Kurt queries painful budget
(CNS): The leader of the opposition told the Legislative Assembly this morning that the government’s over-optimistic budget will inflict pain on people and businesses. In his response to last week’s statement, Kurt Tibbetts also questioned the accuracy of the predictions and the need to try and eliminate the deficit in one year at the risk of Cayman’s competitive edge. He also queried why, when government was inflicting pain on the community with tax increases, public spending had been cut by only $5.5 million after government had said recently it intended to cut operating expenses by $89million.
Tibbetts said the increase on import duties was not 2% as suggested but in real terms 10%, and could be devastating for small businesses, which will be required to pay increased work permit fees, a new Business Premises Fee of 10% of rent, a 10% increase in import duties on goods, as well as an increase in warehouse charges.
“Over the past four years, while the leader of government business sat on this side of the House, he and his colleagues never missed an opportunity to talk about the need to nurture and support small business in this country,” said Tibbetts, adding that it was ironic that they were introducing new revenue measures with no consideration to the fate of small businesses.
Tibbetts also noted that while he understood the motivation to produce a balanced budget to avoid the necessity to seek the UK’s approval for borrowing, trying to do it in a single year in a global recession was “overly ambitious, unrealistic and inflicts unnecessary pain on … the people of the country,” he said. It was unnecessary pain because the UK government was not insisting that the deficit be eliminated during the course of the present fiscal year, he maintained.
The opposition leader also lamented the new government’s failure to reduce public spending, despite promises made by the Bush publicly that he would reduce expenditure by $89 million this fiscal year. “The budget presented only shows a reduction of $5.5 million in operational expenditure compared to the previous fiscal year. So, despite all the criticisms that have been heaped on the shoulders of my government by the new administration … in this budget it is still very much a case of ‘business as usual’ as far as the costs of running the civil service are concerned,” Tibbetts added.
The PPM leader said that the budget was overly ambitious and required a positive movement of more than $100 million in government revenue in a mere 8 months, which in the midst of the present recessionary conditions was an unrealistic expectation.
“Revenue during the last fiscal year fell to $487 million against the original forecast of $528 million, a movement of $41 million, while expenditure exceeded the forecast by $47 million,” he added. “Against that background there must be real, worrying questions about actually how realistic are the present budget proposals.”
With the predictions made by the Financial Secretary’s Office during the last year of the PPM administration were revealed to be widely off the mark, Tibbetts asked how anyone could believe the predictions presented in the new budget, which he said also included new revenue measures with no previous model to base the predictions. “On what possible basis can we be satisfied that the forecasts of revenue now being made bear any relation to reality?” he asked, adding there was a distinct possibility that some of the new revenue measures would fail to realize the forecast revenue and detrimentally impact economic activity as well.
Tibbetts said the opposition questioned the viability of the budget and how realistic the projected revenues were, as well as the reliability of the predictions. He also asked what would be the impact of the new taxes on local business, the financial services sector and the average person, and what they would do to the cost of living. He noted that the rush to balance the budget could also undermine Cayman’s competitive edge if other jurisdictions were not increasing fees and the burden on the financial industry. The opposition leader noted a number of omissions from the budget which, he warned, would see the current administration need to return to the House for supplementary finance if they were not addressed now.
Tibbetts also lamented the negative impact that government’s rush to criticise his administration had had worldwide. “There is no doubt that in his efforts to demonize, denigrate and discredit my administration the leader of government business greatly exaggerated the seriousness of the fiscal challenges the country faces and made a number of statements, some of which were picked up by the international media, which can only be described as reckless,” Tibbetts stated.
The opposition and PPM leader spoke for more than two hours before the independent MLA for North Side, Ezzard Miller, also contributed to the debate. While Miller said he supported a number of the government’s measures, he was very concerned about overdevelopment and the failure to reduce public spending by any significant amount, while at the same time increasing fees and revenues.
Miller made a number of alternative suggestions that government could have looked at that would not have been so painful. The North Side representative further stated that he believed the budget was overly optimistic and he did not think the revenue measures would necessarily generate the projected income.
The House was adjourned on Monday afternoon until 10 o’clock on Wednesday when the financial secretary will offer his responses to the debate before the Finance Committee will begin sitting to examine the extensive budget proposals. At that point MLAs have an opportunity to question the government’s spending plans in detail and address some of the missing outputs noted by the leader of the opposition, among other issues.
Category: Headline News
Come on KT and AM, please step up and be an effective opposition. The people of Cayman need you! You must shadow the UDP and stop them from running roughshod overr Cayman. Tell us the details of where your 90 million cut in the CS was! Tell us the details of how the PPM would raise revenue without burdening the poor. This democratic process can not work without an effective opposition and that’s you so please don’t let us down.
PS. While you at it, see if you can get Rollie tojoin the opposition movement. He must surely be very disappointed with the UDP’s betrayal.
