If all the past co-operation has only brought us black lists, perhaps its time to review past regulations and agreements with a view to dialing them back and clearly the promise of "do this and you will not get a blacklist" was clearly a promise that was never kept.
I remain unclear how a modern high cost, high debt economy as the Bahamas can run on the very small on island per person spends of cruise visitors? Are we prepared to take the pay cuts and tax increases to make all these numbers work with these very low per person spends?
I mean if more cruise visitors is the answer why did the Bahamas not boom after the mega cruise ships started arriving around 2004-2006? As I recall crime and unemployment only got WORSE not better.
Considering the now elevated risk of CAT5 and CAT6 storms we need a permanent disaster fund yesterday. And also our deficits are too high. People have been asked to pay more with VAT1 and more with VAT2, and now its time for the other parties to step up....
So bondholders
And public sector unions .... Over to you to start giving, the public has done its bit, ideally we would have all given in concert and shared the burden from day one.
With a very limited carbon budget left before the planet hits disaster at 1.5C of warming, there is no carbon budget left for cruise ships. Its as simple as that. As the dirtiest form of tourism in terms of pollutants and carbon per visitor which ad very little local spending to the local economy versus hotels they clearly must go.
No amount of "there must be balance" can overcome this basic math. If you cross over 1.5C of warming you have a dead planet, and what use are jobs on a dead planet?
"Stop or I will shout again" goes an old Monte Python skit. Cruise industry knows it can dump at will with no real penalty. Only solution is to kick them out and then we will back in regulatory control of our own tourism industry. The Bahamas can not hope to regulate an industry which is designed from the ground up to be beyond any real regulation. eg. flags of convinenace, playing the islands off against each other, the game forever changing in their favour etc. etc.
Agreed. Cancel their licenses. Kick them out of the Bahamas. Maybe another country will take their pollution dumping and minimal amounts of local spending per visitor,
When can we revoke their permissions to come into Bahamian waters? Surely such repeat violations make them unsuitable to become the focus of our tourism industry and it is not in our interests to allow the cruise industry to grow any more powerful than it is already.
concerned799 says...
What about all the Dutch tax haven activities?
If all the past co-operation has only brought us black lists, perhaps its time to review past regulations and agreements with a view to dialing them back and clearly the promise of "do this and you will not get a blacklist" was clearly a promise that was never kept.
On Dutch demand 9% corporate taxation to escape blacklist
Posted 22 February 2020, 3:05 a.m. Suggest removal
concerned799 says...
I remain unclear how a modern high cost, high debt economy as the Bahamas can run on the very small on island per person spends of cruise visitors? Are we prepared to take the pay cuts and tax increases to make all these numbers work with these very low per person spends?
I mean if more cruise visitors is the answer why did the Bahamas not boom after the mega cruise ships started arriving around 2004-2006? As I recall crime and unemployment only got WORSE not better.
On 'Carnival double deal will help recovery efforts'
Posted 19 February 2020, 11:58 p.m. Suggest removal
concerned799 says...
Considering the now elevated risk of CAT5 and CAT6 storms we need a permanent disaster fund yesterday. And also our deficits are too high. People have been asked to pay more with VAT1 and more with VAT2, and now its time for the other parties to step up....
So bondholders
And public sector unions .... Over to you to start giving, the public has done its bit, ideally we would have all given in concert and shared the burden from day one.
On DPM: Bahamas 'far from' uncontrolled debt spiral
Posted 16 February 2020, 4:51 p.m. Suggest removal
concerned799 says...
With a very limited carbon budget left before the planet hits disaster at 1.5C of warming, there is no carbon budget left for cruise ships. Its as simple as that. As the dirtiest form of tourism in terms of pollutants and carbon per visitor which ad very little local spending to the local economy versus hotels they clearly must go.
No amount of "there must be balance" can overcome this basic math. If you cross over 1.5C of warming you have a dead planet, and what use are jobs on a dead planet?
On Fred Smith was off the mark with Carnival
Posted 13 February 2020, 2:24 p.m. Suggest removal
concerned799 says...
Still no Endangered Species Law for the Bahamas? The US has had one since the 1970s. Why does not the Bahamas have one?
On Collision course on South Abaco project
Posted 13 February 2020, 2:40 a.m. Suggest removal
concerned799 says...
If we were ever going to green our power grid wouldn't a rebuilding from a storm be the time to do it and go solar?
On PM signs off on Abaco project
Posted 13 February 2020, 1:31 a.m. Suggest removal
concerned799 says...
"Stop or I will shout again" goes an old Monte Python skit. Cruise industry knows it can dump at will with no real penalty. Only solution is to kick them out and then we will back in regulatory control of our own tourism industry. The Bahamas can not hope to regulate an industry which is designed from the ground up to be beyond any real regulation. eg. flags of convinenace, playing the islands off against each other, the game forever changing in their favour etc. etc.
On National Trust: Cruise industry 'must get message' over waste
Posted 8 February 2020, 3:36 a.m. Suggest removal
concerned799 says...
Agreed. Cancel their licenses. Kick them out of the Bahamas. Maybe another country will take their pollution dumping and minimal amounts of local spending per visitor,
On Activist demands 'action, not talk' on cruise ships
Posted 7 February 2020, 12:02 a.m. Suggest removal
concerned799 says...
When can we revoke their permissions to come into Bahamian waters? Surely such repeat violations make them unsuitable to become the focus of our tourism industry and it is not in our interests to allow the cruise industry to grow any more powerful than it is already.
On Norwegian admits dumping in ocean
Posted 6 February 2020, 11:59 p.m. Suggest removal
concerned799 says...
No mention of how increasing airport capacity would be inconsistent with reducing greenhouse gas emissions?
It seems we have pulled out of the Paris Accord but just forgot to send the necessary notifications?
On Nassau airport targets 1,448-acre expansion
Posted 29 January 2020, 3:03 p.m. Suggest removal