Where to begin?
Governments can practice whichever economic system they wish. They should however fully disclose their intentions so that local businesses and the electorate know what their policy is (or preferably "will be" prior to elections). If our Bahamian government wants to buy drugs directly from the manufacturers they have the legal right to do so. However it's probably not wise to do this given our history of government inefficiencies, although the local distributors have to be policed to ensure they are not price gorging the population (whether PHA or private entities).
It may be unfair to group the pharmaceutical wholesalers with other companies that supply the PHA with medical supplies and other services as these companies have a very bad reputation (deserved or not) with price gorging. Certainly the pharmaceutical wholesalers have been better regulated since the advent of the Prescription Drug Plan and unless they have been found to be unsavory during this relationship, they should be given the benefit of the doubt to continue to be involved in PHA drug supplies. The obvious benefits would be to maintain their high level of expertise and efficiencies, not to mention the existence of private enterprise itself and the jobs they provide within our Bahamaland.

Good to see this issue being discussed as it is a terrible blight on the Bahamas. When it comes to opening or conducting business in this country using the term "ease of doing business" is laughable at best and better described as "tragic".

Unfortunately, blaming this fact on VAT misses the point and needlessly adds a new front that threatens to politicize any process designed to fix it. The Bahamas has been a lousy jurisdiction for doing business for decades and everyone in business and law has known this, but because this inefficiency and "Red Tape" benefits certain professions rather than the businessperson the necessary changes can't be made.

We need an approach much like that of Hong Kong, where a business can be opened in "one business day"! We should approach experts from that jurisdiction (or Singapore), just like we consulted the New Zealanders about their expertise in their GST to help us develop an ease of doing business program that would be the envy of the world. However to accomplish that we'd first have to strip power from those who have held us back for these many decades, an action not likely to come from our politicians...and even less from a people hell bent on abdicating all of their rights and privileges.

Michigan state is in East Lansing, not "Ann Arbor".

What Mr. Hartnell describes in his article, quoting excerpts from the IDB's Document, is a new system to improve the functioning of the Department of Labour which does not necessarily require a new building.

I'm in agreement with the sentiment of the commentators who're implying a new building at the present site is not the most efficient way to achieve the goals stated by the IDB (and presumably shared by our government experts?). I especially like the idea of turning over the property to the University of the Bahamas (for future development).

As a recent podcast from Freakonomics Radio suggests we're all pretty bad at "maintenance of existing infrastructure...", but "Governments" are notoriously even more horrible at it than the "Private Sector"! So I agree: less government construction of buildings, but also more monitoring and transparency of government "renting" to ferret out any nepotism, political or otherwise.

Improving the work of the Dept of Labour is a noble exercise and should be applauded, too many folks, new graduates and older folks seeking new opportunities complain about their present "labour force- private sector job matching" as a complete waste of time and effort!

Can we stop the posturing?

The Bahamas needs Universal Healthcare, and the only viable and credible option is NHI...the United Healthcare Reform Alliance, a misnomer if I've ever heard of one, should stop the grand standing and get on with helping to establish a world class system!!!

The Bahamas has excellent Insurance experience, by-and-large well trained healthcare professionals and a growing lists of medical centres. We need to stop the bickering, selfishness and political posturing!

Cut the Public Service...YES!!

Most of these departments' budgets include 80% salaries and emoluments which has only given us our present poor level of service. Even when we're "paying" for government service it's a chore, as everyone whose stood face-to-face with the black one way cashier windows (or rather lean/ bend down to speak through the pay-slots) at almost all government agencies have experienced. The quality of service, even when paying for your Road Traffic licenses, Passports etc (when government is getting its revenue) is frustrating!!!

Early retirement maybe our best option, many of us think we can easily get away with 50% of of these folks as that's about how many of them actually do consistent productive work and for those many commentators who will say I'm being generous, I know that I am!!!

Dropping the cost of doing business in these islands, reduce/ eliminate Customs Duty (as promised with VAT introduction), reduce the Red Tape associated with establishing a business and reform our education and legal system would be a great place to start. Then many capable Bahamians can be hired by these private sector businesses...

Good points Mr. Moss.

Mr. Lightbourne's presentation may not have been eloquent (I didn't listen to him or read them in their entirety), but if Mr. Moss' assessment is correct it does raise important issues and we should use this opportunity to discuss them.

We could inform our population about the value of education and family planning to individuals and to the stability of our growing nation.

I see the "No" campaigners are now boasting about their perceived victory. It was a sad day for our country in my opinion, although history will be the true judge of that.

History will also have a say in how Pastor Bethel and his ilk will be judged, I'm betting as tragic figures caught in a tidal wave of change with inclusiveness and mutual respect at the heart of our human interactions, not the bigotry, misogyny, fears and hate that they radiate.

"Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me." Sometimes we get a second chance to fix a glaring mistake.

As a populace we should be ever vigilant of folks who want to manipulate us for their own agendas. In part it requires us to do our homework and analyze issues more succinctly so that we can support policies that move us forward onward and upward as a country and fight against those that do not.

The changes passed in our parliament this week gives us an opportunity to do just that and I hope Bahamians will seize their opportunities.

Those of us with health insurance seem oblivious to the NHI argument now, but we are sitting vulnerable, like a house above a limestone sinkhole, when a major injury or illness, retirement or old age, a denial like "preexisting condition", mental illness, self harm or job loss puts us inside the A&E of Princess Margaret Hospital...a very disconcerting place to be.

The good Rev Patternson, and others of his ilk, who spoke out against the so far hugely successful VAT, argue that "we can't afford NHI"! I will argue that we can't not afford it.

Talking with the folks who stand to loose revenue from a substantial change in the way private healthcare is financed and managed in this country, and here I refer to the medical insurance industry, including brokers, private healthcare facilities and the private physicians themselves seems foolish or disingenuous.

If our media wanted to educate then I'll advise more objective analysis of where we are (near the bottom of the list in many healthcare milestones while spending near the developed nations), what we can get for the money we spend (government >$300 million + private insurers $100 million), two tier health model (a wide disparity even within families) and suggest realistic objectives (you can't get something for nothing, so not having a NHI tax) is foolhardy).