He’ll never change. Rollie is just going to accept whatever crumbs Mac sends his way. Too bad because I think he could do alot better without Mac and the United Dictatorship Party
hey the ball is in UDP’s court!
would UDP or it’s supporters even consider hearing PPM’s plan so its best they keep quite, cos Mac is d boss man…he say he knew how to fix it but he also said there would be a 95 mil saving and they only really going to save 5 mil..what a pile of jokers tell ya one tine we betta soon have a coup or something before he really sell everything we have and our children have nothing!
This anti business plan coming from the UDP should surprise no one, After all the New deputy leader of the part has made her political career by attacking the "merchant class".
The sad part is that it will do the most harm to small businesses and those struggling in these tough economic times.
It almost seems as these buget measures were planned to hurt the most vulnerable, from small businesses with fees to the helper or gardener trying to send home a few dollars (even is they are new Caymanians) or the person importing a used car so they can get to work.
If the PPM was poor peoples mistake what is the UDP ? United deceivers party?
Given the style of government perhaps it might be the Unrepentent Despotic Party, although that is probably far to many syllables.
Usual Deceptive People???
I wouldn’t normally engage in this…but after this mornings outburst on Rooster, which really shocked me; how about Underhanded Disrespectful Politicians?
"Still waiting on a PPM Plan!!"
The PPM is happy with this budget. The UDP is spending more this year than the PPM ever did and the UDP is on the hook for raising the cost of living for everyone, including poor Caymanians.
Well at least you are being truthful to some degree. Why didn’t the PPM leader just say that they were happy with the UDP’s budget and not let us have to wait to hear it from you?
If this the only way we can figure what their plan would be then I say thank you for speaking on behalf of the PPM and it;s leadership. Itis in truee PPM form, utter rubbish and no susbstance and yes, no plan!!!.
Thanks for speaking for the UDP and admitting UDP is all rubbish and that they lied when they said the PPM spent too much.
Apparently the UDP plan is the same as the PPM’s plan. The UDP brings nothing new to the table…
Still waiting on a PPM Plan!!
57 postings thus far and I still can’t see one shred of evidence from anyone that the PPM has a plan. Bearing in mind that they were expecting at least a $29m deficit, they must have had something in mind? I still don’t get it, what is going on with the PPM? They couldn’t have fallen apart that bad that they couldn’t throw a couple of ideas on paper no matter how miniscule they might be.
Where is the PPM plan? The people of these islands need to know. They maybe in the minority but they are still being paid good salaries to work as an oppostion and come up with ideas and suggestions and to provide the country with at least an inkling that they are still alive.
In case you hadn’t noticed on 20th May the UDP was elected as the new Govt. It is to the UDP that we must look for a plan and I am not really hearing one. As pro-business as they say they are this new budget is likely to chase away business as it has signifficantly increased the cost fo doing business here. We could end up with less rather than more revenue. While it seeks to increase revenue, the UDP failed to implement any real cost cutting in the civil service and this is the key to emerging from this dilemma.
I agree with you 18:37, this budget sure will chase away business rather than attract business. Unfortunately Mr. Bush has already done a great job doing that with his preaching & shouting out loud to the world that we are bankrupt. With our very bright leader telling the world that we are bankrupt, he chased away foreign investors already here, he scared away any potential foreign investors as they no way in hell would even think of investing in a bankrupt country, & he scared the local people from spending money because they were scared to spend because "we are broke" & the economy has suffered as a result. Mr. Bush in his irresponsible stupidness of repeating over & over that we are bankrupt has hurt our economy more than any other human being! This is fact, not immagination.
maybe austin, you should be asking where is the udp plan, because I sure as hell not heard anything that sounds like much of a way forward, except more & more spending & that is your boy’s way. stop living in the past, stop fantasizing about the ppm & try help your boyz develop a real plan that will help all of Cayman, not just a selected few. by the way, you shouldn’t repeat word for word what crap you say on the radio, otherwise "we seeeee you"
Hahahahaa!! THAT is funny!
LOL! Thanks for that 20:34! Good call
What was the UDP’s plan at the last budget presented by the PPM?
I tell ya one thing……I’d rather not have a plan than be following what the UDP has putforward…..the UDP is the current government – they come up with the plan….the PPM as opposition is there to scrutinize and bring to the public’s attention their findings and then sit in finance committee and go through the plan in detail and again voice their concerns etc to the public and to the government. Then it’s for you donkey, to listen to what they are saying, listen to what the government is proposing and think for yourself about where the Country is headed and bombard your representatives if you not happy! Perhaps if you were able to do this you would conclude you wasted your vote on the UDP! Smarten up for next time around!
A failure to plan is a plan to fail ~ and that’s exactly what happened to the PPM; they did not have a clue what was going on during their time in Goverment and they still don’t know how to fix their mess. It is better to fail than to never have tried, and so, we have to give credit to the UDP for all the extraordinary work they have done in last 100 days. Congrats Mr. Bush, keep up the good work. We have your back!
I this budget for sure? When does it go into effect? I cannot believe such extreme anti-business measures could seriously even be contemplated, let alone inacted. This is obviously a death blow to many small merchants, and the island as a whole will clearly suffer.
