Doing right is not cynical

September 23, 2009

Dear Sir,

In a recent interview, Mr. David Burt stated that he found it “cynical” that the new party formed of the UBP dissidents want to get rid of racial division, while having “emphasised” their own families. Well, the former PLP chairman is right about one thing; having “mixed race children” is by no means a qualification for anything. However, it is certainly part of the reason why these individuals feel so passionately about seeing a better and brighter future for the next generation of Bermuda. Wanting to fight for the improvement of race relations, for the sake of your children, is not a political ulterior motive or credential; it is something we should all be doing.

KELLY HUNT

Hamilton Parish

Jackson touched hearts

August 21, 2009

Dear Sir,

Several weeks ago one letter writer suggested that Michael Jackson was not a truly ‘great’ person.

A wiser head than mine would have to debate that question. My thought is that he touched many hearts. In the same way we could look at the late Princess Diana. There was much made of her at her death as she, too, touched many hearts.

HELENE STEPHENSON

Smith’s

Insurers abandon the old

September 22, 2009

Dear Sir,

I am writing in response to your editorial on September 21, 2009, entitled “FutureCare Follies”.

The recent reporting of the current situation regarding the rising health care coverage costs has been relatively accurate up until the time that you released your editorial. The problem with the current affordability of health care insurance coverage for seniors started before the introduction of FutureCare.

Many retirees who chose to keep private care plans after retirement have seen their premiums rise considerably. In fact, some retirees like former TELCO workers have found that after their former employer withdrew from supporting their retirement health care coverage they could no longer afford sole responsibility for payment of up to $1,200 a month or more.

The current crisis of affordability as it pertains to insurance coverage rests squarely at the feet of local, private insurers who control the ability to set health care premium prices. FutureCare was introduced to ensure that reasonable health care coverage is available to senior citizens because of the fact that private premiums are simply unaffordable.

It is therefore difficult for me to understand why you would insist that it is the Government of Bermuda’s fault that affordable health care coverage is no longer available in the ‘private’ sector. Mr. Editor, perhaps for you this matter is simply another way to attack the current Government. But for senior citizens, of all walks of life, the issue of affordable health care coverage is literally a matter of life and death.

Another erroneous assumption that you have made is that all seniors will want to subscribe to FutureCare. Some of us recognise that we can pay more than the $262 required to cover FutureCare premiums. Some of us also require slightly more coverage than FutureCare currently provides and therefore are willing to pay slightly higher premiums, leaving FutureCare for more financially disadvantaged seniors. However, unfortunately for us, an affordable, private option to FutureCare, no longer exists in the current market.

Based on these facts, it is my belief that private insurers have wilfully abandoned and discriminated against older people in this country, the very older people who once were younger, loyal customers. The Bermudian public needs to be made aware of exactly what is taking place in this country with respect to how private insurers are disposing of and discarding retirees. They also need to know that getting older is the one thing that all of us have in common, so this can and will happen to you, whomever you may be, if something is not done about it.

Mr. Editor, your newspaper can serve as a medium of truth in what has become the most blatant form of age discrimination of our time. I therefore challenge you to expose the real culprits of injustice in the current affordable health care coverage crisis and to provide the same level of condemnation to private insurers that you have also easily yet incorrectly dispensed to the current Government.

YOLANDA FURBERT

Warwick

Three blunders

September 17, 2009

Dear Sir,

I read two very important pages of The Royal Gazette everyday. I read the Death Notices and the Letters to the Editor. I stay away from the front page because I don’t want a daily dose of depression. I want to publicly thank you for allowing persons to voice their political opinions concerning the government party and the opposition party. I really find some interesting points of views, because the letters are not only locals but visitors also as they too have an opinion as to what direction the Island should go. In the past year I have noticed a couple of young people have even taken out time to write you to voice their opinion.

Inform the public of the three blunders the government made in the last six months.

