Something is definitely wrong in the bosom of our political majority on the French side.
For those who do not know, on French St. Martin, as throughout the French Republic, local elections are cst for a list, not for a single person, as on Dutch St. Martin. We elect a list of 23 councilors who among themselves elect an executive council. There are usually two elections, unliss during the first election a clear majority is gained, (50% + .) If not, there is a runoff election at which time the side with the most votes wins.
This gives the local administration an automatic majority of 17-6. The council then elects a president, and several vice presidents. Portfolios are shared, etc.
Today we find ourselves with a so-called majority of 17 and an opposition of 6, one of which became independent. Now we are called to elect a senator, which is not done by popular vote, but by what the French call 'les grands élus' or those 23 members elected to the territorial council.
Any citizen can postulate and run for senator, but unless you are a member of the council you have no vote. And here we are with no less than 7 candidates for 1 seat, two of which have no voice, 1 of which is opposition and four from the majority. Why this split? Why was there not one candidate chosen from among the majority, thereby ensuring his/her victory as of the first round of elections. In a scenario such as the one we have, that is almost impossible. The opposition candidate is the only one who can be reasonably sure of going on to the runoff. That leaves 17 votes to be fought over by 4 candidates.. Again I ask why?
Is the majority in such disarray that they cannot among themselves chose one candidate? Or is France applying some sort of pressure so that they can get the candidate of their choice?
Food for thought.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Saturday, August 16, 2014
THE "BEAUTY" OF SAINT MARTIN
We are hearing again about how so many people love Saint Martin so much, blah, blah, blah! because of its beauty yada, yada, yada!
Let us look at the rest of the world and its beauty as compared to that of Saint Martin Without leaving the West Indian/Caribbean area, keeping smply to the Lesser Antilles, in all honesty, is Saint Martin more beautiful than for instance, Saint Kitts? Is it more beaure beautiful than Antigua?
The islands of Sarths, Saint Martin and Saint Thomas are so similar in makeup and scenery that they could be triplets! So what does this vaunted beauty of Saint Martin consist of, above and beyond the other islands? Not even its people, since the few natives remaining are most of the time overlooked, and the others are noticed for ways that Saint Martiners did not possess. The beaches of Saint Barths and Saint Thomas are every bit as white and beautiful as those of Saint Martin. Their hills are all nice and green when rain falls, and they all three suffer from drought and hurricanes.
Let us now move to the volcanic islands. Are they not beautiful, albeit a different kind of beauty?
However, there is one thing that is possible in Saint Martin which is not available on the other islads. Saint Martin is very easily taken advantage of as anything goes on this little 37 square mile island. People come from all over the world and do what the natives do not do, and what they themselves couldn't do in their native countires.
Saint Martin's french side and Saint Barths are both collectivities of France, yet what Saint Barths does not want happen, does not happen. How is it that the same laws are applied in such a different fashion? The Saint Barths natives are in charge of their island, Saint Martin has not yet or is afraid to define what its native population is. Non-natives become annoyed at least whenever something happens that causes the few natives left to speak out.
No people, it is not Saint Martin's beauty that captures outsiders, it is what they get out of it, usually at our expense.
Let us look at the rest of the world and its beauty as compared to that of Saint Martin Without leaving the West Indian/Caribbean area, keeping smply to the Lesser Antilles, in all honesty, is Saint Martin more beautiful than for instance, Saint Kitts? Is it more beaure beautiful than Antigua?
The islands of Sarths, Saint Martin and Saint Thomas are so similar in makeup and scenery that they could be triplets! So what does this vaunted beauty of Saint Martin consist of, above and beyond the other islands? Not even its people, since the few natives remaining are most of the time overlooked, and the others are noticed for ways that Saint Martiners did not possess. The beaches of Saint Barths and Saint Thomas are every bit as white and beautiful as those of Saint Martin. Their hills are all nice and green when rain falls, and they all three suffer from drought and hurricanes.
Let us now move to the volcanic islands. Are they not beautiful, albeit a different kind of beauty?
However, there is one thing that is possible in Saint Martin which is not available on the other islads. Saint Martin is very easily taken advantage of as anything goes on this little 37 square mile island. People come from all over the world and do what the natives do not do, and what they themselves couldn't do in their native countires.
Saint Martin's french side and Saint Barths are both collectivities of France, yet what Saint Barths does not want happen, does not happen. How is it that the same laws are applied in such a different fashion? The Saint Barths natives are in charge of their island, Saint Martin has not yet or is afraid to define what its native population is. Non-natives become annoyed at least whenever something happens that causes the few natives left to speak out.
No people, it is not Saint Martin's beauty that captures outsiders, it is what they get out of it, usually at our expense.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
TAXABLE OR NOT??
The collectivity seems to be making money on taxing thos are non taxable according to law.
By that I am referring to the 100 € one has to pay to obtain a certificate of non-taxability necessary in order to continue receiving government aid. Without this certificate people cannot continue to collect government assistance.
Now we have thousands of women declared at the CAF as "women living alone" or in French "femme seule", who keep producing babies year after year and who after several children produced it would seem without =thye aid of male sperm, who end up collecting thousands of Euros each month as family assistance, do not work, and an extra addition for being a woman living alone. Awoman who has six children receives a very tidy assistance from the government. Yet they are not taxable, according to the system since they do not work.
The point is for those who collect several thousand euros a month paying 100€ a year is nothing in order to continue living the life of Riley.
On the other hand, there are the old and the sick, most of whom are our own people, although that seems to be changing too, and many of whom receive only something like 700€ from which they have to eat and pay utilities and someimes rent. They have to pay 100€ which is more than 10% of what they get annually in order to even be able to collect that.
Is this fair? Is this right?
Could the collectivity not have made some kind of distinction when levying this tax? Because that is what it is. Why should a woman who produces a child per year be charged the same as an older, maybe sick person?
And then there is the AME which is health coverage for the "sans papiers" or illegals.
Saint Martiners need their fair share of everything! It is a ticking time bomb!
By that I am referring to the 100 € one has to pay to obtain a certificate of non-taxability necessary in order to continue receiving government aid. Without this certificate people cannot continue to collect government assistance.
Now we have thousands of women declared at the CAF as "women living alone" or in French "femme seule", who keep producing babies year after year and who after several children produced it would seem without =thye aid of male sperm, who end up collecting thousands of Euros each month as family assistance, do not work, and an extra addition for being a woman living alone. Awoman who has six children receives a very tidy assistance from the government. Yet they are not taxable, according to the system since they do not work.
The point is for those who collect several thousand euros a month paying 100€ a year is nothing in order to continue living the life of Riley.
On the other hand, there are the old and the sick, most of whom are our own people, although that seems to be changing too, and many of whom receive only something like 700€ from which they have to eat and pay utilities and someimes rent. They have to pay 100€ which is more than 10% of what they get annually in order to even be able to collect that.
Is this fair? Is this right?
Could the collectivity not have made some kind of distinction when levying this tax? Because that is what it is. Why should a woman who produces a child per year be charged the same as an older, maybe sick person?
And then there is the AME which is health coverage for the "sans papiers" or illegals.
Saint Martiners need their fair share of everything! It is a ticking time bomb!
Monday, June 2, 2014
LEGALIZATION IS NOT THE SOLUTION
This post will not be very long because whenever a native expresses themself they are called among other things xenophobic. My answer to that is it takes one to know one.
People who are not affected by illegal immigrants and overcrowding find it very easy to claim that there are no "illigals" on planet earth. That may be so and I do agree that we should help as many people as possible, but on an island the size of St. Martin which produces nothing and depends on France for everything we are being swamped and it also needs to be said that charity begins at home.
Our politicians seem to be favoring those who come from outside illegally and this creates a false impression of how many people live on this island. Illegals are legalized even though they entered the country illegally, allowed to acquire French nationality, whether Dutch or French, after a few years with no loyalty either to the island or to the European countries whose nationalities they acquire.
The only result of legalization is another wave of illegals, who come to 'try a thing' since others were rewarded for their illegality.
Sooner or later one or several of these groups will present their "own" list and win. How will our politicians get votes then? Coming back to the few remaining natives? We won't be enough to help them then! Too late, too late shall be the cry!
People who are not affected by illegal immigrants and overcrowding find it very easy to claim that there are no "illigals" on planet earth. That may be so and I do agree that we should help as many people as possible, but on an island the size of St. Martin which produces nothing and depends on France for everything we are being swamped and it also needs to be said that charity begins at home.
Our politicians seem to be favoring those who come from outside illegally and this creates a false impression of how many people live on this island. Illegals are legalized even though they entered the country illegally, allowed to acquire French nationality, whether Dutch or French, after a few years with no loyalty either to the island or to the European countries whose nationalities they acquire.
The only result of legalization is another wave of illegals, who come to 'try a thing' since others were rewarded for their illegality.
Sooner or later one or several of these groups will present their "own" list and win. How will our politicians get votes then? Coming back to the few remaining natives? We won't be enough to help them then! Too late, too late shall be the cry!
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
FRUSTRATION IS MOUNTING!
Emothions have been running high over the last several days. Once again St Martiners have been called all kinds of name because they dared to express disapproval of something happening in the country. Is that not our right????
Even our Deputy has told us that we are an "island of prsperity in an ocean of misery" and should therefore shut up! PROSPERITY????? Really???? French st martin in 21 square mile of people on the dole!!! The collectivity has not the slightest idea of how many people live on this island. They say 363.000 but 70.000 people collect from the CAF!
The toilets on our little airport in Grand Case have been out of order now for months! Why? A company is paid to clean and maintain those toilets. But can it be that the company has not been paid? Why not? Because the litany sung from every corner is that the collectivity has no money? Then where the hell is th prosperity?
Even France knows that they cannot take away all the misery of the world. How then on God's green earth can st martin take away any, even its own? St. Martiners are not even allowed to work for themselves unless they make enough to pay for all the ones the government wants to come in and vote for them! The number of people who have tried to work to support themselves that have been stopped and fined and brought before the court is known only to the court.
The idea for the European Union came from France. How is then France cannot or will not understand our situation here on St. Martin?
Frustration on St. Martin is buildingand if the two governments of this island do not take things in hand their own people will come for them eventually. Ghandi's own people shot him and his daughter down, not strangers.
What politicians seem to forget is that they are very, very, very comfortable. It is the poor man on the street who is uncomfortabl. The straw that breaks the camel's back is just that- a straw, and nobody knows when that straw will fall! Like earthquakes, nobody knows when the big one will hit.
Governments, take heed!
Even our Deputy has told us that we are an "island of prsperity in an ocean of misery" and should therefore shut up! PROSPERITY????? Really???? French st martin in 21 square mile of people on the dole!!! The collectivity has not the slightest idea of how many people live on this island. They say 363.000 but 70.000 people collect from the CAF!
The toilets on our little airport in Grand Case have been out of order now for months! Why? A company is paid to clean and maintain those toilets. But can it be that the company has not been paid? Why not? Because the litany sung from every corner is that the collectivity has no money? Then where the hell is th prosperity?
Even France knows that they cannot take away all the misery of the world. How then on God's green earth can st martin take away any, even its own? St. Martiners are not even allowed to work for themselves unless they make enough to pay for all the ones the government wants to come in and vote for them! The number of people who have tried to work to support themselves that have been stopped and fined and brought before the court is known only to the court.
The idea for the European Union came from France. How is then France cannot or will not understand our situation here on St. Martin?
Frustration on St. Martin is buildingand if the two governments of this island do not take things in hand their own people will come for them eventually. Ghandi's own people shot him and his daughter down, not strangers.
What politicians seem to forget is that they are very, very, very comfortable. It is the poor man on the street who is uncomfortabl. The straw that breaks the camel's back is just that- a straw, and nobody knows when that straw will fall! Like earthquakes, nobody knows when the big one will hit.
Governments, take heed!
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
CAN THE COLLECTIVITY ENACT A LAW?
Can the collectivity enact a law? It depends on the law. If it is a law that falls within an area in which the collectivity has no competence, such as nationality, then no, it cannot. Only the state has competence in that area.
However, if it concerns something in which St Martin has full competence, such as traffic, yes, it can.
How did the collectivity acquire this competence? It was conferred by the French Parliament as part of our organic law.
Our organic law devolved from article 74 of the French constitution. We have full competence in the traffic area, therefore the French traffic code as such no longer applies to us. Of course most of the French traffic code will still apply to us, since it is not necessary to reinvent the wheel. For instance, we still drive on the right side of the road, and so as stated, most of the code will always apply to us.
However, we are at a point where have to WORK to create/put together the changes/modifications of this code which will apply only to St. Martin and not to the remainder of the French republic.
We have our own drivers' licences and number plates. We are also the ones responsible for setting fines for traffic infractions. Once a law is enacted setting an amount that will sanction an infraction, the President of the collectivity can order the territorial police to implement this law. However, the President cannot order the gendarmes to do this, since they are employees of the state. The Prefet has to be requested to issue a decree in which state employees are advised to implement the law.