I have spent the weekend preparing various arrangements to minimise tax exposure under the new budget. Tax avoidance in Cayman from Cayman taxes. The irony is priceless.
So no one else from the Opposition debated the budget. What a mess…….will "a real opposition" please step up to the plate so that we don’t end up with a one party system in the country.
Obviously 10:40 is new to this so lets forgive she! Apart from the fact that you are wrong because other members of the opposition have debated it, you should know proper procedure before you ask stupid questions. The FS presents the budget, the Governor speaks, the leader of gov presents the government argument, & the opposition leader presents the oppositions view. Not everyone can speak in one day, so stop criticizing the opposition for the sake of criticizing! Why don’t you criticize the government because their members, including the ministers, have not spoken? Are you so biasedly blind that all you can complain about is the PPM? poor you, my little girl child, please get a life, or go back to mom & get help, mothers always help, & it seems you need plenty of help, you poor suffering thing.
Like a knife that cuts the wounds heals but the scar, that scar remains
I guess every rose has it thorns………….
Just like every night has it dawn ……….
Just like every cowboy sings a sad sad song
Every Rose Has it Thorns
…hence the reason mind-altering drugs are illegal.
udp supporter who destroyed this island any more than the udp gov ?who gave away caymanian status to people that they didnt even know their back ground andpeople who were here for only 3 months,stop bashing ppm for building schools that are for the benefit of our island, udp they sells our island.
Here you are, your country is in on its knees and all people can do is blame some political party. Neither of the parties could run a bath successfully let alone an island!
The economy is in the toilet, the gangsters are taking over the streets and investors and tourists are fleeing in their droves. But all the parties can do about it is bicker and blame each other.
The harsh truth there is one person to lay the blame on. YOU. It’s you that keeps voting in these uneducated, stupid, self-satisfying, egotistical, greedy, corrupt, clueless cretins. If the Caymanian people came forward and took a stand, then maybe they could find a new candidate, somebody with some business acumen and awareness of the bigger picture. Not just a different version of the same guy.
And how much will all of this affect ALL of your LEADERS? Remove the names, remove the faces and you have the same thing. Very rich (and getting richer every day) Kings who are bent on just takeing care of their Royalty ONLY! Not small business, not the working class, not the rich and not the poor. Only those in their circle period. Its what kings and dictators do and have always done and will always do. Think you fools. Who pays? Who gets to spend it on themselves? Heres a hint: Lots and Lots pay. About 4,000get to spend it. They can do this because you not only let them but you also defend them. You the voters of Cayman not only are getting what you deserve but you are also giving the same to everyone else who live on Cayman. Thanks a lot. Please keep on bickering about the past and putting blame on everything and everyone but yourselves. We wouldn’t want you to have to actually take responsibility and DO SOMETHING.
Hear YE! Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
We the voters of the Cayman Islands is recommending to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II that the following be bestowed upon all Members of the PPM
"THE NATIONAL ZERO AWARD"
For excellence in the art of destroying the Cayman Islands Economy by reckless spending and failing to listen to the advice of the Financial Secretary.
You need a life…..obviously you have no idea what’s going on in your own Country! I bet if you put that recommendation forward to the Queen she would turn it down and give it to the more deserving UDP!
You cant stand the truth eh! You need to wake up and get a life because you are living in a dream world.
At least I dont expect the PPM to Finance my next hangover.
You are too stingy leaving out deserving recipients for the award. You should include members of the UDP and the Financial Secretary.
We will see how accurate the Financial Secretary’s projections are now that the UDP is in power. We will see whether he has presented a realistic budget this time around.
The UDP has the next four years to earn their awards. Until such time lets get the PPM awards over with.
Maybe some local artisan could build them some soja crab necklaces so that when worn they will stand out above the rest of the politicians.
Too bad that after only 4 months in office the UDP seems set to match their previous records, I would say they are far more deserving of these awards.
They’ve earned it already. They complained about the PPM (1) borrowing (2) spending on capital projects and (3) failing to cut civil service costs. The UDP’s solution: (1) even more borrowing (2) spending on NEW capital projects; and (3) failing to have significant cuts in civil service costs.
UDP supporters are too dim to notice.
18:14, that is soooooo funny & soooo very true! It could not have been said better. The udp’s solution is to continue doing what they have criticized the PPM for, you hit the nail on the head! THANKS
I did not realize that 3 year olds actually took the time to post on CNS, but I’m very encouraged to read 09:09 & see that the young & very yound also paticipate. It is obvious by the posting of that particular 3 year old (09:09) that he/she does not have much to contribute & does not make much sense, but the fact that a 3 year old like the writer of 09:09 actually takes the interest to post a comment is very very encouraging! With such keen interest, maybe when that 3 year old grows up he/she can avoid the dubious award of "The National Zero Award" (it must have taken a very large committee & long deliberations by them to come up with such an original & catchy name for this award. Maybe the 3 year old writer was also involved in the naming process)
I take exception to you insulting the intelligence of three year olds! No self respecting Three year old would have published the ignorant comments of "Hear yea Hear Yea" one year old….perhaps
NO NEW TAXES……united we stand PPM and UDP….but wait …not those increases, not those taxes…we meant no painful taxes. We want painless taxes.
