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Renewing America’s Promise to the Virgin Islands
Written by on January 21, 2009, 11:46 AM
 A happy new year people of the Virgin Islands; or, should I say guinea pigs for novice politicians? Are we the people of the Virgin Islands allowing ourselves to be guinea pigs for politicians’ learning processes in governing? Mr. Governor, your staff mostly has exhibited little knowledge of successful politics and little successful experiences for the positions appointed.We have given our Governor two years to “together we can,” while we allow him to exclude some persons from the together he alone has defined. He obviously did not mean “We the people…” as expressed in our United States Constitution or we the people who live in our Virgin Islands; it is again obvious that his “we” are the people whom he knows supported him in his election thrust. He has shown that he did not mean the “we” included even in the political Party, as represented in his election. In renewing America’s promise, it is this blatant and self-serving cronyism that President Obama hopes to change. Yet while our Governor espouses his support for the President and flashes pictures with him and our President, he seems resolved to maintain the status quo where special interests control our government and where access is only granted those who march in lockstep agreement with the Governor. My dear Governor, stop campaigning and after two years, stop paying off only those who supported your election. If you do not stop, you will be unable to recruit new supporters for the reelection all of us politicians seek. You see, once the campaign rhetoric has ended it is time to pull people together as you represent all the people, incidentally your supporters, the Obama syndrome. You now are everyone’s Governor; the Governor of the United States Virgin Islands. Education was one of your priorities touted to improve and you have only appointed a person with the potential of improving. The Board of Education continues to operate within the same limits and you have not made your presence known by any legislation to improve their authority to function. Health you have not improved and you have not placed a visible set of rules to unify hospital, healthcare, medical professionals and facilities in a mode to improve health services and accountabilities. You have not even identified how medical waste from the hospital is disposed and now how our nuclear waste relative to cancer treatment ingredients are disposed. The Boards you appoint were not made aware of your public expectations in their fiduciary and functional responsibilities; and apparently, you interfere in Board Members’ ability to make decisions of employment, hiring and policies, thus co-opting the authority of the Board. Crime has increased dramatically while you continue with the present leaders of the department. I do not blame the leaders for any increases in crime and I do not accuse them of being incompetent. I am only implying that you have given no direction to fight crime and then allowed your leadership to decide how best to pursue your goals, using their professional expertise. You’ve hired professionals and caused them to be failures by your failure to set an agenda. As such, they are reduced to simply appealing to the politics of their boss and not satisfying the citizens they are sworn to protect and serve. President Obama said that he is the change...that he is charged to set the course of the Administration and then allow his cabinet to use their talents in achieving his goals. Confident in his leadership abilities, President Obama welcomes dissenting views - exemplified by his appointment of Hilary Clinton and be retaining Bob Gates. It is dissent that strengthens a democracy. However, those dissenting views are not welcome in a totalitarian government. Governor deJongh, were are your dissenting views? Or, is yours a totalitarian regime? Political access is denied and your “together we can” political rhetoric is an affront, as you do not even meet with persons knowledgeable in variables of political experiences. Your conclusions seem to be drawn on the basis of personality, rather than any records of success in their reported area of expertise. Your staff, possibly at your directions, has excluded persons from your “we” without even being granted a personal hearing with you. And, it has been rumored that you have actually fired persons who seem to offer views different from yours. In the Age of Obama, we must remember that dissenting views are important to the advancement of a government. And, we who have been entrusted with leadership must be mindful of those we’ve been called to serve. It reminds of a famous politician, U. S. Senator Edward V. Long, (MO-D), now deceased, who always stated that “even a crazy man has a vote and ought to be listened to!” The Virgin Islands’ economy is another area seeming to lack an agenda. In a Virgin Islands economy that is dependent upon tourism and faced with a National economic crisis, can we remain solely dependent upon the travel habits of a struggling Country and world? Departments charged with the mandate to develop the economy of our Virgin Islands seek new businesses with jobs potential and fail to ensure a commitment from those businesses to invest in our community activities. And, while you spent unprecedented amounts on your campaign, we have yet to see those relationships marshaled for philanthropic efforts in the Virgin Islands. People doled out millions to have you elected. Can you not motivate these individuals to now contribute to building libraries, enhancing the arts and otherwise providing opportunities for Virgin Islanders? Yes, Economic Development Agencies can stimulate our economy and insist that jobs are provided to cause a “trickle-down” affect in taxpayer potential. But, the jobs are usually filled by non-Virgin Islanders who have earned the skills of experience not available in the Virgin Islands and not provided by the potential employers. In shelling out enormous tax benefits, could we not require or encourage these businesses to build training facilities to meet their jobs provided. Worst yet, your “together we can” political touts did not identify a place you patronize socially so that we who are excluded as your insiders can bump into you and engage in Martha Stewart type information that may offer variables you can then plagiarize to your advantage. Sebastian’s, Sparky’s and Petite Pump Room were earlier patronized places of governors of our Virgin Islands where their human interactive ability was tested. Or, merely taking a stroll down Main Street. Their “together we can” attitudes were given an opportunity to work. Yesterday, we watched President Obama walk down Pennsylvania Avenue so countless millions could see him. We saw our new President remain at the parade reviewing stand until the last parader had the opportunity to pass before their President. We watch President Obama routinely place himself amongst the people. Certainly, you would agree that President Obama as the first Black man to take the Presidency, and as an American President in this global climate faced greater danger than you, the Governor of the Virgin Islands. When and where can the people interact with you? This letter was made open because you never exhibited sufficient staff to even acknowledge receipt of many suggestions to you offered free simply because we want you and any governor or government leader to succeed. I write His Holiness the Pope, Prince Charles, Prime Ministers of various countries and I have written now deceased J. Edgar Hoover, Martin Luther King, Jr., U. S. Senators Symington, Edward Long, John Kennedy, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and many others. All of these celebrities and dignitaries have been kind enough to send a response. However, I have never received a letter from you or your staff and if that’s a representation of “together we can” then I apologize for the unsolicited information above in this writing. I have met personally with ex-governor, now deceased, Paiwonski, Governors Melvin Evans, Cyril King, Juan Luis and Alexander Farrelly and only you and Governor Turnbull did not and do not seek my interactions. You act like a political novice who does not trust the character, honesty, integrity and respect that we of my generation always exercised in spite of what we thought personally of our leaders, even when those leaders were published racist. Why must I accept disrespect from you and the Government of the Virgin Islands by being excluded to exercising the portion of the United States Constitution, Amendment I, the last sentence that reads “…to petition the Government of the United States.”. Must I revert to singing “We shall overcome...or sitting in on your doorstep to get someone to, at the least, respond, negatively or positively, without you suspecting subterfuge or surreptitious uses? I refuse to allow you different treatment than afforded whites in our historic United States who denied access while saying “all men are created equal.” As we witness the attempt of President Obama to “Renew America’s Promise,” can we - Governor deJongh - make our own effort to renew that promise by finally fulfilling the cause of Liberty and Democracy for us Virgin Islanders? Or, will We the People be forced to do it without you? New Comment |
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