Our reality, which is different from that of St. Barths, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana and the rest of the French system for that matter, has no Dutch side like we do, and which has to be taken into account.
Conventions will have to be signed between the two sides of the island regarding any traffic issue or any issue for that matter that concerns them both.
And our specifica situation is also the reason why any time we go to antother French territory, if we want to reside there, we have to adapt our drivers licence and our number plate to that of the French norms. It is also our prerogative to request that other cars from French territories conform to our conditions, should they differ.
The bottom line people, is that we have to go to WORK to set up up our collectivity the way it should be set up. We have to become familiar with our organic law and work to make it benefit us. NOBODY else will do it for us.
However, if it concerns something in which St Martin has full competence, such as traffic, yes, it can.
How did the collectivity acquire this competence? It was conferred by the French Parliament as part of our organic law.
Our organic law devolved from article 74 of the French constitution. We have full competence in the traffic area, therefore the French traffic code as such no longer applies to us. Of course most of the French traffic code will still apply to us, since it is not necessary to reinvent the wheel. For instance, we still drive on the right side of the road, and so as stated, most of the code will always apply to us.
However, we are at a point where have to WORK to create/put together the changes/modifications of this code which will apply only to St. Martin and not to the remainder of the French republic.
We have our own drivers' licences and number plates. We are also the ones responsible for setting fines for traffic infractions. Once a law is enacted setting an amount that will sanction an infraction, the President of the collectivity can order the territorial police to implement this law. However, the President cannot order the gendarmes to do this, since they are employees of the state. The Prefet has to be requested to issue a decree in which state employees are advised to implement the law.
Our reality, which is different from that of St. Barths, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana and the rest of the French system for that matter, has no Dutch side like we do, and which has to be taken into account.
Conventions will have to be signed between the two sides of the island regarding any traffic issue or any issue for that matter that concerns them both.
And our specifica situation is also the reason why any time we go to antother French territory, if we want to reside there, we have to adapt our drivers licence and our number plate to that of the French norms. It is also our prerogative to request that other cars from French territories conform to our conditions, should they differ.
The bottom line people, is that we have to go to WORK to set up up our collectivity the way it should be set up. We have to become familiar with our organic law and work to make it benefit us. NOBODY else will do it for us.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
MINIMUM WAGE
France has one of the highest minimum wages in the world, and by extension, so does the French side of Saint Martin.
It sounds very nice on paper to say that ALL people need at least X amount of money to maintain their human dignity, yada, yada, yada!!!!
However, in the real world this works out to mean that people who have spent thousands and studied for hundreds of hours to acquire a professionl licence such as lawyer, who are required to work for years in a law office before they can work on their own, will make the same wage as those who work with absolutely no qualifications, and who are in many cases, functionally illiterate. This is simply not faire.
And even though Saint Martin has its own functionally illiterate, guess whoi will get the jobs.
So today there was a proposal from the Medef, which is the largest union of employers in France, so we know in advance that this is a proposal made to benefit employers, whether people would be in favor of a minimum wage below the actual minimum wage, which would allow companies to employ young people.
Think.
Young people fresh out of school lack experience. Is it fair that they should make as much as people who might have been working already for 10 years? French minimum wage applies to everybody! No matter how many years you have studied, how money you have spent to get there, you are not allowed to make more than minimum wage, because by the time you finish paying the government for those who do not contribute, you will hopefully remain with enough money to feed yourself.
This lower minimum wage would allow young people to acquire experience and a salary, albeit lower than the SMIC.
We know in advance again that employers will use it to their advantage but some people would profit from it too.
As stated before, French minimum wage is practically the highest in the world, so even this would be above minimum wage in amny other countries, at least half the world, and definity higher than the Dutch side of Saint Martin.
Food for thought.
It sounds very nice on paper to say that ALL people need at least X amount of money to maintain their human dignity, yada, yada, yada!!!!
However, in the real world this works out to mean that people who have spent thousands and studied for hundreds of hours to acquire a professionl licence such as lawyer, who are required to work for years in a law office before they can work on their own, will make the same wage as those who work with absolutely no qualifications, and who are in many cases, functionally illiterate. This is simply not faire.
And even though Saint Martin has its own functionally illiterate, guess whoi will get the jobs.
So today there was a proposal from the Medef, which is the largest union of employers in France, so we know in advance that this is a proposal made to benefit employers, whether people would be in favor of a minimum wage below the actual minimum wage, which would allow companies to employ young people.
Think.
Young people fresh out of school lack experience. Is it fair that they should make as much as people who might have been working already for 10 years? French minimum wage applies to everybody! No matter how many years you have studied, how money you have spent to get there, you are not allowed to make more than minimum wage, because by the time you finish paying the government for those who do not contribute, you will hopefully remain with enough money to feed yourself.
This lower minimum wage would allow young people to acquire experience and a salary, albeit lower than the SMIC.
We know in advance again that employers will use it to their advantage but some people would profit from it too.
As stated before, French minimum wage is practically the highest in the world, so even this would be above minimum wage in amny other countries, at least half the world, and definity higher than the Dutch side of Saint Martin.
Food for thought.
Monday, April 14, 2014
AM I MY BROTHER'S KEEPER?
Am I my brother's keeper? And if I am, when, how and where am I to keep him?
There are many countries in the world today from which the people seem nothing short of desperate to flee.That is not normal. Some people always leave their country, but not the majority.
Everybody wants to improve their life, but not do not leave in rickety boats that are definitely not seaworthy, this is desperation pure and simple.
Only the Almighty knows how many people on both sides of the globe lie buries on the bottom of the sea, because they are running away from their country.
So, when am I my brother's keeper? Only when he is in my country, what about when he is in his own country? Why and why not?
How am I my brother's keeper? What do I have to do for him? Take him into my house, feed him, educate him?
Where am I my brother's keeper? All over the world? There is not a country on God's green earth without poor people, which of them do I have to keep and I definitely cannot keep them all.
Having said all that we need an example to work with. If this blog was in Europe I would take North Africa as an example, but since it is in the Caribbean my example will be Haiti.
Before anything else, allow me to make two (2) remarks, one concerning Haiti, and on concerning Saint Martin.
1. Haiti is the poorest island in the Caribbean and likely to remain that way, since everybody seems to want to leave it.
2. Saint Martin is the most densely populated island in the Caribbean, along with being one of the smallest, and close to the breaking point population wise.
So the question is: why has a world body never been established to investigate exactly what is happening in these various countries that is causing their people to run away?
This body would have to be totally apolitical, that can investicate and give suggestions as to what can be done to help these people in their own countries.
Again, if some of the hundreds of thousands of Haitians for instance, spread throughout the world who are now well educated, do not come back to build the country, it can only slip further down, since those who run the country now either cannot or will not do anything to bring it up.
It is total insanity to expect a different result to expect different results from the same people.
As I said at the beginning, in all those countries where people are desperately running, what is being done by the big countries to be their brother's keeper?
There are many countries in the world today from which the people seem nothing short of desperate to flee.That is not normal. Some people always leave their country, but not the majority.
Everybody wants to improve their life, but not do not leave in rickety boats that are definitely not seaworthy, this is desperation pure and simple.
Only the Almighty knows how many people on both sides of the globe lie buries on the bottom of the sea, because they are running away from their country.
So, when am I my brother's keeper? Only when he is in my country, what about when he is in his own country? Why and why not?
How am I my brother's keeper? What do I have to do for him? Take him into my house, feed him, educate him?
Where am I my brother's keeper? All over the world? There is not a country on God's green earth without poor people, which of them do I have to keep and I definitely cannot keep them all.
Having said all that we need an example to work with. If this blog was in Europe I would take North Africa as an example, but since it is in the Caribbean my example will be Haiti.
Before anything else, allow me to make two (2) remarks, one concerning Haiti, and on concerning Saint Martin.
1. Haiti is the poorest island in the Caribbean and likely to remain that way, since everybody seems to want to leave it.
2. Saint Martin is the most densely populated island in the Caribbean, along with being one of the smallest, and close to the breaking point population wise.
So the question is: why has a world body never been established to investigate exactly what is happening in these various countries that is causing their people to run away?
This body would have to be totally apolitical, that can investicate and give suggestions as to what can be done to help these people in their own countries.
Again, if some of the hundreds of thousands of Haitians for instance, spread throughout the world who are now well educated, do not come back to build the country, it can only slip further down, since those who run the country now either cannot or will not do anything to bring it up.
It is total insanity to expect a different result to expect different results from the same people.
As I said at the beginning, in all those countries where people are desperately running, what is being done by the big countries to be their brother's keeper?
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
DOES THE COLLECTIVITY OWE THE CAF?
As everybody knows Saint Martin is overrun with people coming here to have their children born here in order to collect money from the CAF. These children are then foisted upon the island as Saint Martiners while what they are are "CAF babies". Having said that, there are also Saint Martiners of heritage who purposely produce Caf babies too.
However, the national government of France is reponsible for nationality, that is a competence which only comes with independence. No territory or collectivity possesses that. In other words, St. Martin has to nationality to grant. These people become purely and simply French citizens or nationals.
Now suddenly we read that the CAF wants the Collectivity to pay 35M€ for "debts from 2011 to 2013." Now I want somebody to explain to me the logic behind the reasoning that goes, if we have to continue accepting people coming from all over the world, legally or illegally, where the collectivity is going to get that money from. If it comes to that, I'd like to know where France is eventually going to get the money from.
The French man on the street is getting ready to blow. St. Martiners may be apathetic, inert, or simply a bunch of cowards afraid to demostrate, but French people will definitely take to the streets.
In the last municpial elections last month, the left was already given a warning by the upsurge in popularity of the extreme right and if it is not happen in the upcoming legislative elections, it will happen in the next one. If Matignon isn't stormed before, since the Bastille has already fallen.
The time will come when there will be no money left to take care of their own who cannot care for themselves. Along with that, the French socialist system is set up to kill all ambition.
Change MUST come, both here and in mainland France or the results will not be pretty.
However, the national government of France is reponsible for nationality, that is a competence which only comes with independence. No territory or collectivity possesses that. In other words, St. Martin has to nationality to grant. These people become purely and simply French citizens or nationals.
Now suddenly we read that the CAF wants the Collectivity to pay 35M€ for "debts from 2011 to 2013." Now I want somebody to explain to me the logic behind the reasoning that goes, if we have to continue accepting people coming from all over the world, legally or illegally, where the collectivity is going to get that money from. If it comes to that, I'd like to know where France is eventually going to get the money from.
The French man on the street is getting ready to blow. St. Martiners may be apathetic, inert, or simply a bunch of cowards afraid to demostrate, but French people will definitely take to the streets.
In the last municpial elections last month, the left was already given a warning by the upsurge in popularity of the extreme right and if it is not happen in the upcoming legislative elections, it will happen in the next one. If Matignon isn't stormed before, since the Bastille has already fallen.
The time will come when there will be no money left to take care of their own who cannot care for themselves. Along with that, the French socialist system is set up to kill all ambition.
Change MUST come, both here and in mainland France or the results will not be pretty.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
WHAT WILL IT TAKE???
Something seems to have triggered a rash of souvenir pictures and facebook posts of hurricane Luis. Possible the tentative election date on the Dutch side.
Anyway, having looked at pictures and statistics that brought back many not so nice memories, among which was the "official" announcement to the rest of the world, I suppose for the sake of tourism, without which everybody thinks we are nothing, that hurricane Luis only caused 2 deaths on St. Martin
O yes, after blowing at 145 mph for 36 hours, sinking something like 1200 boats in the lagoon, flattening only God knows how many shacks and not-shacks all over the island, watching hilicopters cartin away nobody knows what for weeks on end, if anybody who was here at that time still wants to believe that crap, they need to see a shrink.
Now, a little look further back at another hurricane. Hurricane Donna which was said to be the last "big one" before Luis and which dates back to September 4, 1960. I remember it was said that a 160 mph gust of wind broke the anemometer at Julianba Airport during that storm. That was a healthy gust of wind.
However, for the record, while I, as a teenager, slept through most of Hurricane Donna, that hurricane blew for one night. When I woke up the next morning, everything was over but the cleanup.
As I said before, Luis blew for 36 hours. I closed up my house on Monday everning and on Wednesday morning it took 3 people to open my front door.
Unofficial statistics have given numbers like 800 dead and even that may be a conservative estimate because back in those glory days nobody had a clue how many people resided on St. Martin. Nobody knows how many family members buried other family members in the hills.
If we survive climate change and global warming, archaeologists will have a field day wondering what kinds of settlements we had in those hills, there will be so many skeletons to unearth.
Now, the main point is that no proper statistics will ever be available mostley because the greater part of those "deported" by hurricane Luis were on the island illegally.
Today, 19 years down the line, nobody still knows how many people reside on St. Martin, whether French or Dutch side.
The next hurricane of that category, and from where we sit today, nobody knows when that will be, will be a lawsuit made in heaven against the governments of both sides of the island for not having done what they should have done.