“Nero Fiddled While Rome Burned”
UDPers and PPMers….okay,so you are both the cause of this massive build up of national debt and wasteful Government spending….you both dislike the other’s leader,… Okay, we get it!…
Now the reality…we have a national debt of CI$600M, last year we spent on our ourselves almost $90M more than we had. This year we will spend $260M more than we will collect. We have unfunded Pension liability of $200M….that means by next June we will owe CI$1,200,000,000 or $38,000 for each Caymanian ( there are 15 blogs ahead of this one so just you bloggers alone owe $560,000)…. and we are in a world recession. Our fiscally broke “Mother” country the UK along with the USA wants to kill our financial industry and may be able to achieve it this year finally. Our tourism is in doldrums and with the US in recession unlikely to show any signs of recovery anytime soon. Are you still following me???….
Do you think either UDP or PPM really has a plan to deal with this?? Do you think your stupid blogs are really going to deal with this?? have you felt any financial pain yet?? Do you have a funny feeling you are about to??? You should. You seem to still have your internet connection andelectricity (for now) to run your computer….for how long, given the numbers above??
Caymanians, when the expats leave(and they will if we do not have jobs…that is the only reason they are here), and the business dries up and we are back to plaiting thatch, will you feel it then?? Will you still be blogging on Mr. Kurt or Mr. Mac?? Will you be saying “I wish I had made a valuable contribution back then, in the salad days, when we had electricity and money”?
Let us all as Caymanians, forget the elections and politics for now and the blame (both sides as well as others have had a hand in it clearly) and get the minds together and get this mess sorted out. It is clear that the politicians cannot and do not have the solutions and are just using us in their petty mind games.
Make a difference today and stop being pawns.
I wonder where you were during last election? You seem to have all the answers so maybe you should be up for election and not have to run your mouth blogging! Hope you making a more valuable contribution than this to help solve our problems!
Oh come now, we all know "having answers" doesn’t win elections here. All it takes is a fridge, some fill and a little hep here and there.
Then start handing out something nuh?
Very well said!
Both UDP and PPM are more about self than about country! And it’s evident they do NOT have any REAL understanding of the New World Order….or about economics period!
Chuckie told you people that if you returned Mac to power that he would sell CAL….well as you can see from Mac’s policy statement he has set the wheels in motion for that to happen.
I hope those CAL employees who believes that Mac is God has started looking for alternative employment since Mac’s new "CAL partner" won’t be keeping many of them around.
Yes you all can continue to worship Mac even after you move to the unemployment line under his leadership.
Very sad state of affairs. This is precisely why Mac doesn’t want to continue the educational reforms which the PPM started. It suits Mac to have a constituency of idiots who he can continue to lead to the empty well for a drink of water !!!
So no one else from the Opposition debated the budget….what a shame and an insult to the card carrying members of the PPM.
Ah how we yearn for The Chuckster to return !!! He is Mac’s only match in the LA.
To "I cant believe Kurt spent". Your kind of hatred and ignorance is exatly what is keeping Caymanians like crabs in a cage. Kurt do not have to say how he would raise revenue as Leader of the Opposition debating the Government’s budget. Kurt may not be loud mouthed and dictatorial but he is a leader who believes in letting everyone have their say as was so evident during the constitutional modernizing process. You should be glad he is the kind of guy who is willing to empower everyone. If there is anything wrong with Mr. Tibbetts leadership it is that he has failed to overhaul some of the bureaucratic red tape in the Government when he was leader. As far as I am concernedI woul prefer him as leader right now. What you should try to do is work on the Current Leader of the Governmnet. That is the guy steering this ship.You better make sure that he takes you where you want to be in the next 43 months. For sure the cost of housing will increase by over 10%, the cost of running a small business will sky rocket and eliminate 3 out of every 7 small businesses that exist today.Soon only millionaires will be able to run a business and the Premier Designate will be saying, yes we need these people here to run businesses and hire Caymanians, and if the need work permits yes we must approve them. Buying those small imported cars that so many local people drive will cost a couple of thousand more dollars next year. But do not worry, every large business in Cayman is less affected by this Government budget.
The problem I have with the people who can’t belive is that they do not know where we came from and if you do not know where you came from it is hard to determine where we are going to.
Dont worry Kurt, Mac tax the Jamaicans that help put him there. NO MORE VOTES FOR HIM.
I AM CALLING ON ALL JAMAICANS AND OTHER EXPATS PLEASE SUPPORT PPM.
DearMs. PPM. As I humble Jamaican it would be very difficult for me to support the PPM.
