahamas will be underwater. And, "don't have any choice..." jeez. Get real. Get out of your office cubicle for a moment. The Bahamas is already doomed financially. How is this not clear. Now, you want to sacrifice our environment too. Let me guess. You support trump and the republicans too.