Anyway, having looked at pictures and statistics that brought back many not so nice memories, among which was the "official" announcement to the rest of the world, I suppose for the sake of tourism, without which everybody thinks we are nothing, that hurricane Luis only caused 2 deaths on St. Martin
O yes, after blowing at 145 mph for 36 hours, sinking something like 1200 boats in the lagoon, flattening only God knows how many shacks and not-shacks all over the island, watching hilicopters cartin away nobody knows what for weeks on end, if anybody who was here at that time still wants to believe that crap, they need to see a shrink.
Now, a little look further back at another hurricane. Hurricane Donna which was said to be the last "big one" before Luis and which dates back to September 4, 1960. I remember it was said that a 160 mph gust of wind broke the anemometer at Julianba Airport during that storm. That was a healthy gust of wind.
However, for the record, while I, as a teenager, slept through most of Hurricane Donna, that hurricane blew for one night. When I woke up the next morning, everything was over but the cleanup.
As I said before, Luis blew for 36 hours. I closed up my house on Monday everning and on Wednesday morning it took 3 people to open my front door.
Unofficial statistics have given numbers like 800 dead and even that may be a conservative estimate because back in those glory days nobody had a clue how many people resided on St. Martin. Nobody knows how many family members buried other family members in the hills.
If we survive climate change and global warming, archaeologists will have a field day wondering what kinds of settlements we had in those hills, there will be so many skeletons to unearth.
Now, the main point is that no proper statistics will ever be available mostley because the greater part of those "deported" by hurricane Luis were on the island illegally.
Today, 19 years down the line, nobody still knows how many people reside on St. Martin, whether French or Dutch side.
The next hurricane of that category, and from where we sit today, nobody knows when that will be, will be a lawsuit made in heaven against the governments of both sides of the island for not having done what they should have done.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FACTION AND FRACTION
For some time now the media has been referring to fractions of political parties.
They used factions before which is the correct word. My Funk and Wagnalls dictionary defines faction as " a group of people operating within and often in opposition to, a larger group," while it defines fraction, which differs only by the letter R, as a "disconnected part of anything, a small portion, a fragment."
When the media, in particular the Daily Herald, which is the newspaper I read, uses fraction instead of faction, I know it is purposely done, because if I spell organization with a z the way they do in the US, it is automatically edited to an s. So what exactly are they trying to say?
That every other party is but a disconnected part of another party, rather than a group which is in opposition to that larger group?
Is that a slang as we say on Saint Martin?
Words are very important, and should be used appropriately and in the proper manner.
As I have asked many times before, why should the Daily Herald edit any word I spell in the US fashion? Another thing I have said many times is that we not use British English on Saint Martin or St. Maarten for that manner, if the name needs to be spelled in the proper manner, our great exception being the bonnett,of a car.
And if we used to talk of loos and lorries I would have no proble with their editing.
So what are we, and even more important, what do we want to be?
It is definitely going to be easier to express ourselves in US English, thather than the Queen's English, so we should make up our minds.
I will not say it has us confused as a country, because I am sure that the government knows exactly what it wants, and what it will do to the people to get it.
They used factions before which is the correct word. My Funk and Wagnalls dictionary defines faction as " a group of people operating within and often in opposition to, a larger group," while it defines fraction, which differs only by the letter R, as a "disconnected part of anything, a small portion, a fragment."
When the media, in particular the Daily Herald, which is the newspaper I read, uses fraction instead of faction, I know it is purposely done, because if I spell organization with a z the way they do in the US, it is automatically edited to an s. So what exactly are they trying to say?
That every other party is but a disconnected part of another party, rather than a group which is in opposition to that larger group?
Is that a slang as we say on Saint Martin?
Words are very important, and should be used appropriately and in the proper manner.
As I have asked many times before, why should the Daily Herald edit any word I spell in the US fashion? Another thing I have said many times is that we not use British English on Saint Martin or St. Maarten for that manner, if the name needs to be spelled in the proper manner, our great exception being the bonnett,of a car.
And if we used to talk of loos and lorries I would have no proble with their editing.
So what are we, and even more important, what do we want to be?
It is definitely going to be easier to express ourselves in US English, thather than the Queen's English, so we should make up our minds.
I will not say it has us confused as a country, because I am sure that the government knows exactly what it wants, and what it will do to the people to get it.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
ST. MARTIN - BETHLEHEM OR CALVARAY FOR IMMIGRANTS?
Has St. Martin been a Bethlehe, a place of bread, or a Calvary, a place of the skull for those who have come from outside?
People have been coming to St. Martin in ever increasing numbers from at least the mid 1960's, a period of at least fifty years.
Even today in what everybody calls hard economic times, people still flock to this island. Why? And particularly, whenever St. Martiners complain about foreigners, they get as our old people used to say: "more vex than you".
These people include both rich and poor, who have planted roots on this island. Should we believe that that these thousands of people have given everything they had and St. Martiners have only been theones to profit from their labor? Don't even try to tell me that, if that was so, they would have left, nt even tourists would continue to come.
There are tourists who come to the "Friendly Island", spend their vacation and leave without ever having come in contact with a native st martiner.
Am I to believe that thse thousands of people have given their all to St. martin and St. Martiners have only profited from their work or their invesment? I am afraid that I will have to say that everybody has profited.
However, what we have today is more people that this island can handle, among whom many who do not care or who do not want to see what is going on.
No one can really say say that that things are going well on St. Martin, whether on the French or the Dutch side. And if people on the capitalistic Dutch side are suffering, imagine what those on the French socialist side are suffering.
Along with being swamped by outsiders, whether they want to hear it or not, we have lost the economic control of the island. Both sides are controlled by outsiders.
And those businesses do not employe St Martiners, they employ people from their native countries or they employ immigrants who accept salaries and conditions that natives will not.
Sot at this moment in thim I have to say that Saint Martin is definitely Bethlehem to those who are not from St. Martin.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
FRENCH/EUROPEAN FOOD STANDARDS
Is it possible to apply norms and standards based on continental Europe to a tiny island like Saint Martin? It would depend on what the standards and norms apply to.
The most import thing to people anywhere in the world is that they need food to remain alive. Food has to be clean and nutritious in order to be eaten so yes, we do need standards.
Once upon a time St. Martin produced enough food to feed the people living on the island, or at least most of them. Some things like rice and potatoes, which do not grow on the island had to be imported. We even exported cattle to other islands at one time.
Then came the tourist boom and an influx of people. So many people that this amll, drought-prone island could no longer handle it. It also became easier to work in the tourist industry than to work in an agricultural industry in which lack of rain could kill the crop and in which city water cost too much to pay for and hope to make a living from agriculture.
So our food has to be imported now. And now our problems have started. France wants us to import from them, with all that that entails, the distance, the unreliability of transportation and higher prices.
But what about the few things that still grow here in the wild and that are imported from the other islands in the area? Europe has a winter whcih we do not have, and Europe does not grow coconuts, papaya, bananas, mangoes, kenips, guavas, sugar apple, soursop, pommes surettes, and a host of others. What is the standard of the mangoes that grow in my yard? The gooseberries that grow in my sister's yard? The bay grapes that grow in the neighbor's yard?
How do I make the sweets, drinks and tarts that we are accustomed to, our guavaberry drink for Christmas?
How can the standards of France or Europe be applied in this case? The very flour that we use and have used for centuries has been imported from the United States which is so much nearer to us than is Europe.
Should we be forced to use foodstuffs from Eurpoe which always cost more than food from the U.S? Should we not be able to legislate what we accept and what we do not accept?
The most import thing to people anywhere in the world is that they need food to remain alive. Food has to be clean and nutritious in order to be eaten so yes, we do need standards.
Once upon a time St. Martin produced enough food to feed the people living on the island, or at least most of them. Some things like rice and potatoes, which do not grow on the island had to be imported. We even exported cattle to other islands at one time.
Then came the tourist boom and an influx of people. So many people that this amll, drought-prone island could no longer handle it. It also became easier to work in the tourist industry than to work in an agricultural industry in which lack of rain could kill the crop and in which city water cost too much to pay for and hope to make a living from agriculture.
So our food has to be imported now. And now our problems have started. France wants us to import from them, with all that that entails, the distance, the unreliability of transportation and higher prices.
But what about the few things that still grow here in the wild and that are imported from the other islands in the area? Europe has a winter whcih we do not have, and Europe does not grow coconuts, papaya, bananas, mangoes, kenips, guavas, sugar apple, soursop, pommes surettes, and a host of others. What is the standard of the mangoes that grow in my yard? The gooseberries that grow in my sister's yard? The bay grapes that grow in the neighbor's yard?
How do I make the sweets, drinks and tarts that we are accustomed to, our guavaberry drink for Christmas?
How can the standards of France or Europe be applied in this case? The very flour that we use and have used for centuries has been imported from the United States which is so much nearer to us than is Europe.
Should we be forced to use foodstuffs from Eurpoe which always cost more than food from the U.S? Should we not be able to legislate what we accept and what we do not accept?
Thursday, March 20, 2014
FOREIGN NATIONAL ANTHEMS
There is nothing fundamentaly wrong with people singing in any language in support of a person or persons or group. However, there is something askew with people from St. Martin singing the national anthem of a country which most of them cannot find on a map and which none of them have a clue as to what they are singing to support one person from that country. I am from theis island and I have a problem with that. Why could they not have sung a folk song from that country?
One person from the Ukraine married to a Dutchman is not representative of what is happening in the Ukraine. That group could not have stood and spontaneously sing the Ukraine national anthem in support of anything. Would this group have been able to spontaneously sing the Wilhelmus? And where are they from, since it has gone around the world that the people in the Ukraine "cannot believe they are receiving from the other side of the world, especially from a Caribbean island as small as St. Martin." What sort of support has St. Martin given them? Some friends of one Ukrainian citizen sang what they didn't know.
Again, I say and I maintain, there is nothing wrong with an outpouring of love and sympathy for someone leading to song, however it should have been done with another song. People and children living on this island should not been taught to sing a national anthem which means nothing to them or to the rest of us on the island, but which could have unseen repercussions and ramifications down the line.
Actions ave consequences. St. Martin is also in a state of turmoil at the moment. Things are not going well on the "Friendly Island" and anyone who says differently is either blind or lying. Many exceptional results have been triggered by what may seem to be inconsequential actions.
We should be careful of how this island is projected especially by those who come from abroad. They have another place to go to. St. Martin is all we have.
One person from the Ukraine married to a Dutchman is not representative of what is happening in the Ukraine. That group could not have stood and spontaneously sing the Ukraine national anthem in support of anything. Would this group have been able to spontaneously sing the Wilhelmus? And where are they from, since it has gone around the world that the people in the Ukraine "cannot believe they are receiving from the other side of the world, especially from a Caribbean island as small as St. Martin." What sort of support has St. Martin given them? Some friends of one Ukrainian citizen sang what they didn't know.
Again, I say and I maintain, there is nothing wrong with an outpouring of love and sympathy for someone leading to song, however it should have been done with another song. People and children living on this island should not been taught to sing a national anthem which means nothing to them or to the rest of us on the island, but which could have unseen repercussions and ramifications down the line.
Actions ave consequences. St. Martin is also in a state of turmoil at the moment. Things are not going well on the "Friendly Island" and anyone who says differently is either blind or lying. Many exceptional results have been triggered by what may seem to be inconsequential actions.
We should be careful of how this island is projected especially by those who come from abroad. They have another place to go to. St. Martin is all we have.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
SCHOOL COMPLAINTS
It really seems as if there is not a single institution on the French side that can be praised at the moment.
Having said that, the collectivity is now responsible for everything, things that used to be shared by the commune, the department and the region, everything except the state's responsibilities, and those cause problems because the state seems to have reneged on certain things that they should be taking care of.
Today's subject is schools or educatio, whether primary, secondary or continuing education. We have no institute of higher education on the island as yet.
Most of the teachers who work here are not from the island. This means in amny cases that misunderstandings are rife, be they linguistic, cultural or whatever. Even the teachers who think they speak English speak it with such a heavy accent that our children do not understand .
Then there are the many foreign students, the numbers of whom increase each year. How many more years can we be expected to continue to build schools for outsiders at the expense of things that our own people need?
Women come here and make a career of having children so that they can collect family assistance. Many of these monetary allowances leave the island to the benefit of the native countries of those who collect them.
Then as said before, most of the teachers come from off-island. Many of them are here for the bonuses paid by the government to them for coming to live in the tropics. Many of them do not want to leave afterward. Tere is a freedom here that they do not enjoy in any other part of the French Republic.
French education, rather its tuision, is free, but everything necessary to benefit from it must be paid for, much of it again which is paid in the form of allowances. There is also a totally legal system of distance education, covering everything from kindergarten to university supervised by the National Education Ministry and which delivers legitimate certificates. Homeschooling is possible through this method too.
Having said all that, here on St. Martin we have countless hours and days of absence of teachers at all levels, whether for training or sick leave or whatever, and those who find it impossible to get back on time to start school on the set date after vacations.
