Island News?

What is the website address?

Hi Pamela,
This is a site someone on the board was asking about for maps. I started wandering around on it and got hooked on what I was reading. Pretty amazing folks, those VI politicians, if any of it is true. I particularly enjoyed the part about the raises.
Let me know what you think?
John
http://www.pressenter.com/~inews/home.html

Good afternoon everyone!

They have a great newsletter that is sent every other month. If you become a member of the VI property owners association they send it to you with a package of good information about the islands and recent property sales prices too. The August edition has a more upbeat article on the front page. The U. S. Attorney David Nissman is taking a hard stand on the corruption and crime on the virgin islands. Bush has enacted a project safe neighborhoods initiaitive that should bring in some kind of federal help. Hopefully Mr. Nissman can make a change for the VI's!! If it is true, I say the more public knows about it the more likely something will be done about it.

Donnie

Hi Donnie,
Would you be the person responsible for the Island News? Very well written, but kind of scary on the political side.

I thought I read in today's paper that David Nissman is retiring, so now what? I guess you'll need another champion....and Bush sure isn't the white knight!

I hate to hear that Nissman is retiring! Where did you find that article? He is only 51. And dont get me wrong I am NOT a bush follower! But I do hope the people of the USVI"s find that white knight to make things right again! Novanut, no I am not responsible but I do subscirbe : )

HI FOLKS

Everyone should read the summary of government, greed, incompetence and corruption published in the "Island News". What you read is only the "tip of the iceberg" . The USVI government, governor and the public beaucracy is among the most corrupt and incompetent "IN THE WORLD". (www.pressenter.com)

However nothing will be changed until we all get together and "throw the bums out".
(that is, demand changes and controls)

The good thing is that they are just stealing our money and we can still live a good life in a beautiful place {most of the time}.

White knight? Sounds like another racial slur to me? Do you really think we need white people to save us or run our islands? I'm not trying to be prejudiced, but I think you giving the image that we need the "white man" to save us from destruction.

DL, don't look into sayings as being racial. If you remember old cowboy movies, the guy in the white hat was the hero...black hat was for the bad guys. Same goes for "White Knight" being the hero and Black Knight (not skin color but suit of armor color) was the bad guy in medieval times.

I'm certain the poster wasn't throwing out racial slurs or saying anything about the "white man" saving the islands.

DL

Its comments like yours that keep racisim alive and well. This discussion had nothing to do with race. It was talking about corruption and crime. As far as I am concerned there are only 2 types of people. Those that are a benifit to mankind and those who are not. Sorry for touching off your racial sensitivity using black and white terms. Personally I dont care if he/she is purple with orange dots as long as they can get some reform happening in some deeply rooted corruption.

In defense of DL, I too initially saw white knight as not just an "innocent" reference to cowboy movie heroes of old. Especially considering that I frequently hear, "we need the feds/whites/continentals (often read as only white) to save the VI."
BTW, much has been written about the history of black=bad v. white=good in popular culture and language as not being a happy accident of color word choice.

Post Edited (08-13-04 11:24)

Onika,

Are you aware that before the V.I. began electing their own governor, the majority of federally appointed governors, starting with William Hastie in 1946, have been black?

RNK, no I wasn't aware of that, and while that may be true, the statements of which I speak are clearly in reference to white federal intervention.

Indeed, I think that overwhelmingly both black people and white people on-island associate "federal" and "continental" with white. You and I both know that this is not necessarily the case, but this has been my experience.

Good morning everyone,

My two cents on this one...STOP IT. How can a good thread talking about politics and corruption go to race. Knock it off. No one meant anything about race. The "White Night" comment goes to a historical FIGURE OD SPEACH. Quit being so sensitive about everything. I have never witnessed andthing as absurd as how fast this got to race.

I thought this board was better than that. Everything I have read anywhere on this mess. board has been pretty inteligent, thoughtful and helpful and then someone takes offense to comment that you cvan only get upset about if YOU TAKE IT COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTEXT.

Loosen up and get over your bad self. She meant no harm buy it. By the way, I drive a black car, does that mean that I am oppressing a society and race because of it GOD NO...lighten up and get back on topic.....PLEASE

Thank you for your time and have a great afternoon.

