[ insert name here ]'s Belize

How do you feel about Belize?

Please, tell me. I want to know.

I used to feel that Belize was a land of untapped potential. A viable diamond-in-the-rough, just needing a caring hand to shine it to lustrous brilliance! I felt as though we were just a few baby steps away from success. Sustainable success. We just needed a stringent visionary (mayhaps an economist) to lead us and tap into the deep well of our natural and human resources.

... Now I don't feel the same.

I don't know how; I don't know when, but we took ten steps backward... haven't we? Do you feel the same? Perhaps it's just me... the last bright vestiges of youthful optimism are fading from me. Also, living away has certainly broadened my thinking. I'm just another common jaded ol' cynic.

Yet... if I had my optimism again, I'd say... "To progress, we need a home-grown solution. We need a solution that comes from those aged 20 to 35."

NOTE: *{I can't comment on crime, because that problem is just too overwhelming.}

I would begin with immigration, if I were part of this imaginary committee. No more accepting immigrants who have nothing to contribute to our economy and growth. I feel many immigrants drain Belizean resources without returning not one tangible benefit. At the same time, as new immigration laws were being implemented, I'd set a plan in motion that aims to retain the young educated masses. {Basically, decrease migration} Too many university-educated Belizeans aren't sure if they want to return to Belize after obtaining their degree, because they don't see a place for themselves in Belize. They are so wrong... we need them more than ever!

Then, I'd establish some sort of manufacturing enterprise. We need to offer the globalized market something they can't find anywhere else for cheaper. Some agro-product, I'm sure, holds the key to our future prosperity.

Next, I would implement and enforce very strict environmental laws and policies. Our ecosystems are among one of the most unique features of Belize. And I, for one, am DAMN tired of seeing politicians sign away cayes, swamps, lagoons, and rights without a sweet clue of the ramifications of their actions. No more, sir!

After that, I would focus on converting all our sources of energy into renewable sources. This would be the hardest, and most expensive step. But in the long run, it would be the most beneficial. I'd have us create so much energy, we would have a surplus to sell.

I applaud the 20-year plan that GOB is creating now, headed by Dr. Carla Barnett. But, I ask you, are the right people spearheading this process? Let's be real. In twenty to thirty years, all the present major players in the current political platform will be retired or dead. Sir Barry Bowen's demises shows us how fragile life is -- even a life full of familial and economic success.

The future is in the youth. It's past time for us to man up and take the reigns.

So, I'll leave you as I began. How do you feel about Belize? Tell me; I want to know.

Definition of Democracy

My friends. I'm sorry for the long hiatus. I have three half-written blogs, but I haven't had the inspiration to finish them.

It's not as though the issues have disappeared... they're still there!

Case and point being the situation in Honduras. I'm perplexed by the OAS's support of President Zelaya's. Please read the following, which is taken verbatim from an article titled "Honduras defends its democracy" by Mary O'Grady. {I strongly suggest Googling the full article}

"... Mr. Zelaya acted as if he were above the law... While Honduran law allows for a constitutional rewrite... only... through a national referendum approved by its Congress.

But Mr. Zelaya declared the vote on his own and had Mr. Chávez ship him the necessary ballots from Venezuela. The Supreme Court ruled his referendum unconstitutional, and it instructed the military not to carry out the logistics of the vote as it normally would do.

The top military commander, Gen. Romeo Vásquez Velásquez, told the president that he would have to comply. Mr. Zelaya promptly fired him. The Supreme Court ordered him reinstated. Mr. Zelaya refused.

...

The attorney general had already made clear that the referendum was illegal, and he further announced that he would prosecute anyone involved in carrying it out."

Now, I'm shocked and surprised when I learned that Secretary of State, Mrs. Clinton had leapt to the defense of President Zelaya. Next came the support of President Obama, our own Hon. Dean Barrow, and the UN.

I ask you, my fellow Belizeans, to look in your hearts and define democracy. The Honduran constitution allows only a one-term president, because of atrocities of the past. Look in the history books, and you'll quickly understand why. {It's not taught in Belizean schools, but Central America has had a very turbulent history.} There is a reason so many Central American immigrants come to our nation.

Personally, I stand behind the Congress of Honduras. True, a military coup was NOT the way to go, but their actions have foundations in righteousness and goodwill. Through their actions, however, of expelling President Zelaya, their "good" has been severely tainted in the eye of the world. I pity them. May I remind you that President Zelaya only had a 30% popularity vote earlier this year. His referendum most likely wouldn't have passed.

Sometimes the boundaries between good and bad aren't as distinct as we want them to be. Sometimes you have to put yourself in someone else's skin and walk around a little bit.

Comments, please.

The Voice