Daily, the question surrounding `The People's Government' bothers me and after the Budget, I feel the necessity to write to you.

As a people's government, the PLP Party came into power midst much shouting and celebrating and giving many, many promises to us, the people. I would like to remind this Government that pensioners are "people'' too and were it not for those of us now qualified to call ourselves pensioners, this Island would be sadly lacking in stability and history. We were trusting when we heard the promises made at election time and voted for them, believing them and looking forward to a secure future. Oh dear, how wrong we were, how gullible we were.

What has happened? Well, we don't have any money in the Country's bank anymore; that's all been spent on elevated travelling and socialising, larger cars and more status symbols than I care to mention. The pensioners weren't even mentioned, as far as I could see, in the last Budget.

Sir, being of a different generation, we were taught to live within our means, pay our way, and plan for the future. Well, we did and where did it get us.

Our small cars which we are content with and which are ideally suited to the Island's roads, have added tax. Why could there not be a differential in that Class A car tax remained the same and not increased? Not only would that benefit pensioners but might encourage others to buy smaller cars. Our houses which we worked hard to pay for before retirement and for which, on reaching retirement age we were given help by way of discounted rates by the UBP Government, are now subject to increased taxes without any recognition of anyone over 65 years. Yet Sir, we were not even mentioned for an increase in our pension.

Now, by our People's Government, pensioners are being tossed on the scrap heap -- are we of no use to the country anymore? Let me tell you, PLP, I stress again that you wouldn't be where you are today without the pensioners and you should show gratitude -- you are biting the hands that have fed you for your whole life. The spending money lifestyle you have adopted i.e. the frequent air travel, not only for yourselves but also for such groups as the Gombeys, the receptions and parties etc. by so many of your Ministers is absolutely not necessary and you are wasting this country's money. Instead of globe trotting, why not attack the problem at source. We know people don't come to Bermuda because we are too expensive; we know they still love the Island itself; we know they still love the people; so why not make travel to Bermuda affordable.

The money wasted by Government travel, the many millions, should be used in negotiation with the airlines to subsidise the air fares. If people can get here at a competitive price, they will spend money on what they love -- our Island. It would have cost us much less over the last two years to do this than it has cost on the many joy rides having been taken.

Sir, we have to make allowances for inexperience resulting in incompetence, but this has become not only ridiculous, but absolutely frightening. While they're practising and learning, they're taking the Island down with them.

Wake up. And remember the pensioners, their incomes are small and there is no way to increase them other than by a pension hand-out -- there's no work anymore and after all, we have done our share and we did it very well.

A PENSIONER City of Hamilton Get your act together March 2, 2001 Dear Sir, Along with the Loch Ness Monster, UFOs and ghosts, one of life's greatest mysteries is how the Bermuda Telephone Company (BTC) can get away with the outrageous way it treats customers when it comes to repairing faults.

My line is dead. I am currently into my fourth week of waiting for someone -- anyone -- to come and even investigate the cause of the problem. Meanwhile, I remain cut off from the outside world. A frantic relative in the UK called my office first thing on Monday morning after not being able to get hold of me all weekend.

What is more, two out of four of my colleagues have similar stories. Add to this the catalogue of unanswered calls and missed appointments on the part of BTC and it is hardly surprising that some choose to express their frustration in, perhaps, somewhat drastic fashion (`Faulty Phone Leaves Retailer Fuming', Royal Gazette , March 2, 2001).

Want to hear something funny? In the phone book under `Telephone repair service' it says: "Our operator will immediately report your fault to the service team in your area.'' Forgive me for doubting this claim.

On a serious note, two suggestions that may lead to improvements are: 1. Regulation -- Public services require regulation. Everything from power suppliers to the national lottery have regulators in the UK, who can impose orders and fines. Regulators could be introduced in Bermuda for electricity and telecommunications. The regulator would act as an independent body that could hear complaints and impose penalties on companies.

2. Customer charters -- Companies providing public services should sign up to a voluntary charter, outlining service standards. Failure to meet service standards would result in an automatic fixed payment to customers. For example, missed appointments, failure to resume service within five days, etc.

