How to save moneyFebruary 4, 2011Dear Sir,With two weeks left until the Budget release, I have figured out how Government is going to save $150 million. Given the most recent SDO order, which approves of the destruction of woodland reserve and other land zoned as open space, it is obvious that the Government is determined to cover Bermuda in concrete (and we know who benefits from the use of concrete in Bermuda).How does this save $150 million? First we eliminate the Ministry of the Environment and the Planning Department since they are already being ignored via SDOs and similar avenues. We can then disband the Parks Department as we won’t have trees and parks to maintain (remember the original hospital idea). Eventually we will do away with the housing initiatives such as BHC since Bermuda will be covered by nothing but houses. Finally we can do away with the Department of Tourism as there will be nothing left for visitors to see. Of course the above is tongue-in-cheek. However, the issues are very real. Government and the rest of Bermuda’s stakeholders have to draw a line in the sand.I am all in favour of development/progress but not progress at the expense of long established environmentally protected designations such as Nature Conserve, Woodland Reserve and Coastal Conserve; “Conserve” being the critical word here. Once these areas are gone they are gone forever and I am not sure how you explain that to your children and your children’s children. Perhaps we should focus our attention on the numerous hotel properties on the Island that currently sit vacant on already developed land.K. SMITHSt. George’sMove bus stopFebruary 4, 2011Dear Sir,The bus stop opposite Dismont Robinson’s shop on Front Street should be moved to the area opposite 129 Front Street where cars are parked now. The road opposite Dismont Robinson’s is very wide when bus passengers get off the bus at that location, they walk across the road to go up King Street, traffic is heavy in this area. If the bus stop was moved to the above mentioned area it would be safer for passengers getting off the bus. The walkway opposite the Supermarket could be used and passengers could still make their way up King Street more safely. The other alternative would be to have a walkway painted on the road in this area of Dismont Robinson’s shop.PETER BROMBY SrPagetA modest proposalFebruary 5, 2011Dear Sir,Here’s the way it should be:Let’s put the seniors in jail and the criminals in nursing homes. This would correct two things in one motion:Seniors would have access to showers, hobbies and walks. They would receive unlimited free prescriptions, dental and medical treatment, wheelchairs, etc. They would receive money instead of having to pay it out. They would have constant video monitoring, so they would be helped instantly if they fell or needed assistance. Bedding would be washed twice a week and all clothing would be ironed and returned to them.A guard would check on them every 20 minutes. All meals and snacks would be brought to them. They would have family visits in a suite built for that purpose. They would have access to a library, weight/fitness room, spiritual counselling and education. Simple clothing ie., shoes, slippers, pyjamas and legal aid would be free, upon request. There would be private, secure rooms provided for all with an outdoor exercise yard. The guards would have a code of conduct to be strictly adhered to, with attorneys available, at no charge to protect the seniors and their families from abuse or neglect.As for the criminals:They would receive cold food. They would be left alone and unsupervised. They would receive showers once a week. They would live in tiny rooms, for which they would have to pay $5,000 per month. They would have no hope of ever getting out.JUST A THOUGHTSmith’sPolice response too slowFebruary 5, 2011Dear Sir,In reference to the latest shooting, I just want to know why it took the police 30 minutes to get to the crime scene when there is a police station less then a minute away. This gives enough time for the perpetrator to drive to Hamilton, let alone escape the crime scene, dispose of evidence, and get out of public sight. It is clear in my eyes that I am using my tax dollars for a Police service that does not do their job. Their focus is more on lets wait to see what happens, don’t get in harms way, and then step in take evidence and hopefully something will turn up later. The Commissioner said in a statement that the Police are winning the gun war, but I would like to see the stats on how many murders/shootings that have taken place and how many have been solved.Either the Bermuda police need to find people that are willing to put on the shirt and do what it takes to keep the community safe, or it needs to change their procedures, or both. Bermuda’s community is small enough that if the police could get any information out to the general public in an expedient time frame (e.g. radio, internet, etc.) and make the general public aware of what is going on that it may actually help identify a suspect. Let’s be for real. You actually have to catch the person to put them in jail. Taking all the forensic evidence (e.g. gunpowder residue etc.) only works if you can catch the person