Sidewalks/trails/roads in USVI

I lived in Denver and I live in St. Thomas. Denver is flat until you get to the foothills. I don't remember there being many sidewalks in the foothills. St. Thomas is so steep and hilly it would be very difficult to put in sidewalks and I don't believe there would be many people wanting to walk - maybe downhill would be fine but uphill is not easy - even for the young.

Denver is in America, St. Thomas is not America. America is not what the rest of the world is like. There are things like money and laws in America. Does that answer your question?

Zac,
Are you saying that the Virgin Islands are in a state of penniless lawlessness?

No... well.... Basically im saying you cant compare the U.S. with the U.S.V.I. The influence of the United States goes little further than the title.

In my opinion the influence of the US permeates the VI. Remote and poor, yes. But American, you bet. Everything from the postal system to the phone system, to the courts. The protections of the US constitution reachs all the way down to the VI. Anyone whose ever lived in a really foreign country can see this immediately

except for the culture , 100% Caribbean

My experiences differ from Linda J.'s. I have found that Priority Mail never takes two to three days as it does in the states but requently takes weeks to get here from the states. Local telephone service is crappier than any phone service I ever had in the states and since very few cell phone providers have towers here, rates aren't competitive. Also, we don't enjoy the protections of the U.S. Constitution but instead we have the Revised Organic Act, which pales in comparison.

I disagree re rights. We are certainly protected by the Consititution, the Bill of rights etc. We get read our rights just like in KY. We have a right to a lawyer, not to incriminate ourselves, to a jury trial, etc. and all the other rights of US citizens. Just look at the number of lawyers in the VI. They must be making a living somehow.

Linda,

The Miranda warning is not a part of the Constitution. It's a 1966 United States Supreme Court mandate stemming from the decision in the case of Miranda v. Arizona. Every U.S. jurisdiction has its own regulations regarding what must be said to a person when they are placed in a custodial situation. Other countries also employ variants of the Miranda warnings. And, of course, other countries also employ plenty of lawyers, even though they, like those of us in the USVI, do not enjoy the protections of the U.S. Constitution.

I believe you are incorrect.

1. You can be compelled to make statements in VI court that may lead to self incrimination.

2. The VI government may institute a state religion

3. The government of the VI's may conduct search and seizure without consent or absent that a court order (warrant) and use the information in a court of law, the evidence which would have been taken in that search.

Just curious if this is possible in the United States Virgin Islands.

I think if you re read the revised organic of '54 page 53 and you will see that the it was the intent of congress to make the US Constitution applicable to the Act of '54.

Maybe I'm missing something, but that's how I read it.

https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/vq.html

Under "Constitution" says that our constitution is Revised Organic Act.

However, according to the following source, an "unincorporated territory," which the USVI is, only select parts of US Constitution apply:

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/cases/clcc.html?court=us&vol=302&invol=253

Any VI lawyers that can give a definitive answer?

If anyone is really interested in this, they might want to consider going to the Constitution meeting at UVI on STX this weekend. The STT meeting was last week.

To add: A history of VI in terms of constitution's from today's paper:

http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/index.pl/article_home?id=17608711

This is an interesting topic that I was discussing with my co-workers the other day. The questions (that I couldn't answer) that arose were: Do the islands want to become states? Why or why not? and Do they pay taxes? The general consensus of people here was that VI residents enjoyed all of the perks of the US Govt (not true, as I explained) but pay no federal income tax. Thanks for the links I am excited to check them out.

We pay Federal Income Tax but the money we pay stays here. We use exactly the same tax forms. If you have earned money in the States & here you pay the tax on the earned income in the States up there & what taxable income you earn in the VI gets paid & stays here.

What we don't pay are state or local taxes. So, people who used to live in states with state taxes realize a savings because they don't pay that extra tax in the USVI. All I pay is "federal", medicare and social security.

What is even better for the VI is though no taxes go to Washington the territory still gets grants for roads, schools, sewers, law enforcement, etc. Most states get back substantially less from the Feds than their residents including corporations pay in taxes.

Becoming a state would be a financial disaster for the VI.

Jim

"Becoming a state would be a financial disaster for the VI. "

And for the rest of the USofA.

And why is that?

because the US would have to pay for us to have sidewalks?

Donkey, thanks for keeping it on topic.

But just to add to the donkey's comment.....not only sidewalks BUT EVERYTHING ELSE.