So come on BTC, get your act together! I'm willing to bet your monopoly will be gone in a few years so you better start attempting to build a loyal customer base. Because at the moment, anything would be better than this.

BRIAN TAYLOR Southampton Mums give thanks February 26, 2001 Dear Sir, The board of directors of the Meet-A-Mum Association would like to sincerely thank all of the businesses in Bermuda that have been so generous in providing support and donations for our organisation.

The Meet-A-Mum Association has been a valuable resource for new families on the Island for more than 15 years. Through the generosity of numerous businesses throughout Bermuda we have been able to help make the day-to-day challenges of parenting a little easier for many new families.

We have also been able to extend that support to other Bermuda charities including the Friends of the Library. Thank you again for your support. The Meet-A-Mum Association Board of Directors and its close to 400 members sincerely appreciate all your help and assistance to our cause.

MEET-A-MUM ASSOCIATION We have a right to know February 28, 2001 Dear Sir, The most recent attempt by the Premier to pull the wool over the people of Bermuda's eyes is the hiring of a PR person to handle her communications.

I believe Opposition Leader Pamela Gordon said it perfectly by stating that the people of Bermuda had a right to know the plain truth and that no other leader has needed a PR person to handle their affairs. However, the "plain truth'' seems to be seeping out all on its own as we hear about the PLP's spending and proposed taxes as well as this unnecessary extra $150,000 a year.

This for me is just the icing on the cake as I feel the PLP has pulled the wool over the eyes of many from the beginning by making false promises and taking on outrageous projects just to prove a point and exercise their power.

This has clearly not been a government for the people. I will not suggest that the UBP was perfect -- all governments make their mistakes and hopefully learn from them. However, I fear the PLP may have made one mistake too many at the expense of Bermuda's people.

Please think about this -- Bermuda has given the PLP their day in the sun. We have given them the benefit of the doubt for three years and what have we seen in return? Increased taxes especially on the self-employed Bermudian for the first time in years, the lowest numbers in tourism, escalated racial tension and a Premier who feels she cannot speak to the people directly. Just to name a few. Let's think about what we have as a country and what we don't want to lose.

REMEMBERING HOW IT USED TO BE Warwick Above par for the course March 5, 2001 Dear Sir, Like most people in this world, I have a vice. My vice, Mr. Editor, is the game of golf.

I jokingly tell people that golf will surely be the cause of my divorce. If I did not have such a strong-headed wife I would be on a golf course almost every day. Having said that however, my beautiful children do come first.

I consider myself fortunate in that I am also able to travel overseas with friends to play golf and the one thing that always impresses me, especially in the United States, is the condition of the courses and equally important the service.

I have played just about every course in Bermuda, with the exception of Horizons Golf course, and in my opinion the best public course in Bermuda is The Belmont Golf Course.

Not to take away from any of the other wonderful courses in Bermuda both private and public. I think all the staff at The New Belmont Golf course deserve a round of applause.

The course is in great shape, the service is first class and it is great value for money.

Bermuda has a lot to offer the golfing world as far as our climate and natural beauty is concerned. As a tourist destination that is in serious trouble any improvement with regards to quality and service deserves high praise from the general public. The Belmont Golf Course is one such instance. In closing I would like to say congratulations to the grounds keepers, halfway house, pro-shop. Hello Yvonne, and all the other men and women that make golfing at The Belmont such a pleasure.

RAMADHIN 'RAMMY' SMITH Pembroke Name must stay the same Dear Sir, I would like to respond to Ms. Poole's (I hope this is the correct name, as I am working from memory) letter published 28 February 2001 with reference to the Death Valley Playground. BermyNet.com did a piece on the naming of this Port Royal area playground late last year, and from the discussions I've been involved in surrounding this issue, it is only the uninformed person that has balked at the sign.

For Ms Poole, and others that are not aware, that area of Southampton has been called Death Valley for umpteen years. My grandmother, who is 75 this year, recalls that area always being called Death valley, but I couldn't get the story behind it out of her.

