I am presently of the opinion that only a morally deficient idiot could possibly vote for Trump. And, I need do nothing to prove my point. It is in stark evidence all around us, even on your TV.

Charlie, fair enough. But, Trump's loyalty to his base? Trump cares about one thing. Himself. Nothing more. You state, "For whatever else he is or isn’t, Trump is a formidable presence on the debate stage. Both in the lengthy series of Republican candidate debates in 2016 and in his showdowns with Hillary Clinton later that year, Trump projected a raw power that belied the weakness of his arguments and rude nonsense of many of his statements." No Charlie, he is not a formidable presence, except to those already muddled in their thinking. Which brings me to the true state of the cognitive abilities of the people the world over. Attention spans, IQ, and other mental awareness abilities such as reading comprehension, where reading is still a thing, are dropping in most places in the industrialized world. Some point to introduced chemicals into our biosphere, nuclear fallout and a whole host of other contaminants, including the contamination and nutrient loss of the food we eat. Personally, having watched the US devolve intellectually for 5 decades, I tend to believe that the electronic manipulation, both intentional and as a by-product of marketing, has led to a distracted, fearful, and science phobic people who are now easily led by autocrats who use the right cues and dog whistles to bring the masses into line. Yes, Trump may win again. But, not because he has anything to offer. You used the word vile, which I wholeheartedly endorse in describing Trump. In a decent country, Trump would not even be allowed a second interview, let alone a shot at an elected seat for anything. But, I said a decent country, yes?

Agree with most. Yet, there still seems to be a lot of uncertainty in the whole equation. I think the next two months will be very telling here. I hope we do not suffer the same fate as our neighbor to the north.

Brian, I believe your take on this is correct. However, while the thrust of your letter is economic, my greatest concern is the loss of democracy for humanity. To preserve what we have, it is incumbent upon our leaders to rise to the occasion of educating themselves to the true threats out there. This would be a new breed of leaders for The Bahamas, as there is little to suggest that this concern has been front and centre for most of our history. Thanks for your perspective.

Ms. Wallace,

All what you say is true. Why is there such a lack of empathy, and even less real thinking going on around us? Isn't this the most important question? For the life of me, I just can't fathom the disconnect. I used to put a lot of faith in education. Now, I see an abundance of educated selfish idiots. Use the US president and our own PM, for examples.

What a sad, sad story.
What does sell-out really mean?
From top to bottom, we sold out a man who clearly had his heart and his money in this country to benefit us all. Can anyone honestly say the same about the present owners? What a sad, sad, sad story and a serious black eye for this country. Like we needed another.
Having followed this story from day 1, it leaves me with a real hole in my heart that so many people here went along with, and profited from the rape of an innocent man. I hope there is really no such thing as karma, or The Bahamas is in for even worse things to come. Hard to imagine, I know.

Is water less important to Bahamians than the police? How many days can you live without water? How many days without the police? I'm sure that the police "revenue" is down too. Fewer drivers on the road, less crime during the lock down. Sometimes, actual thinking gets you in trouble. You are forced to look at things around you differently. Defund the police doesn't mean eliminating the police. It means, for once, let's get our priorities straight. Aligned with the words that come out of our mouths, such as "our leaders care for all Bahamians". As astute Black Lives Matter people say, "Is it really necessary to send people with guns in to deal with every problem we have?" They should be our last resort, not the first.

I've been told that the only ones who benefit from the land fiasco in The Bahamas are the lawyers.

The Tribune states, "Mr. Pinder hopes the economy will pick up by September when cruise lines are expected to return. “After that, if things don’t pick up, then you on your own,” he said.
This, from a government employee whose sole job is to look out for the Bahamian people?
Any manager who had an employee such as this would make sure that by Monday morning, Mr. Pinder would be on his own. Is there something in the FNM water that these jokers are drinking? I just can't see a child making some of these statements coming out of our so-caller "leaders" mouths. They are beyond worthless.

Reform the crown land fiasco first. Make sure all Androsians get first priority for land on Andros. If the central government can't get their act together and get this done, then Androsians need to force their hand. Do Androsians have any representation? I would argue an unequivocal "no". Haven't for some time now. So, Mr. Davis, instead of talking, why don't you move to radically and immediately reform this crown land issue that doesn't seem to work for Bahamians? Put all of your talents into making Bahamians first. Your talk doesn't do a damn thing. But, reforming this totally unfair crown land situation by year's end certainly would. Put your money where your mouth is, or sit small.