In any case, not a month goes by without something concerning education causing a problem. How do we handle this problem?
Having said that, the collectivity is now responsible for everything, things that used to be shared by the commune, the department and the region, everything except the state's responsibilities, and those cause problems because the state seems to have reneged on certain things that they should be taking care of.
Today's subject is schools or educatio, whether primary, secondary or continuing education. We have no institute of higher education on the island as yet.
Most of the teachers who work here are not from the island. This means in amny cases that misunderstandings are rife, be they linguistic, cultural or whatever. Even the teachers who think they speak English speak it with such a heavy accent that our children do not understand .
Then there are the many foreign students, the numbers of whom increase each year. How many more years can we be expected to continue to build schools for outsiders at the expense of things that our own people need?
Women come here and make a career of having children so that they can collect family assistance. Many of these monetary allowances leave the island to the benefit of the native countries of those who collect them.
Then as said before, most of the teachers come from off-island. Many of them are here for the bonuses paid by the government to them for coming to live in the tropics. Many of them do not want to leave afterward. Tere is a freedom here that they do not enjoy in any other part of the French Republic.
French education, rather its tuision, is free, but everything necessary to benefit from it must be paid for, much of it again which is paid in the form of allowances. There is also a totally legal system of distance education, covering everything from kindergarten to university supervised by the National Education Ministry and which delivers legitimate certificates. Homeschooling is possible through this method too.
Having said all that, here on St. Martin we have countless hours and days of absence of teachers at all levels, whether for training or sick leave or whatever, and those who find it impossible to get back on time to start school on the set date after vacations.
In any case, not a month goes by without something concerning education causing a problem. How do we handle this problem?
Saturday, March 15, 2014
THE DEPENDENT COMMUNE
Having posted about the Organic law already I would now like to compare the Commune with the Collectivity. This post will focus on the commune and why it is dependent.
It is the smallest of the territorial organizations, and forms part of a department, which forms part of a region. Saint Martin was formerly a commune of Guadeloupe, which is the department of Guadeloupe, which is the Region of Guadeloupe.
Being a commune of Guadeloupe meant in effect that we were considered a part of Guadeloupe, unable to call the island Saint Martin without adding Guadeloupe after. Just as Basse Terre Guadeloupe was Guadeloupe so Saint Martin was Guadeloupe.
The commune could vote on its budget and the level of local taxes, it could create or suppress communal employment, approve communal loans and subsidies, determine the tarrif of communal services and parking on public roads, local city parking and construct kindergarden and primary schools.
The department stands between the commune and the region and is administered by a General Council. They are responsible for social action, child protection, social intergration of persons in difficulty, allowances, aid to the handicapped and aged, sanitary prevention removal of household garbage. Garbage collection ( departmental or national roads of local interest, school transportation by motor vehicle, maritime ports, both fishing and commercial. Education (materil management refectories of junio high schools, recrutement and management of technical personnel, workers and other services. Culture: department archives, departmental lending libraries, museums and certain other buildings. Local development (aid to associations, to communes.) Housing: Management of the solidarity fund for housing and the energy fund aid.
The Region is the highest territorial administrative entity before the national government. It is responsible for Culture, learning, professional training, continuing education, higher education and secondary education Regional express transportation, Health, Economic Develompent, Territorial improvement and planning.
We had two general councilors and one Regional Councilor in councils that had over 40 members. What could we get when it came to a vote? If we even proposed something they thought was a good idea it would be simply taken over and used in Guadeloupe.
According to the above, it is apparent that until 2007 we belonged to Guadeloupe and there was very little we could without Guadeloupe's blessing, approval and money which came through them.
It is the smallest of the territorial organizations, and forms part of a department, which forms part of a region. Saint Martin was formerly a commune of Guadeloupe, which is the department of Guadeloupe, which is the Region of Guadeloupe.
Being a commune of Guadeloupe meant in effect that we were considered a part of Guadeloupe, unable to call the island Saint Martin without adding Guadeloupe after. Just as Basse Terre Guadeloupe was Guadeloupe so Saint Martin was Guadeloupe.
The commune could vote on its budget and the level of local taxes, it could create or suppress communal employment, approve communal loans and subsidies, determine the tarrif of communal services and parking on public roads, local city parking and construct kindergarden and primary schools.
The department stands between the commune and the region and is administered by a General Council. They are responsible for social action, child protection, social intergration of persons in difficulty, allowances, aid to the handicapped and aged, sanitary prevention removal of household garbage. Garbage collection ( departmental or national roads of local interest, school transportation by motor vehicle, maritime ports, both fishing and commercial. Education (materil management refectories of junio high schools, recrutement and management of technical personnel, workers and other services. Culture: department archives, departmental lending libraries, museums and certain other buildings. Local development (aid to associations, to communes.) Housing: Management of the solidarity fund for housing and the energy fund aid.
The Region is the highest territorial administrative entity before the national government. It is responsible for Culture, learning, professional training, continuing education, higher education and secondary education Regional express transportation, Health, Economic Develompent, Territorial improvement and planning.
We had two general councilors and one Regional Councilor in councils that had over 40 members. What could we get when it came to a vote? If we even proposed something they thought was a good idea it would be simply taken over and used in Guadeloupe.
According to the above, it is apparent that until 2007 we belonged to Guadeloupe and there was very little we could without Guadeloupe's blessing, approval and money which came through them.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
DISLOYALTY IN THE RANKS
Disloyalty is a word that does not sound English in my ears, but of all its synonyms it is the closest to what I mean and a lot softer than what I do not mean. In other words, it is a lack of loyalty.
In this case, among the ranks of our incumbent administration.
As everyone is aware, the president of the territorial council which took office in 2012 was removed, for the second time since we became a collectivity in 2007 and leading me to think that France might have something to gain in doing that.
So in a rerun of our first collectivity elections, this leaves with a replacement and removing once again the head of the elected list. Coincidence?
There is however one major difference this time. The first time the party leader was ever present, so much so that the opposition saw it as a problem. This time however, we have a completely opposite scenario.
This time we have the ex president going on radio and criticizing the incumbent president. Yet one would think that the one chosen to serve in his absence would be one of his closest collaborators.
Who is being disloyal to whom and why? More important, how far will this go, where will it end and what will be the outcome? The administration still has until 2017 to go, so at a little less than half way through its term of office how much longer will it be able to maintain its credibility?
Except for the CAF, the country is in the throes of an economic depression, and if the the former president and his incumbent collegue no longer communicate, what is the story behind the story? And most important, how will this impact the country? So much work needs to be done, how much of it will get done?
The organic law is now being worked on, something which was not considered a priority, what will be the quality of the work done on that?
It is said that example comes from above, and in our case, above means France, since France, in this case, the national government, is the only thing above the collectivity. What example are we being shown by France, and is it not time that we show France how things should be done, or at the very least, how WE want things to be done on this island?
Let those who have ears to hear hear, and those who have eyes to see, see.
In this case, among the ranks of our incumbent administration.
As everyone is aware, the president of the territorial council which took office in 2012 was removed, for the second time since we became a collectivity in 2007 and leading me to think that France might have something to gain in doing that.
So in a rerun of our first collectivity elections, this leaves with a replacement and removing once again the head of the elected list. Coincidence?
There is however one major difference this time. The first time the party leader was ever present, so much so that the opposition saw it as a problem. This time however, we have a completely opposite scenario.
This time we have the ex president going on radio and criticizing the incumbent president. Yet one would think that the one chosen to serve in his absence would be one of his closest collaborators.
Who is being disloyal to whom and why? More important, how far will this go, where will it end and what will be the outcome? The administration still has until 2017 to go, so at a little less than half way through its term of office how much longer will it be able to maintain its credibility?
Except for the CAF, the country is in the throes of an economic depression, and if the the former president and his incumbent collegue no longer communicate, what is the story behind the story? And most important, how will this impact the country? So much work needs to be done, how much of it will get done?
The organic law is now being worked on, something which was not considered a priority, what will be the quality of the work done on that?
It is said that example comes from above, and in our case, above means France, since France, in this case, the national government, is the only thing above the collectivity. What example are we being shown by France, and is it not time that we show France how things should be done, or at the very least, how WE want things to be done on this island?
Let those who have ears to hear hear, and those who have eyes to see, see.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
THE BIG BAD ORGANIC LAW
Our present government has gone fom saying that the Organic Law was not a priority and would not be touched to saying it must now be done in two months. It would seem as if people a being given the impression that we have been given a "second chance" to change or modify the organic law. New Caledonia has modified its organic law at least seventeen (yes, 17) times since it went into effect.
I do not want to believe that the people I voted for in the last elections could allow crap like this to be propagated. Nor do I want to believe that those that I did not vote for could believe it. No wonder France seems to be determined to chop off the head of the group that gets elected. Having done it twice, as they say, look for "jamais deux sans trois". It would seem as if the once the head is gone all you end up with a caretaker government.
People, an Organic Law is a MALLEABLE DOCUMENT! Meaning open for modification as often as necessary. Something you ask for today may no longer apply five years down the line!
Minister Lurel knows in his heart that the left will suffer in the upcoming elections, and if a reshuffle of the national government is carried out the risks are high that he may no longer be Minister of Overseas Territories, and therefore will not be able to crow that he was the one who gave Saint Martin a "second chance" to modify its organic law.
Neither the Senator, the Deputy nor the Minister can ask for a modification of the organic law. Do you not think that if the Senator could do that it would not have been doene? IT HAS TO COME FROM THE TERRITORIAL GOVERNMEN?T OF THE COLLECTIVITY!
That said, as much as possible should be done to have it modified now, especially since it may not be looked at again for several years.
Girls who make children before their eighteenth birthday become of legal age by virtue of that birth. Saint Martin may have acquired article 74 before enough people were ready for it, but guess what??
Tough! We have it, we delivered our baby, we are now of legal age!
Get up off your duff and do what you have to do. If you don't there can only be two reasons why you won't: Either you do not KNOW what to do and not humble enough to find out, or you very well know and do not WANT to put in the work that is necessary, because it is a lot of work.
TAKE YOUR PICK!
I do not want to believe that the people I voted for in the last elections could allow crap like this to be propagated. Nor do I want to believe that those that I did not vote for could believe it. No wonder France seems to be determined to chop off the head of the group that gets elected. Having done it twice, as they say, look for "jamais deux sans trois". It would seem as if the once the head is gone all you end up with a caretaker government.
People, an Organic Law is a MALLEABLE DOCUMENT! Meaning open for modification as often as necessary. Something you ask for today may no longer apply five years down the line!
Minister Lurel knows in his heart that the left will suffer in the upcoming elections, and if a reshuffle of the national government is carried out the risks are high that he may no longer be Minister of Overseas Territories, and therefore will not be able to crow that he was the one who gave Saint Martin a "second chance" to modify its organic law.
Neither the Senator, the Deputy nor the Minister can ask for a modification of the organic law. Do you not think that if the Senator could do that it would not have been doene? IT HAS TO COME FROM THE TERRITORIAL GOVERNMEN?T OF THE COLLECTIVITY!
That said, as much as possible should be done to have it modified now, especially since it may not be looked at again for several years.
Girls who make children before their eighteenth birthday become of legal age by virtue of that birth. Saint Martin may have acquired article 74 before enough people were ready for it, but guess what??
Tough! We have it, we delivered our baby, we are now of legal age!
Get up off your duff and do what you have to do. If you don't there can only be two reasons why you won't: Either you do not KNOW what to do and not humble enough to find out, or you very well know and do not WANT to put in the work that is necessary, because it is a lot of work.
TAKE YOUR PICK!
Friday, March 7, 2014
WHAT TO BELIEVE ABOUT SAINT MARTIN?
This post is going to be partially a rant, and I really don't know how long it will be.
It would seem as if France is setting us up to fail. However, when I look at certain areas of society I see people like Romero Hyman and the Tae Kwon Do champions that he has produced, I see Calvin Bryan and the athletic champions that he has trained, bot of these teachers/coaches/trainers are St. Martiners and adult who have taught/trained young people from St. Martin.
My only conclusion can be that St. Martin and its people are capable of greatness. What is wrong with our polititians ? Are they truly afraid or have they been paid out?????
Why is it that the lists presented to us at election time are such that if you remove the head you are left with only a caretaker government? And why is it that France so Scrupulously removed both heads of the two collectivity elections????
It would seem as if anybody can be either senator or deputy because they are only one among hundreds, which is a lost case, do you REALLY expect to be heard in either the Senate or the Assembly? Don't fool yourselves, FRANCE wants this collectivity to fail so that they can come in and run it THE WAY THEY WANT IT RUN!
As I have said already, I am too old to do anything except talk, but if the State is not shown exactly what we want (which we have to know too) they will take us over.
It would seem as if France is setting us up to fail. However, when I look at certain areas of society I see people like Romero Hyman and the Tae Kwon Do champions that he has produced, I see Calvin Bryan and the athletic champions that he has trained, bot of these teachers/coaches/trainers are St. Martiners and adult who have taught/trained young people from St. Martin.
