Mr. Gibson is an advocate for big labor and big labor always views economics as a zero sum game. “If you make ten dollars and I make five, the only way for me to make two dollars more is for you to make two dollars less.” “If a job goes to someone with a work permit, that is a job lost to a Bahamian.” Both are fallacious statements refuted in the first semester of any college level Economics survey course, but both false thesis, are the basis for Bahamian government policy.
If Bahamian based businesses could hire qualified technically skilled persons, absent all the hurdles government imposes, many more Bahamians would have good, career, job opportunities. The Bahamian policy of tightly controlling work permits and of making them extremely difficult and expensive to maintain, has contributed to making this a “one industry” country and that industry, namely tourism, that can support only a relatively low level of wages and benefits.
The Bahamas is fortunate to be located a tiny hop from the largest, per capita, economy in the world. There are literally hundreds of U.S. business that could benefit from the many advantages that the Bahamas offers, that would offer thousands and thousands of “career jobs”, the kind of jobs that promote a strong middle class, who are deterred from any consideration of moving any aspect of their operations here, due to the restrictive, expensive and serendipitous attitudes of our government regarding work permitting necessary technical staff.
It is all terribly short sighted and very sad, and Mr. Gibson’s recent demagoguery on topic is just one more reason why many, many citizens of this wonderful island nation will suffer in an economic back water unnecessarily.
Competition is what the Bahamian people are interested in, but not what the PLP are interested in. They are interested in "rice bowls" where they can park their constituents. It is perfectly obvious that the way to better communications services and better utility services is by getting rid of government ownership. That has been proved all over the world but the PLP is living in the 19th century.
Tarzan says...
Mr. Gibson is an advocate for big labor and big labor always views economics as a zero sum game. “If you make ten dollars and I make five, the only way for me to make two dollars more is for you to make two dollars less.” “If a job goes to someone with a work permit, that is a job lost to a Bahamian.” Both are fallacious statements refuted in the first semester of any college level Economics survey course, but both false thesis, are the basis for Bahamian government policy.
If Bahamian based businesses could hire qualified technically skilled persons, absent all the hurdles government imposes, many more Bahamians would have good, career, job opportunities. The Bahamian policy of tightly controlling work permits and of making them extremely difficult and expensive to maintain, has contributed to making this a “one industry” country and that industry, namely tourism, that can support only a relatively low level of wages and benefits.
The Bahamas is fortunate to be located a tiny hop from the largest, per capita, economy in the world. There are literally hundreds of U.S. business that could benefit from the many advantages that the Bahamas offers, that would offer thousands and thousands of “career jobs”, the kind of jobs that promote a strong middle class, who are deterred from any consideration of moving any aspect of their operations here, due to the restrictive, expensive and serendipitous attitudes of our government regarding work permitting necessary technical staff.
It is all terribly short sighted and very sad, and Mr. Gibson’s recent demagoguery on topic is just one more reason why many, many citizens of this wonderful island nation will suffer in an economic back water unnecessarily.
On Clarification needed on Gibson's statement
Posted 24 June 2012, 8:44 a.m. Suggest removal
Tarzan says...
Competition is what the Bahamian people are interested in, but not what the PLP are interested in. They are interested in "rice bowls" where they can park their constituents. It is perfectly obvious that the way to better communications services and better utility services is by getting rid of government ownership. That has been proved all over the world but the PLP is living in the 19th century.
On Maynard hits out at BTC takeover plan
Posted 21 June 2012, 1:59 p.m. Suggest removal
Tarzan says...
Lowering bills is easy. Sell BEC to a private company. The government will never efficiently operate anything.
On BEC chairman Miller vows to lower bills
Posted 21 June 2012, 1:56 p.m. Suggest removal