Whether or not the area name is appropriate for the playground I will not debate, but I understand the reason for giving it the neighbourhood name and do not have a problem with it. Probably because I remember the not too long ago Good Friday rivalries between Death Valley and White Hill -where everyone from Hog Bay Level right down to Whale Bay came together and played football, flew kites and had some good old-fashioned fun.

The naming of the playground, the sign, and the debates it has sparked, are also reminders of how the art of passing along Bermuda's history is falling by the way side and we should all tap into the great resource of our senior community to recapture it.

RIKKI S. PAYNE Public walked the walk March 2, 2001 Dear Sir, May I, under the auspices of your column thank the community for their outstanding support of the WindReach Walk and Roll on Saturday 24 February.

Our Walk and Roll was generously sponsored by BTC Mobility and the funds they provided allowed us to put WindReach literally and figuratively on the map! Over 150 individuals of all ages and abilities came together at our facility on Spice Hill in Warwick for this event. Three kilometre circuits were completed in wheelchairs, on foot, with four legged companions, with strollers, quickly, slowly and in some cases repetitively to maximise pledges.

All contributions will find the operations of our charity, which is committed to providing opportunities for enjoyment and improved quality of life for persons of all ages with disabilities and special needs in Bermuda.

The 2001 Walk and Roll would not have been possible without the assistance of our volunteers and we extend our appreciation to them for their work. The generosity of participants through the pledges gathered forecasts approximately $10,000 will be raised. we urge those with outstanding contributions to forward them to WindReach as soon as possible. WindReach looks forward to an even bigger and better Walk and Roll in 2002! Thank you all once again for allowing us to use your column and we look forward to seeing everyone at our Country Fair on Saturday 24 March.

JACQUELINE HORSFIELD WindReach Bermuda Trust Change the record. March 5, 2001 Dear Sir, You are to be commended for today's Editorial setting out the appalling record of Tourism Minister David Allen. It makes one wonder if he and his Cabinet colleagues even understand what is happening.

Constitutional changes, independence and armed guards for the Premier could be the beginnings of a petty tyranny, and I cannot believe that Bermudians are so stupid that they cannot see what is happening.

The same arrogance which got the UBP ousted after thirty years is already blatantly obvious within the present Government... after only two years. Can you imagine what it must have been like going into a restaurant, being seated, and then being asked to move because her Ladyship (aka the Premier) did not wish to be seated in the same room. The UBP representatives who moved were foolish to do so. I would have walked out, and would encourage anyone else faced with a similar situation, to do the same thing.

You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

DISGUSTED City of Hamilton Reap as you sew March 5, 2001 Dear Sir, My congratulations to the Bermuda Guild of Stitchery for their `Teddies for the World' project. Well done. As they say, often a knitted teddy bear is the only thing a child owns.

`Teddies for Tragedies' started when the first knitted teddies were sent to the Sudan in 1986 to an orphanage in a refugee camp for 2000 children with TB.

They were such a success that more were requested. Since then, teddies have been sent all over the world. Sadly, the need is always going to be there due to civil wars, famines, or natural disasters (such as hurricanes, with which we are all familiar; the earthquakes we have heard about so recently).

I first heard of `Teddies for Tragedies' when my sister-in-law visited Bermuda last June. The pattern she sent me has been passed to several people who expressed an interest in the project.

One lady took the pattern to St. Brendan's Hospital where the staff of Somers Ward made the teddies a ward project. Their patients made 56 beautiful teddies (even the male patients helped) which have been shipped to children living on the streets in various parts of the world.

My very special thanks to the staff and patients of Somers Ward. Thanks also to those ladies who have recently sent me their teddies - they will be shipped out soon.

If you feel you, too, can help, by knitting a teddy, making a bag for the teddy, donating some oddments of wool or material, helping with shipping, do contact me at 296-9585. Help to bring a little joy into the life of a needy child.

RUTH INGHAM PS. Will those who already have patterns, please check with me for an important change.