My only conclusion can be that St. Martin and its people are capable of greatness. What is wrong with our polititians ? Are they truly afraid or have they been paid out?????
Why is it that the lists presented to us at election time are such that if you remove the head you are left with only a caretaker government? And why is it that France so Scrupulously removed both heads of the two collectivity elections????
It would seem as if anybody can be either senator or deputy because they are only one among hundreds, which is a lost case, do you REALLY expect to be heard in either the Senate or the Assembly? Don't fool yourselves, FRANCE wants this collectivity to fail so that they can come in and run it THE WAY THEY WANT IT RUN!
As I have said already, I am too old to do anything except talk, but if the State is not shown exactly what we want (which we have to know too) they will take us over.
Friday, February 28, 2014
HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?
As has been said over and repeatedly, the island of Saint Martin is 37 square miles. Islands with active volcanoes may grow through volcanic eruptions, but St. Martin's volcanoes are no longer working, and many parts of the island were constructed by the sea building on coral, such as Philipsburg, Simpsonbay and Grand Case, among other locations on the island. But that is a process that takes thousands of years and one which has been interfered with in the dredging of the Bar of Philipsburg.
At one time there were five square miles of inland waters, but that is slowly and sometimes no slowly but surely disappearing, these days especially on the Dutch side.
So when do we reach the "Enough"! point on St. Martin? Looking at the island today I would say we have already reached it and exceeded in some areas.
Juliana airport already handles all types of aircraft, and runs out of space at certains times of year, we sometimes have as many as 8 cruise ships in port at one time. Millions of people pass through the island each year. Some days we may have an additional 20.000 people on an already overcrowed island of nobody knows how many thousand. The roads are not enough for the uncoontrolled thousands of cars and tour buses. On any day in winter tourists visiting St. Martin simply exchange a cold traffic jam for a hot traffic jam. Is that a fair exchange?
And now, both French side and Dutch are talking about extending their airports. To where? For whom? Because the native people are crying out here for lack of jobs first of all. Businesses are leaving the French side for the Dutch side, leaving even more joblessness on the French side, which survives these days on the French dole. Thousands of people not from the island and who have never contributed a day's work.
Right now we are having cemetery problems, they are all full. Government finds land to build social housing and schools for all the people flocking here, but the French side remains now without enough room to bury those who die and a hospital of only 80 beds and which is chronically out of room, where patients have to sleep in the corridors.
France is 50 years too late to be able to construct an airport on the French side of the caliber of Juliana airport. When France was offered the chance to build the airport along with the Dutch 50 years ago, the request had to go to France of course, and with the mentality of the Maginot line, France replied that it "did not see any benefit for France" in that. The rest is history.
Furthermore, there is no real reason why the French side should want to compete with the Dutch side. There are so many other ways to develop besides mega-marinas and mega-airports. The French side could become the "green" side of the island, developing and promoting things like 3"Fish Day" and the Colombier "Arrowroot Jollification" and "I love my Ram" programs. With proper promotion and development those kinds of programs could grow in the same manner that the Dutch side grew their Carnival and Heineken Regatta.
This island needs to focus on improving itself and working on helping to eradicate crime as much as possible. The two sides of the island also need to work on an immigration moratorium. Charity is supposed to begin at home and if you do not properly care for your own, how can you care for others?
At one time there were five square miles of inland waters, but that is slowly and sometimes no slowly but surely disappearing, these days especially on the Dutch side.
So when do we reach the "Enough"! point on St. Martin? Looking at the island today I would say we have already reached it and exceeded in some areas.
Juliana airport already handles all types of aircraft, and runs out of space at certains times of year, we sometimes have as many as 8 cruise ships in port at one time. Millions of people pass through the island each year. Some days we may have an additional 20.000 people on an already overcrowed island of nobody knows how many thousand. The roads are not enough for the uncoontrolled thousands of cars and tour buses. On any day in winter tourists visiting St. Martin simply exchange a cold traffic jam for a hot traffic jam. Is that a fair exchange?
And now, both French side and Dutch are talking about extending their airports. To where? For whom? Because the native people are crying out here for lack of jobs first of all. Businesses are leaving the French side for the Dutch side, leaving even more joblessness on the French side, which survives these days on the French dole. Thousands of people not from the island and who have never contributed a day's work.
Right now we are having cemetery problems, they are all full. Government finds land to build social housing and schools for all the people flocking here, but the French side remains now without enough room to bury those who die and a hospital of only 80 beds and which is chronically out of room, where patients have to sleep in the corridors.
France is 50 years too late to be able to construct an airport on the French side of the caliber of Juliana airport. When France was offered the chance to build the airport along with the Dutch 50 years ago, the request had to go to France of course, and with the mentality of the Maginot line, France replied that it "did not see any benefit for France" in that. The rest is history.
Furthermore, there is no real reason why the French side should want to compete with the Dutch side. There are so many other ways to develop besides mega-marinas and mega-airports. The French side could become the "green" side of the island, developing and promoting things like 3"Fish Day" and the Colombier "Arrowroot Jollification" and "I love my Ram" programs. With proper promotion and development those kinds of programs could grow in the same manner that the Dutch side grew their Carnival and Heineken Regatta.
This island needs to focus on improving itself and working on helping to eradicate crime as much as possible. The two sides of the island also need to work on an immigration moratorium. Charity is supposed to begin at home and if you do not properly care for your own, how can you care for others?
Monday, February 24, 2014
OUR DOUBLE CARNIVAL
I am calling it our double Carnival because the Dutch side calls their celebration Carnival, but Carnival, the true Carnival, is celebrated on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. The French territories even celebrate on Ash Wednesday. So what the Dutch side celebrates is in truth and in fact a Spring Festival, the way St. Kitts celebrates a Christmas festival.
Celebrations resembling Carnival are ancient, going back to way before Christianity. Thousands of years ago Rome celebrated the Saturnalia, around the days when we now celebrate Christmas. The Romans served their slaves (yes, slavery is also ancient and these slaves were Europeans).
Came Christianity and Carnival was institued at the beginning of Lent, because people were supposed to do penance around that time in preparation for the great feast of Easter. The very name Carnival comes from Carne Vale, 'no more meat'. Until Easter that is.
But when it became apparent that forty days of Lent was too long to fast, we got what is now called Mi-Careme in the French territories, and as people on St. Martin know, there is the Black and White Parade on Ash Wednesday! Mi-Careme is half way through Lent.
In today's day most Caribbean islands if not all all of them celebrate some festival during the year.
Notice that all the big ones, the ones that make the most splash, Rio, Trinidad, Aruba, Curacao, are celebrating it now at the same time. St. Croix and St. Kitts have wonderful Christmas celebrations. Antigua has/had a 'Crop-over festival as does Barbados, I think. Anguilla has two,
Anguilla Day and August Monday, St. Barths has August 24th, which is their nameday.
Celebrations resembling Carnival are ancient, going back to way before Christianity. Thousands of years ago Rome celebrated the Saturnalia, around the days when we now celebrate Christmas. The Romans served their slaves (yes, slavery is also ancient and these slaves were Europeans).
Came Christianity and Carnival was institued at the beginning of Lent, because people were supposed to do penance around that time in preparation for the great feast of Easter. The very name Carnival comes from Carne Vale, 'no more meat'. Until Easter that is.
But when it became apparent that forty days of Lent was too long to fast, we got what is now called Mi-Careme in the French territories, and as people on St. Martin know, there is the Black and White Parade on Ash Wednesday! Mi-Careme is half way through Lent.
In today's day most Caribbean islands if not all all of them celebrate some festival during the year.
Notice that all the big ones, the ones that make the most splash, Rio, Trinidad, Aruba, Curacao, are celebrating it now at the same time. St. Croix and St. Kitts have wonderful Christmas celebrations. Antigua has/had a 'Crop-over festival as does Barbados, I think. Anguilla has two,
Anguilla Day and August Monday, St. Barths has August 24th, which is their nameday.
Friday, February 21, 2014
OUR HOSPITAL
The Louis Constant Fleming Medical Center is a well equipped jewel of a hospital when one looks at it from the outside. It has one major problem: it nees twice as many beds than it has.
I have heard remarks about it such as "it has one more bed than than the old hospital", while the population has at least tripled, and "it has more office rooms that bed rooms for patients."
Why is this so? With a population that is expanding exponentialy, both through the island's birth rate and its unchecked immigration influs, it is well known throughout the French republic that something needs to be done. The island cannot continue to HAVE to accept so many outsiders because of the French system, while France does not furnish the means to take care of them, since they are living here off the CAF, while that is not allowed in the Hexagon.
Statistics show that in in 2011 the hospital recorded 881 births. It is easy to imagine how the population will increase each year. In any case, if nobody comes in through immigration, the population will have increased by almost 10 000 people in 10 years.
How is a hospital, built already several years ago, supposed to be able to care for this population? St. Martin is the area with the youngest population if the French republic, 40% of its population being below 25 years. That is almost half of the population!
Then we have family members who are brought in month after month by those who are already here, either because they have no remaining family inb their native countires or because they need special treatment, exactly the thing we are so ill-equipped to provide.
Where it stands right now, the hospital is overflowing on an ordianry day, and before the ambulance takes somebody to the emergency room dozens of questions have to be answered to prove that the household cannot take care of the sick person.
What if the dengue and the chikungunya were contagious instead of infectious and required hospitalization? What if a contagious disease were to break out? What if there were to be a really serious accident on board of one of those cruise ships which flood the island with tousands of people at once?
It would seem as if all we got is a new hospital building, and the old building is still in use for other purposes. Why was that building not kept as an emergency hospital or as a maternity hospital?
why is it that governments have to wait for something to happen and hundreds of people to suffer before they will act?
Those in positions of authority, please hear!!!!!
I have heard remarks about it such as "it has one more bed than than the old hospital", while the population has at least tripled, and "it has more office rooms that bed rooms for patients."
Why is this so? With a population that is expanding exponentialy, both through the island's birth rate and its unchecked immigration influs, it is well known throughout the French republic that something needs to be done. The island cannot continue to HAVE to accept so many outsiders because of the French system, while France does not furnish the means to take care of them, since they are living here off the CAF, while that is not allowed in the Hexagon.
Statistics show that in in 2011 the hospital recorded 881 births. It is easy to imagine how the population will increase each year. In any case, if nobody comes in through immigration, the population will have increased by almost 10 000 people in 10 years.
How is a hospital, built already several years ago, supposed to be able to care for this population? St. Martin is the area with the youngest population if the French republic, 40% of its population being below 25 years. That is almost half of the population!
Then we have family members who are brought in month after month by those who are already here, either because they have no remaining family inb their native countires or because they need special treatment, exactly the thing we are so ill-equipped to provide.
Where it stands right now, the hospital is overflowing on an ordianry day, and before the ambulance takes somebody to the emergency room dozens of questions have to be answered to prove that the household cannot take care of the sick person.
What if the dengue and the chikungunya were contagious instead of infectious and required hospitalization? What if a contagious disease were to break out? What if there were to be a really serious accident on board of one of those cruise ships which flood the island with tousands of people at once?
It would seem as if all we got is a new hospital building, and the old building is still in use for other purposes. Why was that building not kept as an emergency hospital or as a maternity hospital?
why is it that governments have to wait for something to happen and hundreds of people to suffer before they will act?
Those in positions of authority, please hear!!!!!
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
THE OTHERS - " THE WORKERS "
It is said that there are about 110 different nationalities present on St. Martin within these groups. There are however, two them who make up at least two thirds of what I call "the others", Dominicans and Haitians, people of what is the second largest island in the Caribbean area, whose populations number in the millions, even though they leave their countries by the thousands each year.
These many people of other nationalities have come to St. Martin to 'make a better life' for themselves as people like to say.
They run the gamut from from highly educated to illiterates, from highly skelled and trained to totally unskilled.
When tourism began taking off in the sixties there were jobs available for all, some even had two and three jobs, if they could handle it at one time. As far as money was concerned , life on St. Martin was sweet. The whole world had not yet heard of us. The vast majority of the tourists were Americans who were well-off and Caribbean people who were looking for work.
And then France and Holland "rediscovered" us in the late seventies and Europe became more and more present along with the rest of the world.
This has put us in a situation where we are now swamped with thousands of unskilled workers - our own, since it is a fact that EACH country has unskilled workers, and those from outside. That means we need a double supply of jobs available, which are not there, and one of the results is that outside labor gets the greater share of jobs, some because they accept conditions that are not allowed by law, but which are allowed to exist, and some because some groups only hire their own people. They send away for family members to fill positions that become available.
