Social Issues

It makes you wonder what the human priorities are. We share the public concern about the recent vetoes of funds for human service and health related programs. But we are more concerned about the quality of financial information placed in front of the Legislature as they propose and pass on these expenditures for approval. Last week,...
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Guest Opinion by Clarence Payne In one of Dr. Martin Luther King’s final speeches delivered shortly before his assassination Titled “Why I oppose the Vietnam War”, one can witness a shift in his tone, infliction, and purpose as most leaders do as they mature in the struggle. The soft-spoken, even-tempered orator allowed for pointed inscriptions...
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Guest Opinion by Shirley M. Sadler CRIME IN THE VI MUST STOP, BECAUSE FROM THE STREETS, TO THE JAIL AND GRAVE WE ARE LOSING OUR CHILDREN! People of the Virgin Islands I greet you today with a heavy heart, and more so as a single parent. As you are aware crime in the Virgin Islands is at...
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Submitted by Kim Lyons of the Virgin Islands Prison Project This picture (click image to enlarge) is a powerful statement regarding the issue of “prisoner renting” inherent in interstate transfers.  These transfers to off-island facilities place tremendous hardships upon prisoner families and loved ones.  Moreover, we have chosen facilities that are notorious for their human...
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Topic: The Homeless in the Virgin Islands This column kicks off a new feature for Crucians In Focus. In response to your requests to provide an opportunity to discuss a wider range of issues, we’ll be posting a Community Input segment periodically. The purpose of this feature is to focus on the stated topic and express concerns, highlight...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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? Share on Facebook
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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....
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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