UBP is focused

April 28, 2010

Dear Sir,

Your correspondent James Jackson in a letter printed April 28 entitled "Nothing has changed" is totally mistaken in his remarks about the United Bermuda Party. I invite him to contact me directly and I would be pleased to enlighten him at anytime.

The truth is that within the past six months the Opposition United Bermuda Party has been totally focused on the people's business.

I would encourage everyone to consider our performance since October 2009 and you will see an immense improvement in our teamwork and our focus on the issues of the day. This can be measured through our parliamentary questions, strong performance during the Budget debate and our focus on community issues via town hall meetings.

We have argued for better management of the economy, which has been weakened by reckless spending and incompetent management. We have pushed stronger public safety measures to reduce crime, particularly gang-related violence. We have outlined ways to break the logjam that has stalled education reform. And we have stressed to reform Government to make it more transparent, more responsive and more accountable.

It is important to note that the Opposition – which won 48 percent and 47 percent of the popular vote in the 2003 and 2007 elections respectively – has had to function with only 14 seats in the House of Assembly, which constitutes just 37 percent of the total number of seats. This discrepancy points to the need for more fair representation of the popular vote in the Legislature. Despite the numbers our team spirit is 100 percent strong. I believe this is because we know we are fighting for a better Bermuda than the one this Government is leading us to.

As Leader of the Opposition, I am proud of the way our team is fighting for a stronger, fair and more unified Bermuda.

Finally, I invite any person who would like to pass on their views, concerns and suggestions to contact me directly at 333 8321 or e-mail hkeswan@gmail.com

KIM SWAN JP MP

Leader, United Bermuda Party

Fatherless children crisis

April 28, 2010

Dear Sir,

We are facing a growing crisis with fatherless children being abandoned by their young mothers to the care of Government.

Hundreds of children, many overseas, are being supported by Government money.

Why should I pay for the rebellion and mistakes of out of wedlock children and mothers producing all these babies that someone else takes financial responsibility.

Mr. Editor, it's not just the tens of millions of dollars over the years Government spends but it's the social cost of gangs and crime committed by children without fathers. The Government thinks it can control all this through the social services and propaganda but it is mistaken.

The schools need to teach what is right and wrong and having children outside marriage is wrong both for the boy and girls but for the Bermuda Society at large.

CHARLES SPANSWICK

City of Hamilton

Casino positives

April 21, 2010

This is an open letter response to Sir John Swan following an article in The Royal Gazette.

Dear Sir,

In your article published in The Royal Gazette on April 16, you touched upon many areas that Bermuda needs to act on. You encouraged my generation to make their views known. I therefore, respectfully submit my views on casinos and gambling and hope that it will encourage others to do the same not only on this subject, but on others that will help Bermuda evolve its future.

Casino. Gambling. In Bermuda, the mere mention of these words creates controversy and people quickly take sides for or against casino gambling. In the ensuing debate on casino gambling, we should be respectful and not impugn improper motives on each other. We must remember that we all want what is best for Bermuda economically, socially and culturally.

The Green Paper on gaming reviews a wide range of issues involved in casino gambling. Bermudians and residents are therefore, encouraged to read it as it could help to form the basis of a more rational rather than speculative debate.

Our immediate regional competitors Bahamas, Jamaica, Antigua, St. Kitts, St. Lucia and Aruba all have casino gambling as well as our closest neighbours, the United States of America and Canada. Casino gambling is established in many countries around the world including the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Russia, Monte Carlo, Lebanon, Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland and countries in South America and Africa.

Gambling, other than casino gambling, has been a feature of Bermudian life for a very, very long time. Gambling is defined as the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome, with the objective of winning additional money and/or material goods. Workmen's Clubs stage bingo six nights a week and even provide free bus transportation to the club houses. Some Bermudians and residents play bingo at their places of worship. This is gambling. There are legal outlets where Bermudians and residents play football pools every week. This is gambling. Bermudians and residents play the horses every day. This is gambling. Every Cup Match and county game, Bermudians and residents play Crown and Anchor. An increasing number of Bermudians and residents are gambling online in the comfort of their own homes. All of these forms of gambling seem almost common, everyday occurrences which create no controversy, so why does the idea of a casino make people uneasy?

Over the years we have seen a dramatic downturn in tourism. It is devastating for many businesses such as hotels, retailers, taxi drivers, entertainers, restaurants, tour boat operators etc. Tourism is on "life support" and we really only have a one pillar economy with international business contributing $0.90 out of a dollar to Bermuda's economy. We need to develop casino gambling that is sophisticated and well regulated.

Bermuda's hotels are struggling and their glory days of back to back convention groups are a seldom occurrence. These days a casino is becoming the criteria in choosing a destination. For financially valuable group and convention business it is viewed as a "deal breaker". It has been stated by many in the hotel industry that if a group is considering a choice of two destinations and all of the amenities are virtually equal but one of the destinations has casino gambling, they will invariably select the destination that has gambling.

When Bermudians travel to the United States, United Kingdom, the Caribbean and other destinations, if there is a casino there we almost invariably support it. Why are we supporting these countries' economies and ignoring our own? All we are doing is spending our money and improving their facilities. We have to make Bermuda as attractive to other travellers as these other destinations are made to us. A casino would provide night time entertainment to tourists as well as the international businessperson who would like some activity after they have finished their board meeting and don't just want to go back to their hotel room. Some of Bermuda's high net worth visitors might also be encouraged to visit the Casino and gamble large amounts as a form of entertainment.

