June 24, 2004

Dear Sir,

All right thinking people in this country, must be by now thoroughly fed up with the antics of some taxi drivers. Fine, OK, strike, but to have taxis ?break-down? all over the place is obscene. To hear them tell it, one would get the impression that they?re all so hard down by. They?ve long ceased to be grateful for the concessions that they enjoy.

Maybe it?s time to revoke some of them. I?m particularly incensed by the lack of public transportation on South Road at night. Even for those Bermudians willing to pay for a cab to Somerset or St. George, cabbies are loath to take the fare because they can?t get a fare on the way back.

Who ever heard of such selfish rubbish? They seem to have lost sight of the fact that short of stealing it, the only way to make money is to earn it. Good old fashioned hard work is the perfect substitute for a missing Ph.D. The very people who they avoid working for, are the ones who, by dint of their hard work, keep the hotels viable. The very hotels that provide the customers they prefer to drive for.....duh!

To prove how good GPS is for efficiency, on a recent trip to Toronto, I was pleased to find taxis arriving within five to seven minutes after being called; remarkable. Well, not so remarkable if you take into consideration that all of them use GPS. I kept hearing this beeping in the cabs and then it clicked. GPS! It just had to be. AND to quote the Indian driver (most all the drivers are Indian), ?.... wouldn?t do without it Sah?.

Without going into all the well know real reasons for their objections to GPS, sufficed to say anyone who so vehemently objects to a technology that will put money in his/her pocket, has an ulterior motive. I would venture to say that it is only a small hard core group of drivers that are driving this. The rest have been ragged along (for the ride) perhaps because they are unable to, or refuse to think for themselves.

Thankfully, there are also drivers who can see the folly of such an objection and support the Governments initiative. Three cheers for cabbies with common sense and integrity. I?ve hard it said that the objection in part is to who owns the GPS company. Spouting some rubbish about conflict of interest. If there was any hint of a conflict of interest, there would be no end of people willing to bring it to the public?s attention. I didn?t hear any objection about who was selling them those six seaters.

Never let it be said that I criticise without offering a solution. This is what we do. Make it optional; sell the units on installments and offer users a piece of the company. When those participating drivers are seen to be the ones making the money, then we will all see who laughs last. I had many a good laugh in Toronto relating the state of our taxi industry (if you could call it that). In closing, I invite someone (anyone) to do the math? on the taxi business.

Cost of the vehicle; depreciation; fuel; drivers wage etc., against the cost to the consumer into the required/projected mileage per day over the entire year (off season included) and I lay odds that not making enough money is the direct result of the vehicle not being driven enough! Also as an aside, it?s also a safe bet that many of us would not own a car if the taxi service wasn?t so lousy.

C. K. SIMONS

June 17, 2004

Dear Sir,

As we contemplate the stories that seem to appear most often in the local media, namely the housing crisis, youth violence, and employment opportunities, let us also be reminded that there is a fundamental principle that will usually determine our reaction to these issues, and how they may be affecting us as individuals.

There are two distinct cultures existing today that are not separated along racial divides, but on a person?s outlook on life, generally speaking. And the evidence that determines your cultural connection can be seen by your conviction as it relates to three basic standards of life: Responsibility, Accountability and Dependability.

No doubt the housing crisis is real, and one would not argue that there are cases where truly responsible individuals are experiencing extreme hardship as a result. But many cases that have resulted in unusually harsh conviction or address changes to caves, are not the lot of your average hard working, well-respected, ?on-time? rent paying citizen.

As a renter or home owner in today?s competitive market, the individuals that will find acceptance with landlord or lender are the ones that can show proof that they meet the Big Three: Responsibility, Accountability and Dependability.

How many of our youth can speak of the tremendous influences of peer pressure, drugs, lack of a positive role model, or problems in the home. There are those that use these to justify violent outburst or lack of employment. Yet there are others growing up, sometimes in the same school system or home environment, who are acquiring scholarships or representing their country in the sporting arena, to name a few, and are an inspiration to all of us.

What, again is the difference? One group decides not to be responsible or accountable for their actions, based on the situation they find themselves in and makes excuses for their behaviour. The other group recognises what it will take to achieve their goals, despite their situation and makes progress based on their behaviour.

And that behaviour will stem from a healthy understanding of their individual responsibility, accountability and dependability. Many employers will tell you, off record, that the bottom line in hiring practices is not if the job applicant is Bermudian, experienced, or meets the skill requirements. Ask a contractor in this booming construction market who he will hire. Investigate why there are so many skilled plumbers, electricians and labourers on the wall.

Take note of the construction firms that are the busiest and who makes up their crew. This is not, in most cases an ethnic issue as some would like us to believe. It?s simple mathematics for any business. The higher percentage of staff that a company has that are R.A. & D, the less sick leave, the less time spent in supervisory issues, the higher the quality of work, the higher the profits.

So now, in the Bermuda of today, to which cultural group do you belong? This classification is not determined by birth, but by choice ? the choices you will make today as to how you will conduct your own behaviour, and how you will be able to interact with others who will be a part of shaping your future. Because, like it or not, you will be judged by your culture.

R.L.

Sandys Parish

June 24, 2004

Dear Sir,

The history books tell us that Bermuda as an island was uninhabited by human beings when it was first discovered or when records indicate that it was first discovered. This would hardly be considered unusual considering Bermuda?s geographical location in relation to occupied landmasses at that time. Therefore we should all consider and not lose sight of the fact that all Bermudians form part of an immigration movement that has taken place over the past 400 years.

So for arguments sake let?s forget the concept of who is more Bermudian than the next person because it really should not matter. Bermudians are made up from three main categories. The main groups of Bermudians are basically from Great Britain, the West Indies and Portugal/Azores. Culturally all three groups are marginally different although trends indicate that these barriers are shifting or at least were shifting until someone wants to remind us that they may not be.

What should be paramount in the minds of Bermudians is not where they came from but where they are now and I think in the vast majority of cases this is in fact true. Being reminded by certain individuals in the community where Bermudians came from is totally unproductive when considering the big picture and the long-term goals of the community.

Constant reminders of ancestral backgrounds may be a good talking point but it does nothing to foster and promote sound economic policies in any country in the world. So I say to all Bermudians regardless of where you came from or where your ancestors came from keep, it to a talking point and get on with the business at hand which is to ensure that the country functions economically, politically and environmentally soundly. This will be achieved by looking at Bermuda from Bermuda regardless of where we all came from.

TIME TO MOVE ON

City of Hamilton

June 24, 2004

Dear Sir,

Yesterday the taxi drivers chanted, ?Brown must go!? Well who needs taxis anyway? Our visitors can all ride around in new and expensive high-speed double-decker buses and can stand and wait for them in oversized plastic-shelters. Clearly, if public transport were privatised I for one would be buying shares.

PALINDROME

City of Hamilton