1. I don’t have a vote.
2. Many of my friends were here over 15 years when the rollover came into effect. By law, they were to AUTOMATICALLY get residency. Instead they got letters telling them to leave.
3. Many employers of Jamaicans got letters that read "No more employees from that geographical region."
4. The only hope for Jamaicans getting through is if the employer was on the Residency Board. Everyone knows it costs, not $250.00 to appeal, but thousands of dollars when lawyers cost $500.00 per hour.
5. Not to worry though, we don’t take it personally. We know Filipinos, Honduranians, and even Canadians get the same treatment.
The good news is now there seems to be Freedom of Speech. Lets use it for honesty, constructive criticism, and hopefully true unity before we allfall.
Do you know who it was that introduced the rollover policy & who passed it? THE UDP government, YES, the UDP government, before they were voted out of office in 2005, the PPM only inherited the rollover policy, SO WAKE UP! If you cannot support the PPM because of the rollover policy, then you sure as hell cannot support the UDP because of the rollover policy, BECAUSE IT WAS THE UDP THAT PASSED THE ROLLOVER "POLICY"!!! But since you say you are a Jamaican, not a Caymanian then it does not really matter, because we live in Cayman not Jamaica! We have to look out for Caymanians FIRST & FORMOST. Do you think that if I lived in Jamaica that the Jamaican government would look out for me over Jamaicans? Get real! But because you, as a Jamaican, believes any & everything that the udp say, you criticize the PPM because you thought that the PPM were responsible for the rollover. How silly. I suppose that brought you down to earth OUCH! By the way, as a Caymanian I support the rollover policy, despite the fact that the udp were responsible for it. THE UDP INTRODUCED & PASSED THE ROLLOVER, NOT THE PPM!
Of course I know the UDP introduced the law. That is a historical fact. It was done to appease those for the 3,000 status given away. It will also be a historical fact that the PPM used it unethically and unlawfully. Just wait till some of the case get to the Grand Court.
This site is wonderful for people showing their true colors. It only takes one comment on average. You asked for Jamaicans to help. But when pressed, you relegate them to second class citizens.
"It will also be a historical fact that the PPM used it unethically and unlawfully".
That is a very serious charge. Sure you can back it up? The Boards simply applied the law. Naturally there will be some who are unhappy with the decision. If so they can appeal; the process allows for that. What was ethical was the UDP plan to make the rollover only apply to the working class meaning primarily Jamaicans and Filipinos and not to the white expats in the financial industry who would be granted exemptions.
Yes. Most on the Board didn’t even understand the law.
I agree with you regarding the UDP plan.
Excuse me madam, but Jamaicans only came to Cayman because it suited them to, because they personally benifited from it. Do you really believe that there is one expat here in Cayman that came here because they wanted to help better Cayman without first thinking about how they could benifit from it themselves. Expats come to Cayman to work, to make a better living for themselves & family, & NOT for what they can do for Cayman. Please name one expat, one Jamaican who came to Cayman to help develop Cayman & did for the love of Cayman rather than the money they could make, name one please. We appreciate all foreigners who help to develop Cayman, but please do not expect us to believe that they left the country of their birth, the country they claim to love, just to help better Cayman, for GODS sake, that is a load of HOGWASH!
I would NEVER leave my beloved Cayman Islands simply to help another country, if I leave it is because I can make a better living & more money elsewhere, & we all know that’s the reason expates come to Cayman, so stop telling fibs m’am.
You have to be a citizen to be a second class citizen. It is standard in most parts of the world that a country’s citizens should have preference.
I always show my true colors, I am proud to say that I am a very proud supporter of the ppm & I am 100% pro-Caymanian. I am not anti any nationality BUT I AM VERY PRO CAYMAN, & proud to say so.
I’d really like to know what you mean by "PPM used it unethically and unlawfully." Wake up ma dear girl child. If the law is passed by the udp & it says that after a certain amount of years you get rolled over & you have to be off island for a year before you can come back, how can that be used in any other way? The law is the law & was passed by your udp & for you to try & blame the ppm for the mess some people find themselves in because of it is beyond ridiculous. Please grow up, & open your eyes, & stop blindly following the lead of your uncouth & uneducated leader, please.A lie is lie no matter who says it, so please don’t make him sin your poor little soul, ma poor little girl child.
Dear Ms. PPM,
I’m sorry, I forgot. I know of one Jamaican who supports the PPM – Kurt Tibbetts. Maybe there is hope for his fellow Jamaicans. Perhaps he can be another Vassel Johnson, Cayman’s most outstanding Jamaican.
Kurt wont quit his leadership post beause he cant afford to lose the extra $40,000 that comes with it. So he’s selling out his party and country for a few dollers more. Poor Kurt can’t think, can’t manuver and can’t stand allowing more capable people rising to the top. Kurt is no leader and his party has no future with him at the helm. That’s a foolish pride. Poor Cayman.
And I say poor you cuz you obviously blinded by Mac’s madness or something crazy…..ya need help!
Keep up the good fight KT! We all know that the PPM never lined their own pockets or sold the country out to their cronies. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about the UDP.
