Stop paying lip serviceFebruary 27, 2006Dear Sir,After reading over the last several weeks about GoldenEye, it has led to thoughtful contemplation regarding an equal playing field for Bermudian workers in Bermuda.

First of all, that phrase is a joke and the new rules of purchasing property by foreign workers is will not solve the “problem.” Hence a lesson the “playing field”.

Lots of exempted companies do the following for their foreign workers: 1. Pay for the tickets and moving expenses to get here. (That I understand.)

2. Offer salaries beginning between $80,000-150,000. (That’s conservative.)

3. Pay for half to all of their children’s tuition.

4. Pay for rent, electricity, home leave allowance.

5. Pay for a entry fees, and yearly dues to local clubs.

6. Stock options. (Not the same as the ability to purchase stock.)

7. Pay for their tickets home and their moving expenses when their permit expires. (If they actually go home.) Those are all the perks I personally know about at the company I work for and I sure I am missing some! Now I ask you how can we Bermudians compete against the paid rents, tuition, electricity and, the home leave allowance that is above and beyond that of their paid vacations? So let’s take a snapshot of the expenses the foreign workers do have: 1. Groceries.

2. Gas.

3. Water (and only if they run out.)

4. Local and long distance bills.

5. Memberships desired, but not covered by company.

6. Cablevision

7. Holiday gifts.

8. Vacation spending money

9. Insurance

10. Department store bills

11. Incidentals

12. Mortgage back home!

13. Taxes from their home country if US Citizens.

14. Entertainment. Let me see, that totals $15,000 a year? Maybe $20,000? Let say they earn $100,000 per year<\m>they bank $80,000 a year.

If anyone seriously wants to level the “playing field” then a law should be passed that only items 1 and 7 in the first list above can be paid for by companies. If perks for the foreign workers are given, then all Bermudian employees should be eligible for the same. This would help in several areas. The foreign workers with families would probably go home — as it would no longer be advantageous to work here. The single workers would probably stay as they could still have $60,000 in expenses and still bank $20,000 a year. However, with only single workers here and most of the foreigners with families gone it would release rental apartments and the rents would go down.

Can someone please explain to me how this new law regarding not selling property to foreign workers is supposed to benefit me? Please stop with the lip service and really to something to benefit Bermudians.

OFFICE WORKER

St. David’s

Difficult investmentMarch 7, 2006Dear Sir,Some comments on Alex Scott as a chief executive. First, corporations are not democracies, maybe that’s where he got the CEO idea. Second, would anyone invest in a corporation run by the PLP?

Some comments on Ewart Brown at Warwick Workmen’s Club. On plantations, you are not allowed to ask the people in charge any questions except the ones they want to answer.

Shortly after Dr. Brown’s speech the PLP announced $840,000 for yet another government TV station. I guess there will be a lot more plantation questions.

ANONYMOUS

SouthamptonA bureaucrat scorned?March 8, 2006Dear Sir,I refer to your editorial entitled Hell hath no fury re Renee Webb. The correct quote by William Congreve (1670-1729), the English playwright, is: “ Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor Hell a fury like a woman scorned.” Another quote that is appropriate is that by the US economist Milton Friedman: “Hell hath no fury like a bureaucrat scorned”.

BRIAN CALLAGHAN

Paget