our prime minister stood there and said

Yes, I know, it makes me angry too. Not much we can do about it though, aside from voting. Unfortunatly most elections don't give us anyone decent to vote for! It's like we're left choosing the lesser of 2 evils. Sorry to hear about what happened to your daughter! That's just madness. Something similar happened to a woman in my area, and she ended up being tazered for trying to prove to the policeman that he was wrong! She got pulled over for doing 5 miles over the speed limit and the officer said she'd been on her cellphone, which she hadn't. She tried to show him the cell phone and he tazered her. Her 2 small kids were in the car at the time.

Now I am really mad! Some of them are the scum of the earth. I know that I am ranting today and this is not usual but they make me so cross when I see the poverty and how people work so hard and do not get anything for their hard work. Thanks Kat. We cannot let them get away with everything. I hope that he lady can fight this.

Poor people all over the world cannot afford to have a bank account as they have to pay fees and our fees are very high in J.A. This is also disgusting as they are really giving it to the disadvantaged in your country. These people come in in good faith to pay what they owe and are prevented from doing so. It just makes my blood boil. Rachel was stopped by a corrupt policeman who told her that she was speeding at 91 miles per hour. She went into shock as she had just come out from the gas station across the road. No way could she have reached that speed. But she reported it at the Police Station but I don't know what will come out of it. I get so mad at corruption from politicians and it doesn't matter what party they are in. Corruption is corruption and eternity means just that - forever. I must calm down now and get back to work. Lunchtime over. Blessings

I was from the U.K,. but have lived on this Island for nearly 40 years. I go back every 2 years so I know bit about what is happening there. My son is in London in a Hotel and is fighting for his hob on a daily basis. My sisters now buy at the last minute in supermarkets trying to buy stuff just before the sell by date and buy the bread too at a cheaper price. Our economy is much worse though. We do not earn Stirling or US dollars and a loaf of bread would be about OUNE Pound SEVENTY PENCE IN YOUR MONEY. It IS CRAZY. i GROW A LOT AS i SAW THIS COMING so am able to save quite a bit here. Actually you do not save money you just try to keep living on the same level. God help us all. They are cutting down on Government workers and we do not have4 unemployment money. They will starve or move in with family. Our GCT which is the same as your VAT has MOVED TO TWENTY PER CENT OVER NGHT.

Thank you so very much. I am a tough old bird and will fight on for justice for everyone regardless of race or religion. Blessings

It sounds awful where you are much worse than us.We will just have to get used to having nothing pretty quick.Putting vat up to that is ridiculous how on earth can they expect to get enough in that way.It is not a nice place this world at the moment and wish you luck my friend.

Wait, isn't your country on socialized medicine? And the hospitals in Engladn are going to suffer? That's just one more reason I see so many flaws in Obama's health plan.

NO i AM British BUT LIVE IN ja. SOCUIZALIZED MEDICINE IS DOWN THE DRAIN. they CUT DOWN ON THE PEOLE WHO clean AND SO ALL THESE SUPERBUGS DEVELOPED. if YOU GO IN FOR SURGUR5Y YOU BRING SOMEONE TO DISINFECT YOUR ROIOM AND BED ETC BEFORE YOU GET INTO BED. Sorry for caps - no time to retype. Blessings

Sadly, I think a lot of politicians step up to a job they aren't prepared for.

You are one of the wisest people I know. Prcisely, he should not have stepped up to thejob

That is really bad u have someone like him running your country. Politics are so dirty & i think always have been. I have never understood why ANYONE wants to get involved in them.If they are a good guy going in , they usually aren't coming out.

YOu are so right about this one!

No he will fight to remain in power but he has 3 more years to go. We call him Mr. Flip Flop. First he flips and then he flops. Cannot make a decision. We are still waiting to hear what massive increases he is going to put on our backs this year. He will FIGHT to remain in power and I emphasise the word fight. Real down and dirty.

I think that a few of ours also have blood on their hands. They may not do the dirty work themselves but they will get their fcolowers to do so.

Ah! Did I mention that almost all our politicians possess criminal records, most of them are murderers, or huge scamsters. The corrupt you are the more successful poilitician you can become in this country.

As we enter the autumn of or lives we should be gardening for pleasure not for necessity. I had no idea that things there were so bad. is this the case across the whole of the West Indies? Your politicians are like their ilk the world over, only interested in themselves and how much personal gain they can make from their political careers. In fact VAT here went down to 15% as a way to try to persuade the country to get spending. It hasn't made much difference. But inflation at the levels that you describe is horrific. I am reminded of Germany in the 1930's. Unchecked inflation is what brought Hitler to power. I hope that things do settle soon for you all there.