The question has been raised if Bermudians and residents will be allowed to gamble in the casino. I am of the opinion that they should be allowed but subject to certain qualifications being met. For example an individual would have to apply for a "gamers licence" every year. This "gamers licence" could either be in the form similar to a drivers licence or a totally electronic approach could be taken. A database could be maintained with all of the individual's information and entry into the casino would be via a biometric reader (thumb scan). There would also be a fee attached to the application. A person could be denied a "gamers licence" if, for example:

— A background check discovers that the individual has a criminal record

— An individual has an outstanding account at the Bermuda Credit Association

— An individual has court proceedings of a financial matter pending against them

The "gamers licence" could also be denied renewal if it was proven to have been obtained by fraud on a previous occasion or if any of the above criteria is now applicable to the individual.

Economic development benefits can be facilitated by the casino for employment, tax revenue and local retail sales.

There are several different types of employment that a casino environment provides such as: gaming dealers, surveillance officers, gaming supervisors (Pit Bosses), cashiers, slot technicians, valet, chef, bartender, wait staff, accountants, facility manager, security, etc. These are only a small example of the employment opportunities that would be available to both skilled and non-skilled Bermudians.

Community projects could be funded by revenue derived from the casino by way of Government taxation. Around the world casino tax revenue has been used toward projects such as a national gallery, capital projects such as bridges, a city wide surveillance system, college scholarships, sports facilities and downtown revitalisation. This could be the avenue to help fund the redevelopment of the Hamilton Waterfront. The Waterfront is a massive undertaking that would require a substantial capital investment in order to achieve the goal of making Hamilton an exciting and dynamic place for both visitors and locals. The casino would enable many of the projects involved in the revitalisation of the waterfront to come to fruition through the revenue that would be generated by taxation.

Casino gambling serves as an important amenity to the overall tourist industry. The attraction of visitors to Bermuda could also have an effect on the struggling retail sector. When people bring money to spend in the casino, they also have the tendency of spending it in the local retail sector by way of merchandise purchases and food and beverage especially if they have had a win at the casino.

The location of the casino is of paramount importance. I believe that it should be in the City of Hamilton, more specifically on the waterfront. Hamilton's waterfront would become the "heartbeat" of Bermuda and would be an exciting place with lots of activity. Hamilton is centrally located and easily accessible by all. If you were to locate it in Dockyard for example, it might be perceived as being "out of the way" and too much of a chore to get to. We must remember that the majority of persons we would be catering to are executives, visitors and locals working within the City of Hamilton.

We have always prided ourselves on our incredible infrastructure, beautiful scenery, engaging people and vision to keep Bermuda prosperous and relevant, yet in an economic environment which is being felt throughout the entire world, we find ourselves behind the times. In order to survive in this and future economic environments we must take these assets that Bermuda has and not be afraid to apply them to a new concept such as a casino that can better our future. Change is almost always uncomfortable, but almost always necessary. We must be prepared to embrace a change like a casino that can give Bermudians solid job opportunities and keep us competitive with other destinations.

SUZIE ARRUDA

City of Hamilton

Men get breast cancer too

April 26, 2010

Dear Sir,

As a repeat visitor to the Island, with an upcoming visit scheduled, I would like to comment on the article in today's newspaper, entitled "Figures show breast and prostate cancers are Island's most common" by Cathy Stovell.

The article correctly indicates, of course, that prostate cancer can only be a "man's disease", but perhaps because no meaningful statistics have been kept in Bermuda, fails to mention that men can have breast cancer. By completely omitting any reference to men in the article, you may have perpetuated the misconception that breast cancer is strictly a woman's disease.

As a male breast cancer survivor, I must point out that, for example, there are approximately 1900 cases of male breast cancer diagnosed in the United States each year. Unfortunately, unaware that they can contract breast cancer, men tend to disregard small lumps in their breasts, not knowing that breast cancer can be more insidious in men than in women (owing to the lack of tissue in the breast area of men, breast cancer often spreads more rapidly to the bones and vital organs than it does in women).

Of course, early diagnosis is very important, as the treatments for breast cancer in men are similar to those used in the treatment of women, and the success rate is dependant significantly on that early diagnosis. Perhaps this letter will serve to alert your readers, both males and females with male friends or relatives, that breast cancer does also strike men, and that early detection and treatment is a necessity.

Perhaps you can make this information known to your readers, and save some lives!

DAVID J. KINGSLEY

USA

Clear trash containers

May 2, 2010

Dear Sir

I called Works & Engineering some time ago regarding the overflowing garbage containers at the two bus shelters on Middle Road, Warwick adjacent to Warwick Academy. During school days these containers fill very fast. As I write this letter both are overflowing and there is nowhere to put garbage so people throw it on the ground.

May I suggest that a schedule is set up so these containers are cleared daily. It's odd that on the north side of Middle Road, in front of the school, there is a Keep Bermuda Beautiful sign indicating a maximum fine of $1,000 for littering!

JOHN BARNETT

Warwick

Looking good, Front St.

April 29, 2010

Dear Sir,

I am writing a quick note to say that Front street has never looked so good with a cruise ship in port.

CHRIS BENNETT

City of Hamilton