#1 Education — they brought in a consultant by the name of Dr. Johnson, to revamp the education system. Out of nowhere he announced he was cutting his contract short, because of personal reasons was his explanation. At the same time he left, Minister Randy Horton got fired. Yes, fired and no reason was given for his dismissal. All this took place in the first part of the year. Now the new Minister of Education — El James has told all the principles and teachers the new system starts in September 2009. Mr. Minister, you know that is not enough time for the students to understand what the teachers are still learning.

#2 Public Transportation. I want to thank government for the beautiful new buses for the physically challenged use — which has turned out to be the bigger blunder, it has turned out to be a financial waste.

#3 Postal Service. Post Master General I agree that every building should have a visible number and accessible post box. I think the committee is unrealistic in the time frame to have the post boxes ready in the allocated time given, because some companies had to order special boxes for clients (and you know Bermudians have to have it match the house). Is there a law in place for tampering with one’s mail? If it is, how harsh is the penalty?

The UBP is going through a crisis right now but there is no room for a third party. The two parties are established and a third party was tried before and they failed. The biggest problem the PLP have is finding 36 candidates to run in an election and the UBP is having the same problem so how is the third party going to get around that? Where are they going to find 108 candidates that are politically inclined to run for the House? The last election proved that candidates are hard to find.

Christians don’t belong in politics. The late Rev. Lowe and Trevor Woolridge served only one term.

WILLARD FOX

Smith’s

A whiter UBP

September 22, 2009

Dear Sir,

For some time now I wanted to do a critique of the Progressive Labour Party but I’ve been procrastinating. Your recent Editorials on ‘A Divided Opposition’ and ‘A Divided Government’ have opened a door and if I may copy you Sir, getting to the Government, let me first take a look at the Opposition.

With all the uncertainties surrounding the United Bermuda Party today, I think it is here to stay. So long as there is a strong white community there will be a UBP. For about the last ten years or so, the UBP has lost its way and today it is just lost. It is like someone driving in an unfamiliar territory, makes a wrong turn then finding oneself in a place where one has no sense of direction — no sense of east from west, north from south — no clue as how to get back where you want to go.

It all started when the Party decided to take the low road of deception to use black candidates as squid or bait to get the black vote. For the last three elections, black candidates have been on the increase with each election. On the other hand Tom Vesey said something to the effect that black UBP MPs use the party to their own advantage.

Mr. Editor, please allow me to put a question to Bermuda and it is this: Is it not true that the time when the UBP used to win elections, was the time when the party had a majority of white candidates? If the answer is ‘yes’, then contrary to Mr. Shawn Crockwell’s doctrine of pushing back and pushing out the whites and pushing forward the blacks, the opposite needs to take place, that is: to push back or push out the blacks and refill the party with white candidates. Is it not true that in recent times, it is the black candidates who have been leaving the party one after the other?

When Mr. Michael Fahy became Chairman of the party, I said to myself that the party was heading in the right direction. Now they need more whites like Mr. John Barritt and company to come forward and take their rightful place in the party.

Just yesterday, Friday June 26, my phone rang. It was one of those ‘Poll’ calls. I was asked a variety of questions on current affairs in the country. I was asked questions like who should lead the UBP, and on a scale of 1 — 5 how do I rate Kim Swan as Leader of the UBP. I was also asked my opinion on other MPs as well.

Here is one man’s opinion: Mr. John Barritt should have succeeded the Honourable Pamela Gordon. I understood that there was a run-off between himself and Dr. Grant Gibbons and that Dr. Grant Gibbons won. When Dr. Grant Gibbons service as Leader wasn’t needed anymore, I still felt that according to logic that Mr. Barritt should have been brought in then, but that was not the case and it is still not the case. My question is — What’s the problem? They need to tackle that problem.

By the way Mr. Editor, I have a letter on another subject, written since July 1, 2008. It is about a year now and I am still wrestling with publishing the ideas in that letter. However, I am on the threshold now of sending it in, so look for it along with my thoughts on the PLP.

RENDOL JAMES

Sandys