License Plate
It took me
six months waiting time to replace an old plate for fear of getting a ticket
for “obscured license
plates”that is
inefficiency. Is there any good reason in this day and age when vehicles go
really fast to have two plates on a vehicle and who is going to stand in front
of an incoming vehicle to read plate numbers? Issuing one plate for the rear of
the vehicle would be more cost effective. Could the shortage be resulting
from deliberations while contemplating a total changing out of the plates back
to parish specific numbers or some other plan to rake in billions of dollars?
Think about it one plate for the same amount of money and remember
the Tax Administration Department (TAD) is another government shop like
the passport office (PICA).TAD could now increase prices saying they
want to put in some facial recognition chip in the plates along with all your
other information like what is being pursued by PICA so the government could “kill more than two birds with one stone”. The police
could now use equipment similar to the speed guns or other to
know all about you and the vehicle status would eliminate the random waste of
time stopping of vehicles without probable causes which could translate in less
policemen focusing on traffic. and allow technology to do the talking. With a
more efficient system and the police being able to go investigate more serious
crimes is a win for the country. That plate could be or almost as expensive as
the passport but could be justified. So now Jamaica could have high technology
Motor vehicle Passports (MVP) instead of a simple licence plate. By the way if
animals can have passports why not motor vehicles and allow technology to do
the talking.. 25/07/15
Loader Men
'Loader
men' (LM), have become embedded in the public transportation culture all over
Jamaica. They can be quite helpful especially when you travel with
loads and provide a kind of back up security/order for you and
the bus parks as they are always vigilant. My experience is over time you
become a customer and brethren who look out for you and you for them with
something To Insure Prompt Service (Tips) if you have it, if you don't its usually
“no problem" because the transport owner usually takes care of that. The
Transport Authority or other private entity could offer customer service
training for these men even on spot, identify them, register them, uniform
them although not absolutely essential with IDs and make them a part
of the transport service could also limit the influx of overbearing untrained
loader men and allow the professional LMs to do their jobs. I am totally
opposed to the wholesale idea of stamping out things which are productive
innovations that arise from people’s needs. These LMs could be guided to pay
their NHT, NIS etc as part of the package of incentives. Therein lay the
development of a new profession in Loader men and women. 24/07/15
Cutting Down Trees
People who
cut down trees without a license to do so could be fined up to $50, 000 or
asked to serve a year in prison, Environment Minister Robert Pickersgill told a
People's National Party Youth Organization congress on Saturday in St Ann. What about
public education they just wake up and put in fines which are never policed.
Another item from the Jamaica Talk Shop I guess. We can’t catch capital and
non-capital murderers so now they going after a new category non capital
"tree murderers" and "tree slaughterers" the climate really
change. What is the definition of tree for the purposes of this law for which
you would have to get that $15000 license. Is it like the Guango Tree that was
cut down in Liguanea some years ago what would that be tree murder or tree
slaughter and was anyone charged?22/07/15
All the politicians young and old are
mired in tax and borrow policies so by the time the ganja industry is to get
started it may have died. The industry should have been allowed to develop and
then government ride with the flow and to see where it is going and then put
necessary regulation/protection. With the present policy of having expensive
license at the start will destroy the small people who were bearing the brunt
of the persecution trying to keep an industry alive.22/07/15
Taxation
Most people it seems
are unable to think of any solution that does not involve increased taxation,
but what about education? Jamaica is already one of the world's most taxed
countries with one of the highest interest rates in the world. A writer in a letter to a
newspaper comes with ideas however well intentioned that would add to the
burdensome tax misery of the people. He should wheel and come again with
better ideas. Plastic bags are banned in countries like China that
export scandal/plastic bags to us and others are we using our brains to think,
why tax us for those bags while still importing so that the taxpayer would
be subsidizing those imports? I am sure Jamaicans use millions of
plastic bags annually that translating to billions of dollars directly and
indirectly that gets burned at Riverton and other dumpsites contaminating the
air and water with dangerous cancer causing substances. We should outlaw those
plastic bags and use the foreign exchange on something else like enhancing our
health facilities. Besides China, other countries having
a ban on plastic bags are: Australia, Bangladesh Burma, England,
India, Mexico and Rwanda the first to have such a ban. Why not do the same or pass a rule that supermarkets and shops sell
plastic bags instead of giving it away for free? At least two major stores in
Jamaica have successfully done away with plastic bags without any howls of
protest from consumers. Ban plastic bags save the environment and stop making
Jamaica dirty. We could at least start with banning non-biodegradable types
then move on to utensils forks spoons etc I do my shopping with the good old
time crocos bags over my shoulders which could become fashionable one day while
saving the environment. Just stop dutty up Jamaica with plastic bags we should
outlaw /ban them.22/07/15
Michael Spence
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