Something that happened to me this week is that my daughter had to be taken to the hospital emergency room this week. The hospital, because it is public, has to accept whoever docks up, was overflowing, there was no room for her, she spent the whole night in the corridor on a gurney, the next day she was sent home even though the doctor said he wanted to keep her another day or two. What would have happened if it had been something for which she had to remain in hospital? Now, having said that, I do not mean that Saint Martin lives are worth more than any other lives, legal or illegal. However I do mean that something needs to be done about the influx of people into this island because there are contagious diseases much more lethal than the dengue and the Chikungunya, and should one of them break out on St. Martin and the hospital overflows, it will be spread worldwide in a few weeks because many people here have money to take the next flight out.
Let those who have ears to hear, listen and hear!
These many people of other nationalities have come to St. Martin to 'make a better life' for themselves as people like to say.
They run the gamut from from highly educated to illiterates, from highly skelled and trained to totally unskilled.
When tourism began taking off in the sixties there were jobs available for all, some even had two and three jobs, if they could handle it at one time. As far as money was concerned , life on St. Martin was sweet. The whole world had not yet heard of us. The vast majority of the tourists were Americans who were well-off and Caribbean people who were looking for work.
And then France and Holland "rediscovered" us in the late seventies and Europe became more and more present along with the rest of the world.
This has put us in a situation where we are now swamped with thousands of unskilled workers - our own, since it is a fact that EACH country has unskilled workers, and those from outside. That means we need a double supply of jobs available, which are not there, and one of the results is that outside labor gets the greater share of jobs, some because they accept conditions that are not allowed by law, but which are allowed to exist, and some because some groups only hire their own people. They send away for family members to fill positions that become available.
Something that happened to me this week is that my daughter had to be taken to the hospital emergency room this week. The hospital, because it is public, has to accept whoever docks up, was overflowing, there was no room for her, she spent the whole night in the corridor on a gurney, the next day she was sent home even though the doctor said he wanted to keep her another day or two. What would have happened if it had been something for which she had to remain in hospital? Now, having said that, I do not mean that Saint Martin lives are worth more than any other lives, legal or illegal. However I do mean that something needs to be done about the influx of people into this island because there are contagious diseases much more lethal than the dengue and the Chikungunya, and should one of them break out on St. Martin and the hospital overflows, it will be spread worldwide in a few weeks because many people here have money to take the next flight out.
Let those who have ears to hear, listen and hear!
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
"THE INVESTORS" Arabs, Indians and Chinese
Indians, Arabs and Cinese are three of the five largest ethnic immigrant groups on the island.
They are all involved in sales and selling, each group in a different area. The Indians are mostly in jewelry, and clothing, Arabs sell hardware and furniture and the Chinese sell groceries and operate restaurants that are called "Chinese" restaurants on the island, though the food they cook is not really Chinese and is not what they themselves eat.
These are the people investin order to profit. They are however noticeably "groups and not creating a "people" even after almost 40 years of presence on the island. Some even live in what may be called gated communities in the sense that they form their own communities, attend private schools many of them.
An aside here which concerns the French side in particular. Lowlands and Orient Bay have in fact gated communities where the man on the street can only catch a glimpse from the street.
While the Chinese may seem to be the ones who have the most contact with natives, catering to all kinds of islanders, they too form their own closed communities.
Of course, it is not to be expected that just because these people invest here that they should be forced tso become natives, however, they are famous for either only hiring their own group members or immigrants, many of which accept to work under conditions that are not prper and valid. These immigrants say then that they are taken advantage of by "St. Martin people".
In general they are all very separate from the natives and do not form the "melting pot" that one wants to say that they do.
They are all involved in sales and selling, each group in a different area. The Indians are mostly in jewelry, and clothing, Arabs sell hardware and furniture and the Chinese sell groceries and operate restaurants that are called "Chinese" restaurants on the island, though the food they cook is not really Chinese and is not what they themselves eat.
These are the people investin order to profit. They are however noticeably "groups and not creating a "people" even after almost 40 years of presence on the island. Some even live in what may be called gated communities in the sense that they form their own communities, attend private schools many of them.
An aside here which concerns the French side in particular. Lowlands and Orient Bay have in fact gated communities where the man on the street can only catch a glimpse from the street.
While the Chinese may seem to be the ones who have the most contact with natives, catering to all kinds of islanders, they too form their own closed communities.
Of course, it is not to be expected that just because these people invest here that they should be forced tso become natives, however, they are famous for either only hiring their own group members or immigrants, many of which accept to work under conditions that are not prper and valid. These immigrants say then that they are taken advantage of by "St. Martin people".
In general they are all very separate from the natives and do not form the "melting pot" that one wants to say that they do.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
THE DUTCH AND THE FRENCH: THE PIRATES AND PRIVATEERS
The following three posts are intended to show very briefly how we got to where we are today. They may not be very long but should be separate for clarity's sake.
As many people know the French and Dutch have occupied the island for centuries, the Dutch in the South the French in the North, as they do today, proving that even back then the Dutch were the smarter businessmen.
Back in those early days French Quarter or Quartier d'Orleans was the capital of the French side and Simpsonbay the capital of the Dutch side. The present capitals were founded in the 1700s.
In 1648 the Dutch and the French drew up the now famous (or infamous, according to your point of view) Treaty of Concordia and the island has been divided according to that treaty ever since.
Both countries profited mightily from this little island as long as sugar and salt werr worth their weight in gold and there was free slave labor to harvest them, and they were worth their weight in gold. The island was planted in sugar cane and cotton and a bit of tobacco. There were salt ponds on both sides, but the Great Salt Pond and the salt pond in Grand Case were the real producers.
Then came the abolition of slavery and people could no longer be treated as draft animals, even though they still workd very hard, continuing to harvest salt until the mid-twentieth century. But Abolition effectively put an end to the profit and and after the mid-nineteenth century St. Martin continued to sink into a well of material poverty, neglected and forgotten by both Holland and France, until the mid-twentieth century, when tourism began and sun, sand ans sea became the big attractions. The letter S does not seem to bode well for St. Martiners. Once again both France and Holland are back to remind us that as far as they are concerned this land is theirs.
As many people know the French and Dutch have occupied the island for centuries, the Dutch in the South the French in the North, as they do today, proving that even back then the Dutch were the smarter businessmen.
Back in those early days French Quarter or Quartier d'Orleans was the capital of the French side and Simpsonbay the capital of the Dutch side. The present capitals were founded in the 1700s.
In 1648 the Dutch and the French drew up the now famous (or infamous, according to your point of view) Treaty of Concordia and the island has been divided according to that treaty ever since.
Both countries profited mightily from this little island as long as sugar and salt werr worth their weight in gold and there was free slave labor to harvest them, and they were worth their weight in gold. The island was planted in sugar cane and cotton and a bit of tobacco. There were salt ponds on both sides, but the Great Salt Pond and the salt pond in Grand Case were the real producers.
Then came the abolition of slavery and people could no longer be treated as draft animals, even though they still workd very hard, continuing to harvest salt until the mid-twentieth century. But Abolition effectively put an end to the profit and and after the mid-nineteenth century St. Martin continued to sink into a well of material poverty, neglected and forgotten by both Holland and France, until the mid-twentieth century, when tourism began and sun, sand ans sea became the big attractions. The letter S does not seem to bode well for St. Martiners. Once again both France and Holland are back to remind us that as far as they are concerned this land is theirs.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
THE FRENCH COMMUNITY COUNCILS
This is an FYI post, since apparently many people are either totally unaware of the existence of the community, and/or haven't a clue of what their purpose is, what they can do and even more important, what they cannot do.
One of the things that a Collectivity is bound to do is set up community councils throughout the territory which exist during the period of the incumbent administration's term of office.
On St. Martin there are six community councils:
1. French Quarter
2. Grand Case until the top of Reilly Hill.
3. Rambaud, from the top of Reilly Hill until the top of Morne Valois.
4. Top of Morne Valois until Concordia
5. St. James
6. Sandy Ground.
They are put there to advise the territorial administration of any problems in the respective areas. The administration is "obliged" to inform a community council of any specifica projects planned for that particular community and the council in return must investigate the project and its potential effect on the community, and send in their report to the administration, who however, is under no obligatio whatsoever to take this advice into consideration.
The council members give of their time on a totally voluntary basis, and receive no remuneration whatsoever, beyond the fact of knowing the the administration is aware of the people's opinions, wants and needs. The council may also bring to the administration any propositions for the improvement of the area, but again, whether for lack of funds or any other reason the administration may or may not take anything into consideration. As we know, right now money is tight.
While they are put in place by the incumbent administration, they are not political groups and being of a voluntary nature, almost any resident of the community may join.
Each council is coposed of 15 mambers and in theory 15 "suppléents" or those who are available to replace a member in case of necessity. This total of 30 people has never yet been reached in any of the communities. The council has members belonging to the associative sector, those who are involved in the operation of associations in the community, members belonging to the business sector, and regular members.
Never having attained the total of 30 people in each area forces me to say that of the thousands of people who profit from St. Martin and the remaining thousands who would like to see a change, there are not even 180 prople willing to work for St. Martin?
One of the things that a Collectivity is bound to do is set up community councils throughout the territory which exist during the period of the incumbent administration's term of office.
On St. Martin there are six community councils:
1. French Quarter
2. Grand Case until the top of Reilly Hill.
3. Rambaud, from the top of Reilly Hill until the top of Morne Valois.
4. Top of Morne Valois until Concordia
5. St. James
6. Sandy Ground.
They are put there to advise the territorial administration of any problems in the respective areas. The administration is "obliged" to inform a community council of any specifica projects planned for that particular community and the council in return must investigate the project and its potential effect on the community, and send in their report to the administration, who however, is under no obligatio whatsoever to take this advice into consideration.
The council members give of their time on a totally voluntary basis, and receive no remuneration whatsoever, beyond the fact of knowing the the administration is aware of the people's opinions, wants and needs. The council may also bring to the administration any propositions for the improvement of the area, but again, whether for lack of funds or any other reason the administration may or may not take anything into consideration. As we know, right now money is tight.
While they are put in place by the incumbent administration, they are not political groups and being of a voluntary nature, almost any resident of the community may join.
Each council is coposed of 15 mambers and in theory 15 "suppléents" or those who are available to replace a member in case of necessity. This total of 30 people has never yet been reached in any of the communities. The council has members belonging to the associative sector, those who are involved in the operation of associations in the community, members belonging to the business sector, and regular members.
Never having attained the total of 30 people in each area forces me to say that of the thousands of people who profit from St. Martin and the remaining thousands who would like to see a change, there are not even 180 prople willing to work for St. Martin?
Thursday, February 13, 2014
CARING FOR THE HOMELESS AND NEEDY
St. Martin finds itself today with many homeless and needy people. There are people who do not have enough to eat, nowhere to sleep,and many other forms of neediness. Many are lonely without even realizing it. Many have psychological problems today that we have never even heard of.
We also do not the infrastructure on the island to properly care for these people. Even worse, more and more people are coming to the island every year. Many people, some here illegaly send for other members of their families who require either medical care or specialized services, those services which we are already so ill-equipped to provide.
What are we to do in such a case? Many would say it would be inhumane to repatriate them, if they have nothing back where they came from. But that leaves us still with the problem of how to support more than we are able to? Something has to give at some point in time, and what is going to happen when it does? And those are only the most serious ones, from the point of view of those concerned.
What is this islands carrying capacity? It is already no. 16 in the world as far as population per square mile is concerned. We have no economical basis except for tourism and on the French side especially, the dole. We have no agriculture to speak of, and therefore cannot feed ourselves. What happens if we can no longer import? We already have no jobs available, especially for the young people, who make up 40% of the population of the island.
How many outsiders who live exclusively on monies paid by the CAF can we continue to support. Who will continue to pay this burden, and for how long?
When are we going to do something about it?
We also do not the infrastructure on the island to properly care for these people. Even worse, more and more people are coming to the island every year. Many people, some here illegaly send for other members of their families who require either medical care or specialized services, those services which we are already so ill-equipped to provide.
What are we to do in such a case? Many would say it would be inhumane to repatriate them, if they have nothing back where they came from. But that leaves us still with the problem of how to support more than we are able to? Something has to give at some point in time, and what is going to happen when it does? And those are only the most serious ones, from the point of view of those concerned.
What is this islands carrying capacity? It is already no. 16 in the world as far as population per square mile is concerned. We have no economical basis except for tourism and on the French side especially, the dole. We have no agriculture to speak of, and therefore cannot feed ourselves. What happens if we can no longer import? We already have no jobs available, especially for the young people, who make up 40% of the population of the island.
How many outsiders who live exclusively on monies paid by the CAF can we continue to support. Who will continue to pay this burden, and for how long?
When are we going to do something about it?
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN OUR GOVERNMENTS ARE NO LONGER OURS?
We complain already that we are treated like second class citizens in our own country and we see people from outside being allowed/authorized by our two governments to do things that we are fully capable of doing. Yet, it seems as if all we do is complain without taking any assertive action.
What will we do when both of those govenments will one day be in the hands of people who have no ancestral ties to this island? It is a fact that many people are here only for what they are getting.
