In response to "Jamaicaproud" I will reply that there must be something good here since many of his/her countrymen have found jobs here over the past many years. That said, our currency will very likely go the way of the Jamaican dollar after Manley tried and failed to make everyone equal. We may well have to take to log rafts but it will not be in the direction of Haiti.
Don't worry, be happy.

There are only a few so-called "fast" ferries and they are concerned primarily with Andros, Eleuthera and to a lesser extent, Exuma. While the ships are essential for the hauling of bulky freight they cannot be expected to replace passenger airline service.
As for being afraid of flying, that is far from the truth, having flown in the jump seat of many an aircraft and having been in a terrible thunderstorm in an old DC-3 many years ago.
Flying is safer than driving, for sure, but when things go wrong they go wrong very quickly, often without warning. Just check the recent news stories.

Only recently have I ceased receiving at least one text message daily on my cellular telephone inviting me to spend a dollar in an attempt to win five thousand. However, being of somewhat mature years and frugal habits, I have resisted the temptation to waste my few minutes of talk time on a vain quest. When I see how readily people, especially young people, spend their money on frivolities I understand how difficult it will be for them to save any significant amount of money especially with new taxes and a constantly increasing cost of living.
Fortunately I was taught the value of money as a child and was under no illusions about getting something for nothing which is a lesson I am reminded of when I pass the parking lots in front of the web shops.
It is very unfortunate that there are so many people in this country who seem to pin their hopes on winning at a game of chance. Their hopes must be dashed on a regular basis.

In reply to "DonAnthony" I must point out that I have never been the ONLY passenger on a Bahamasair flight so it is not a matter of me as opposed to the general public feeling safer.
In actuality I fly fairly infrequently but I like to recall that I am in the care of an airline with one of the best safety records in the world. Please bear in mind that Bahamasair is not the only recipient of government subsidies and still plays a vital part in the national transportation system.
The whole public health care system is heavily subsidized and so is the so-called "mail boat" system where the minimal freight charges levied by the ship owners would not pay for the fuel burned for even half the voyage. Let us accept that there are a number of areas in need of reform and revision and stop these "ad hominem" remarks.

The only problem with all these negative comments is that, in the absence of Bahamasair, members of the travelling public would have to, at least on some routes, subject themselves to the risks of flying aboard less reliable aircraft subject to less rigid maintenance requirements and under the command of less experienced and qualified pilots who might not be subject to the strict re-certification and required simulator emergency scenarios required of ATP rated officers.
As for myself, when a steep rate of climb is required for VFR on top or weather avoidance I prefer to be aboard a Bahamasair Dash 8 any day of the week.
I am neither a pilot nor an employee of Bahamasair in case anyone is thinking in that direction.

I am somewhat surprised that Rupert Roberts has not publicly complained that he appears to have been "targeted" by price control staff, very probably as a result of his strong anti-VAT stand last year. He should spend some time researching the relationship between the Chinese minority and the Malay majority in Malaysia and to a lesser extent in Indonesia, particularly in "hard economic times".

Perhaps I missed it but I do not recall seeing this story on the TV news last night. Is there more to this story than meets the eye? Certainly the general public would be pleased to have some additional information related to this somewhat unusual incident.

It is difficult to understand how any such exercise will be truly effective in Abaco as a whole since the illegals have had so much warning as well as lots of time to perfect the art of hiding for the necessary period of time until the danger appears to have passed. Also, the Haitian population appears to be very necessary for the continued operation of certain aspects of the economy. The present situation has been allowed to continue for such a long period of time that it now seems like trying to operate California without Mexicans.

The cost of living will not come down in any significant way. There will come a point at which the powers that be will have to choose between reducing the size of the civil service and a phased devaluation of the Bahamian dollar. Neither of these options is particularly appetizing since all governments are very wary of high unemployment figures which lead to civil unrest. Any devaluation will result in astronomical inflation and a severe reduction in the standard of living. Anyone familiar with the history of the currencies of the West Indies, Central and South America will know what happened to formerly strong currencies over time. The recent example of Japan experiencing a mild recession and the reduction in the exchange rate of the Yen as a result of the increase of their sales tax from 5% to 8% should be instructive. Our sales tax has gone from 0% to 7.5% overnight.

While Bahamasair pilots might be overpaid by some standards I trust that Captain Butler remembers that it was his people who broke up one of their planes at Marsh Harbour on June 13, 2013, while attempting to land under IMC conditions with no ground based guidance to help them.