WeblogBahamas.com

The senseless debate brouhaha

Edward Hutcheson

If there is to be a contest in the next election, the leader of the opposition must drop the one-liners and grandiose statements that only resonate with a particular category of the electorate. If we were forty years removed and certain paradigms were still in place, his polemic offerings would be seen as reasonable, but, this is a different time and the Bahamians are in a different place. His good friend and adversary, may not seem as eloquent as he , but it amazing what is accomplished by persistent diligence to the issues that people are concerned about. Especially, if you are able to give your audience a picture that is historically relevant.

The two candidates have gone on record as wanting to have a public debate with Mr.Ingraham. This request gives us an indication that both men are very naïve or just ill-informed. I will grant you that they will look more ministerial than their adversary but that will mean nothing as both men have to conceal the fact that they have a very thin understanding of political history and no amount of preparation will spare them from the ensuing onslaught.

The same request is  being made on the talk shows by numerous callers; they have opined that speaking in Parliament is not the same thing as a public debate and that another side of persons wanting to lead must be seen so that the voters can make an informed choice.

A cleaner, renewable Bahamas for sure. But it’s not going to happen overnight

Michael Reiach

I am about to graduate with a degree in electrical engineering and am planning to specialize in sustainable and renewable sources of energy. Admittedly, I haven’t quite got to the professional engineer status yet but most days I try and relate my studies to The Bahamas. I must give BEC and the Bahamian government credit. Running a power generation and distribution system is not easy. It is even more difficult when you consider the geographic make up of The Bahamas.

I would rather make a comparison of our electrical grid to that in North America, specifically Canada, since we derive our electrical code from them and not the UK or Europe. The grids are based on a 100-year-old mindset. The old idea was that there would be a few large generation stations to power a distribution network for a region. Now the industry is trying to evolve that idea into multiple, smaller generation sites that can alleviate the dependency and demand on central power generators and possibly even feed excess energy into the grid. The Bahamas has taken the old grid approach by developing an independent power system on each island rather than trying to share resources. This has resulted in 29 power stations on over 25 islands.

It’s easier said than done. A large portion - 55% - of the energy in Ontario is generated by nuclear power. Nuclear power plants cannot be turned off in an instant – look at what happened in Japan. Nuclear gets a bad rap, which is too bad. It is very efficient and keeps the fuel surcharge low. Unfortunately, nuclear plants generate far more than the population of The Bahamas could ever demand so I will not be saying anymore about them.

Now onto what Mr Humes was talking about in The Nassau Guardian recently. He said:

“I know the high cost of energy is a major factor when doing business in the country. We have to look at ways of reducing energy costs. We need to introduce renewable energy sources like solar, hydro and wind that all can be used to bring down the cost of doing business,”

You cannot just say that so simply since there are other costs to consider than just generation, but I’ll go with the flow.

So Mr Humes could suggest that we throw lots of money into wind power and then we should have really cheap rates? Some of the highest energy prices are in Europe. Denmark is known as the wind power capital of the world. They cannot cope with the demand and their average price for energy is ~$0.40 per kWh [1] with the majority of energy being supplied by fossil fuels. Last time I checked, BEC was at $0.15 per kWh with a fluctuating fuel surcharge that was below $0.40 per kWh.

Continuing

Don't buy the political rhetoric

Edward Hutcheson

We are entering a season where some of our most able citizens take leave of their senses and profess their chosen political ideology with such a passion that the question of demonization comes up. In years past, I gave this anomaly little consideration, but having come face to face with it in the past decade I feel the need to comment. This activity really pinged my radar, when one of the local pastors, used some very inappropriate language as a “man of god”, as he “directed” his flock  in a previous election. I will admit that at the time I saw his behaviour as normal, when you consider his upbringing within that “political community”. In that same year, I watched as several persons that I have been in ministry with, went out on political limbs and started cutting on the wrong side of the limb they were standing on; they would have done irreparable harm to themselves and their families, if not for intervention. I think demonization is an accurate term, because when we attempt to talk about those “past” incidences they claim to have no memory of it.

"…Nation building is hard work and it must be intentional; especially in the four and a half years between the silly season."

This could be the year that we get some answers about the true function of political ideology in a social context, as a younger voting population asks the questions that have nothing to do with jobs, entitlement, dependency or Exodus as we have evolved into the new pharaohs. The populace who see themselves as a majority will have to experience their own personal exorcising as they battle the social and cultural influences that have allowed particular biases to be inserted into their psyches. In my opinion, this is worse than being a drug addict. In a recent sermon during the Majority Rule celebration, Pastor Timothy Stewart reminded the listeners that we who consider ourselves the majority came into a circumstance that allowed us to exercise our freedom as Bahamians, but some of us were more comfortable in securing our own “Pharaohs”, as we ventured into the new land. What his sermon also implied that what we call a Bahamian Majority, has nothing to do with skin colour – although some politicians would want to tell you different as they spread their own gospel of fear and mistrust. What was preached as a confusing black and white issue, has been further confounded by the additional colours of yellow, red and green.

