All this area really should be examined as to whether it was a burial ground and if is so should be just left alone. Sometime in the past privileged persons were buried within the St. Matthews Church grounds and other persons were buried further away. Records of old burial grounds should be in the history records and sites should be respected as many did not have the concrete or steel markers to mark the spot.

On the onset of the critical situation revelations in article, solutions are needed.

All previous alternating governments are responsible and persons who are responsible need to be fired. Solutions are needed immediately and not until a political party gets into power.

There must be some voice in the Opposition party immediately to put fire under those responsible for this critical situation.

All of a sudden,

Consumer chief - "He explained that an initial group of about 30 shoppers were selected to go into grocery stores across New Providence and identify discrepancies such as expired items and price gouging."

Well this is eye opening at this time when the elections Campaigning has started. and especially when the technology in inventory controlling and sales are standard in just about all the Food STores across New Providence. When an item is sold the POS point of sale register computer inventory controls adjusts balances in inventory and at levels the programs are automatically adjusted. Levels of Grocery store business is almost fully computerized to indicate what is on the shelves and shelf life and in some advanced systems the computer inventory programs are linked to foreign suppliers and at different competing sources to capture the best in future prices.

in having these persons going around stores taking pictures seems to be too intrusive and unnecessary intimidating to merchants. Frankly, seeing persons take pictures of shelf items is obvious negative image to merchants and shoppers.

Last time an owner had his photo with a competing political group in Golden Gates, lo and behold the price inspectors were at the food store inspecting.

The Consumer people could just try to ask the store owners to view their Inventory Computer records of items and view the quantities remaining in the computer recording and sales and do a sampling check, instead of being in the stone age dinosaur era and using thug like intimidating spy photo techniques approaches.

There must be more advanced techniques to be using and the question is what happens when a constituency is targeted with dozens of Govt paid personnel showing up at the stores in that constituency particularly at the Electioning campaigning time?????
The agency needs to be revamped.

The percent % -----% -----% -----% -----% used by the authorities has a continuous history of
----- repeatedly changing ----- frequently beginning with a small numbers to be not of economic concern, not noticeable, ----- and then the numbers get higher and includes others.

Just look at the $65 million price of the purchase of the Lucayan Hotel which was passed off to the taxpayers as palatable and the govt knowing costs are higher then quietly adding increasing costs to the taxpayers pockets. Just ----- look at the percentages of the VAT regressive taxes which increased and included items and then excluded items. ----- present result is plenty more people out on the streets pleading for money for food, lining up at charitable entities for food, school children have to be provided with food by the authorities.

"administration is preparing to take “bold action” on rent control."

“Yes, I’m talking about bold action even on issues like rent control."

" Mr Rolle said rent control is a “priority” for the government "

All the information with the rent control by the government. AND then saying below

“I am excited by the potential for these financial reforms to support greater competition in the market."

Well, frankly rent controls is the opposite to competition in free market where there is equilibrium derived under supply and demand forces. Further the number of 20% is picked by the government and not determined by free market forces.

Governments should not get into private enterprise businesses geared in capitalism and healthy competition to thrive and exist in Democracy.

Govt authorities kills capitalism and private enterprises and with one sided restrictions and the inevitable bureaucracy, red tape, added litigation only deters private enterprises of getting into creation of rental properties. Naturally there will be punishments to landlords who are in the wrong for following private enterprises. Penalties, fines?, jail terms? seizing of buildings?

If governments wants to have subsidized housing then build it themselves and particularly in the area of housing for elderly.

Government added controls, receits, documentations, govt approvals, govt agencies connecting submission of rent receits leads to connection logically to landlords compliance of business licences, connection of TIN, connection to NIB payments and erodes into Bahamians' culture of democracy and peoples lives and more and more areas of governments controls by way of laws. The accelerated blueprint path and govt intervention in supply and demand of Market forces and competition reeks of Communists governments.

Absolutely without shame these fellas can't even get their fellow legislators for years to comply with the financial Disclosures for years but yet can pass Financial laws for the public private sector to comply as the ink dries and laws to apply to prosecute those landlords who are guilty of not complying.

