St. Maarten Private Eye

The SXM PE Team confirmed today that they would be joining the race in the upcoming election. We don't have a party or color, we won't be entering any candidates and we won't be on the ballots. We do have T-Shirts but they aren't free, if it's a chicken leg or ribs you seek then you can find out where the best are on TTOL. We have no plans to hold free concerts, and we have no cement.

If you love St. Maarten, if it is in your heart, and if your heart is aching, then it's time for you to get involved in creating change. We're going to tell you a little more about our campaign plans below, but more important, we're going to tell you what you can do to help. The choice is yours, and that's all it is, a choice.

If you want to, you truly have the power to make a difference.

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For those of you who missed it in the recent weekly roundup, you definitely should read this article before continuing. The Internet and blogosphere played a huge role in the recent US elections and they will play a bigger role in determining who the next US President will be.

Will St. Maarten Private Eye play a role in the coming island council elections?

We plan to, but how much depends largely upon you.

A quick questionnaire.

1. Are you tired of feeling helpless, frustrated and depressed at the state St. Maarten is in and the direction it's headed?
2. Are you tired of being afraid to speak up or voice your opinion in opposition to politicians and their policies or schemes?
3.Are you tired of corruption, crime, inadequate security, overdevelopment, destruction of the environment and pollution?
4. Do you want an Ombudsman?
5. Do you want an independent Police Complaints body?
6. Do you want a Code of Conduct?
7. Do you want transparency, accountability and honesty from government?
8.. Do you want GEBE to move into clean energy and a strong policy to reduce waste and increase recycling?
9. Do you want zoning and a professional and visionary planning policy?
10. Do you want a moratorium on major developments?
11. Do you want strong environmental legislation.?
12. Do you want animal welfare legislation?
13. Do you want a reformed public transport system that works for everyone efficiently and affordably?
14. Do you want better education. Do you want to bring our schools into the 21st century?
15. Would you like fries with that?

(All of us except Hady scored 15. Hady wanted onion rings instead.)

There are many more questions we could ask, but we think you will understand where we stand. If you answered yes to 10 or more then you are in the right place.

We are not a political party, we don't have advisors, and we are not financial experts, so we are not going to tell you how all of the above will be paid for. Taxes are the foundation of any government. If you want service you have to pay for it. Right now everything is being done on the cheap. If the police force is 40% understaffed, the prison with 3 guards per shift instead of 12, where then is all the money for those missing staff members? Is it piling up in the bank?

The truth is, there is no money piling up in the bank, at least not in government accounts. The costs of increasing the police force to the level where it needs to be are not in the new budget. The budget is all about maintaining things as they are. No one likes paying taxes, but knowing what they go towards and the benefits that can be produced by them makes them easier to swallow. It hurts to pay taxes for lousy service.

Here's another question. Would you really mind paying 25c more for a beer, knowing you could get that 25c back if you return the empty bottle? 25c might sound high. However, it doesn't really matter because it's only a deposit. For stores and bars the problem of how to pass on that deposit is easily solved. This would make each empty case worth $6.00. This would help recycling, perhaps in a collaboration with the French side which already has a glass crushing machine. It would also go a long way towards combating littering and car throw outs.

Or how about this. Would you support legislation to halt the senseless waste of energy being used by air conditioners blowing out of store doorways? They do it to entice customers in, but it could also be argued that having them in the rear of the store would entice customers to go deeper into it. It's ridiculous! Either move the air conditioner back a certain distance or close the doors. Fines could increase according to frequency of the offences. We know it's draconian, but unless those air conditioners are powered by solar panels on the roof, then it's a sickening waste of energy and a big contributor to global warming.

Would you be content paying the same electricity rates you had 5 months ago knowing that any extra profit GEBE was making was being put towards planning for and providing cleaner energy, an island wide sewerage system and reducing energy waste? In last week's Weekender there was an interview with the new head of GEBE, but in over half-page of text, there was not one mention of either clean energy or global warming. Can someone please send him the link to the SXM PE Global Warming Thread.

So what can you do?

Well, there are lots of things you can do. If you are local and voted Yes on the questionaire 10 times or more then perhaps you should get on a slate, the most suitable might be PPA. Or you could form a party yourself.

If you don't want to do that then the next best thing is to start asking the politicians seeking your votes where they stand on these issues and what ideas and plans they have to address them.

You can talk to friends and family, tell them what you think, explain how it's important to them too. Get them to consider the issues rather than blindly following the color of a flag.

You could also consider being a volunteer by contacting your favored candidate and let him or her know.

You can write to newspapers or even here on SXM PE. (Flipper is writing a post about that this weekend.)

Any one of the above will make a difference. It's up to you.

SXM PE Election Campaign - Site Improvements

SXM PE is 2 months shy of its 2nd anniversary, it has over 8,100 news clippings and photographs, over 3,500 comments and as of today, 485 registered users. This month has seen visitor numbers and page views double. The chart below is from today and there are still a few more days to go in January.

The visitor figure for the month is likely to be close to 14,000, and the number of pages looked at is expected to be around 70,000.

There are many improvements we want to make to the site, the main one being to create a better filing system so you can find what you're looking for. A note to all users, really, forget about using the search feature, instead look in the Main Threads section for the topics most likely to hold what you seek.

Secondly, we want to upgrade the site with improvements and modules, such as an internal messaging system so you can send secure messages to each other without having to reveal your email addresses.

Thirdly, we want to put in place new safeguards. We have been getting many spam comments which are suspicious, and we need to improve our software and hardware. We can only do so much with cranky old pc's and freeware that is slow or crashes when stressed.

Fourthly, we need to pay our bills for the hosting and storage of the site and its archives. As more clippings, documents and photos get filed and visitor numbers rise, so do our costs. None of us are in a position to cover these costs, and we would also have to pay techies for their time to improve the site. We are not website engineers

Lastly, we have hopes that our election campaigning will be able to run newspaper, and perhaps radio and TV ads about the the issues we have listed above. We will try not to be too controvertial, satire may play a part and if you make a donation, please feel assured you are not responsible for what we do with it. How much we can do will depend on donations. Keeping the site online is the most important right now.

Donations needed

So we are going to finish this Special Announcement with an appeal for donations.

Since the last update on donations the total has risen to $750 with two more donations from Joel Gove's family and friends. We thank you, and our hearts are with you as the search continues.

About $650 of this has been spent preparing artwork for and printing the first batch of 24 SXM Private Eye T-shirts. Half of these are spoken for already, and for a $40 donation you, too, can get one. For those patiently waiting, we are now assured they will be ready to mail out in about a week. As donations and requests for shirts come in, we will make more.

We haven't really appealed for donations much, since it feels too much like begging and is awkward. We don't need briefcases of cash like some campaigners. Small, poor non-profits like us know how to stretch a dollar. Anything is welcome, $10, $20, $50, or more, whatever you feel SXM PE is worth to you or that you can afford. If you are broke like us then don't feel bad. We know very well how it is. As we have listed above, there are many things you can do to make a difference, most of which cost only your time.

We thank you all for your support. With your comments and discussions you help generate and contribute the things that keep SXM PE interesting and growing. It helps us feel that what we are doing is worthwhile. SXM PE was born with the intention of empowering you, the people and residents of St. Maarten, and to show that you can make a difference, that your voice and opinions really do matter if you want it to.

Above all, don't be afraid. You are not alone.

The SXM PE Team

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