Dear Source:
It’s hard to sit by and watch the helter-skelter way in which the "Powers That Be" do business. Approximately two years ago, the writing was on the wall indicating that hard times were ahead for the VI. At that time, many states were not just looking at cost effective measures, but they realized it was a matter of survival to take action and not just bury their heads in the sand. We apparently chose the sand.
Some states decided to shorten the work week, reduce staffing (an opportunity to get rid of the folks that don’t come to work or simply don’t do anything), reduce their excess spending and find creative methods to bring in revenue. This economic recession is global and, in my opinion, is a manifestation of years of greed, excessive over spending, waste and a lack of accountability. The proverbial "drink and be merry" might be replaced with “sober up” because reality is here now.
We have families who have to decide whether to pay WAPA or purchase groceries. I personally know an elderly couple living on a fixed income who is ready to "trade in” their house of 20 plus years to live in a nursing home. The major factor for this decision is their excessively high utility bills. Small businesses that were seemingly thriving are now closed due to the rising costs while the Government seemingly can’t justify not paying its own WAPA bills. I don’t think I need to be a mathematician to know this doesn’t add up nor is it fair to consumers.
I think the "Powers That Be" should consider alternative, cost effective measures before cutting wages. The suggestions have been offered, but the options were never considered much less enacted….turn off lights and air conditioners nights and weekends, park up vehicles, reduce the work week, allow flex-time and working from home. Why re-invent the wheel when so many alternatives have been enacted by so many city, county and state government agencies across the country?
Cutting salaries should mean that other options have been exhausted, and this is the last resort. Let’s suppose salaries are reduced by 8 percent right now. Then, in six months, if the findings show that those cuts didn’t produce favorable results, where do we go from there? Will you make more cuts in an already haemorrhaging economy??? Or will you send home people who are already living “paycheck to paycheck” to go to unemployment lines and food stamps, turning to the Government to support them because they aren’t being allowed to support themselves.
Think of the domino effect these salary cuts will have. For instance, small private schools will suffer as tuition is no longer a viable option. The public schools will become even more overcrowded, stressing the fact of the lack of teachers, increasing the dropout rate and contributing to an uneducated community. Think of the increase in the level of crime that will coincide for those who can no longer provide for their families.
I don’t profess to be a politician, but I would like to take this opportunity to make some cost effective and revenue making suggestions:
1. VITRAN is currently under utilized. The Government can increase revenue by having more VITRAN buses available for people and students who travel. Not everyone has access to a vehicle or has dependable transportation. Increase the routes and collaborate with the “dollar” taxis (or rather $2 taxis) to cover more roads rather than competing for the same riders. There should be a goal to improve bus schedules and make them accessible to the public. Provide more buses for people who don’t live along the current bus routes.
2. If you have ever travelled to the mainland, you would see that some states utilize their buses (inside and outside) as a marketing tool by posting advertisements and conveying information to the public. It would be a great opportunity to expand our promotional medium. This could easily become a new market for business owners locally and possibly off-island to explore. Again, the Government can use this as a source of creative revenue. Buses are seen by most people and using this means to bring in money seems like a no brainer. When visitors come to the VI, they can get information about places to go, hotels, restaurants and special events without having to hunt. I think the Department of Tourism would like this, especially since the buses currently don’t generate any revenue.
3. We all want to feel safe and secure in our community and in our homes. For some people, merely seeing a VIPD uniform gives them a sense of feeling protected. Yet, in reality, there is a perpetual shortage of police visibility. Even if we had all the manpower we needed, how would "they" get paid given our immediate economic crisis? There should be more of an emphasis to restore Community Watch programs. We have enough retired officers and dedicated citizens whose involvement would be unmistakably valuable. They would be volunteering their time and services to their neighborhoods. I think this would be a good deterrent against crimes. Let the VIPD handle other pressing matters. Lots of money would be saved with this type of intervention which might bring back some wholesome community pride.
4. Too many departments in the local government have people in positions that, unfortunately, do very little and have more of their share of down-time. If a person is carrying on personal telephone or cell phone conversations throughout the day, or is taking two hour lunch breaks and is constantly sleeping behind closed doors, the Government is once again flushing money down the toilet. By the way, this is not an exaggeration – I’ve witnessed it myself and I know that I’m not the only one. Couldn’t these employees be crossed-trained to provide other functions within the department???? For example, a receptionist, who sits at a desk for most of the day without receiving many calls, can file, provide light typing, and perform other clerical assignments without leaving her chair. Whatever happened to the commitment to improved customer service?
5. Let’s take a long look at the waste that’s occurring around us. Why are government agencies renting office space? Consider how much money is spent every year? The Government owns enough land, especially on St. Croix, to accommodate a cluster of agencies under one roof. Although this would be a long-term goal, it seems like a fundamentally practical means of saving money. It’s been discussed, studied, evaluated and planned in every single Administration since the 1990s and no one has brought it to a reality because it may have been started in previous Administration. And, they rent enough space to the public on St. Thomas to reclaim and assign to government agencies.
6. Incarcerated individuals, providing they’re not a career criminal, can be useful in the community. There are a number of damaged buildings that can be restored or salvaged and turned into viable space to be used for with the right type of help. Why not put some of these individuals to work? Hopefully, when they return to society, they can have marketable skills. Another possibility would be to develop a farm and have the prisoners manage all aspects of it. The farm would provide food for the inmates, or can be sold to the public and to restaurants.
If this 8 percent salary reduction goes into effect now, it will be devastating for the Virgin Islands and could take years before recovery would be in sight. Just to paint you a picture, people living on the fringes would not be able to: to feed their families, pay WAPA, drive their cars because they can no longer afford to purchase fuel, pay for private school, pay for childcare, pay their rents or mortgages, pay their taxes or gross receipts and list goes on.
In this scenario, many affected employees will work less and services will be further compromised. The mindset is already one that work productivity will be decreased by employees to coincide with the monetary decrease. The hard working are already living from pay check to pay check. The "Powers That Be" will be creating a new crop of indigent men, women and children with no other alternative than to rely on the ever saturated public assistance. And yet another segment of the population who has abandoned all hope will test the boundaries of the law to satisfy their wants and needs. Commerce as we know it could be shot to hell.
In an instance, this can all be avoided by incorporating dollars and sense.
Dawn O’Bryan – St. Croix resident
