Every politician was once a naive newcomer, enthusiastic, full of ideas and the belief that Bermuda is capable of being better than it is and that our people deserve better and more than they have.

As my political career draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on why I decided to serve my country, the values I hold dear and of the continuing struggle of my people. My values were shaped by the conversations around the dinner table with parents, who stressed to me that a commitment to faith, freedom, justice, equality and hard work should mean a better life in spite of the obstacles and the racial prejudice in our country.

It is because of these values that the stories of Bermudians living in cars, Bermudians working two jobs just to be broke, Bermudians being exploited by greedy slum lords and Bermudians being denied equal opportunities, have fuelled my belief that I still have something to offer my people.

It is wrong that more than 20,000 of our brothers and sisters are living in poverty separated from opportunities by their quality of education, their income and in a lot of cases, by their race.

The moral obligation of addressing this issue, will require sweeping reform and bold action based on:

1) Addressing the impact of Institutional Racism and other obstacles to equality

2) Personal Responsibility

3) Providing the resources, tools and training to Bermudians who have the will, but lack the means to better themselves

4) A national commitment to the development and implementation of an Economic Empowerment Strategy

Over the years, people have opened their hearts and their wallets to help alleviate poverty. Our people want to help the less fortunate.

Unfortunately, more and more of our people are too busy struggling themselves to focus on those in need.

Let’s face it. A person making a meagre wage will always struggle to make ends meet in Bermuda.

And while we must recognise that not everyone has the desire or the will to improve their condition we must find a way to help those who do.

Let’s face it, planned parenthood, successful marriage and responsible parenting are far rarer than it should be. And while we must recognise that not everyone makes the right life choices, we must find a way to help those who want to help themselves.

We are paying a heavy price for the growing poverty in our country. The cost can be measured in the wasted lives of people sitting on the wall because they don’t have the education or the will to compete in our economy.

This cost can be measured in our prisons as more of our people are losing hope and turning to crime. This cost can be measured in the growing sense that the “Bermudian Dream,” isn’t really for Bermudians.

For these reasons I propose,

Making Every Child, “A Trust Fund Baby.” Creating individual development accounts for needy children setting aside funds at birth that can only be accessed for college education, skills training, starting a business or purchasing a first home.

The creation of a Financial Literacy Programm> to educate our children on the benefits of saving, investing and making money work for them.

Expansion of character and self-esteem programmes, such as the successful Ashay Rites of Passage Programme.

The development oB>an aggressive anti teen pregnancy campaign.

The creation of a Landlord/Tenant Bill of Rights R<$> making it harder to exploit or evict good tenants and easier to evict bad ones.

Expanding the Student Soldier Progra <$>to ensure that every Bermudian who serves his country has the funding and the access to higher education and skills training.

The creation of a Sustainable Employment and Skills Development Strategy — Identifying emerging job or entrepreneurial opportunities, Identifying and developing Skills and Educational training for new and current workers to meet the emerging opportunis.

The Creation of a 21st Century Technical Institute<$> — Focused on information technology and computer repair as well as the “traditional” trades

The introduction of an Economic Empowermentll <$>committing Government to spending no less than 25 percent of its expenditure with small black businesses

Identifying and developing a third economic pillar for our economy

Government can provide all the support and resources in the world but people have to take responsibility for their life choices. We have a responsibility however, to provide our children with the knowledge and tools to make better decisions.

Along with personal responsibility, we must fix education, build affordable housing, expand our economy for our people first and address bureaucratic policies that are hurting more than helping.

This war on poverty should not be left just to the politicians, or just to the business community or just to the charitable sector or just to the community activists. All of us need to get involved.

Too many of our people are beginning to feel that they are alone and that no one knows, or even cares about their struggle and their sacrifice. Our task is to reach out, let them know that we care and understand.

Then together we must work to build a Bermuda where anyone who has the will and the drive to succeed will have the opportunity to reach their full potential.