SAGE Report: PLP To Host 2 More Town Halls
Following their initial meeting on Wednesday [Nov 27] at St Paul’s AME, the PLP will be continuing their series of Town Hall meetings on the Spending and Government Efficiency [SAGE] report this upcoming week.
The recent SAGE Report recommended a raft of cost cutting measures including raising the retirement age to 68, possible privatization of some services, reducing the House of Assembly from 36 to 30 seats and closing all post offices but three and reducing staff.
The first PLP meeting will be held on Tuesday [Dec 3] starting at 7:30pm at the Dalton E. Tucker hall, and the second will be held on Wednesday [Dec 4] starting at 7:30 pm at the St George’s Cricket Club.
The PLP said, “The purpose of these meetings are to continue to explain the contents of the SAGE Report. More importantly, to listen to Bermudians perspective on how we may produce a more efficient Government, whilst securing Bermudians employment.
“Again, we invite all Bermudians to join us at Dalton Tucker Hall on Tuesday December 3RD at 7:30 pm. The second meeting will be held on Wednesday December 4TH starting at 7:30 pm at the St. George’s Cricket Club.
“We look forward to the continued input and interactions of our fellow Bermudians. We have no doubt that the answers for our many challenges lie within our grasp.
“As prime example, with Lamb Foggo, we see with continued communication and cooperation, we will weather the storms and overcome.”
Oh great, two more gatherings, hosted by the people who created the financial crisis through their greed & ineptness, to stir the pot & end up with nothing to put on the plate.
Best suggestions will be “something” has to be done or at best some wild schemes which do not have a hope of success.
Apart from selling status which idea has the OBA come up with?
Oh I know Islamic Financing.
Guess who started that?
Selling status?
You have got to be kidding me. All we have left is IB, and that community is immediately invigorated by Fahy and his breath of fresh air. Or are you holding onto tourism, gambling, self-sufficiency and the fairies.
Get real dreamer.
I know you’ve got this smear campaign to sell, but come on.
TRY some honesty. It’ll make it an easier sell.
Islamic Finance as a new leg of the economy is as far fetched as Medical Tourism. New revenue sources take much more time to contribute to the economy than cutting expenses. It is interesting that Marc Bean uses the number of 1,700 to 2,000 as that must be his guess of the excess number of people on the Government payroll. Hard as it sounds they have to go, but it can be phased over a number of years as people retire and leave. They must not be replaced. Pensions, holidays and sick leave must also be radically reformed and there is no valid reason that they should not be the same as that in the private sector, who pays for all this lavish entitlement.
Have to agree with Mike on this one.
I thought the PLP idea for a third leg of the economy was the space satellite business. Not much came of that either did it.
Chris, you’re poison.
Did I hear the PLP’s Mr Bean say ‘let’s look into mining the seabed off BDA?’ Well that won’t cost much will? What evidence is there that there is anything there anyway – dopey!
The PLP employed all those Govt workers – now someone has to let them go!
You people can continue to lash the PLP all you want. It isn’t going to help matters. We know what went wrong. Instead of all this negative talk why not put up meaningful suggestions. Something must happen and if you think it’s bad no just sit back and wait. That SAGE Commission’s recommendations if put to practise will be the final nail in the coffin. Question, what do you think will happen to all the people the SAGE Commission recommend should be made redundant? It’s obvious, there’s no jobs now so those people will be requesting Government financial assistance or turned to criminal activity to survive which we can see is starting to happen now. There’s no clear fix but I can tell you this, funds are being wasted at the top of almost every Government department and yes that includes essential services.
Why is it that BIU unionised workers need 14 weeks sick leave, plus the ability to carry forward 100 days of unused leave, plus over 6 weeks vacation, every year? What makes that reasonable, in today’s economy? Why do civil servants need 14 weeks sick leave?
The rest of us, the people paying for those government workers, are lucky if we get 10 days sick leave and 4 weeks vacation. Wouldn’t it be reasonable for government workers to get the same?
@ Sandy Bottom
Government employs some very sick people and that is why so many weeks of sick leave is required. Not all of the sickness is physical.
Lots of people are sick. In fact, everyone gets sick at some point or another? Why should government workers get 14 weeks plus carry overs, while the rest of us get 10 days? Why is that reasonable?
I know these unions have been a pain in the as@ of those who are of fairer complexion, but they were and are still nessesary to protect those who were not born with the privilege of the colonial spoon and the right of white privilege that some in this country are so desparate to hang on to !!!!
