Are we Ready for Change?
Guest Opinion by J. J. Estemac
We hear on the radio shows and read in the local periodicals persons expressing their desire that conditions in the US Virgin Islands improve. We complain about the conditions in our schools; we complain about our infrastructure- our roads are in very deteriorated conditions. We also complain about our public servants and the public service we receive. There is a growing climate of lawlessness, people no longer obey basic rules of the road and other traffic laws. We complain about the inconsistent enforcement of our laws; when at all. In the criminal justice system, where prosecutors go to court unprepared and judges are too lenient with convicted criminals. Our elected leaders choose to consider a constitution before addressing the current political status of our Virgin Islands. Are we ready for change?
Many local citizens, democrats and others, have chosen Sen. Barak Obama in the Democratic Party contest to nominate its standard bearer. Sen. Obama campaign motto is Change. I am wondering if the local politicians who stated they support the senators candidacy have also embraced his proposal for change, changes that we really can believe in? Sen. Obama talks about changing the mind set that has the country going down the wrong path. Do our politicians understand the need for positive change? Do they understand it is time we change the way we run our government? Do they understand it is time for us to raise the bar, that we travel the high ground of morality and personal integrity? We need to be better role models for our youth by practicing honesty, humility and elevating the quality of our public discourse.
Can we really change our focus from personal gain to community gain? Can we be more visionary and courageous in addressing our community challenges? Can we be more committed to law and order, to justice for all? Can we say what we mean and do what we say? Can our politicians strive to gain and retain the respect and confidence of the populace? Can our politicians respect themselves and others? Are these not changes that we can believe in? Can we assume the responsibility that is ours in this democratic society? To be vigilant and call attention to deficiencies in our government and praise those public servants that are doing an excellent job as public servants? When are we going to be mad enough to tell the politicians enough is enough and demand better accountability? These are changes we can believe in.
I would exhort you, my fellow citizens, to exercise your rights and responsibilities by being involve in the affairs of our government and fight off the highly pernicious cynicism that have afflicted so many of our fellow citizens for too long. Together we can accomplish almost anything we choose to accomplish, let us unite because divided we have been failing and will continue to fail, divided. Let our generation leave a legacy of positive accomplishments to the succeeding generations, that they may look back on our contributions with gratitude. All good works involve some sacrifices, let us then boldly move forward together, implementing all the necessary changes that will contribute to our positive progress as a people, as a nation.
J. J. Estemac
CCBG
St. Thomas, VI
Crucian Confucian, I think you are assuming there will be 2 candidates running for the seat. What if 5 candidates run for the mid-island district? It’s highly unlikely any one candidate will receive 1300 votes. And judging by the electorates’ record, I think you are ignoring reality. Remember it was St. Croix that gave Governor Turnbull another 4 years to run amok. We can’t blame St. Thomas for that. Also keep in mind that many of the same people you hear complaining about Senator Russell are guilty of pushing him to the number 2 position last election. Had they taken time to observe a few senate sessions, rather than fall for his Supreme Court and Capital of the Virgin Islands propaganda, they would have been informed voters wise enough not to cast a vote for him. Like I said before, “The bottom line is that the majority of active Virgin Islands voters continue to vote on emotion and popularity rather than substance.”
Ladlie, keep in mind that it’s not the duty of a senator to perform the duties you outlined. Every example in your post falls under the responsibility of the executive branch. Are you seeking to absolve the executive branch of their duty? How do you view the structure of subdistricts.
I continue to be amazed when supporters of the deJongh administration complain about the same problems we’ve continued to experience for years but somehow manage to absolve Governor deJongh of any responsibility. He is the direct supervisor of the commissioners charged with enforcing the VI Code and implementing the governor’s policies. Had he followed through on his campaign promises and hired “managers” to run his departments as he said he would do, we wouldn’t be complaining about all the same things we’ve been complaining about year after year.
yes i understand the difference between making and enforcing laws,but with 7 overpaid senators with full staffs doing nothing it would be a great way for a senator to be held accountable. we have 7 senators,1 governor and 1 administrator(mayor) i should think our senators would want to be able to hold their heads up and be proud of keeping their districts clean,safe and organized,why are you so afraid of districts
I don’t believe that how we elect senators determines accountability. Senators are public servants;they make laws which are suppose to improve our lives. If they do not perform their job well, they should not be re-elected. The electorate has the responsibility to evaluate their record and decide if they should remain in office. Senators want to retain their position and do whatever it takes to get re-elected:fish fries, promises,free T-shirt and bribes. What difference does it make whether they are elected by 400 or 4,000 voters? The laws that they make apply to all citizens. The administration is charged with ensuring that the entire territory gets developed. Any project it undertakes should benefit everyone. If only one district is kept safe and clean, it means that the administration is doing a poor job. Some of you bloggers need to be educated about the roles of a senator and governor. Also, the argument about district is not based on any supporting facts.Do some research and enlightened me about how to make our government more effective ( use statistics and historical information). I have no problem electing an Arab or white person. I prefer to elect anyone new to the Senate regardless of race or culture. None of the present senators is either. I only used these group to show that the district system is divisive. Thank you in advance for your responses.