Observations on current politics and Atlantis

Edward Hutcheson

In a  recent letter to the editor, a writer opines that sooner or later the Bahamas will be “caught up in something”, because the interests of China and the United States will eventually clash, and at that time we will have an epiphany. He also states that we will have a choice to make at that time; I beg to differ. We have already made a choice, we have chosen to play the two Super Powers against each other in the name of “progress” and jobs. I agree that we will have an epiphany but it will be about how to survive in this drama that we are creating for ourselves. The politicians who are making the choices seem to be clueless about our situation; and this cluelessness is inclusive of those in the FNM,PLP, and the DNA. The only persons who are going to survive this event are those who own something tangible and have not allowed themselves to be sold the lie that all we have to do as Bahamians is “believe in ourselves”, “vote for the change you want to see”, etc;etc;etc;. Realistically, there is nothing wrong in belief or change, but we have made the awful mistake of having persons with very questionable agendas, redefining what belief or change means every five years; and the tools of fear and distrust are used to sell these subjective definitions.

Professor Sachs slays a Straw Man Good and Proper...

and Professor Boudreaux get's it right.

Hope you enjoy the following brief but excellent analysis of what Libertarianism isn't.

Thank you Dr. Boudreaux!

By the way, Dr. Boudreaux's letter to the editor of the Huffington Post, is posted below with his kind permission.

18 January 2012

Editor, Huffington Post

Dear Editor:

Attacking libertarianism, Jeffrey Sachs writes that "Libertarians hold that individual liberty should never be sacrificed in the pursuit of other values or causes.  Compassion, justice, civic responsibility, honesty, decency, humility, respect, and even survival of the poor, weak, and vulnerable – all are to take a back seat" ("Libertarian Illusions," Jan. 16).

As non-sequiturs go, this one's a doozy.  Mr. Sachs here performs the equivalent of, say, accusing someone who advocates sobriety of thereby being indifferent to other values such parental responsibility, financial prudence, and neighborliness.  But just as being sober in no way precludes – and likely promotes – other values such as parental responsibility, being a libertarian in no way precludes any of the values and causes that Mr. Sachs lists.  Indeed, libertarians argue that these other values and causes are best PROMOTED by individual liberty, and that too many people who insist that achieving these other values requires the suppression of liberty are cynically seeking convenient cover for their own self-aggrandizement.

Of course, libertarians might be mistaken about liberty's merits.  But that Mr. Sachs ASSUMES that libertarians hold cheap such values as compassion, civic responsibility, and honesty proves that what Lord Acton wrote about Robert Kemp Philp's description of history applies perfectly to Mr. Sachs's description of libertarianism: "It were well if he knew his subject as well as he knows his own mind about it."*

Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Professor of Economics
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030

* Lord Acton, "Review of Philp's History of Progress in Great Britain" (1858), reprinted in Lord Acton, Essays in the Study and Writing of History, J. Rufus Fears, ed. (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 1986), pp. 31-33; the quotation in the letter appears on page 31.

See Professor Boudreaux's original post here at Cafe Hayek…

There's a lot to think about before voting

Erik J. Russell

(The following article, posted here with permission of its author, was written before the 2007 election, but remains relevant today.)

The national election date has been set. Nearly 150,000 citizens have registered to vote. Those that haven't heeded the advice of the Prime Minister and taken the time to get registered before the date was set have lost the opportunity to do their duty as a citizen and eligible voter.

"Do their duty?" We hear that phrase often when referring to upcoming elections. The media, interest groups, political parties and even churches tell us that "every one that can vote, should vote". But is that true? Is that good for the country?

Do we really want voters who are unaware of the issues to recklessly and irresponsibly wield their X to decide the leadership of our constituencies and country? Shouldn't voters stop to consider whether or not they are not just eligible to vote but are also qualified to vote?

To be qualified to drive a car in our country you must study the rules, take a written test, and prove your ability. To become a SCUBA diver you must learn the dangers and limitations of your equipment and the environment, demonstrate your understanding and keep your certification up to date. Want to get a loan? Prove to the bank that you have the plan and means to pay it back.

But to collectively determine the direction, leadership and control of our country? Prove you are alive. Be alive for 18 years. You're qualified!

We charge that voters should take it upon themselves to: gain a reasonable knowledge of history (political, local, national and regional) to ensure that they have a context for their choice; possess at least a basic knowledge of the Constitution; have some understanding of economics (at least how our government earns money, where our taxes go [yes, we do have taxes], and the role of the Central Bank of the Bahamas); and a cursory knowledge of current events. A good portion of these things can come from regularly reading local and international newspapers (on paper or on line) and by doing simple Internet-based research (with an appropriate grain of salt applied, considering the source).

Let us remember that the Bahamas does operate under a Parliamentary democracy; one vote for one person. (We are not a republic like the United States, where the final decision-making authority in an election lies with an Electoral College.) That means that your vote does make a difference. We say, choose wisely. There is still nearly a month for you to make a truly informed decision.

Bahamian Agriculture, an overview. Part 7.

This is the final article in a series that we have been privileged to post here with the kind permission of the author. See links to previous articles below.

John Hedden

Reflections on agriculture and other pastimes.
The ironies of farming.