Taellor

Are you so afraid of the topic that you must tell us to "STOP IT"?
Wow, I thought we were having a perfectly adult conversation about a race issue that came up...clearly it makes you very uncomfortable.
Noted.
Me and my "bad self" will move on.

Good Amorning,

Not afraid of it, but thank you, just tired of it. The original post was nothing to do with race and I was getting some good read out of it. Not afraid just frustrated about it. People can't even have a converstaion now days without someone getting offended about a comment that was not meant to offend anyone. IT WAS TAKEN PURELY OUT OF CONTEXT. I just wanted to get back to the original topic. But thank you for responding. Have a great day.

Taellor

Post Edited (08-13-04 12:58)

All right, then. Now that that is settled...

Who runs the Island News? How long has it been doing its IN thing? Are these written words truth, or the result of too much whine (sorry, just had to do that)? And finally, will they carry the results of all the Vikings games?

Thank you all. This has been very insightful.
John

I'm moving down Oct 1 and must say I was a "little" shocked by the corruption. Does anyone know if its true. And will they carry the results of the Vikings games? (I'm from MN - sorry I know its off the topic, just a little humor)

Ha, ha! The front page of the Virgin Islands Daily News this morning has a story about a sitting senator under federal indictment for swindling the territorial government out of $75,000.

There is no need to read some "Island News" written by someone off island ,when we have the local papers telling us the same thing everyday! Just like today's article about Senator Dow. Right now, this week, the Governor from NJ has stepped down because of his issues. Of course there are also a bunch of additional stories coming out about corruption during his tenure. Corruption happens. It happens everywhere. Some nut gets satisfaction sitting in Minnesota writing about corruptuion in the Virgin Islands. Not a new story here at all if you read the papers everyday. It's not new news for Pete's sake. It has been going on, even back in the 40s it's been going on. I have a Saturday Evening Post article from 1948 when Bill Hastie came to be Governor and the obstacles he had to try and straighten out. It won't stop with throwing the bums out since it's the attitude of all the people who work for government to get what they can. The system is needed to get the normal checks and balances of government in operation and keep them going.
The Virgn Islands have a way of whining when something happens and pull out the Colony card which amounts to a race card of sorts and the Feds back of. They didn't with the take over of the Housing Authority and hopefully there will be more. Our delegate to Congress has started to help by suggesting a COO. The government officials objected. People complain about going backwards and saying we can fix it ourselves. Guess what, we can't. Now her bill has started the passage thru congrees and it needs a lot of fine tuning since according to the Organic Act that governs us, the only person that can oversee the goverment monies is the Governor! You see where that has gotten us with every different Governor. Congress may have to rewrite the Organic Act to allow something like a COO to happen. Then they can appoint one, not have the Governor hire one which is what they have agreed to happen after they made her water down her bill.
These streets should be lined with gold with the amount of money we have coming in here yet so many people live on the poverty level.
People moving here learn real fast to 'bribe' certain departments to get things done. You don't have to. They have to do your permits as part of their job, but so many are told to bribe them that they do and continue to help with the corruption.
Off my soapbox.

Ronnie

Listen you football fans, you will get the games and results, we are living in the real world here!!! We have ESPN, CNN and all the networks for Pete's sake once again!

"The system is needed to get the normal checks and balances of government in operation and keep them going."

Truer words were never spoken. If we could start with elected officials who are accountable through a numbered seat or a districting system, maybe throw in a merit system for government employees...

No idea. I have no idea what his agenda is. If you don't like it, sell and leave, is what I would say to him!
Read his contact info and you will see he is in MN.
Ronnie

Should have looked there first. Thanks for your input.
John

If I understand it correctly he's appealing to property owners in the VI (local or non-resident owners like himself) and making the case that the interests of property owners are being damaged by the current territorial government's approach to debt and finances. I'm getting some undertones toward Republican views on reducing taxes by reducing government (although he supports doing so through Federal Big Government intervention), with the idea that in the long run such a move would raise property values.

I put it that way because in my 25 years of real estate experience the relationship between values and property taxes doesn't work that way at all. In fact many of the markets (L.A., San Francisco, New York, Boston) that have the highest property values frequently have the highest property taxes and in some cases the highest deficit spending at the state level.

I'm all for fiscal responsibility, but I don't share his optimism that Federal Intervention in VI government is the panacea he seems to think it is.