Ladlie, my fear is not of districts, but rather the supporters of districts who don’t understand VI Politics and/or simply continue to overlook the source of our problems.
You have overpaid senators, overpaid commissioners, overpaid administrators, and an overpaid governor to name a few. Unfortunately, too many people focus completely on the overpaid senators. Don’t take the George Bush approach of blaming Congress for the state of the US economy. The executive branch is the branch of government most directly responsible for one’s quality of life. Governor, mayor, city council, whatever you choose, they are executive functions. The senators perform legislative functions.
Every problem you site as examples fall under the executive branch. Our joke of an administrator on STX can’t even figure out how to pick up a car. Who is his boss? Yes, who hired him? Who is the boss of the Commissioner of Public Works who refuses to address the concerns of residents suffering from the bypass fiasco? Who is the boss of the former Lottery Director (Turnbull leftover who only recently resigned) who was the target of a scathing federal audit report for, among other things, granting over $4m in excise tax exemptions to the operators of VLTs on STT? Who is the boss of the Attorney General who has refused to prosecute those who robbed thousands of residents of their hard earned money in the Women’s Gifting Circle or the WAPA theft as reported by the VI Inspector General? Who hired Cecil Benjamin as the Executive Assistant to Dr. LaVerne Terry?
When this administration hires as its Senior Policy Advisor the same individual who was Director of the Office of Fiscal and Economic Recovery under the Turnbull administration, you can’t tell me there will be change. “This is what we call the same,” and this is what will continue until we all face the music.
well VI politics are the problem and wanting change is to try and accept new things and ideas, so in order to have change maybe VI politics and the election process need to be changed, it would be a first good step,the old ways down here are dying out,albiet slowly, but they are dying out never the less, some days it’s quite amusing to watch and other days it’s quite frustrating. I did not vote for our current governor, but i have had my picture taken with him a couple of times LOL,i understand your passion but you also need to understand my passion and i want districts, i honestly think they would eliminate so many problems simply because “your wifes sister over in f’sted would not be able to vote for you because you live in c’sted”, i also think you would get a better quality candidate overall and since all of the senate wants to be the governor it might just raise the bar a bit and you need to start somewhere,and yes the governor may be up to tricks i do read demmansay,i still blame the senate for the majority of the problems here because of their incessant greed.
Ladlie, you’re right. I should understand your passion for districts but I think the problem is that I don’t. I do respect your decision to support districts, but maybe if you could provide your vision of how it would be setup in the territory I might be able to understand how you feel it would benefit us.
I have a question for you. With your idea of districts, who will create legislation on the territorial level? If your answer is the same senators that will become district senators, I have another question. If the voters in the Hannahs Rest/Mars Hill district continually show strong support for Senator Richards and the residents of the Mon-Bijou/Franjipani district likewise continue to show strong support for Senator Russell, wouldn’t we have the same disagreements between St. Croix senators?
I wish someone could explain how being elected by a district makes a senator more accuntable.I still maintain that this process would involve popularity more than the present process. Adelbert Bryan, former senator, would have no problem getting elected in a Frederiksted district. A Hispanic would clearly have an edge in a Calquohoun district. Perhaps, a new elected position could be created. Instead of serving as legislators, the new role would be district advocates. These advocates would work closely with the administrator and senators.They would receive a stipend while keeping their regular employment.Their stipends and expenses would come from the salaries of the senators.Since the motive to serve would not be based on greed or prestige, it would be easier for the electorate to select from this humble group candidates for the Senate.
Reflect on how the people selected the delegates to the Fifth Constitutional Convention. Before the election, the delegates were willing to write a constitution without the concern of staff and equipments. They had pledged to produce a document without expecting a dime. They were committed by honor and integrity;a privilege to serve their civic-duty.They now consider themselves lords and countess whom we must serve;unless rewarded with lavish resources, they will not draft a constitution. Again it is not how a person is elected but who we electt. Apparently, the electorate has a mental defect.They enjoy electing greedy, selfish, and dishonest people. Perhaps, this is view as a lottery and since they figure a senatorial election will result in seven lucky winners from each district, why not participate in the game. Like a lost soul at a slot machine, they continue to fall for the gimmicks of politician;dreaming they’ll get a piece of the pie if they vote for someone they know or are related to.Some delegates served in the Fourth Constitutional Convention;some were senators and one was a governor.They were the most popular, so they got elected.
It is a popularity contest. The election process is based solely on popularity. Will this ever change?It takes money to run an election. To the greedy it is worth the investment. The reward is grand;a big jackpot!
well i’m not a statisticion(sp) nor do i intend to be one but here is a very very basic example, the road leading to the houses in my neighborhood gets washed out all the time in a hard rain,so the locals and myself that live on that road are constantly doing our best to keep it maintained with dirt, gravel,cement whatever it takes,phone calls have been made over the years to try and get it paved or at least maintained and of course we get bypassed and other areas on the island get the attention, there are alot of people that live on this road and the one next to it.so say we have a senator that we have elected from our district and we want some results and or progress we have a person that has some clout that we can talk to that will hopefully take care of this because they know that if they don’t they have a very serious credibility problem, see we know that the gov and his commissioners are ultimately responsible but they are there for 4 years while a senator has 2 years to start producing results. We hear these blowhard senators on the radio all the time blowing hot air about how someone called them with a problem and they fixed it for them and so by voluntarily helping people solve problems they have also set themselves up as “go to” people,right now we’d have to call 7 different senators and 1 mother to try and find someone interested enough to try and help us, with districts we’d only have to raise cain with one.