Thanks for correcting me Pike. Autoclaves.It takes 140 Jamaican dollars to buy one pound Stirling and we do not earn salaries in US dollars or pounds Stirling. J$90 to buy one US dollar. That will give you an idea of what we are going through.I saw this com ing and in y small garden have potatoes growing in tyre, pumpkin, bananas and plantain, sugar cane, and different kind of peppers and herbal teas like peppermint. I have a breadfruit tree and ackees coming in. We now swap amongst friends as to whom something bears in our garden we share and take to the children's homes that our church runs. I do have a farm that is laden with bearing fruit and trees but6 we cannot afford to get back into production as the interest rate for agriculture is 27 percent. No one can make money with that rate of interest. I told my son to allow the people in the village that we used to employ ( 50 persons when we were reaping bananas) to reap the fruit and tree crops as they are hungry. I also allow our former workers to plant a field on the land to help feed their families. Yesterday, I was ranting at their direction and today everything has raised in food prices. Your VAT and out GCT was raised to 20 per cent cross the board. Even on th staples like flour, cornmeal and chicken back. Yes, the backs of chickens are regularly eaten by our poverty stricken people. I have hear t problems and I know that I can send my prescription to the U.K. where my son will get it from a pharmacy for me and bring it at Christmas. But my heart bleeds as there are so many who need the same medication and the medical supplies needed for th citizen's of this country will dry up. I have to state that without the help of the private sector and some wonderful people then the country is doomed. The wealthy do have a conscience but what with everything increased including the dramatic rise of electricity prices many of their businesses are collapsing. The politicians are OK. They can fly to Miami for treatment paid at the expense of the tax payers but we can't. I hope that this gives you a better picture of waht is happening. The greatest thing is that our Minister of Finance lost his gas station through poor business practices. If you cannot run a gas station how can you run the finances of a country? Am I the one who is stupid?

Thank you for responding so quickly. No it isn't like this across the West Indies. The Island are actually very far apart from each other and have different cultures and accents. I am for us becoming a region - everyone uniting and looking out for each other - but it will be many years before this happens. We would have more voice if we spoke as a region rather than a little bunch of Island in the middle of the ocean. Cooperation is there but everyone has their big egos and they lve on little Islands. We are not totally dependent on tourism and God BLess those who come! For example, Trinidad has oil so why can't they sell it to us cheaper? There is great wealth in this country but also great poverty. Still class barriers but not racial barriers. However, the peole are resiliant and do help each other. No one would be turned away from a home if they asked for food. They really are an incrediblr people, so much talent and brilliance that is not developed. Thank you - I have so enjoyed this discussion. Today I know what we are facing and will plan and help others to plan to get through this.Thanks fo rlistening to me - I do not often rant!

Hi Hatley. Yesterday I was just so upset and was ranting. I can only help as much as I can. We do not have unemployment benefits so people will starve and children wil suffer. I must pray harder for all who have been affected al over the world. The policians frow fat and the peole grow angry. Your economy will eventually pick up in the next year so tell your son not to give up hope. I do hope that he will get a job soon. I have a son who is out of work too.

He wouldn't give a tinker's you know what. Petitions and letters would not mean diddly squat to him. He allowed one Minister in his cabinet to spend 60 million dollars to renovate the government house that he was living in. Within a stone's throw from anywhere people are in dire need. I am so cross s I have to try and find food and clothing for 44 mentally and physically challenged teenagers. We took them of the streets from birth and have looked after them. These teenagers are hungry and get angry as they do not understand why their food has been cut down drastically. I am fuming. I spend my time begging used towels, sheets, shirts and briefs for this home. The government provides no money to assist. Some of that 60 million would have provided a lot of food and bedding and adult diapers. I am in such a rant today Have to get back to work. I do not often get cross but I am cross!

Don't blame you for getting cross. That is just wrong. The government has a responsibility to protect and care for its weakest citizens and it seems like government officials the world over use their positions to improve their own situations and line their own pockets.

I could give you so many examples of corrupt politicians and I haven't even started on the police! They are so blatant. It could make me lose faith in people some times.

I am trying to pay off property taxes that are owing and arranged with the Tax People to pay a certain amount per month. I have kept to this but under this administration I am paying 60% interest on what is owed and I will be owing more next April when the new taxes are added. No one gives a d**m. A Minister of Government has his house renovated at a cost of 60 milliion JA dollars. He said that he should not have to live in squalor. We have so many people living in squalor. He would not recognise it if it hit him on the nose. I despise these people. 60 millin dollars couds do so much to help so many people.

I live in a small Third world country. If a country is in what is called the third World' then it is not rich . The small country that I live in is very poor but some people are rich. do not believe that people in the west are all rich,. They are not. I came for a First World Country and have travelled extensively. People are hungry and on he streets in the western country. Do not believe what yo hear. You must judge for yourself and educate yourself about the world you live in. You will be amazed by what yo9u can learn on the Internet