We know that the members of both our governments "sweeten the pot" for outsiders who are eligible to vote in order to ensure that they are elected. However, that is sowing the wind, and the day MUST come when we will have to face the whirlwind. What do we do then? What will our children and grandchildren be able to do? How will be respond?
If our own are treating us like second class citizens while they are in power, what will happen when they are forced out of power? They will have given the outsiders the example of how to treat us!
Maybe those in power now have already feathered their nests, whether here or abroad and it will not really matter to them who is in power.
But what about those of us who have nowhere else to go? Or those who are old and sick and have no one to care for them?
And how far in the future do we think this day is? There are on this island at least 5 groups which are seconds away from being able to take over.
People, wake up, it's later than you think!
What will we do when both of those govenments will one day be in the hands of people who have no ancestral ties to this island? It is a fact that many people are here only for what they are getting.
We know that the members of both our governments "sweeten the pot" for outsiders who are eligible to vote in order to ensure that they are elected. However, that is sowing the wind, and the day MUST come when we will have to face the whirlwind. What do we do then? What will our children and grandchildren be able to do? How will be respond?
If our own are treating us like second class citizens while they are in power, what will happen when they are forced out of power? They will have given the outsiders the example of how to treat us!
Maybe those in power now have already feathered their nests, whether here or abroad and it will not really matter to them who is in power.
But what about those of us who have nowhere else to go? Or those who are old and sick and have no one to care for them?
And how far in the future do we think this day is? There are on this island at least 5 groups which are seconds away from being able to take over.
People, wake up, it's later than you think!
Sunday, February 9, 2014
HOW CAN ST. MARTINERS BE BROUGHT TOGETHER AGAIN?
So much is going wrong on both sides of St. Martin and the cry is always: ST. MARTINERS, UNITE! United we stand, Divided, we fall!
Is there one subject or topic that will bring us all toger, about which we can, if not all of us, the majoirty of us, unite? If not unite at first, at least discuss? There is a division between St. Martiners now that did not exist before.
The poor are crying out, but are either afraid or don't know what to do, to take action, probably because they living off the dole, and since there are no jobs available for them, they are afraid of losing that. Most of the "local whites" seem to have enough to live on or are also afraid of getting involved.
There is almost no connection between these two groups, so how do we bring them together at least to dialogue? This dichotomy exists on both sides of the island.
Another problem is that while people from the French side go to the Dutch side for everything from Carnival to shopping for food, this is not reciprocal.
When Carnival on the Dutch side was trying to get off the ground the French side supported to them to the extent that today the French Carnival is nothing while the Dutch carnival is big thing in the Caribbean and beyond. However I can remember the French side celebrating carnival when the Dutch side didn't know the meaning of the word. Of course, back in those days we didn't have feathers and glitter from Trinidad on either side!
Not even Church celebrations bring them together, except for a funeral if it is somebody they know. So, what to do? Maybe a St. Martiner who lives away from the island might read this and come up with an idea and comment on it!
Is there one subject or topic that will bring us all toger, about which we can, if not all of us, the majoirty of us, unite? If not unite at first, at least discuss? There is a division between St. Martiners now that did not exist before.
The poor are crying out, but are either afraid or don't know what to do, to take action, probably because they living off the dole, and since there are no jobs available for them, they are afraid of losing that. Most of the "local whites" seem to have enough to live on or are also afraid of getting involved.
There is almost no connection between these two groups, so how do we bring them together at least to dialogue? This dichotomy exists on both sides of the island.
Another problem is that while people from the French side go to the Dutch side for everything from Carnival to shopping for food, this is not reciprocal.
When Carnival on the Dutch side was trying to get off the ground the French side supported to them to the extent that today the French Carnival is nothing while the Dutch carnival is big thing in the Caribbean and beyond. However I can remember the French side celebrating carnival when the Dutch side didn't know the meaning of the word. Of course, back in those days we didn't have feathers and glitter from Trinidad on either side!
Not even Church celebrations bring them together, except for a funeral if it is somebody they know. So, what to do? Maybe a St. Martiner who lives away from the island might read this and come up with an idea and comment on it!
Monday, February 3, 2014
DENGUE AND CHICUNGUNYA
This post won't be very long and concerns both sides of the island, because things like earthquakes, hurricanes and diseases carried by mosquitoes like the dengue and the chicungunya do not stop at the frontier.
In fact they have no frontiers, and if those diseases are present on the French side of St. Martin to the extent of being called an epidemic, then it is absolutely impossible for them not to be present on the Dutch side too.
Why is the Dutch side in denial about this? Is it that most of those who get it on the Dutch side come to the French side for treatment?
Instead of denying the presence, they should start fogging for the mosquitoes.
In other French territories the Army was brought in for intensified fogging. Why is that not being done here? And why do the two sides of the island not get together to do proper fogging?
One thing is sure, if it is not on the Dutch side yet, it will definitely get there, andif both sides do not work on the problem, it will not be solved.
St. Martin, when are we going to unite?
In fact they have no frontiers, and if those diseases are present on the French side of St. Martin to the extent of being called an epidemic, then it is absolutely impossible for them not to be present on the Dutch side too.
Why is the Dutch side in denial about this? Is it that most of those who get it on the Dutch side come to the French side for treatment?
Instead of denying the presence, they should start fogging for the mosquitoes.
In other French territories the Army was brought in for intensified fogging. Why is that not being done here? And why do the two sides of the island not get together to do proper fogging?
One thing is sure, if it is not on the Dutch side yet, it will definitely get there, andif both sides do not work on the problem, it will not be solved.
St. Martin, when are we going to unite?
Saturday, February 1, 2014
IS GUADELOUPE HELPING OR HURTING ST. MARTIN?
Even though we have become an Overseas collectivity of France, we are still bound by many ties to Guadeloupe. Until 2012 we shared a deputy in the National Assembly with them. Since then we (the collectivities of St. Barths and St.Martin) share a senator and a deputy.
However during the years from 2007 until 2012, we seem once again to have been on the losing end of the relationship with Guadeloupe.
According to a statement issued by former president of the collectivity, Mr. Alain Richardson, the following is a non-exhaustive list of project requested for St. Martin but which have been either buried or superceded by Guadeloupe.
1
Construction and opening on St. Martin of an Army Center which would have recruited and trained young St. Martiners here on the island, rather than having to go to Guadeloupe. St. Martin has the youngest population of the French Republic while Guadeloupe has the oldest.
2
The creation on St. Martin of a Court in First Instance, which members of the legal profession have been asking for for years now. Buried because if our legal cases weren't there to maintain the court in Basse Terre itwould simply be annexed to that of Pointe a Pitre. I fail to see a problem in that since it must be easier for somebody to go from Basse Terre to Pointe a Pitre by car as compared to someone having to pay airfare and hotel fees to go from St. Martin to Guadeloupe.
3
Holding back of some European funds which would help our sorely lacking infrastructure. This has always been in effects, which is why they did not really want us to leave the constellation. However, they seem to have found a loophole.
4
Holding back by the Administrative court of our request for payment of funds promised by the State for more than 2 years, after which we were informed that they were not competent to deal with the affaire. Back to square one!
5
A Ministerial visit by the Minister of the Interior Valls, who chose to return to France because of the noise made by an illegal Gypsy family, while St. Martin is swamped with thousands of illegals, to name just one of our problems.
and as noted, the list is not exhaustive! Where does that put us?
St. Martiners, we need to unite!!!
However during the years from 2007 until 2012, we seem once again to have been on the losing end of the relationship with Guadeloupe.
According to a statement issued by former president of the collectivity, Mr. Alain Richardson, the following is a non-exhaustive list of project requested for St. Martin but which have been either buried or superceded by Guadeloupe.
1
Construction and opening on St. Martin of an Army Center which would have recruited and trained young St. Martiners here on the island, rather than having to go to Guadeloupe. St. Martin has the youngest population of the French Republic while Guadeloupe has the oldest.
2
The creation on St. Martin of a Court in First Instance, which members of the legal profession have been asking for for years now. Buried because if our legal cases weren't there to maintain the court in Basse Terre itwould simply be annexed to that of Pointe a Pitre. I fail to see a problem in that since it must be easier for somebody to go from Basse Terre to Pointe a Pitre by car as compared to someone having to pay airfare and hotel fees to go from St. Martin to Guadeloupe.
3
Holding back of some European funds which would help our sorely lacking infrastructure. This has always been in effects, which is why they did not really want us to leave the constellation. However, they seem to have found a loophole.
4
Holding back by the Administrative court of our request for payment of funds promised by the State for more than 2 years, after which we were informed that they were not competent to deal with the affaire. Back to square one!
5
A Ministerial visit by the Minister of the Interior Valls, who chose to return to France because of the noise made by an illegal Gypsy family, while St. Martin is swamped with thousands of illegals, to name just one of our problems.
and as noted, the list is not exhaustive! Where does that put us?
St. Martiners, we need to unite!!!
Friday, January 31, 2014
ARE WE REALLY THE CHERRY ON THE WORLD'S CAKE?
I was struck a few days ago by a remark made by Mr. Victor Paines on the radio Program 'Talking Point'.
He said and I quote: "St. Martin is the cherry on the world's cake"!
The thought stopped me short, but I had to agree; it does seem as if everybody in the world wants a piece of us these days, whether on the French side or the Dutch side.
Why and how did we find ourselves in this situation and even more important, is this a good thing? And if not, what can we do about it?
Back in the sixties and seventies, when independence fever was running high, tourism had put out its first tender buds on St. Martin. Those were the days of Sweet Saint Martin's Land, when people came to St. Martin to see the way we lived, and started coming back to build vacation homes on the island. The tourists were almost all Americans.
Jobs were flourishing in those days and some people had as many as three jobs in one day. Money started coming in and some of those had had to leave home to find work started coming back, especially from Aruba and Curaçao.
Then the eighties rolled around and many Caribbean islands became independant, creating proud new countries with citizens proud of their new identities.
By this time St. Martin was beginning to feel the impact of the influx of outsiders, who came looking for jobs and who found jobs, since the tourist trade had expanded to a degree that St. Martiners alone could not fill all the jobs.
There were however many illegals who were allowed and even encouraged by St. Martiners to remain, based on their feeling that they were repaying a debt, since they had had to go away to find work. This though, was soon interpreted by the outsiders as weakness.
Also being the host population, nobody thought they had to defend themsevelves in their own house, nor did anybody give much thought to identity, not having gone through the independence struggle. At home nobody notices an identity which is shared by all. It is only in leaving your home that you realize that you are not all exactly alike in expression.
Now, however in the twenty first century we are being told that everybody is a St. Martiner, and that native St. Martiners have neither identity nor culture.
Why then is everybody here? And why do so many people want to be called St. Martiner and and rant and rave when they are told that they are not? At the moment those who came lately to St. Martin seem to be having a much easier time of it than those of us whose ancestors settled this island.
Are there any cherries left on the cake for us? And how do we go about getting our share?
He said and I quote: "St. Martin is the cherry on the world's cake"!
The thought stopped me short, but I had to agree; it does seem as if everybody in the world wants a piece of us these days, whether on the French side or the Dutch side.
Why and how did we find ourselves in this situation and even more important, is this a good thing? And if not, what can we do about it?
Back in the sixties and seventies, when independence fever was running high, tourism had put out its first tender buds on St. Martin. Those were the days of Sweet Saint Martin's Land, when people came to St. Martin to see the way we lived, and started coming back to build vacation homes on the island. The tourists were almost all Americans.
Jobs were flourishing in those days and some people had as many as three jobs in one day. Money started coming in and some of those had had to leave home to find work started coming back, especially from Aruba and Curaçao.
Then the eighties rolled around and many Caribbean islands became independant, creating proud new countries with citizens proud of their new identities.
By this time St. Martin was beginning to feel the impact of the influx of outsiders, who came looking for jobs and who found jobs, since the tourist trade had expanded to a degree that St. Martiners alone could not fill all the jobs.
There were however many illegals who were allowed and even encouraged by St. Martiners to remain, based on their feeling that they were repaying a debt, since they had had to go away to find work. This though, was soon interpreted by the outsiders as weakness.
Also being the host population, nobody thought they had to defend themsevelves in their own house, nor did anybody give much thought to identity, not having gone through the independence struggle. At home nobody notices an identity which is shared by all. It is only in leaving your home that you realize that you are not all exactly alike in expression.
Now, however in the twenty first century we are being told that everybody is a St. Martiner, and that native St. Martiners have neither identity nor culture.
Why then is everybody here? And why do so many people want to be called St. Martiner and and rant and rave when they are told that they are not? At the moment those who came lately to St. Martin seem to be having a much easier time of it than those of us whose ancestors settled this island.
Are there any cherries left on the cake for us? And how do we go about getting our share?
Thursday, January 30, 2014
IS THIS FAIR?
My first few blogs were written from the point of view of being on the French side of the island. This one goes to the Dutch side and was caused by the article in the Daily Herald regarding the fact that Voyager will now be able to take passengers from PJIA direct to St. Barths, apparently from directly accross from the airport, cutting out the taxi drivers who are accustomed to take them to Oyster Pond, Voyager's normal placeof departure.
