This is what I am waiting for too. All of those folks who have been trashing, questioning, reticent about this budget presentation, offer some solutions.

I must say the candor and frankness that exudes from the minister's words are quite refreshing. He is absolutely right when he says that people must cultivate more of a love for reading. Not only Bahamians, but people don't like to read, period. And then their rhetoric gets reduced to feelings, superstitions, and conspiracy theories. Someone once said that if you ever want to hide something from Americans, put it in a book in the library. They will never find it, because Americans don't like to read. Again, this is true of people in general. Europeans and Middle Easterners, it seems, are much more avid readers than the rest of the world.

Now, not only is it important for Bahamians to read more, it is also important for us to remember--develop long term memory. By reading more and putting things in our long term memory we can better hold the politicians accountable.

Who doesn't have an agenda?!

This from a "fiscal hawk"

"We knew it was coming," Mr Lowe told Tribune Business. "How and when we didn't know, but it's better now than down the road when it would be even worse. The trends were all in the wrong direction. It's better to try to deal with it now than fall off the ledge completely and be forced to do things even worse."

Just give me plain-speak. Thank you, Mr. Lowe!

Of course, we can agree to disagree. Time will tell.

We just finished saying, my friend, this is not about an election. At this hour, we have to throw of the red and the gold. We must come together as Bahamians to clean up a mess. I know that is easier said than done--especially in a place like the Bahamas. But you have to trust the collective wisdom of the nation, too. The Bahamian people are smart, discerning, and wise. They know who is looking out for their best interest. This is why transparency, integrity, and communication are so important. Do what we have to do and let the people make up their own minds four years from now.

Coupled with providing the youth with jobs and an economic means of survival, I don't see it as harsh at all. As Bob Marley said, "A hungry mob is an angry mob." We must first do everything within our power to feed our people, educate them, make sure they understand what the consequences are for their action, leaders must lead by example, take away exposure to what is socially and morally contaminating our kids. Not everything that the wind blows in from the north is necessarily good.

This destruction of young lives in our country has to stop. This will also take bold leadership. I strongly recommend that our leaders look at the Singapore model as it relates to crime.

Ah ha! Now we are getting wise.

“If you look at the game - rock, paper, scissors, there are times when paper covers rock, and rock breaks scissors, so a position that you would have held doesn’t mean that you don’t believe that at all.

“It basically means there is a new reality of which you’re now cognizant and you have to make a decision..." However painful for me, this is not so difficult because I sometime have to tell people I have to cut their leg off, or take out one of their lungs or perform surgery that may result in death in order to save their life. This country - we’re at that moment.”
--Duane Sands, Minister of Health, Bahamas

Folks, this is not double-speak or incoherent babble like the last leader and leaders. This is simply saying reality bites!

And I am saying, "Wake up Bahamians!" I would rather follow the leader that is trying to rescue the country rather than save his own political hide.

This is not about people selfishly begging millionaires for money; this is not about tucking away fortunes in tax-haven countries; this is not about selling Bahamian crown land and pocketing much of the proceeds; this is not about using your political office to shake down other greedy individuals. This is not even about sweeping the mess under the rug and saying, we'll let the other crowd deal with it. This is about country!

In times of crisis, true leaders are called upon to make tough decisions, not popular ones!

Minnis is absolutely, 100% right! Right now, let's save the country; worry about the next election later. That's another problem we have in our country--everything is just too politicized!