"He highlighted that by law, landlords can only charge 20 percent of the value of the of the property as rent, must provide a receipt upon payment and cannot withhold a security deposit for normal wear and tear." comments stated by executive chairman of the Consumer Protection Commission Randy Rolle.

On one hand the Governor of the Bahamas Central Bank and a chief financial advisor to the Government had indicated that the at the time of the consumer complaints on the huge bank fees by the banks are set by the "market forces" and are determined by the banks.

Now on the rents which landlords are "only charge 20 percent of the value of the of the property as rent" is the most bizarre as the very same free enterprise operations and supply and demand forces are not allowed to play in democracy for equilibrium price level is to be obtained. (One also has to bear in mind the bed and Bath rentals which fluctuate according to season.)

Quite an eye opener to Bahamians that 'Market Forces" are for the few commercial banks on the high bank fees they consider and a legislated compliance difference on rental prices landlords must charge is being communist didatorial.

p.s. the 20% rent ceiling fee on the value of the property is not rational since the rents are also decided by the location, location, location in addition to SUPPLY and DEMAND forces. Perhaps he can view some of the quite good quality homes that stand out in urban renewal areas plagued by high incidences of crime versus some tiny pool houses or guest cottage or apt above the garage for rent next to the mansions in gated communities.

headline "Who will pay for mental health days?" Answer is clear that society will pay the price.

Increasing stresses are glaringly evident.

There are increasing numbers of homeless Bahamians sleeping on areas off the sides of the streets and pleading for help in the streets in dirt stained clothes, there is the obvious documented government having to feed thousands of children breakfast, there is the increasing suicides, there are the longer lines of hungry lining up for soup kitchens, there is the fact that persons cannot afford homes, there is the fact that regressive VAT taxes applied be the governments severely create hardships to the explosive increasing pain and hardships of Bahamians - fully known by the authorities of the increased population below poverty levels and the list goes on and on and on and on.

Increasing stress affects and erodes and destroys TRUST creates further Harm, less and less productivity, influences others in futility of better situations, destroys productivity, increses careless errors, lousy customer services where no one cannot smile or have the effort to help customers where the nation deals wid a lot of service industries, in businesses, creates harm and carelessness's, morale, illnesses increase leading to more man hours lost creating more work for existing staff.

In a small, small, small, small, small island nation any efforts to stem the adverse effects of mental health must be a priority to continue where all of us are directly connected. Right now many motorists would rather stay home to ease the increasing additional, and additional and additional stresses rather than to endure the terror on the streets by few other road users.

Lets be realistic that the Communists influences and ideas from just across the border have been slipping into our beloved Bahamaland by the greater frequency of our beloved Bahamaland interacting with the Communists.

"The country has put a lot of money into the Grand Lucayan since it was bought up by the government. The new deal is for a sale and redevelopment for a value of $827m. After paying to keep it going for years, it was revealed that we will be getting back $120m as a sale price, according to a government statement. "

Investigations needed to be done from the FNM buying the hotel at the price of $65 million dollars. Full investigations needed as it seems that it is likely that the injections by government of taxpayers money could have been more than the present price and that funds were for social services assistance from govt accounting designated social services budget, rather that from competition of the hotel under business conditions with other hotels.

As time rolled on additional sums of taxpayers money was added to keep on paying bills attached to the $65 million sale price and the additional sums just kept on being added to this hotel. along the line the authorities might as well have said that they bought the hotel fot $10. million but later on the costs attached to this sale price added to $120. million

Under business market competition the hotel should have competed in accordance to its economic profitability as the other private owned hotels do so and in fair competition, instead of being used as a function vehicle of social services and assistance to the employees. Agreeing that the Freeport economic situation was really bad, it was fully acceptable to have assisted all of the needy under the accounting section that provides help in disastrous times under the social services agency.

Pumping all the necessary taxpayers funds distorts the economic data that is used for national and international purposes that influences the ratings. The hotel is a business failure as it was used to distort true free market forces and competition and profitability or extent of losses. The employment rates were distorted directly and indirectly and help for the Freeport should have been by means and reflecting of the past failures of past governments to regularize shortfalls under the Port Authority.