Crucians In Focus

Guest Opinion by Caroline A. Browne

The U.S. Virgin Islands is one of the most (if not the most) lucrative places in the Caribbean.. Millions and millions of dollars flow in and out of our economy on a pretty regular basis. Yet, we are plagued with socioeconomic crises that threaten to totally destroy our very fabric of life. How far down the road of desperation must the people in our community travel until they see some hope?

Every day rumors of deferred pay days, shortened work weeks and layoffs are heard. Any and all of these proposed events will affect the quality of life of everyone in our village. Who is preparing the community for the hard times we may all fall on? Read the rest of this entry »

Guest Opinion by J. J. Estemac

It is an understatement to say, “these are trying times”. Now we can understand some of the foretelling or prophesies that have been talked about in different forums, but more particularly in the religious communities. Some cite the Holy Scriptures, some Nostradamus and some other sources. We are seeing the effect of globalization when it is built on greed, one of the lowest of passion. Greed knows no boundaries, geographic, national or racial. The same as evil, it comes in all nationalities, races, economies and social strata. There are evil individuals and groups in our government, national and local. Read the rest of this entry »

On Tuesday, the PSC board approved a 22.9-percent increase in the electric Levelized Energy Adjustment Clause (LEAC) rate and a 14.6 percent increase in the water LEAC rate. This action will raise the average monthly residential electric bill to $209.29 and the average residential water bill to $63.16 for a household using 2,400 gallons a month, according to the St. Thomas Source newspaper.

We are all aware of the global energy crisis – this is not a territory specific problem. But this is a multi-layered problem and the only option that was executed is one that places the financial burden on the backs of the residents of the territory – residents who are already struggling with the cost of other basics like food, recently shown to outpace urban mainland locations in cost. Read the rest of this entry »

out·ra·geous

3 a: going beyond all standards of what is right or decent; violent outrageous disregard of human rights (Mirriam-Webster’s dictionary)

Outrageous.

That’s the only word for the cold-blooded homicide that occurred at Gov. Juan Luis Hospital Wednesday morning.

Somehow, in the early morning hours, five armed, masked men entered the hospital, incapacitated a guard, threatened maintenance personnel and made their way to Shadrach Frett’s hospital room on the third floor – where they shot him to death. Read the rest of this entry »

We blame the pushers, the rappers, and the media. The pushers sell them, the rappers glorify them, and the media inundates us with stories of the lives they’ve destroyed.

We clamor for more law enforcement, more government intervention, more community involvement and help from the educational system.

But what’s the answer? Read the rest of this entry »

Guest Opinion by J. J. Estemac

Yes, the question is asked, what can be done about the domestic terrorism to which the residents of the US Virgin Islands are subjected to, daily? When it is not homicides, it is robbery, rape and discharging of firearms any hour of the night and sometime in the day. What should we as residents, taxpayers, be doing to relieve our community of the threats posed by the criminal elements? What have other communities done to address the threats by the criminal elements which terrorizes the community? Read the rest of this entry »

Guest Opinion by J. J. Estemac

I am hoping that we as a community would come together, all residents of these beautiful Virgin Islands, and initiate the discourse of developing strategies to address the many problems facing us. We subscribe to the democratic form of government where the govern control their government through elected and appointed representatives. We need to improve the quality of our representation in government. We should begin early to identify potential candidates to represent us in government, persons with integrity, intelligence and knowledge. Read the rest of this entry »

Guest Opinion by J. J. Estemac

We are finally in the beginning of another year of the twenty first century, the year 2008. It could be an auspicious year for this territory of the United States of America, providing we the people of these Virgin Islands assume fully the responsibility that is ours. That of taking control of our government and accepting responsibility for its failures. If we would only expect more from our leadership, from our elected and appointed public servants we would be further on our way to improving our lot. Read the rest of this entry »

Guest Opinion by J. J. Estemac

Our police department is going through some very trying times in terms of public confidence and efficiency in the delivery of service. We need to sit down and review the department as it relates to the rest of our government. What is it that allows the department to continue to deteriorate, is it the only department of the Executive Branch that is in crisis? Are there common causes for the perceived and real deficiencies of our government? Where do we look for solutions or how do we arrive at solutions to the problems that face our government? Read the rest of this entry »

In the name of transparency, Crucians in Focus invites Governor deJongh to produce a list of all vacant board positions in the territory. The importance of such an action is clear when it comes to the Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority (WMA). Did you know there are 3 vacancies on the 7 member WMA board? Did you know that the newest of the 4 sitting board members is Darryl Smalls, Governor deJongh’s Commissioner of Public Works? Did you know that the Governor can end the Environmental User Fee (EUF) debate by simply appointing 3 competent individuals who understand the risk this fee poses to our economy? Read the rest of this entry »