 What a thought.

What to do?

Farming of course, and to be specific earning a comfortable living from a farming plot intensively cultivated.

Cultivated with what? Coca? Indian hemp? Poppies? Neem? Other high value crops. A money tree? Maybe more mundane crops like rice  or perhaps potatoes. Possibly Noni even?

In reality folks, farming in the Bahamas right now is a thankless task, physically demanding, requiring a maximum of 4 hours sleep at night, knowledge of every skill under the sun; including book keeping, (not likely). And to top it all off, at the end of that 20 hour day you just can’t move your onions.

You see we don’t have that branding like ‘Vidalia’, or ‘sweet yellow’, or a label saying ‘imported’.  Though maybe -- 'IMPORTED' from Andros –

So at the end of that very same day, not only are you dog tired, you are also dog broke. What better result could you ask for, broke and broken.

Farming in the Bahamas has never been a profitable business to be in. Look at the original Arawaks and Lucayans; they lived mainly off the sea which they never had to sow. They also lived off of the wild fruits and berries, herbs and coontie; none of which they had to sow. They never sold anything. In fact the only sale that took place was that of themselves by the white Europeans, who arrived, hoodwinked, and then transported them to Hispaniola to work in the mines and as pearl divers.

Dr. Duane Sands, FNM Senator, on the "Crime Bills"

Posted here with the kind permission of Dr. Sands.

Madame President… I rise to second this compendium of crime bills.

I do so with a free spirit and unwavering resolve but with a heavy heart!

Not because I have any fundamental objection or conflict with the content of these bills… I do not! These are all timely and critical adjustments in the fight against the greatest threat to our nation’s development and survival.

I am simply disturbed… I am distressed that as a nation… as a people… we have reached this point. Like the right Hon. Prime Minister… I have listened carefully to the debate in that other place on this topic… I have followed and read many of the contributions.

No-one who grasps fully the seriousness and complexity of the problems confronting this great nation could celebrate the necessary adjustments to our laws or the resultant impact on personal liberty to assure the safety and liberty of the public at large.

We are at a place… a dark place in national and international history where acts committed by individuals often threaten society as a whole and this is now becoming more a norm than an exception.

In the past… the rights of the individual were threatened by prevailing biases, prejudices, racial and economic discrimination, nepotism, ethnocentrism, homophobia, sexism, religious persecution etc. Much of the progress we have witnessed occurred because of the struggle of many to right some of these wrongs. As a country we chose the model of governance called Democracy because it was most closely aligned to those values we hold most sacred.

And yet… 38 years after independence, we are (in the net) not much better off as a people. Despite all of our blessings, we have squandered many of the gifts and have not achieved our national potential.

Capitalism can never be completely destroyed.

by Tradewinds

The most centrally planned economies of the former communist block of the USSR and Eastern Europe all had thriving "black market" where scarce goods were exchanged or bought or sold.

Cuba is another example where street capitalism is thriving.

The only real growth in India under its four five-year plans was from a prosperous private sector.. When central planning was dropped, the economy of India took off as the capitalistic system began to allocate capital based on return on capital invested as opposed to government central planning priorities.

In all cases these centrally planned economies failed and gradually became capitalistic.

Sad to say that today there has NEVER been a national five-year plan that has ever been implemented despite the millions of dollars the World Bank wasted on technical assistance for economic planning.

Scarce resources will always be allocated by the return on investment principle. Whether a business firm is making an investment decision to build a new plant or an individual investor is making a decision to buy a stock or bond for his personal portfolio, the invisible hand of capitalism is always at work.

Bahamian Agriculture, an overview. Part 6

John Hedden

The Way Forward?

So far in this series (see links to previous articles below) we have briefly examined various aspects of agriculture including its history, technology, and infrastructure, its viability, and the existing governmental policy. To date nothing thrown at the problem has stimulated anything, be it politicians, ministers, ministry staff, or the few brave farming souls who seem to end up 'eating dirt'.

So what is the way forward for agriculture and farming in the Bahamas?

We have no soil. We have no native mineral fertilisers. We have a raw limestone rooting medium. We have fresh water in limited supply. We have a good winter climate. As any fruit grower will tell you, we have hurricanes. We have loads of bugs and diseases. We have a consuming public with cultured beautiful nails, green with cash and, allergic to the very idea of brown soiled hands. That, pretty much, covers the physical environment. Oh, I forgot to mention the sunshine, plenty of it;  we do, after all, cultivate tourists, and quite a crop. Though, like our produce, I can't vouch for the quality.

As for infrastructure and governmental policy, we have a very harsh climate with no favourable conditions to encourage any entrepreneurship, unless affiliated with the appropriate powerful entities. Marketing is hampered by our geography, and the native tastes tend toward name brands and imported foodstuffs. Costs of food  production are really high, and genuine land tenure is pretty much unavailable to the normal farmer.

All of this tells me that sustainable agriculture, and self sufficiency are also pretty much a figment of the politician's imagination. Yet we hear noises to the contrary all the time. Agricultural production accounts for less than 1% of the country's economic output; and this tells me that something is very wrong. Pretty forlorn isn't it?