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Why do we have lawlessness in the Bahamas?

by Jerome Pinder

According to media reports and eyewitnesses, a PLP supporter struck our DPM on the shoulder, as he turned to walk away after trying to calm her down during a confrontation with loyal FNM supporters.

In any other civilized Country in the world, this individual would have been arrested and taken off to jail.  Can you imagine someone hitting the VP of the United States of America?  VP Biden would not have had a chance to tell the Police not to get involved.  Mr. Symonette may have decided not to press charges, but this should have not stopped the police from making an initial arrest on the spot.  It would have least sent an entirely different message to the crowd.   

Now what message does this send to the individual responsible, the eyewitnesses, and the Country at large? 

I think it is a total disrespect for authority and one more example of the state of lawlessness that we now face as a Country.  (Chief, you can strike a Cabinet Minister if they make you vex, ain't nuttin ga happen)

But as I expected, Mr Symonette took the high road.  Any right thinking Bahamian whose elevator goes all the way to the top will realize this!!

What do you think?

Can Tipping Points Make a Change in The Bahamas?

by Jerome Pinder

In his book “The Tipping Point,” Malcolm Gladwell speaks extensively about social epidemics and how changing little things can make a big difference.  He speaks to the rise and fall of crime in New York City.  Most of us have heard about the crime wave that impacted New York City, with rising murder rates and violent crimes, just like we read about crime everyday in our local papers.

An interesting point in the book suited for Nassau is the Broken Windows Theory, which was the work of criminologists James Q. Wilson and George Kelling. Their argument is that crime is the result or will escalate from disorder.  The theory as discussed by Gladwell, “If a window is broken and left unrepaired, people walking by will conclude that no one cares and no one is in charge.” This leads to more broken windows, disorder, chaos, and anything goes.

By-Election in Elizabeth reflects a sad state of affairs in The Bahamas!

by Jerome Pinder

Should we be surprised?  The daily media tells a sad tale coming out of the by-election in Elizabeth.  From illegal voters, lack of integrity in the voter registration process, vote buying for a $100 or $200, defacing of political posters, and the whole process coming down to a battle between Hubert Ingraham and Perry Christie.  What about the issues?

The education system is still in the dumps, violent crime is still a daily occurrence, our financial industry remains under threat, and our debt and deficits remain at serious levels.  The Government and Minister of National Security must think the people have forgotten all the strong talk they fed us towards the end of 2009 about dealing with crime.  Am I missing something here?

Peter Schiff on "More Government Equals Fewer Jobs"

Jerome Pinder

A good article by Peter Schiff.  The same could be said about The Bahamas.

With today’s unexpected decline in December payrolls, the cry for more job-related stimulus will grow even louder. But the sad truth is that any new stimulus or jobs bills will ultimately swell the ranks of the unemployed, thereby raising calls for an even bigger federal effort. If we are not careful, government regulations, subsidies, and spending, all designed to fight unemployment, could push the labor market into a death spiral.

Regulation acts like a tax on job creation. By subjecting employers to all sorts of extra expenses when they hire people, regulations increase the cost of employment far beyond the wages employers actually pay their workers. In fact, some regulations are specifically tied to the number of workers employed. This provides some employers with a strong incentive to stay small and not hire.

A solution in Haiti: Try Freedom By Garrett Glass

Below is an interesting article on Haiti, which is most appropriate given the debate that is raging on about the future of the Haitian people.

by Garrett Glass.

The troubles of Haiti are once again making front-page news all over the world. Every expert from Amnesty International to French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepein has an opinion about what needs to be done to fix the problems. There are some fundamental issues, however, that often go ignored in all the demands for foreign military intervention and financial aid.

Property Rights

GOP Win in Massachusetts: A Message that is needed in The Bahamas!

by Jerome Pinder

One of the main headlines today (20th January 2010), is the victory of Republican Scott Brown in the Massachusetts Senate seat left vacant by the late Senator Kennedy.  As reported in the USA Today, Scott Brown is the first Republican to win a Massachusetts Senate race since 1972.  It is quite ironic that the victory came on the 1st anniversary of President Obama's administration. In addition, Obama's last minute campaigning for the Democrats could not sway enough voters.

Flip over to page 3A in the USA Today and you read the news "Christie takes oath as new N.J. governor."  This was another shock when Republican Chris Christie defeated democratic incumbent Jon Corzine in the New Jersey governor's race.  Like the outcome above, New Jersey voted for change, and this was not the Obama stile change either.

Albert Mohler - Does God Hate Haiti?

by Jerome Pinder

There has been much discussion in the Bahamas over our Government's decision to release Haitians held at the Detention Centre and provide them with temporary status.  While the negative views regarding this decision do not portray us as a Christian nation, which we claim to be, I am grateful that thousands of Bahamians are rising to the challenge in raising funds and supplies for the people of Haiti. 

Below is an enlightening article by Albert Mohler at www.albertmohler.com:

Posted: Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 5:19 pm ET (www.albertmohler.com)

The images streaming in from Haiti look like scenes from Dante's Inferno. The scale of the calamity is unprecedented. In many ways, Haiti has almost ceased to exist.

Peter Schiff on "A Hell of a Decade"

"In its recent look back on the first ten years of the century, Time Magazine proclaimed the period to be "the decade from hell." The editors made their case based on what they saw as the signature events of the last ten years, notably the ravages of terrorism, failed wars, and a global financial crisis. Taken together, these factors produced an era that Time is convinced will be remembered as one of the low points in our history.

"As the media hates to dwell on the negative, the commentary was rife with notes of optimism about pending recovery. It could hardly be accidental that in the very next issue, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke was named "Man of the Year" for his supposedly Herculean efforts to keep the economy afloat as we departed the Naughty Aughties. Although Time takes pains that to point out that the "Person of the Year" honor reflects impact rather than adulation, its profile of the Chairman was triumphant.

A New Message is Needed from the Bahamian Prime Minister!

by Jerome Pinder

Letter to The Tribune's Editor dated the 31st December 2009:

Dear Editor:

Regrettably, the Prime Minister offered us nothing new in his Christmas address to the nation, besides wishing us a Merry Christmas for 2009.  Based on the Tribune’s report (29th December 2009) of the PM’s address, we are frankly well aware of all he discussed.  Surprisingly, he offered no hope with regards to the fight against crime and sees fit to postpone this discussion until the New Year.  The Prime Minister should have had a National Address months ago to inform us of his Government’s initiatives on this matter.

Did The Unregulated Market Steal Christmas, Nassau, Bahamas?

by Jerome Pinder

Over the last two days, I have heard from several business persons that Christmas sales were not as good as they hoped for.  Some have said that sales were down by as much as 50%, compared to the previous year.  If this trend is more wide spread, it offers little hope for the New Year, as many small businesses were holding on to see if Christmas sales would pull them through.  Will the Country now be faced with more closures and layoffs in the first quarter of 2010?