in a reasonable time frame. If not then you must catch the person with the gun on them, and usually the only way you are going to do that is if that person is going to do another shooting.Yet if you get to the crime scene 30 minutes from the time of the first call and it takes you longer to deploy people to search the surrounding area, and you put out information hours after to the general public, then catching the culprit becomes much harder. I realise there are procedures that have to be followed but look at your success rate. If something does not work, changes need to be made.ANONYMOUSSandysEditor’s note: The Police said it took 14 minutes for them to respond to the incident.It’s about the moneyFebruary 5, 2011Dear Sir,I write this letter to put forward my “two cents” all in reference to the latest SDO (Special Development Order) tabled by our Government Environment Minister, Walter Roban. Here we are “grasping at straws once again… cutting our noses off to spite our faces”. What I mean by that is we attempt to draw people here to Bermuda to enjoy what is left of our Islands natural surroundings, its people and their charismatic behavior, yet all these thing are no-longer pursued by the “powers that be” it appears it is all about money.Why can’t we occupy the places that are now being closed down, but see it to be of a S.D.O. requirement erecting even more places? Daa! Listen you lot, stop the ignorance, and come together for the betterment of Bermuda and the people of Bermuda and not for a few only. Far too many and too much has been and is still being exploited; we are not thinking outside of the box i.e. the people that profit from developments such as Tuckers Point (or any others) are here in Bermuda for one thing… that’s right, money! When they see it no longer showing signs of improving they will do just like many others before them have done, packed-up and moved elsewhere leaving “we-lot” fighting amongst ourselves wondering aimlessly (and as the old timers would say) ”with no pot to pi** in, or a window to throw it out of.”RAYMOND RAYSt George’sA solution to debtFebruary 7, 2011Dear Sir,Two of Bermuda’s most pressing issues are spiralling debt and serious crime. May I make a suggestion that might affect both issues outsourcing prisoners? My understanding is that the cost of housing a prisoner at Westgate is in the region of $80,000 per annum. I am sure that many countries would be willing to accept our prisoners for circa $5,000 per annum or less. Countries worthy of consideration could include Thailand, Jamaica, Mexico, Columbia etc. The benefits would be threefold:Firstly, obviously, a huge savings of some $75,000 per prisoner annually would accrue. More importantly, however, if, and it’s a huge if given the living conditions of those countries’ prisons, the prisoners survived, not only would they never reoffend for fear of being returned to that prison but they would also spread the word to others of their ilk.Thirdly, they would be removed from the network of enablers who make Westgate more tolerable in the form of drugs, cellphones etc mainly but not limited to mommas, girlfriends and assorted aceboys. I would suggest that anyone convicted of violent and/or gang related crimes should be considered for this programme white collar and petty criminals could still serve their time at Westgate. Goodbye gangsters and hello lowering the national debt.COMMON SENSESandysMortgage wreckerFebruary 8, 2011Dear Sir,The special development order granted to Rosewood Tuckers Point, could see an additional 78 private residences offered for sale to non-Bermudians. In this writer’s opinion, this granting could have a negative effect on Bermudian home owners. As a result of non-Bermudians purchasing these residences, it would have an adverse effect. Currently many Bermudians enjoy the benefit derived from renting to non-Bermudians. These people would be taken out of the rental pool as they would now own their own homes.Many Bermudians currently rely on this added income to subsidise paying for their mortgages or loans to their lender. A situation could be created where the borrower could no longer service their debt resulting in foreclosure of their one main investment, their home. Does the government have any sympathy for these hard working, middle class families or are they only interested in servicing the needs of big business? Please have a rethink on this policy, as many Bermudian families could depend on it.MORTGAGEEWarwickP.s. How about saving some green space for future generations to enjoy or is that too much to ask?Selling you outDear Sir,It’s funny how the extremely wealthy seem always to be able to buy anything they want. In the early part of the 20th century, a number of Bermudians were displaced from their homes on what is now the Tucker’s Point property in order to facilitate the development of a new industry for Bermuda tourism. Bermuda Properties Ltd owns the land and for many years made a very good return on their investment as the Castle Harbour hotel flourished. Too bad they didn’t plough enough of the profits back into the property to keep it pristine and up to date.Tourism past its earning peak in the mid-1980s and ever since Bermuda Properties has