Thank you Mr. Tibbetts. Your contribution was stable and sound and rationale.
I am pondering the questions you posed.
Where my maxwell house is I wonder?
I do not personally know Mr. Bush, so I cannot comment on his character. I do however know Kurt, and while I may not always agree with him… often I do not… I can say without a doubt that he is a man of character. Kurt is a decent, honest person – and that should count for something.
I genuinely believe that he (Kurt) entered politics with the hope of bettering Cayman. But, hey, I also liked Jimmy Carter, and what a mess that ended up being. Maybe politics just isn’t for the honest of heart.
I hope the media will publicize Kurt’s speech that was on the radio tonight. It was a good, honest speech and did what the Opposition is supposed to do – point out the flaws in the plans of the government in power! In a polite way he said this:
1. The UDP budget is missing things they will have to come back and ask to be added later
2. The UDP budget includes selling our sewage system even though they told the UK they wouldn’t need to sell our country’s assets
3. The UDP budget will raise the cost of living for the average Caymanian
4. The UDP budget will hurt the small businesses
5. The UDP budget should be stretched over 3 yrs like the UK suggested to soften the burden on the average Caymanian
6. Forcing the burden in 1 yr is so UDP can create hardships enough to convince Caymanians to let UDP sell our country’s assets and dredge the north sound and legalize gambling
7. The UDP budget still doesn’t reduce the cost of government as much as it needs to
Does no one else see the strategy that has been employed by Mac?? Come on, now! So he drills it over and over and over into everyone’s heads how the PPM is to blame for this "mess" we’re in, totally brainwashing everyone that we are bankrupt (not saying we don’t have some financial woes, but why the constant childish finger pointing?). To what end? So Mac can be the Big Saviour (or, as Mr. Kurt referred to him today, "Merlin") who achieved the impossible, rescued Cayman and brought us back from the brink of financial ruin, of course, and so secure his place in the next election! Unna nah see de reel ting wha gwaan aw wha?
Instead of picking up the pieces and trying to get the country back on track, our Esteemed Premier-Designate instead was pointing fingers and reiterating over and over how it was the other side’s fault, when in fact this has just been the culmination of what has been happening for years prior, including when he was in power! Unfortunately for the PPM the recession rained on their parade, but had it not been for that fact, I am sure that Mac’s new reign would have ultimately taken us there anyway! At least with the PPM, albeit they may have been too freehanded with finances, we never had to fear our birthright being sold from under us as we slept! I said it before the election and I’ll say it again: if (or, rather, when) Mac got back in as Leader he was going to come back with a vengeance, and so said, so done! But the people would have it no other way; only God knows which beach they had their heads stuck in and how far down! Unfortunately, those of us that could see the writing on the wall will have to suffer right along with the rest of you that voted him and his cronies in.
Mr. Mac, PLEASE, for the love of God, take a few lessons from the genteel, well-mannered and sophisticated leader of the United States and conduct yourself in similar fashion and according to the tenets of our respectable Caymanian heritage, and stop making a spectacle of yourself (and us) internationally. All eyes will be on you as you become the first Premier of the Cayman Islands; try not to tear us down with crassness.
Aren’t all the politicians remarkably unimpressive?
Isn’t anyone else outraged that this budget only cuts expenditures by so little? All that posturing by the UDP running up to the election about how much money is being spent by government – that the civil service is bloated, excessive projects, travel wastes, blah blah blah – and they’re not even cutting the budget? And these measures that are going to crush the little guy are going to fund what again? Mega yacht berthing and other equally worthless projects? I see where Mac’s loyalties lie. For all you UDP fools out there (and I call you fools because you have been fooled in the biggest way), where are the cuts you voted for? How has the little guy been protected like you thought he would be? Mac’s promises are as solid as a fart and worth about half as much. You’ve been duped and we all have to pay the price for your naivety. At least the PPM is honest about their intentions and committment to social services. They might spend a lot of money on the civil service and capital projects, but at least what they spend is intended to benefit those who deserve and need it. I’d rather have an ineffective, but honest and scrupulous leader than the deceitful, egotistical sell-out LOGB we have right now.
Could not have said it better!
Now this is what I call "Opposition for Opposition sake." Does Kurt even have a clue or is he still in denial that there is a recession happening.
Come on, man, people were expecting the PPM Plan or at the very least some good alternatives. Is this the best you could do?
Kurt, just think you could have had a perfect day at Over the Edge or Country, and everyone would have been just as satisfied, including you.
Stop wasting the people’s money. Resign and give the PPM the chance to breathe new life and leadership into the party!
Spoken like a true McKeeva croonie! Well done! Now try so wake up!
So you’re basically saying you want Kurt to do the job and get us out of this mess because Mac clearly can’t? Okay, let’s spends millions more on research because our current leader can’t follow through. Just because you think Mac’s budget is the only way forward doesn’t mean it’s the right way.