Sandy bottom is a product of that privilege.
Ah, ad hominem and racist attack. How about addressing the point, Robert? Or is the question impossible for you to answer?
Why is 14 weeks sick pay plus over 6 weeks vacation a year considered reasonable?
Most of us (despite, as you call it, “privilege”) get up to ten days sick, max.
ah, using racism to dismiss someone’s point. Always a nice thing to see in the 21st century.
The then ubp govt agreed to that purpposal, so its not BIU’s fault neither is it the workers fault. We need to stop running down an demonizing the common man and woman for the ills of this country, they are not at fault, but yet mr ans mrs joe public see fit to bash those who are employed by govt.
By the way, who in the hell has 14 weekssick leave, get your facts straight before you run off at the mouth with misinformation !!!
14 weeks sick pay is in the bpsu and biu agreements. So apparently it’s you who knows nothing, Robert.
Which page, schedule or article can this 14 weeks be found, please tell me so i can apologize to you for my ignorance.
Robert, go screw yourself. Look it up yourself. You have a computer, use it. Then come back and spread more lies as always.
Sadly you don’t know what really went wrong!! You are still listening to your plp and that is were you are mistaken, the plp have brainwashed you into thinking these cut backs are going to cause total hardships to to the workers let go.
The truth of the matter is if the OBA does not make these cuts YOU and everyone else will be feeling it soon. If the government runs out of money and can’t borrow anymore then they are left with only one choice!! Take ALL OF OUR. MONEY!!! You may recall that the government of Greece took large amounts of money just last year from their citizens because of that exact same reason!!! It is better to cut some people/expenses now for the good of all later!! Stop listening to the plp nonsense, if we don’t do this now, their is going to be ALOT more people later committing terrible crimes in order to eat!! Believe it or not but governments do run out of money, so how will they hand out social assistance???
A PLP member said to me recently: “Bean is not stupid…he just does and says stupid things!”
If anyone listened to the debate in the House on Friday (and other days) the Opposition Leader is clearly…one thing one minute and the complete opposite the next!
Ask yourself PLP why you cant get a good gathering at your caucus ???? Sea Bed mining…a 20 year plan maybe…fix the economy NOW…Bean and the Greenies have no clue where to start !
Ok terry. What are your ideas and can you point out when Bean has dual messages? What you know about caucus? It is a bitter pill to swallow, which eventually will only bring one continued unhappiness. Let’s hear your ideas, or are you just a spectator?
Please PLP, JUST APOLOGIZE and go the way of the UBP. We need new ideas and methods,not old ways.
SMDH
How much is government income?
I guess the government no longer collects revenue for services and taxes.
Government collects $300m a year less than it spends. That’s the problem Chris. Now, have you got anything useful to add, or just silly childish questions?
Unfortunately the $300m gap between revenue and spending is pretty much fixed without action on the expenses. Revenue is very hard to increase quickly especially when the economy is in recession. Current Government revenue is around $850m. A 10% increase is large, but only $85m, so unless there are cuts in expenses there is still a need to borrow $215m a year. To increase revenue by $300m or 40% of current revenue in a few years, and that is just to balance the books and not pay off debt, is not possible.
Now you’re just throwing things out there to see if they’ll stick.
Come on…
Chris….
Quit playing with peoples minds…this is their future here. You and the PLP folks keep playing a chess game to try and win power for you… If the PLP had the interests of the people in mind, we would not be in this mess. PLP in it for one thing and one thing only. They all check it in the mirror each morning.
I’m sick of the PLP divisive mind games, these are peoples lives at stake.
Clearly, the PLP electoral strategy is to scare away as much investment as possible over the next four years – with a view to the Godfather and his cronies picking up whatever is left on the cheap once the PLP Oligarchy lies their way back to power.
PLP will not be around in 4 years…at least not in the same Green form as now!
God Willing
I know a certain immature mp, with a poor community reputation, that, thankfully, will not be around in politics within 4 years. The PLP is fine, their leadership is fine. Some folk must lose sleep over these facts……
spin spin spin. it want us its the OBA. GFO
But they said we were in the platinum period and Paula said were were coming out of recession how can we believe them now ?
The difference between the OBA as Government and the PLP as Opposition is simple to see. The OBA is working to get Bermuda and Bermudians back to work and the economy fixed and the PLP hierocracy just want to get re elected using their voter base to do so.