sought to make a new fortune selling their land to non-Bermudians. The United Bermuda Party steadfastly refused to permit this, the land, a large, mainly undeveloped acreage and therefore exceptionally valuable both to Bermuda’s ecology and to its tourism product, was acquired and sold to Bermuda Properties for tourism, and only tourism, it was never represented to Bermuda Properties that they could use it to make a killing selling Bermuda’s scarce resource off to foreigners in order to make yet more money.Bermuda Properties tried many times, told all sorts of stories, the Government of the day never wavered. Bermuda Properties could redevelop the hotel site, improve the golf course, do what they liked with the developed land, but the undeveloped land was to be held in its pristine condition for the benefit of all. You want the full story, go have a chat with Jim Woolridge.Then came the Progressive Labour Party. One would think that, given that the land was taken primarily from black Bermudians in the first place, this would be a party even less sympathetic to allowing the rape of one of Bermuda’s last big stretches of open space so that a bunch of very rich Americans could become even richer, so that the land could be sold to other rich Americans to build big houses that they would occupy for perhaps a few weeks a year and otherwise stand empty, ugly and of no economic benefit to Bermuda. But mysteriously, this was not the case, the PLP hierarchy seems eager to bend over backwards to give Bermuda Properties everything they wanted. Planning rules don’t permit it? No problem, here’s an SDO! Sell off all the property to foreigners? No problem, we’ll give you special permission. Why is this?I mean, here’s a party that makes it impossible for a Bermudian family with a foreign-born spouse to own a home in Bermuda without a special license. You can’t have an apartment for rent on the property, you can’t inherit your mother’s house when she dies. No, you, the Bermudian, are a second class citizen, simply because you married a foreigner. Why? To “protect Bermuda land for future generations”. Ha! What a joke. The fact that the Bermudian children of this couple are now part of a more financially stressed household, of course, doesn’t matter, Government’s getting more taxes to pay for the first class trips, the champagne receptions, the useless jobs for their friends and the like.Meanwhile, Bermuda Properties can do whatever it wants. Sure, they have a sad story to tell, they have bank loan problems. Hmmm, well, a Bermudian developer had some bank loan problems and guess what? He lost his property. Foreclosed. Gone. Owned by the bank. But if you’re a bunch of really, really wealthy Americans, oh well, in that case we’ll bend over backwards, break all the rules to make sure you’re OK. Why is this?Wake up Bermuda, these people are selling you out, I mean really selling you out. There’s not much left and after this one goes, there will be noting of any size left, nothing at all. Just a bunch of mostly empty mansions owned by rich Americans and a bunch of flat-broke, over-taxed locals who have watched their future turn to dust and their Island sold out from under them.ROMEO TANGO ROMEOCity of HamiltonPreserve all open spacesFebruary 3, 2011.Dear Sir,I was delighted to read your piece in Wednesdays (February 2) paper regarding “World Wetlands Day”, and how proud we should be to have them I fully agree. You went on to point out the need and the importance they serve right on, thanks for the reminder! However, it seems a real travesty that another of our very important “Wetlands” seems to be totally ignored and destroyed. I am speaking of Devonshire Marsh. Has anyone taken a good look at what is happening down there now? I mean the silence is deafening about the destruction that is taking place now. Tell me did I miss the announcement somewhere that Devonshire marsh is now an industrial zone?One wonders how long it will be before the “Building Boom” reaches clear across to Vesey Street. (Boy what an ideal short-cut that will be for all those wanting to avoid that traffic nightmare just below Chaingate Hill everyday.) Hey! All you environmentalists, what’s your take on this? Is it because it’s not in your neighbourhood... or neck of the woods? (pun intended) We all see what has happened at Mill Creek and the monster that has been created there because of the building boom. By the way, when are you all over there going to get together and fix the road. Your businesses are accessed by? One wonders, is the same thing going to be allowed to happen on Middle Road Devonshire and Devonshire Marsh in particular?Come on Bermuda... All I repeat all of our “open” spaces deserve better treatment. It seems everything is about the “Almighty Dollar” which seems to be fuelling and blinding some peoples vision of the damage we are doing to our beautiful home land. May I remind you, God had given us this earth to be enjoyed, but also to be care-takers of it. So we had better hurry up and believe we will pay a hefty price, and not to our liking, if we do, undoable damage to it. After all we don’t have any other option.FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTBUT COMMON SENSE DEVELOPMENTDevonshire