Dear Source:
First of all, we need to concentrate on our educational level on all of our islands. I'm in the business of communications, and many people from overseas have the impression that everyone down here is stupid. People may ask, "Hey, where are you from?" I reply, "the Virgin Islands," and their reaction is, "Gosh, you're no dummy. Everyone we speak to down there acts like they're a bunch of dummies!"
You don't know how much this breaks my heart — my beautiful island, my beautiful people, considered a bunch of dummies. Business officials through the Industrial Development Commission, for example. You don't even want to know what they think of the people of the Virgin Islands, especially St. Croix.
Of course, tourists come down here and say, "Oh, the people down here are very nice and friendly." I agree with that statement, but maybe we are being too nice, perhaps submissive. No one wants to work together to push the government and our fellow citizens to set higher standards for our educational level.
Our own governor cannot give a speech without having his eyes glued to the paper. I don't know much about the governor, but prior to being elected governor he was commissioner of Education, and he did nothing for this department, so what do you expect from him now? But I understand there wasn't much of a choice — it was either him or Schneider, who was being accused of thiefing from the government, thiefing from the people.
We need to start grooming our young men and women to want to become better leaders. For Christ's sake, there are men and women in the Senate who haven't even taking a course in politics or economics. Would you hire an English professor to do an accountant's job? Why not? Because the individual has not taken any courses in accounting, and therefore is not familiar with accounting principles and won't be able to solve problems in the appropriate manner.
But this is all we have, because there is no education and there are no standards. When our children go to college, they have to take reading and writing classes all over again because they weren't taught the right way in the first place.
Another complaint I have is that no one but Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg is keeping a watchful eye over IDC beneficiaries. These people are coming here receiving tax exemptions and they are not paying the residential employees what they deserve and are importing people from the U.S. mainland on a regular basis because no one down here is qualified. They find loopholes for not hiring the number of residents required.
Those here who have degrees are suffering because one of the IDC "benefits" is having the luxury of paying Crucians about half the salary of a person working on the mainland in the same position with the same qualifications. How could we be so blind and desperate, depriving our people of what they deserve?
Jeffrey Prosser wanted a 100 percent tax exemption for what? He offered to build a car track, which would have brought people from all over the world and constant visitors from Puerto Rico, and a stadium for players in the off season to come down to train and play. His plans for improving our economy drastically were rejected.Why? Because he wanted a tax exemption.
Well, he got his own way through IDC, getting a tax exemption for his telephone company without having to put anything out.
Take note: I'm not attacking Mr. Prosser. I think he's a smart businessman who saw an opportunity and took advantage of it, which is what everyone else on this island fails to do.
One of the things that I get upset about with Virgin Islanders is that they refer to people from neighboring islands below us as "stupid." Why is that? People from other islands own more businesses on St. Croix than native Crucians, and they graduate from high school around 15 or 16 years of age and get a well-balanced education. Why have several beautiful, smart women from Trinidad held the title of Miss Universe? They, of course, have higher educational levels than ours. Maybe, after having been born down there, people moved to the Virgin Islands, then became "stupid."
The main problem I see here is that no one works together.
Jackie Donellie
St. Croix
