According to The Nassau Guardian of Wednesday, March 5, 2008, former prime minister and now leader of the Official Opposition, Mr. Perry Christie, has called for the 10% oil tax levied on imports of oil by The Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) to be repealed.
The older I get, the more convinced I am that newspapers should be sold with motion sickness pills when they are quoting politicians.
Mr. Christie should be encouraging the government to make BEC more efficient and stop all subsidies forthwith.
But I guess that’s expecting too much from a former Prime Minister that was apparently in favour of the country getting into bed with the likes of Hugo Chavez with his PetroCaribe initiative.
If you don’t remember the Chavez affair click here…, here… and here…
In the mean time, it might do most of our politicians some good to review Economics 101 and supply and demand.
As economist Russell Roberts said about politicians recently:
“Once in office, they all want to be popular. They like power more than principle. They respond to the political winds, rather than the rhetoric that got them elected. And when they break their promises because it’s politically expedient, they always have a justification.”
The pandering requires one to take a couple Dramamine before reading the diatribe sometimes.
Hi Rick,
I love pandering!
Bill
Hi Bill:
Yes, unfortunately many PLP wanna be politicians love pandering.
So few of them (and maybe including you?) are in it for the right reasons.
That’s why our country is in the mess it’s in.
Rick.
Hi Rick,
So many politicians, real ones and wanna be’s, pander- less we go the gambling route, the capital punishment route, flexi-time route and a host of others.
They all jump in and out when they see fit.
However, I hope you are not suggesting that Perry Christie, is a wannabe!?!?
I don’t know why you would want to dedicate an entire topic to just Christie and by extention, the PLP?
In fact, the real post should be about all politicians and their pandering…
Bill
p.s.
Panerding is how allot of policies and initiatives, get a good second look. Also, it is how we move slowly in a democracy- if not expediently.
Politics and pandering go hand in hand…
You can read into the post whatever you like Bill but maybe you should research the meaning of pandering.
Here is one on-line explanation:
Pander: gratify or indulge an immoral or distasteful desire, need, or habit, or a person with such a desire, etc).
If you think that is good thing you’re no different than a lot of our politicians.
As I said, no wonder our country is in the mess it’s in.
Rick.
Rick,
It’s how attitudes change and policy, is utttered. You want gambling- don’t you? I happen to think that THAT is a form of pandering, when the PM can go to the HOA, as well as his Min. of State, and bleet on for a wasteful vice like gambling- so to is waffling capital punishment. But, through pandering, if you cared to wade past your piosity Rick, is a way to engergize the public and push the debate forward- what was good yesterday, may not be what’s good today. Going to the public is the only way to see if whether or not your rhetoric is relevant.
In a democracy, we move slowly- pandering, gives you an incentive to see what’s what and where people’s minds are. For example, the PM said that “he knew of places”…well, since it is still illegal, then, go deal with these places. The same people who notified you, should encourage you to enforce the law.
Also, Rick, this is not church- this is politics. Give to Ceasar what is his- at least for gamblings’ sake.
Bill
Bill:
Pandering is encouraging the lowest common denominator in political debate. It does not bring people up to a higher level.
At least with gambling I can waste my personal resources if I choose to do so. Politicians spend my money however they wish and I don’t get the pleasure of wasting it!
By the way, I didn’t invent the word pandering. But I do know the meaning. Hopefully this lesson has helped you and you will use it in the correct context going forward.
Sensible dialogue to change the status quo in relation to gambling or the death penalty etc is useful. Pandering is not.
Welcome home by the way. Hope you will put that globalised education to good use now?
Rick,
One man’s pandering, is another man’s dialouge!
Bill.
p.s.
Home for a short vacation. Do you STILL trace IP’s, Rick?
LOL….