And just because Mac is now slim doesn’t mean he has changed; the government as a whole needs a whole lot more than a breath of life and leadership, not just the PPM….perhaps we can start with something like an education – ahh those schools are looking like a pretty good investment now, huh?
I can’t believe Kurt spent all day criticizing and still absolutely no alternative plan or even valid suggestions. Where is the PPM plan?
PPM, some of you must have a lick of sense. Dump this buffoon and get yourselves a leader who can come up with real solutions and a plan of action.
Is this what you are going to offer the Cayman Islands at the next election? Lord help us!
Well spoken Kurt!! We all know that you and the PPM are of much higher integrity that the current bunch that’s now in power. Please keep up the good fight! We need you to continue working for Cayman by keeping a close eye on the present adminsitration.
You must be joking. I can’t imagine where we’d be if the PPM were still in power today.
Ah true….but you sure as hell can see where we are with UDP in power today….not a pretty scene! and no sign of improvement on the horizon either!
Government leaders need to re-visit their proposed increases, we have already lost tourism and a lot of the financial industry, are they trying to chase away the rest? What will the poor people of these islands live on, how can the earn enough to live, everything is increasing except salaries. We already have a lot of poor people, soon there will be more and we all know what that entiails, more crime, more people depending on hand-outs from social service.
Hahahahahahaha
The kettle calling the stove black.
Was the PPMs reckless spending a deliberate attempt to force direct taxation on the people of these islands.
Read between the lines people, the PPMs deliberate attemp to force direct taxation on the Caymanian people has been exposed.
Of course they will deny this, but facts are facts. If this was not their intention, why did they create and spend so recklessly. How were they going to finance the present Budget if they were returned by the electorate. Would the FCO have treated them differently then they treated the UDP????????.
Very interesting.
Come on Kurt, stop talking out of the other side of your mouth. Be honest with the Caymanian people. 99.9 percent of us have a level of intelligence to know that you are deceiving in your stand on the actions of the present Government.
Wha ya say? Are you really for real? The PPM spent money to benefit the people of these Islands…..what the UDP did as previous government and what they intend to do now is what you call reckless spending! But you are right about the vast majority of us having a good level of intelligence – you just got it wrong about who is deceiving who!! Guess you must be in the other .01 percent……sorry!
I would like to clarify that I am not anti UDP nor am I pro PPM. I think the UDP has inherited a mess from the PPM, and the PPM inherited from the UDP, and so on and so on. I think the UPD has tried to make fixes that will, in the short term, provide a band-aid to our financial mess. But we don’t need a band-aid, we need a tournaquet.
I think that we need to bring in qualified economists to help direct the country in finding reasonable long term solutions to our debt issues. We cannot afford to build public schools that are palaces which turn out illiterate students, and then tax our small businesses out of business. We cannot continue to blame ex-pats for our own follies. It is time we grow up.
The best part about economics is that you get the 10 best economists in the world in a room, and you’ll end up with 10 different sets of advice, all equally valid. I’m not saying it’s a crapshoot, or that you can accomplish the same thing by reading chicken bones, but look at the global recession. A lot of economists saw it coming, a lot of them didn’t. Some of the ones who saw it coming thought it would happen 5 years ago, some thought 10 years from now. And when Cayman’s economy is tied directly into the hardest area to make predictions about (financial markets), most prudent decisions are as good as any other. (By the way, I hold an M.A. in Economics from a top 20 school, so I know well enough we’re all equally right, and equally full of crap.)
TIBBETTS SAID:
“There is no doubt that in his efforts to demonize, denigrate and discredit my administration the Leader of Government Business [McKeeva Bush] greatly exaggerated the seriousness of the fiscal challenges the country faces and made a number of statements, some of which were picked up by the international media, which can only be described as reckless”
I HAVE TO SAY, MR. TIBBETTS DO HAVE A POINT HERE. MCKEEVA, OVER AND OVER AGAIN ATTRIBUTED CAYMAN’S ECONOMIC CRISIS TO THE PPM GOVERNMENT. This is a known fact, and it was publicized internationally!
The Truth is – UDP, PPM, and all those in Government who wasted our resources PLUS the Global Recession, Hurricane Ivan, the dramatic increase in status grants, and Hurricane Paloma… contributed to Cayman’s Economic downturn…
MCKEEVA BUSH JUST BEING A CLEVER POLITICIAN IN HIS OWN RIGHT, MADE HIS RIVAL INTO A SCAPEGOAT! THE MAN WAS JUST AS RESPONSIBLE… ALL NOW ON HIS MIND WAS "PAYBACK TIME" AGAINST KURT!
And Cayman, this is the kind of politics we should be ashame of. This is the beginning of party politics… notice how McKeeva is doing all the talking and everyone is following him in his own party… notice how he has the control on who does what… It was him who recently made a "religious bent" politician his deputy.
This Cayman is the result of party politics! You ask for it… so you got it! How will we ever be free from corruption now???
Regards
I agree
Something has to be done with our political system. Where are the morals?
