Are the children really our priority?
While children in the territory, especially young men, drop out of school in large numbers, our elected officials continue to tell us that the children of the Virgin Islanders are their priority. Apparently this was the case on December 7th when our Legislature passed Bill # 27-0142, an act authorizing the Governor to establish a partnership with Lincoln Technical Institute to build a post-secondary technical school in the Virgin Islands. In this legislation, our senators, in their infinite ‘love for the children’, decided to give away the farm to yet another ‘investor’ while, at the same time, shortchanging the children of the Virgin Islands.
The 27th Legislature voted 10-4 to grant Lincoln Technical Institute 30 years of tax exemptions, including exemption from property taxes on the 20 acres of land that our Government will lease to them for a mere $1/year, and up to $6m/year in subsidies, all in exchange for a $30m investment to build a technical school in the territory. This giveaway comes at a time when our elected officials tell hard working Virgin Islanders to anticipate paying both 2006 & 2007 property tax bills in one fiscal year (FY 2008), to include a $10m increase, for a total of $123m in collections. It also comes at a time when we are paying back-breaking rates for electricity and astronomical prices for groceries in the territory. While many, especially our elders, struggle to prioritize between purchasing medication, food, electricity and paying rent, our Legislature continues their long running practice of corporate welfare.
Perhaps the worst part of the Legislature’s action is that the affirmative vote occurred in the presence of 2 teenage Pages from our public schools. These are two of the the same children that our politicians profess to be their priority from our local public schools which continue to suffer from a lack of funding, supplies, maintenance and oversight. Are the children really our priority?
We urge Governor deJongh to veto this bill.
Publisher’s Note: Senators Nelson, Ottley, Richards and Webber voted against the bill; Senator James was absent
How can the children be a priority when the legislature rejects the best option for change that we ever had, Dr. Spampnato???