At least it's not an actual loan until it is drawn down. It probably still incurs a monthly retainer fee though.

It is a good move by govt because delays after a disaster in getting financing means smaller problems can grow larger while we are waiting. The ability to respond quickly can lead to overall savings. Good move.

The other thing is ... were any IDs they had photocopied? Were they fingerprinted? Im sure there is a simple device and software that can run from a laptop to not only store fingerprints but also check as they are being stored as to whether they are already in the database. If already in, then those persons should do a year prison time at a make-shift prison in Inagua. Plywood and 2x6 can knock up quick.

Porcupine...they're soon going to cancel yours and my passports and ship us out. We don't belong here.

I actually debated someone on here a few weeks ago who tried to convince me that our grading on a curve to force a D average and our defining D as having obtained sufficient understanding of a subject has no adverse psychological effect on our youth.

Some folks say the best slave is a slave who doesn't know he's a slave - so he has no reason to protest. Here in the Bahamas, many are unaware of their status - but the gangsta rap and gospel music both convince them otherwise.

Porcupine, i like your points a lot. Parallel to that is a behavioral problem rooted in education. Rich people make money while poor people make babies.

Good stuff. Too bad it took a threat of a no-confidence vote to make it happen, but at least it happened.

Keep it up and quickly introduce long awaited legislation to finally make it a crime to employ illegal persons punishable by a fine of $10,000 per illegal for each director of the company or individual or one year in jail. The "harbouring" law is insufficient. Persons hire illegals and dont care if they are deported. It doesnt affect them. They just hire another one from the unlimited supply line at PMH maternity ward.

Good stuff. Keep it up. Keep ya seat.

Can the Min of Finance tell us how many European banks or financial institutions or corporations or IBCs or anything European exist in the Bahamas and how much (precisely) we profit from their presence here?

Maybe we are worried about a tempest in a teapot. Perhaps just tell them we will repeal all the legislation we have created on their behalf and give all European entities here until year end to "wind up" their affairs and scadaddle.

Seriously. Is it a concern? What if we were threatened by the Zimbabwe Chamber of Commerce that all our traffic lights must have the yellow/amber light removed or else we would not be in compliance with their Vehicle Traffic Standard (VTS)? Would we remove our yellow lights?

The article says we should comply or suffer the consequences. What are the consequences? Maybe they are irrelevant.

Standard procedure under the PLP.

The ongoing issue is the silly DELAY that Turnquest has said to switch to an accrual accounting system. All non-recurrent expenditure should immediately be switched to accrual. Recurrent is best handled by the current software. This could be switched over by end of this month. This is my area of expertise. It is not as big of a deal as some would make people believe. An office with 3 persons could handle the data entry for the new commitments and the ongoing payments of the entire govt including the govt corporations. Yes, i'm serious. Old commitments could be added as they are discovered in the rats nest. I worked at Min of Finance for years, so i'm not guessing here.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly new laws need to be passed (and implemented) that require that all loans and commitments of any kind must be noticed to the Shadow Minister of Finance and failure to do so is punishable by jail time for the minister that it happened under.

This foolishness of the opposition party spending over a year to just discover the problem before they can solve it has to stop.

The question is does the FNM have the cajones to do it, or are they just going to stick their tongues out at the PLP and say "Too bad for yall. Now it's our time to hide the Easter eggs. Yall find 'em 5 years from now if you can." That is just childish, irresponsible, and unpatriotic. People's grandchildren have to pay in the future for today's foolishness.

Min Turnquest, if you want me to run that 3 man office for you, give a call. I would be honored to do so as a patriot. Respectfully.

Mr. Thompson, having served in such a high position, should be well aware that the reason the officers did not appear is the exact same reason why often times we hear about cases being postponed due to "no stenographers being available".

They just happen to all get sick on the same day and no "tribunal" is ever called about that - so chillax. Dis da Bahamas.

Luckily, the European Union won't be around much longer anyway. They are being opposed by UK, Italy, Hungary, and Sweden and the list of countries is growing. Plus Trump just slapped two import tarriffs on their butts...25% on steel and 10% on aluminium.

Steve Bannon was in Italy last week for the election and in France also last week for the convention of Marine Le Pen's opposition party. The tide is turning against the EU's stupidity.

People need to stop calling this a deal. We do not get even one cent per barrel of oil pumped or refined. Not one cent.

That is the real issue.

So we would give up the environment for 250 slave jobs. The workers will be frustrated by management until they quit and they go through all the good ones and then can have minimum wage and foreigners just like another big project in fpo currently has.

And just for kicks let me ask again....when is the damn Princess Tower road going to be reopened?