At the risk of repeating other sensible comments, what is it with this country? I honestly believe that if someone credible were to tell us that tomorrow we will all die as the result of some pending calamity due to government inaction, the same old commentators would write endless diatribes - not about the need for the serving government to take action - but about how the "other party" did the same or worse.

To quote Hilary Clinton: "What difference does it make!" what the other party did or did not do? This is about what is happening NOW and about something that what once done, will NEVER be repairable! At the risk of repeating myself, What is wrong with this country?

Would be a dream come true, but sadly I fear you are not nearly cynical enough. They will go on and on, business as usual.

So damn obvious. So clearly exposes corruption involved in these decisions. Why take 15% when you can have 100%. Total joke.

But if you impose a licensing tax on drug dealers it is unfair to the small drug dealers who are just starting out.

I guess it makes some people feel good to add gratuitous lines like "Bush didn't care" to this discussion. I wonder if the subsequent felony conviction of the serving New Orleans Mayor for full blown corruption before, during and after the tragedy should be part of the blame calculus? This the same mayor who abandoned the city, and who ordered the bus fleet designed to evacuate the citizenry parked in a low area, might be a bit of the focus for your angst over what happened to the people of New Orleans. In the U.S., disaster prevention and emergency plans are LOCAL in nature. They are not the primary province of the Federal Government. To blame a serving President for all the tragedy that befell that community in what was a 100 year disaster, is simply ludicrous. Further to suggest he did not care is gratuitous and false.

I guess it is not shocking that politicians take positions that are inherently inconsistent with their virulently espoused positions of five minutes previous, but I am shocked at how this particular Prime Minister is so willing to condescend to the Bahamian people.

Can anyone fail to cringe at the implication in this statement, that he has any interest whatsoever in the introduction of competitive cellular industry into our country? He and his party have fought tooth and nail for over four years to prevent the introduction of competition with the formerly government owned monopoly.

Further, instead of focusing on that aspect of the former government's deal, which finally drove a stake through the heart of a government owned monopoly's inferior service, he has spent every waking moment trying to renegotiate the deal so the monopoly could go on, delivering substandard service at outrageous cost forever. Until there is viable competition, we will continue to suffer second rate mobile service here, and everyone knows it.

This is chutzpah at a new level.

Right on Tal. This and at the same time imposing the most regressive of taxes, called "numbers". That "tax" is paid by the poorest of the poor, and instead of 100% of net revenue going to government (which at least is what happens in the States) our government will take a paltry 15%. How can anyone defend that? Why not collect the real property tax. Far the easiest tax to collect. This is just one more tax that the insiders will duck and the poor will carry.

Let’s see, in the States this most regressive of taxes, which is imposed disproportionately on the poorest of citizens generates 100% of net revenue for government, state and local.

Here in the Bahamas, where we have far more poor, who will pay this tax far more disproportionately, we will capture 15% of net revenue for the government.

Oh, that’s OK, nothing to see here, because that paltry rate going to government was suggested by the former administration.

Is this not the same former administration that the current administration alleges did everything and anything evil and bad, that has resulted in horrible outcomes for the Bahamas?

Why then does this rate setting idea from the former administration represent some kind of excuse for the failure to run a national lottery, putting all these illegal operators out of business.

I guess I forgot where the current administration gets its campaign contributions.

So now we have VAT that only the fewer and fewer lawful will pay; along with duty that only the fewer and fewer lawful will pay; along with real property tax that only the fewer and fewer lawful will pay.

Eventually we will have a small group of the lawful, and government will just visit us once a year to submit a bill for the entire budget.

I for one am shocked!