If there is ever a place in this world where a man, woman or child is 99.9% sure of love, it is a place call home. If there is ever a structure, which has stood up in adversity, testing, trials and all forces, good and evil and made it through, it is called "Family". Many hearts and minds have been comforted, with just the thought of home and family.
Ever since the beginning of time, much emphasis was placed on the training, nurturing and instilling of values in the children. Generations far and near had listened to the instructions and commands, they ensured that their children were properly trained and disciplined. As a matter of fact, communities were deeply involved with the training and caring for all children, in the villages where they live and even some time from distant villages and town.
There is an urgent need for us to pay much forgotten attention to families. I will go as far as to say, healthy families does much more for our community and world, than the dollar could ever do. There is no time to waste, our social programs must be tailored to suit the needs of all our citizen and especially those who need them the most.
If it is true that our social programs are to help family, there is a lot to be done. Let us use the maximum benefit of each program to place parents, especially mothers back in their homes as guidance for their children.
Our overall "MISSION" is to bring about major changes. We hope that through legislation, church and community involvement we can see significant changes that will let us know our effort is not in vain. However, we are not seeking the type of change often talk about but is never realized. It is not just enough to speak about change and become satisfied with promises of action. We want to echo our demand for change so loud that it can be heard from every distant corner and hiding place in our community. We further want to see the results through action, forged by our relentless demand for progressive change.
Nowhere in our world and especially in our community has change come easy. There are those who will resist us with every drop of blood in their veins. Then there are those who will say that we are wrong. There may be others who will be of the notion that we have been patience in our wait, therefore what harm a few more years can do. We may even be accused of going about doing things the wrong way. However, we must consider those who will think we are wrong, those who will try hard to stop our progress, as uncertain, unwilling or even ignorant to the time, present and future that we must face. Change we need and change we must.
We must be strong in our resolve; we must be willing to make the necessary sacrifices to get to where we want to be. We must be able to see the changes, not simple because we demand change, but because changes are necessary. The world in many areas is very fragile, and not just the world but everything in it. There is an appropriate time for change; we have long past that time. The time for change could not have waited for us, it is true that time waits for no man. The sad truth is, while many of us have not, or could not enjoy all that expected changes could have brought to us; others have. There is a choice to be made, let us change the formula of sharing, let us change the rule of exclusion. Let us unite as friends for H.O.P.E beyond 2010.
The quality of educational instruction given today, in my view needs to be seriously evaluated. As many others have concluded, I too, concur that a greater part of a child's' educational instructions will be administered at home. There is no reason for us to expect that institutions of learning can cover it all.
Giving the limited amount of time allotted for instructions, we will need to build much more schools than we presently have. Of course building schools would just be the beginning of the process. Administrators, staff and teachers are the reason why school systems works? However, before we we add to what we already have, is our present system working. Is our government being responsible to the educational needs of our children and on a larger scale our community?
Come with me, let us take a closer look. We have legislated that our children must be educated. It is safe to suggest that we have already counted the cost of doing so. Therefore, educating our children and community is an accepted governmental responsibility. Accepting the facts as we see them, our government has been negligent over the years past and probably is today.
Each year plans a put in place to keep government house and the legislature staffed. Plans are always in place to keep IRB and the Department of finance staffed and rightfully so, these areas are very essential. Well we have obligated ourselves, isn't education essential?
Over the many years, throughout our community and the Virgin Islands, crime has been a huge problem. It is hard for any one not to notice the devastation which is the result of violent acts. Everyone grate or small, black and white, young and old are all victims, weather directly or indirectly.
Murder, robberies, home invasion and burglary, domestic violence, drug running, sale and usage and the list goes on. The question one might ask, what is the police doing about crime? Many are wondering, will there ever be an end to these frightening moments in our community. Will we ever get back to the days when we live in harmony and were able to feel safe on our streets and in our homes?
While it is true that the police department is established to be our crime fighting force, it is also true that every citizen has the responsibility to help their local police department. However, on a grander scale it is the total responsibility of our government to ensure the survival of the police department.
From my personal knowledge, as a retired veteran from the police force, I have seen, heard and live through the many years of governmental neglect of our police department. It is impossible for an agency such as the police department, a none sustaining agency to survive without proper funding.
It is very necessary and economically prudent that we provide adequate funding for our police department. In every country throughout the world it is costly to provide police coverage. In the US Virgin Islands, we have a very unique situation. We have no large industries to depend upon for revenues other than tourism. We must support our police.
