Opposition Leader Marc Bean appears to have had good intentions when he reportedly told “the island’s churches that they have no business interfering in the issue of bringing gambling to the island.” It is likely that he wanted nothing more than to help Bermuda’s struggling tourism industry and to create jobs for Bermudians.
Unfortunately, in making his case, Mr. Bean has adopted an approach that is both legally and procedurally flawed, and is more likely to undermine his objective
READ MORE »The costs and benefits of Bermuda’s Term Limits policy are, like many things in life, a matter of perspective. If you are a blue-collar worker, you have likely seen expat workers come and go with minimal disruption to work flow. For example, if an expat electrician, plumber or mason is scheduled to leave a company, [...]
READ MORE »The new OBA Government must now decide the best way to stimulate Bermuda’s struggling economy. This is obviously an important issue because if they can get it right, they will create new jobs while decreasing the national debt; but if they get it wrong, they may cause Bermuda to continue its downward spiral into economic depression.
The problem is not unique to Bermuda. Many economists, businessmen and political leaders around the world are trying to decide the best way to stimulate their respective economies. Some argue that government spending is best; others believe tax cuts are the way to go.
Because there are merits to both sides of this economic debate, it is difficult for these countries to decide which road is best for them.
Fortunately, in Bermuda, the appropriate choice is much less difficult because Bermuda’s economic structure is fundamentally different than that of most other countries.
READ MORE »The first thing to understand about social programmes is that there is no magic bullet. All important public policies are, by their very nature, dealing with subjects that are insoluble. Poverty, racial inequity, drug addiction, an ineffective education system—these problems will always be with us to one degree or another because they involve complex matters [...]
READ MORE »At this moment—and perhaps for a short period longer, probably only months—there exists a window of opportunity for all Bermudians to benefit socially, economically and politically. That sounds exciting, and it is, but it requires black and white Bermudians to re-evaluate their long-held beliefs and attitudes concerning racial equity and then work together to implement [...]
READ MORE »If you want to find out whether a candidate for the next Bermuda election will truly do something meaningful to reduce Government corruption, simply ask him to sign the following anti-corruption pledge. ( A downloadable copy is set out below.) If he refuses to sign the pledge, you’ll have a pretty good idea of whether he is one of the good guys or simply another weak enabler of corruption.
READ MORE »While you can categorize Democratic Safeguards against Political Corruption in many different ways, I believe they should always include four core principles: Rules and Procedures Transparency Participation Accountability So let’s look at each of these democratic protections and see how we might improve upon them in Bermuda. Rules and Procedures In addition to basic criminal [...]
READ MORE »It is with sadness that I read the statement issued by Premier Cox this evening, which begins, “Shame on Mr. Kevin Comeau for his reckless and misguided statements.” Here is what she is alluding to. (Note: If you have read Kevin Comeau’s speech on the Good Governance Act, you can skip the first eight paragraphs.) [...]
READ MORE »“Statement By: The Premier, the Hon. Paula A. Cox, JP, MP In response to recent comments by Kevin Comeau Shame on Mr. Kevin Comeau for his reckless and misguided statements. This speech is an extraordinary attack made worse by being under informed and ignoring numerous public statements on the topic. I hope that it is [...]
READ MORE »The following speech was presented by Kevin Comeau at the Centre for Justice “Your Right to Know” Forum on March 14, 2012 Discussion of the Good Governance Act The Good Governance Act 2011 was introduced in response to the public outcry against perceived political corruption at the highest levels of Government. Over the last ten [...]
READ MORE »The following is a response to Walton Brown’s February 8 column in which he argues that there is minimal or no unethical behaviour or political corruption in the Bermuda Government. Identifying the Group The first step in discussing political corruption in Bermuda is to properly identify the group of persons who are the subject matter [...]
READ MORE »Government Unlawfully Withholding Documents from the Auditor General The Bermuda Government has stated that the Auditor General has no right to inspect certain documents held by Government officials relating to a defamation lawsuit launched by the former Premier and the present Deputy Premier. Normally, this would be quite straightforward. The Audit Act 1990 gives the [...]
READ MORE »Part A Identifying the at-risk children There are numerous factors that may contribute to a young man’s decision to join a gang, and these factors often vary case by case, but four factors in particular appear to have a high correlation among gang members in Bermuda (as confirmed by a number of Bermuda social workers, [...]
READ MORE »Part A Parameters of this Paper This paper does not discuss the various social programs needed to reduce the number of at-risk children today who will become gang members tomorrow (For such suggested programs see, “Building a Policy to Reduce the Number of At-Risk Children Joining Gangs,” http//bdagoodgov.org) nor does it discuss the various programmes [...]
READ MORE »Recently, there have been calls for the Bermuda government to enact legislation to eliminate a defendant’s right to trial by jury, particularly in criminal cases involving gang violence and the use of firearms. Before going too far down this road, we need to understand a few legal principles. First of all, the Bermuda legislature doesn’t [...]
READ MORE »How to Protect Prison Officers and their Families from Threats by Gang Prisoners Bermuda prison officers have complained that imprisoned gang members are not only threatening to harm prison officers but also threatening to harm their families. These officers have argued, with good reason, that such threats place them in an untenable position that not only [...]
READ MORE »In Bermuda, we have gang members shooting rival gang members for revenge, for control of the drug market, and for simple survival—”I need to shoot him before he shoots me.” Getting the gangs to stop shooting and put down their guns amid all this rage and retribution will take a great amount of persuasion. Many [...]
READ MORE »There are a number of things that Government got right in its recently announced policy to grant Permanent Residency to international business executives who have a proven track record of creating jobs for Bermudians. Unfortunately, in trying to balance the needs of various parties, Government struck a compromise that makes the policy ineffective. On the [...]
READ MORE »This article discusses the reasons why the Australian Anti-Gang Legislation would not work well in Bermuda.
READ MORE »Study after study has consistently shown that it is not income or social status, but active parental involvement in a child’s education that is the most accurate predictor of a student’s achievement in school—attending school regularly, earning higher grades, passing their classes, graduating senior school and going on to obtain a postsecondary education. I’ve yet [...]
READ MORE »In the Bermuda public school system we have good teachers, mediocre teachers and bad teachers. With training, some of these mediocre teachers may become good teachers, but no amount of training can convert bad teachers into good. For the sake of Bermudian children in our public school system, the problem of bad teachers has to [...]
READ MORE »There are two clear and present dangers looming on the Bermuda horizon. One will hurt us a fair bit, the other a lot. And if they both happen, they will end the affluent lifestyle Bermudians now enjoy.
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