Ladlie, based on your example, will your Senator direct the employees or commissioner of the Department of Public Works to pave your road? How does he guarantee that your road is paved? Besides allocating funds, I don’t see how he can ensure your road is paved.
For example, let’s propose the sitting governor has a beef with your senator because he/she didn’t vote for a proposal or initiative the governor submitted to the legislature. The governor notifies the director of the Office of Management & Budget not to allot the funding for your road and another project proclaiming a budget shortfall. These are the games our politicians play right now.
If anything, I think this gives the executive branch more influence in the electability of your senator. It also continues the habbit of constituents expecting legislators to perform executive functions.
you’re parsing words, and like i said the windbags go on the radio and brag about people calling them with problems and they’ve fixed it, or the people call in and say so and so senator fixed a problem for them, they have set themselves up as “go to” people, and “our” politicians have been playing these games for years, so why not try something different for a change, my god it’s not rocket science,i’m just so sick and tired of senators running around trying to out “big man” each other and the governor,i’m tired of inside/outsider bull and i’m tired of “don’t let white people hold office attitude” i really think every one needs to go to the race conference at uvi on the 11th if it’s still going on,i’m just so tired of the current “game” being played,why should you even care about a persons skin color if they have they territories best interests at heart, and Thinking Cap we can play “what if” about the change issue for years, it’s just too stupid and people who use that game to stall on issues are just as stupid,what if what if what if, you just don’t get it, just try something different for a change and remember life does not come with a gaurantee
and we’ve been trying to get our road taken care of for the last 15 years so that covers what 4 different governors, i can’t remember and just don’t care anymore and i guess thats what all you wanna be’s or “ares” want
“just gimme the paycheck” is the prevelant attitude
Where did race come into this issue? How do you conclude I’m parsing words? You still have yet to PROVE YOUR POINT that districting will benefit us. You need to look thoroughly at the root problem, understand VI politics, and then try to fix a broken system, not just make an arbitrary change. I’ve brought up scenarios that you seem unable to address and have instead resorted to name calling. My end of this discussion has ended at this point because I refuse to turn an intelligent debate into a war of name calling. Have a good day.
Why aren’t any of the Governor’s Financial Team showing up before the Finance Committee to give an account of the Government Financial status? What happen the the accountability the people of this territory was promised? Is this business as usual?
I think you’re all missing the point. Power left unchecked becomes power unaccountable to anyone.
The problem isn’t salaries or districts. The problem is accountability; and that’s the people’s fault. We elect them and then we ignore them. If the people demanded more, the politicians will be forced to deliver more.
Politicians must to enter into service with a mandate or specific expectations from the people. Remember: Idle hands….Devil’s playground.
because race,racism and districts are all tied together down here, and i’ve never tried to prove my point, i know districts work in the states and people down here are afraid of them, it’s nice to know that the usvi has it’s own rev wright in adelbert”lets kill all the white people”byrant, his ignorance has shown through brightly in the last couple of days, you see people like him and chucky are the problems here in vi politics,whats to understand?i work with west indians and most are so afraid to make a decision that they have to have a meeting in order to discuss having a meeting, and that is the problem with politics here, it’ goes back to the whole what if what if what if thing and once again you just don’t get it.
It’s a little late to go “Anonymous” Ladlie. Reading your posts, it’s obvious you have issues that even “the race conference at uvi on the 11th” won’t be able to address. God bless you.
The economic status of the VI has not improved. The only positive change observed is better roads.I’ve asked supporters of the governor to illustrate how this administration has enhanced the quality of life in the territory. So far, there has not been a satisfactory response.
oh i was not trying to hide myself, i had previously cleaned all the junk and cookies and stuff off my computer and this was one of the sites disk clean erased, and so i was not really paying attention when i made that last post,i’ve nothing to hide and no i don’t have “issues” i realize i live in a very racist enviroment and that the people in charge are terrified that someone from the “outside” will come along and “try to change things” actually it’s been quite fun to watch for the last 14 years the goverment and the people in charge slowly implode, most days reading the paper is and “eye roll” day and “what in the hell are they thinking” kind of day and because the people in power here and the wanna be’s just don’t listen well good luck to us all.
You obviously haven’t been paying attention “for the last 14 years” and you clearly don’t know VI Politics. I’m not so sure you understand politics at all based on your comments. Maybe I’m reading too much into it. Could it be that you’re another one of the “outsiders” who think ‘the locals’ are just a bunch of dumb black people in need of white continentals to come and save us from eternal damnation?