You can tell a lot about a lady by the way she keeps her home.  And based on its condition, you may choose to make some rational decisions.  

Will you accept an offer of food or drink?  Would you allow carnal knowledge to be shared?  Will you return?

His Majesty’s loyal Opposition has been plaguing the government about the unkempt state of the Territory for some time and so have we.

The failing infrastructure is outstanding; Healthcare which can bankrupt any government in the world needs to be urgently addressed and preventive medicine should once again occupy centre stage.

We used to think that diseases like the debilitating diabetes disproportionately afflicted people of colour but we are now discovering that one third of the population of the US is pre-diabetic.

Over 11% of that population is already diabetic and other industrialized countries are not far behind.

Still, the Americans have managed to make having diabetes seem trendy provided that the right pill is taken.  

But people living with diabetes know of the heart disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease that may lead to dialysis, eye disease/blindness;

Damage to nerves especially in the feet, difficult ulcers, amputations, blood sugar instability, gangrene ….; They know that having diabetes is not sexy at all.

Perhaps we may come to the realization expressed by Dr Klapper: “It’s the food.  It’s been the food all along.” 

Certainly, we go with Albert Camus (“The Plague”) who noted that “One useful way to get to know a city is to find out how people work there, how they love there, and how they die there.”

But to the issue at hand.  The state of the Territory and the expensive $100M loan to fix it so that we and our guests can feel a sense of pride.

Of course we need the money.  We just wish that when the loan guarantee with cheaper money was on the table the hauteur of our leadership was dimmed.

We are worried about how the money is to be spent for it will fall to our children, tomorrow, to pay the bills we are creating, today.

And we lament that our government saw no value in rebuilding the infrastructure through the RDA after Hurricanes Irma and Maria. 

The BVI record of poor decision making is long and we have turned back our own progress by decades.  

But to the road infrastructure, we already see what can be done.  The piece of road from the college to Brandywine beach, in fact, most of the road heading to Skelton Bay Lots, is, comparatively, decent and we look forward to the promised 38 miles being professionally designed, engineered and constructed.

The unfortunate thing about the people in the Territory is that when we begin to get what we ask for, we find many ways to kick over the milk bucket.

That will never lead to progress.

And we are especially disappointed that although the demands of the Opposition are being addressed, they are unhappy.

They complain that the bush is being cut by night.  When better since traffic at that time is minimal?

They argue that the front bench has forced baked the $100M loan resolution and it is not ready.  Speak to the AG whose Office has been opining on the enabling cabinet paper for road infrastructural works for at least 5 months.

(Thirty-four million of the $100M is earmarked for roads.)

And they add, possibly in jest, that the Government is trying to kill the case for a vote of no confidence.  Isn’t that the government’s job, to ensure stability of the Territory and its own longevity in the House?

We should shout when the ship is off course but what is the rationale for accusing the government of working?  

We all want the ship of state to be seaworthy and it is the duty of everyone to speak up when things are done that are not in the best interest of the collective.

We do on Fridays.

Happy Friday!