It always amuses me when armchair revolutionaries express support for totalitarian dictatorships like that established in Cuba by Fidel Castro in January of 1959.
From a distance it might appear attractive to some people but up close those accustomed to living in less oppressive environments might find it disconcerting to have a jeep full of armed soldiers stop in front of your house or business only to inform you that what you thought was your property now belongs to the state or to the people.
Of what use is an advanced educational system if there are very few opportunities for social advancement in the larger society?
How many Bahamians wish to work for around $20 a month?
The suffering of others always seems less offensive when seen from a safe distance.

The comment about no black person being in a high position in Cuba is incorrect. The late Juan Almeida fought with the Castro brothers in the late 1950s and rose to a high position in the ruling junta.
Some books discussing the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963 are now saying that Juan Almeida was planning to assist the U.S. in overthrowing the Castro brothers on December 1, 1963.
Whether that claim is true or not the fact is that the Castro brothers remained in power and Juan Almeida is now gone.
During my visits to Cuba in the 1990s I was told that racial problems still exist, a claim that somewhat surprised me at the time.
The Castro brothers accomplished what very few people have been able to accomplish: they took over and completely dominated an entire country for almost 60 years.
Once Raul Castro has departed the scene we shall see what the future holds but many Bahamians seem not to be aware that before Castro deposed Fulgencio Batista in January of 1959 Cuba was the premier tourist destination in the Caribbean and if they reclaim that position in the future it will be at the expense of many other competing destinations.

This reminds me of the comment made by a young criminal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when he was being interviewed by a television reporter. The masked young man explained that the politicians robbed with a pen while he robbed with a gun.

My dear Ms. Burrows, please bear in mind that many Americans found themselves astounded that they were offered these two characters at the end of a long selection process.
Many felt that they were forced to choose what, to the individual voter, must have appeared as the lesser of two evils.
Of course, which one of the two candidates you eventually came to consider the lesser of those two evils could depend upon any number of factors.
Their peculiar process of using what they call an electoral college resulted in a win for the candidate who did not poll the absolute numerical majority of the votes. Who knows if the system will undergo some modification in the future.
For the time being the "die is cast" as Julius Caesar said so long ago as he crossed the Rubicon river in the company of his army on his way back to Rome against the orders of the senate.
Consider our situation in our own country: are we offered what we could call a significant difference between the two main parties vying for power?
Perhaps many of our voters will find themselves facing a choice between what they have come to see as a choice between the lesser of two evils.

Thanks for the clarification on the issue of how Edison Key retains his seat in the House of Assembly.
Now I remember how he helped establish the Haitian communities in Abaco as a result of his involvement with the Key & Sawyer farms west of the Treasure Cay Airport.
Still, it is a shame that ignorance, greed and selfishness have resulted in what appears to be a permanent change in the voting demographics of the community.
Other countries are well aware of what uncontrolled immigration can do to a city, country or community no matter its size.

In response to "Abaconian" above: If he does not represent the views of Abaconians why does he continue to be elected as their representative? Are the people unable to find someone more capable and more educated to represent them or will they continue to suffer his type of representation in silence?
It is truly unfortunate and indeed lamentable that white Abaconians seem incapable of pushing to the forefront a more sophisticated, world wise and educated representative of their community than this "dinosaur".

Like Pindling said on August 19, 1992, "the voice of the people is the voice of God".
Trump was always an outsider with no political experience but he struck a nerve with ordinary people who saw no other way out of a family dynasty of the Clinton crew and their rich friends who care about position and prestige above everything else.
Perhaps Trump will be able to accomplish something positive given the right advice and some good common sense.
Of course, we recall another outsider with no political experience who was propelled to power by a frustrated people in January 1933 in Germany.

Bear in mind that both the major parties are anxious for someone or something to bring money into the local economy so that at least a portion of the numerous school leavers who emerge into the real world every June can hope for some type of employment. With the cost of living increasing and wages not moving upward at the same pace no politician wants to see a situation where there is mass unemployment, especially among volatile youth who have great expectations.
The delicate balancing act is to attract the type of investment that creates opportunity without an excess of controversy. This is the real challenge facing politicians on both sides of the aisle in the House of Assembly.

This situation reminds me of the old days when we used to cross the Great Bahama Bank at night via Northwest Channel on our way to Miami by way of Mackie Shoal and North Rock, just off North Bimini.
In those days, the early and mid 1970s, you could see dozens of Cuban-American fishing boats anchored all across the Bank especially north of our route and up toward Great Isaac, the Gingerbread Ground, Hen and Chickens, etc.
The Police Marine Division started to crack down on the situation in the mid 1970s sometimes with startling results. Check the newspaper stories from those days for details.
Of course, poaching of land and marine resources is an international problem but a country that makes no effort to protect its natural resources soon will have no resources to protect whether from internal or external predators.

Ambition is a cruel master.