Thank you Kurt for finally setting the record straight.
UDP’s plan to use the global downturn to create enough chaos to confuse us and convince us that we’d have to let them sell our country’s assets, and rape our environment ….. all so they can get pay-offs from those that funded their campaign …. has been exposed!
Shame on you, Mac. You should care more about the future of the country than that. Don’t sell us out.
Does no one else see the strategy that has been employed by Mac?? Come on, now! So he drills it over and over and over into everyone’s heads how the PPM is to blame for this "mess" we’re in, totally brainwashing everyone that we are bankrupt (not saying we don’t have some financial woes, but why the constant childish finger pointing?). To what end? So Mac can be the Big Saviour (or, as Mr. Kurt referred to him today, "Merlin") who achieved the impossible, rescued Cayman and brought us back from the brink of financial ruin, of course, and so secure his place in the next election! Unna nah see de reel ting wha gwaan aw wha?
Instead of picking up the pieces and trying to get the country back on track, our Esteemed Premier-Designate instead was pointing fingers and reiterating over and over how it was the other side’s fault, when in fact this has just been the culmination of what has been happening for years prior, including when he was in power! Unfortunately for the PPM the recession rained on their parade, but had it not been for that fact, I am sure that Mac’s new reign would have ultimately taken us there anyway! At least with the PPM, albeit they may have been too freehanded with finances, we never had to fear our birthright being sold from under us as we slept! I said it before the election and I’ll say it again: if (or, rather, when) Mac got back in as Leader he was going to come back with a vengeance, and so said, so done! But the people would have it no other way; only God knows which beach they had their heads stuck in and how far down! Unfortunately, those of us that could see the writing on the wall will have to suffer right along with the rest of you that voted him and his cronies in.
Mr. Mac, PLEASE, for the love of God, take a few lessons from the genteel, well-mannered and sophisticated leader of the United States and conduct yourself in similar fashion and according to the tenets of our respectable Caymanian heritage,and stop making a spectacle of yourself (and us) internationally. All eyes will be on you as you become the first Premier of the Cayman Islands; try not to tear us down with crassness.
There is no bigger waste than Mackeva Bush, & there is no one that is as negative as mac Bush. He has spent his time in power being negative, not only about the PPM but also negative about Cayman. What a dimwit & waste!
"Negativity & lamenting"??? There is no bigger waste than McKeeva Bush, & can you honestl, & I MEAN HONESTLY, tell me who is more negative than Mr. Bush? The UDP have been in government for 4 months now, and all we have heard from Mr. Bush has been negative & continual complaining & blaming of theprevious administration. When will he finally get positive & stop the blame game? You are unbelievable & hypocritical. You are a hypocrite! Do not criticize Mr. Tibbetts if your man is worse! You are a low life hypocrite! What a waste! Our country will never improve while we have that waste (to use your word) there.
I do not know when you UDP puppets will stop being so hypocritical, open your eyes & see what is going on, but I guess the lure of money is too strong for that to ever happen. "The udp needs to find a new leader, one who does not think only of himself & what is best for himself." What an absolute waste.
Amen!
McDinejad !!!
As usual, complaints about everything but no solutions. KT and his PPM put us in this mess and now he says Bush is who hurt us worldwide. Please resign KT and Alden. You are just earning fat paychecks for nothing. PPMers should replace with more competent people in their party – are there any?
You need to wake up my dear! Kurt’s speech was a breath of fresh air after all the crap McKeeva and the UDP have been blabbering on about for the past four months! If you honestly think McKeeva is capable of much more than looking out for himself, his croonies, and his big time inward investors you are mistaken! I certainly appreciate the calm, honest, sensible and rationale thinking of Kurt and the PPM….this is the kind of leadership our Country needs especially during these times. The madness coming from the present leadership has only hurt us not helped us; unfortunately there will be more to come! Thanks Kurt! We are still behind you all the way and even more so after witnessing a worst side of the UPD than we ever imagined!
Inflict pain???? Are you kidding me??? This is a knife to the throat of small business holders. There is NO WAY small businesses can absorb this exhorbitant increase in costs with out either laying off employees or going out of business. How much revenue can one generate from leases on vacant rental units???
I hope there is extra money in the budget for increased public assistance programs because we’ll need it.
I cannot believe thiss one. Nothing but negativity and lamenting. This man is an absolute waste and the PPM needs to find a new leader. He offered no alternative plans as far as I can tell. It is okay to complain but for crying out loud have some ideas. suggestions or comments that are at least somewhat reasonable.
Ezzard, good job, at least you had suggestions and alternatives.
proud of mr kurt love him out of this world,at least he didnt sell out our country.udp is an expat gov ppm is for the natives of these islands.ppm will rise again look out udp get ready for a vote out were coming back stronger than ever.
Great idea – and for the next 3-1/2 years, you can go to school and learn unna self a lickle punctahaitun and gramma. Unna no more hedgacated dan de leada imself.
Sorry for you….you are very lost indeed….hope you find your way to reality some day!