WeblogBahamas.com

Happy Independence Bahamas

by Rick Lowe (http://www.weblogbahamas.com)

The following blog is an excerpt from a weekly column from 1998 that I used to write for The Bahama Journal. It is remarkable how true the saying is that, "the more things change the more they remain the same".

At forty years of age, I have very little in common with the leaders of our country from the 1970’s. I do remember however, the Abaco Independence Movement where I lived at the time, and the negativity that surrounded our nationhood. Looking back, I wonder if the idea could have been “sold” more effectively to the entire nation.

But today all 270,000 of us can hold our heads high when we consider what has been accomplished. To paraphrase Dr. Cleveland Eneas who wrote in his post script to Bain Town, “The time is rapidly dawning when we Bahamians will…… have a story to present to the rest of the world”.

Lessons in Freedom: Truncated "Liberty"

by Tibor R. Machan (http://www.weblogbahamas.com)

"Genuine liberty means being in full control of one's life not being accorded the privilege of not always suffering the intrusions of one's oppressors."

Some people seem to believe that when they aren't being directly oppressed, meddled with, intruded upon, interfered with and so on, they are then free. Americans often have this conception of being free because their various governments often leave them be. Only 40 percent of their resources is being taxed! Their bars can be open until 1 AM or even later in some places. Blue laws apply only here and there, on certain days. So, hurray, we are free!

Economic logic?

by Rick Lowe (http://www.weblogbahamas.com)

Here's a question that I've been grappling with lately.

Why do governments wish to challenge companies they believe are "too big" through anti-trust legislation and want to bail out others because "they're too big to fail"?

Hope you can help find an answer.

Lessons in Freedom: Beholden to our ancestors

by Tibor R. Machan (http://www.weblogbahamas.com)

"The best system for what some call inter-generational justice--for squaring with our ancestors fairly--is the private property system that does a reasonably decent job of securing for everyone what he or she has a right to, what everyone is entitled to."

When the idea of paying taxes, especially the exorbitant ones extorted from the well to do, is debated, defenders sometimes maintain that these are due because we owe it to our ancestors who forged institutions and other results that now benefit us all. So even our own selves, our bodies, health, pleasant looks, and, of course, any inheritance we were left by our elders do not really belong to us free and clear.

Talking heads and food security for The Bahamas and Cuba

by Rick Lowe (http://www.weblogbahamas.com)

Wherever talking heads are gathered in The Bahamas you hear someone mention how wonderful Cuba is.

Stories abound of great health care and educational systems and don't forget food security.

Of course this is a measure of our so called failure here in The Bahamas. We don't farm so we are worse off as a result.

But is it true that Cuba is self sufficient in food? Oh, and don't forget how that dastardly US embargo has forced them to be self sufficient in food and how great the Cuban government is in providing for her people.

I submit that it's all a myth.

The sweet seductiveness of socialized medicine for The Bahamas

by Rick Lowe (http://www.weblogbahamas.com)

Driving to a lunch meeting on Monday, July 6, 2009 while skipping through the radio dial I stumbled on Love 97's, Issues of The Day programme with host Mr. Wendall Jones interviewing Ms. Etoile Pinder on the benefits of socialized medicine and basically how Bahamians are getting a raw deal by not having it.

For those that don't recall, Ms. Pinder was with the team that was charged by the PLP government to implement Socialized Medicine here in The Bahamas.

Lessons in Freedom: The Unearned Wealth Trap

by Tibor R. Machan (http://www.weblogbahamas.com)

The bottom line is that what one has a right to is one's life, one's liberty, and the property that arises from these whether come by some hard way or easy.

Sometimes defenders of human liberty put their case badly and one such instance is when they defend the right to private property by identifying all expropriation or extortion as the taking of earned wealth. But it isn't a matter of whether the wealth was earned or not--quite a lot of one's wealth, the benefits one enjoys in life, belong to one even if one hasn't earned these.

Bruce Springsteen - Song of the week - Code of Silence (Live) - July 6, 2009

by Rick Lowe (http://www.weblogbahamas.com)

Every now and then, nobody but "The Boss" will do. And today, Code of Silence live with the E Street Band does it for me.

Clemons sax is smoking on this.

Enjoy, and get out there and buy some more of Springsteen's music.

Have some Bahamians lost their minds?

by Sidney Sweeting, DDS (http://www.weblogbahamas.com)

The story in The Tribune recently of the pastor of a church displaying with pride his $68,000 Bentley ("like the Queen of England drives") almost made me lose my breakfast.

In a church with a membership of over 400 it is quite possible that a percentage of those members are either unemployed or have family and friends who are suffering financial difficulties. If it had been reported that the congregation had raised the equivalent funds to help their own members through these difficult times we could all salute them. To try however, to distort the basic tenents of the Gospel of Christ and to equate it to the worship of things material - in this case a car, is deplorable and sinful.

These are the same people who will be first in line to ask Government for an unemployment cheque or for help to pay their medical bills because their money has been spent in helping someone with a silver tongue to "improve his status in the community".

Good news for US unemployment: Wal - Mart

by Rick Lowe (http://www.weblogbahamas.com)

You read that right. According to an article by Mr. Greg Kaza he points out that Wal - Mart, the proverbial whipping boy of US retail, is coming to the rescue.

Here's a snippet:

U.S. nonfarm payroll employment has declined by 6.5 million jobs since the recession started in December 2007. One exception is Wal-Mart, which has expanded its domestic work force by 40,000 (2.9%) and announced June 3 that it will add 22,000 jobs in its U.S. stores in 2009.

Read the entire article here...

Thanks to GW for the link to this article.