It's filtering into conversations more and more.
When it happens the volume of the discussion lowers as if there is some fear in being overheard.
Then curiously, more and more people enter the fray.
"What is going on with the government?" "Their policies seem less visitor friendly." "They're denying work permits left right and centre." "They seem to be creating more and more hurdles for businesses." "Taxes are now getting astronomical." And on, and on.
The crescendo builds until people start reminding each other of the exodus of business people and others back in the late 1960's and early 1970's, but with a twist. The people now talking about leaving are those that supposedly got where they are because of this governments policies way back when.
The discussion then switches to their children and why they are not coming home.
It's all so reminiscent of Ayn Rand's brilliant novel, Atlas Shrugged.
Of course there are some people, that consider themselves "Progressives", who attempt to discredit the novel as right wing etc, but now they are subject to these bad public policies similar to those outlined in the book and are finding themselves in no man's land.
Some of the lyrics of that great song by The Clash entitlted, Should I Stay Or Should I Go, come to mind:
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
And if I stay it will be double
So you gotta let me know
Should I stay or should I go?
Suffice it to say, The Bahamas is at another crossroads. Should the government continue down the path it seems to have chosen, the future does not look so bright.
Sure, they can change and save political face, but will they?
If they don't change will people be "going Galt" again?
More about Atlas Shrugged and John Galt.
What is "Going Galt?"
"Going Galt" doesn't simply mean getting angry. That would be "Going Postal." It means having righteous indignation at the injustice of a political system that bails out individuals and institutions for irresponsible behavior and at the expense of those like you who prosper through hard work and personal responsibly.
"Going Galt" means asking in the face of new taxes and government controls, "Why work at all?" "For whom am I working?" "Am I a slave?"
"Going Galt" means recognizing that you're being punished not for your vices but for your virtues.
"Going Galt" means recognizing that you have a moral right to your own life, the pursuit of your own happiness, and thus to the rewards you've earned with your labor.
"Going Galt" means recognizing that you deserve praise and honor for your achievements rather than damnation as "exploiters."
"Going Galt" means recognizing that you do not need to justify your life or wealth to your neighbors, "society," or politicians, or bureaucrats. They're yours, period!
"Going Galt" means recognizing that the needs of others do not give them a claim to your time, effort, and achievements.
"Going Galt" means shrugging off unearned guilt, refusing to support your own destroyers, refusing to give them what Ayn Rand termed "the sanction of the victim." It means taking the moral high ground by explicitly rejecting as evil the premise of "self-sacrifice" that they sell to you as a virtue— in fact "self-sacrifice" is an invitation to suicide.