Again I ask: is this fair? Why would Voyager need to leave from the Airport? And from government's point of view, did they think when they were giving this permit, because I assume a permit should be required. Did they think of those drivers whose living depends on carrying people around the island? They have delivered hundreds of taxi permits, each one cutting down the profits of the other. Now another unknown amount of lost fares.
Another thing, the owners of Voyager are metropolitan French. What flag does the boat fly? There are offices on both the French and Dutch side, so we assume the company is registered on both sides of the island.
There are many questions surrounding this whole affair, so let us wait and see what will develop further down the line, but I still find it unfair.
Again I ask: is this fair? Why would Voyager need to leave from the Airport? And from government's point of view, did they think when they were giving this permit, because I assume a permit should be required. Did they think of those drivers whose living depends on carrying people around the island? They have delivered hundreds of taxi permits, each one cutting down the profits of the other. Now another unknown amount of lost fares.
Another thing, the owners of Voyager are metropolitan French. What flag does the boat fly? There are offices on both the French and Dutch side, so we assume the company is registered on both sides of the island.
There are many questions surrounding this whole affair, so let us wait and see what will develop further down the line, but I still find it unfair.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
CAN ONE REALLY BE A CITIZEN OF THE WORLD?
The world is either a very big place or very small place, depending on your point of view.
Can your point of view really make you feel yourself a 'citizen of the world', with no more feeling for the place where you were born and where you grew up than for the place where you now find yourself?
True, there are people who leave their native lands and never look back, but does that mean that they feel the whole world is their homeland?
Can somebody born and bred in the desert be really at home in the tropical rain forest, even if both desert and rain forest are on the same continent, such as Africa and South America? Can someone from a tiny island in the middle of the ocean really belong to continent and vice versa?
All this makes me wonder why so many people of late have claimed tove St. Martin so much they claim it as their homeland, not so slowly and not so subtly pushing the natives out and causing them to be treated as second and third calss citizens.
If it were not possible to do so much in St. Martin that cannot be done elsewhere, would the rich keep coming? If the French did not give such generous social benefits even to illegals, would the poor keep coming?
This little island is only 37 square miles and is not likely to grow in the near future, and it is being forced to support outsiders from its own budget without being able to decide who stays and who leaves. How long can this go on?
And where does it leave the natives who consider this their ancestral homeland and are not 'citizens of the world?'
Can your point of view really make you feel yourself a 'citizen of the world', with no more feeling for the place where you were born and where you grew up than for the place where you now find yourself?
True, there are people who leave their native lands and never look back, but does that mean that they feel the whole world is their homeland?
Can somebody born and bred in the desert be really at home in the tropical rain forest, even if both desert and rain forest are on the same continent, such as Africa and South America? Can someone from a tiny island in the middle of the ocean really belong to continent and vice versa?
All this makes me wonder why so many people of late have claimed tove St. Martin so much they claim it as their homeland, not so slowly and not so subtly pushing the natives out and causing them to be treated as second and third calss citizens.
If it were not possible to do so much in St. Martin that cannot be done elsewhere, would the rich keep coming? If the French did not give such generous social benefits even to illegals, would the poor keep coming?
This little island is only 37 square miles and is not likely to grow in the near future, and it is being forced to support outsiders from its own budget without being able to decide who stays and who leaves. How long can this go on?
And where does it leave the natives who consider this their ancestral homeland and are not 'citizens of the world?'
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
TWO NATIONALITIES - A GOOD THING OR A BAD THING?
Is the fact that St. Martin is a two-nationality island a good thing or a bad thing? For whom is it good and for whom is it bad and why should this be so? And then, what can orshould we do about it?
As a tourist attraction it is definitely a good thing. The island is only 37 square miles, its frontiers are virtual, one passes them almost unnoticed.
The Dutch side can capitalize on things Dutch and the Frenchside on things French, especially food and restaurants. That is probably the biggest of the good things. It is also probably the biggest of the bad things too.
The two administrative systems are so different it is almost unbelievable. Most of the time French people have gone to the Dutch side to work, mostly in the tourism sector. Yet it is almost impossible for people of the Dutch side to come to the French side to work.
On the other hand, today we have immigrants who live on one side of the island, and profit from the laws of the other side, something the natives cannot do.
Another bad thing is the rampant immigration, which rewards the illegals by granting them both legalization and after a few years the nationality of the country. This puts the French side especially in a bind. Because of the French system they cannot decide who enters, who is expelled, who gets legalized or who gets French nationality. Yet, again because of the system, the collectivity has to pay the dole for them.
It seems to me that we are reaching a point where it is definitely not a good thing.
As a tourist attraction it is definitely a good thing. The island is only 37 square miles, its frontiers are virtual, one passes them almost unnoticed.
The Dutch side can capitalize on things Dutch and the Frenchside on things French, especially food and restaurants. That is probably the biggest of the good things. It is also probably the biggest of the bad things too.
The two administrative systems are so different it is almost unbelievable. Most of the time French people have gone to the Dutch side to work, mostly in the tourism sector. Yet it is almost impossible for people of the Dutch side to come to the French side to work.
On the other hand, today we have immigrants who live on one side of the island, and profit from the laws of the other side, something the natives cannot do.
Another bad thing is the rampant immigration, which rewards the illegals by granting them both legalization and after a few years the nationality of the country. This puts the French side especially in a bind. Because of the French system they cannot decide who enters, who is expelled, who gets legalized or who gets French nationality. Yet, again because of the system, the collectivity has to pay the dole for them.
It seems to me that we are reaching a point where it is definitely not a good thing.
Monday, January 27, 2014
WHY DOES OUR ENGLISH BOTHER FRANCE MORE THAN OTHER DIALECTS?
What is there about the fact that we speak an English-based dialect here on St. Martin that bothers France so much? I'm sure they cannot understand the French-based ones spoken around the world any more than they understand ours.
It has been said that France has forgiven Germany for invading them but will never forgive the U.K, the USA and Australia (all of whome speak English), for having liberated them.
Now, St. Martin has been English-speaking for centuries. The island is surrounded by English-speaking islands, including the Southern side of St. Martin itself, where most of us have family members and other relatives.
Having said that, it is true that we should be able to speak French, if only to be able to defend ourselves, and when I look around, since France 'rediscovered' us in the seventies, most young people have been attending French school. Not without problems, since the children are expected to know the French language from the day they enter school.
If we gave up speaking English, what would we become? We would become like the French, monolingual and would be like Guadeloupe and Martinique, unable to communicate with our Caribbean neighbors. Not forgetting our relatives on the Dutch side of the island. Must they learn French too?
My feeling is where other dialects are concerned, most of which are incomprehensible to others of the English and French speaking world, our dialect, even though ridiculed many times as 'broken English', would still be and is understood by most English speaking people who come to this island. Maybe even the French are unwilling to admit that they understand more of our dialect than they can of French-based ones!
It has been said that France has forgiven Germany for invading them but will never forgive the U.K, the USA and Australia (all of whome speak English), for having liberated them.
Now, St. Martin has been English-speaking for centuries. The island is surrounded by English-speaking islands, including the Southern side of St. Martin itself, where most of us have family members and other relatives.
Having said that, it is true that we should be able to speak French, if only to be able to defend ourselves, and when I look around, since France 'rediscovered' us in the seventies, most young people have been attending French school. Not without problems, since the children are expected to know the French language from the day they enter school.
If we gave up speaking English, what would we become? We would become like the French, monolingual and would be like Guadeloupe and Martinique, unable to communicate with our Caribbean neighbors. Not forgetting our relatives on the Dutch side of the island. Must they learn French too?
My feeling is where other dialects are concerned, most of which are incomprehensible to others of the English and French speaking world, our dialect, even though ridiculed many times as 'broken English', would still be and is understood by most English speaking people who come to this island. Maybe even the French are unwilling to admit that they understand more of our dialect than they can of French-based ones!
Sunday, January 26, 2014
WHERE IS FRANCE (AND ST. MARTIN) HEADED?
France has issued 46.000 permits to illegal aliens during the course of 2013, up 30% from 2012. There is a 'Valls circular' which sets out what is 'required' for legalization of these illegals. What is the government hoping to achieve by doing this? They have also eased the requirements for naturalization. So these illegals not only get legalized, they also are rewarded with the French nationality!
The former government considered naturalization the final step in the integration process of a person into the French system, which seems a reasonable assumption. However, if people are naturalized without proper integration, what kind of country are they creating?
On the one hand France has it in for St. Martin because they speak English, which we have been doing for centuries, while on the other hand granting their nationality to people who are not so slowly and not so subtly forcing French people to change their way of life to suit theirs.
When I consider the legalization and naturalization of all these people I am forced to think of people of St. Martin who are being condemned in court for engagin in 'clandestine' work activities, the very same word used to describe people who enter the country illegaly.
On one hand those 'clandestine's are rewarded for their illegality, while we are condemned for trying to make a living without have to beg the government for money. Engaging in 'clandestine' working activities does not give the government any money to throw around the way they do, since it is the social charges collected from businesses that gives them this money.
Another point is that because of that they have turned our people into a population of unambitious, lazy and cowardly people! It does not pay to have ambition in the French system, since if you were born without money, you won't get rich in the French system. Government will find a way to take it from you, while those who were born rich only continue to get richer.
How long before something blows up?
The former government considered naturalization the final step in the integration process of a person into the French system, which seems a reasonable assumption. However, if people are naturalized without proper integration, what kind of country are they creating?
On the one hand France has it in for St. Martin because they speak English, which we have been doing for centuries, while on the other hand granting their nationality to people who are not so slowly and not so subtly forcing French people to change their way of life to suit theirs.
When I consider the legalization and naturalization of all these people I am forced to think of people of St. Martin who are being condemned in court for engagin in 'clandestine' work activities, the very same word used to describe people who enter the country illegaly.
On one hand those 'clandestine's are rewarded for their illegality, while we are condemned for trying to make a living without have to beg the government for money. Engaging in 'clandestine' working activities does not give the government any money to throw around the way they do, since it is the social charges collected from businesses that gives them this money.
Another point is that because of that they have turned our people into a population of unambitious, lazy and cowardly people! It does not pay to have ambition in the French system, since if you were born without money, you won't get rich in the French system. Government will find a way to take it from you, while those who were born rich only continue to get richer.
How long before something blows up?
WHEN ARE WE GOING TO ACT?
When is St. Martin going to amend its Organic Law to suit our specific circumstance's? Why should we have to support and pay out money to people who have no jobs and who contribute nothing to the community, people who only come here for the social benefits they receive from the French state? And once having received this money, it is sent back to their country of origin?
If France wants to pay them for living in St. Martin then the State should pay them while the Collectivity pays the natives. How long can continue having the responsiblity of paying these people who arrive in droves year after year without having the competence to decide who can collect and who can't?
This is a burden that St. Martin can no longer carry. France is setting the Collectivity up to fail. The state wants to be able to step in and say that we are incapable of handling our own affairs. They have wanted to do that for several decades now, ever since they realized the treasure chest they have in St. Martin.
They cannot do so in St. Barths, because that is a whole different setup. They are one people, to start with, and they know what they want. St. Martin has never been one in that way, two nationalities have always had its effect on us, whether we like to admit it or not. We may have relatives on both sides, and I for one consider the island as one, since a hurricane or earthquake will not hit one side and not the other, but where we stand right now, we are definitely divided.
This story might sound trivial, but demonstrates a profound truth about the French state. For the upcoming World Cup France has no referee qualified to take part. However French Polynesia does, and because it is a Collectivity under article 74 (and because it has amended its Organic Law at least 16 times), it does have one such referee who can participate in the World Cup as a French Polynesian and not simply be swallowed up the name of France.
When are we going to emulate what is worth emulating?
If France wants to pay them for living in St. Martin then the State should pay them while the Collectivity pays the natives. How long can continue having the responsiblity of paying these people who arrive in droves year after year without having the competence to decide who can collect and who can't?
This is a burden that St. Martin can no longer carry. France is setting the Collectivity up to fail. The state wants to be able to step in and say that we are incapable of handling our own affairs. They have wanted to do that for several decades now, ever since they realized the treasure chest they have in St. Martin.
They cannot do so in St. Barths, because that is a whole different setup. They are one people, to start with, and they know what they want. St. Martin has never been one in that way, two nationalities have always had its effect on us, whether we like to admit it or not. We may have relatives on both sides, and I for one consider the island as one, since a hurricane or earthquake will not hit one side and not the other, but where we stand right now, we are definitely divided.
This story might sound trivial, but demonstrates a profound truth about the French state. For the upcoming World Cup France has no referee qualified to take part. However French Polynesia does, and because it is a Collectivity under article 74 (and because it has amended its Organic Law at least 16 times), it does have one such referee who can participate in the World Cup as a French Polynesian and not simply be swallowed up the name of France.
When are we going to emulate what is worth emulating?
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