Another year is flying by. Also, Bermuda's prosperity is flying by. Let me start this by saying that I believe in a Bermuda that takes care of Bermudians first. But I also acknowledge and recognise that we will always need guest workers. Bermuda has become a place where some guest workers feel less welcome. Some of this is xenophobia and some of this is Bermudianphobia. More on this after the top 20.

Making the jump to #1 is It Kills Me by Melanie Fiona, one of the hottest love songs of the moment. Improving to #2 is Say Aah by Trey Songz featuring Fabolous. Tumbling to #3 is I Invented Sex by Trey Songs featuring Drake.

Up to #4 is How Low by Ludacris. Climbing the ladder to #5 is Snoop Dogg's latest rap anthem, I Wanna Rock, one of the hottest rap track on the circuit. Up to #6 is Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart by Alicia Keys. Up to #7 is Sex Therapy by Robin Thicke. Falling to #8 is Empire State of Mind by Jay Z and Alicia Keys, a popular track with catchy lyrics. Up to #9 is Why Don't You Love Me by Beyonce, yet another hit from the hottest R&B artist in the game. Falling to #10 is Money To Blow by Birdman featuring L'il Wayne and Drake.

Leaping to #11 is Hard by Rihanna, one of the most popular songs in the world. On the way up at #12 it's Bedrock by Young Money featuring Lloyd. Taking the elevator down to #13 it's Baby By Me by 50 Cent featuring Ne-Yo.

Improving at #14, still my favourite track, is Sexy Chick by David Guetta featuring Akon. This one is a banger and can be heard all over the place, at home and abroad. Falling to #15 it's Bad Habits by Maxwell, a very smooth ballad.

Improving to #16 is On To The Next One by Jay Z and Swizz Beats. Up to #17 is She Wolf by Shakira, a kickin' dance track. Jumping to #18 is Tik Tok by Ke$ha, the new hot blonde bombshell. On the way up at #19 is We Are The World, by Artist for Haiti. Falling into the #20 spot is Run This Town by Jay Z, Rihanna and Kanye West.

Now back to this week's word– xenophobia or Bermudianphobia. The dynamic in Bermuda has shifted. Sure, there's a component of xenophobia, whereby Bermudians exhibit some form of fear of people and things foreign. But there's also a fear of Bermudians or a resistance/dislike for Bermudians protecting their own turf and looking out for their own interests – which I have called Bermudianphobia – for want of a better word.

Over time some guest workers have grown to feel less welcome here and many leaders of international business have become frustrated because they cannot get their way all the time the way they may have been able to in the past and/or because they do not have as much control over Government's decision making. Clearly there has to be a balance, but right thinking minds must prevail and common sense should be the order of the day.

There's a lot to this loaded issue. Every country has a duty to safeguard the interests of its people and Bermuda should be no different. It is always wise to examine an issue from the other person's perspective.

I remember being a student in Canada and having to pay an international student's premium. Basically we paid more for the same education than the Canadian students. What this did was let us know that we could be there but we must pay for the privilege of being able to better ourselves by being in someone else's country. This also let us know that Canada was all about Canadians first. Bermuda should be no different, but many guest workers don't like the fact that Bermuda is protecting the interests of its people when the very country from which they come does exactly the same thing. I call this Bermudianphobia!

However, we have to consider what is reasonable and what is unreasonable. As Bermudians we have to accept that our country has become less attractive for a number of reasons, not the least of which is our apparent indifference to international business' wishes, warnings and threats. As long as we can satisfy ourselves that we have not been unreasonable and that we have done what any sensible country would do, we having nothing to fear. But if we have not been reasonable we may have to rethink our strategy. It may be a bit late for that but you get the point.

Many international businesses are downsizing, outsourcing jobs, packing up and leaving Bermuda, for whatever reasons. We have to ask ourselves whether they are leaving because of the global recession and would have left in spite of anything we have done; or if our actions have pushed them over the edge and encouraged them to look elsewhere.

We have to also ask ourselves if, had we done anything differently, they might not have had to leave, downsize, outsource, etc. Some of this might be ignorance in that we might not have understood the factors and their impact on the situation. But I think that people have been telling us that this would happen; we just may not have believed it. Some companies are leaving and others have already left for what they feel to be "more inviting and welcoming jurisdictions". We might want to take a look at this.

My concern is what we are going to do with the hundreds of Bermudian employees, many of whom have for years had great jobs as secretaries, administrative assistants, executive assistants, office managers or administrators in some of these companies, making really nice salaries, like over $60,000 or $70,000 a year, without having college degrees!

I fear that these Bermudians will be out of work if too many of the companies downsize or depart. The Tourism industry has not produced and will not be producing a meaningful number of jobs in the near future to hire these displaced workers and they may and most likely will be in for a rude and harsh awakening – that suddenly, they are no longer employable and that there are no jobs for which they are qualified.

My advice to these persons, and anybody that has a job, including Government workers, is to start putting some money aside for a rainy day. In case anyone hasn't noticed; it's been raining a lot here lately, in terms of weather and the economy!

We, the Government, are taking a lashing from the private sector for our recent increase of the payroll tax. I say "we" because unlike some Bermudians, I understand that I am the Government and I am an owner/investor/stakeholder/shareholder in the Government because I am Bermudian, I pay taxes and I care. The private sector sees the payroll tax increase as a bad idea and while I don't completely understand how this will work either, people's perceptions are their reality. Increasing payroll tax in a recession raises questions, but it is a done deal.

So it is fine for us to take a hard line by continuously raising taxes but then we have to stop saying that we don't have income tax. We now do have income tax, because our pay is being taxed. Then we have a tax structure whereby they don't take it all out of your pay but by gosh if you go to buy anything the prices have the taxes included. I'm getting a bit off track here but the point is still valid.

We may have missed how although some guest workers may come here and make more money than Bermudians, there is a trickle down effect whereby the money eventually trickled down to the average man on the street.

When one employee comes to Bermuda, that person has to buy things and their expenditures just to simply live here create jobs and pay salaries. With the departure of each person, there is less money in the pot, less money to go around and trickle down; which means fewer jobs being created and fewer salaries paid. The cumulative effect is bad and I fear that we are headed there.

In closing, I just hope that we have a plan of what to do if and when all or too many of the international companies leave. Peace … DJLT.