Voices of reason©

"The reform of the tax sector...too much cess on imports for business and the local man . Too many tax evasion in the country, a routine check on the books of the average company would show gross tax evation and persons being dishonest in paying over money to the NHT and NIS. Reformation of the health and education sector...to those who are unable to afford it.
Adding corn to the products exported...Reduction of imports...we should never be importing water, ketchup, juices, any snacks, and food produce and anything that we can produce here.... Health Tourism is also on the cards, cleaning up of the different government agencies...too many persons on the pay roll who aren't actually working in said agency" - Demar Thompson 


Challenging the leaders of your country is what is needed more now than before. However in challenging leaders, citizens should do so in an objective and practical manner as cited above by Demar. Asking for leaders to make wine out of water should not be the method taken in challenging our leaders. For one to effectively challenge leaders one has to SERIOUSLY BE AWARE OF THE TRUE NATURE AND STANDING OF THE COUNTRY. I don't agree with the cry: "Jobs Jobs Jobs", instead it should be "SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND SELF RELIANCE" (ok I know the latter wouldn't make for a good chant but you get the point). More now than before is awareness (education) necessary!! The fact is that Jamaica like many other countries is at a ground zero (well it can be argued that we are below that) and while that is very bad economically, simultaneously it provides the opportunity for NEW AND SUSTAINABLE GROWTH!! We are now at the point where purple lotion won't treat this wound (gunshot like wound) and we really need to stop the bleeding (in-house corruption and wasteful spending among other things) to do reconstructive surgery.©

POINTS TO NOTE FROM CLIFF HUGHES' INTERVIEW WITH THE PM ANDREW HOLNESS

•  While the Prime Minister highlighted focus on Small businesses, which is great, the question remains: what of the Agricultural sector (concrete and continuous plans to sustain and build it) and also why hasn't he spoken of how to capitalize on the two biggest foreign exchange markets for Jamaica: SPORTS (track n field, sunshine girls amongst other booming areas) AND ENTERTAINMENT(MORE SO MUSIC)

   

• what about politicians being sentenced for criminal offences/corruption besides resigning or being fired? Or am I being too extreme?

   

  • The PM seems to be holding his own with the questions asked but at times with ambiguity. Sometimes he responds without answering! Yes let me repeat, responding without answering! For example the question about Pensions and austerity measures! He said he doesn't believe in austerity but not believing it doesn't mean he won't do it!

     

    • "Cliff Cliff Cliff........Calm!"- PM Andrew Holness on Impact! Dwl it's obvious though that the PM has a short temper

Pleading

My main concern is that if you're going to be a loyalist don't be a sheep in the process! It angers me to the core when rational thinking people switch off or dumb down their reasoning just to be a part of some movement or being caught up in some euphoric moment and forgetting the severity of their actions. It's Time for a change and these politicians need to know they are no longer dealing with a bunch of sheep but rather people who are aware of what time it really is!!!
If yu ago vote doh vote blindly, irrationally or sensationally! Mi ah beg u! Jamaica have enough people ah do dat already!! These parties are yet to take the interest and concerns of the people seriously!!
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So the stars didn't lie©

Sunday January 30th of this year I submitted a blog titled: Global Pressure Cooker; in it I touched on the possibility of protests spilling from one land into another, or should I say the spirit of protests spilling from one land into another. I can safely say, with some degree of anxiety, that indeed I was spot on. To see now coming to the end of the year Egypt's previous government/dictatorship overthrown, Libya's leader Gaddafi killed and as I am typing many are dying in Syria. What has also grown in the sense of a 'pressure cooker effect' is the current world economic crisis. From that stage more protests have risen, in the form of the now well known Occupy Movement. A movement, the most prominent one being Occupy Wall Street, said to represent a call from the 99% (the people, the majority, those who matter the most) to the 1% (the bankers, the financial elites, governments, those that control the countries' resources) that has even had it's influence, however small, felt here in Jamaica (Occupy Half Way Tree). What I find more intriguing however is the number of countries collapsing this year financially in somewhat of a domino effect; similar to that of the bloody protests in Africa and the east. In a very orderly fashion, one lined up after the other, waiting for it's turn to be hit then subsequently falling. Greece was the talk of the town, going down and hard with fellow members of the eurozone questioning if they should even be a part of, then the shouts rang out from the people of Greece for their leader to step down, with that said Italy is hot behind Greece with the Italians shouting for their leader to step down (which he eventually did) and Italy's debt rapidly increasing. As of late last week if I'm not mistaken Spain has entered the ring of battered and failing Euro economy. Oh and how could I forget to mention that more and more talks of one governing body/currency is surfacing or should I say resurfacing; along with the possibility of another recession looming.©

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A Quiet man has much to think about.©
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Rising©

So here you are on the come up, everyone and everything matters; you need even the smallest support because it's that important to achieve the next level....to rise. You push and you push, you accept assistance from wherever or whoever it comes from, and when you get it, you're grateful, relieved, because you feel progress taking place; you feel like...you feel like you're rising.
Here you are 'rising', then you start 'looking down', looking down not at the levels you have surpassed, rather looking down at the people, seeing them fading from people to dots, yes, everything and everyone around you that you were once amongst begins to look small, and yes because you are 'rising', insignificant.
One thing you forgot though is that the higher you 'rise' is the thinner the air gets and the pressure increases, try not to fall now! Because it's a long way down and which dot is going to catch you?!©

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What Does It Take?©

There are basic factors that moulds one's future, these are: What? Why? How? When? What do you do? Why do you do what you do? How do you do it? When will you do it? These questions highlight one's flaws and strengths, the things that are pushing and motivating you and the things that are hindering you or side tracking you. Honesty with self is the golden key to unlocking all this, lying to yourself is as good as a bird without wings. Working towards solving these questions can be just as fulfilling as finding the answers and executing them. Every step whether large or small is just as good as the other once you're heading in the right direction.©