Someone recently told me about how Sen. Hansen won in court against
Beal Aerospace, thus keeping Beal from building their corporate headquarters in Great Pond Bay. They said that Beal was about to appeal, when an area in Florida pitched a good deal to Beal to get them to build over there.
So Beal left.
And the same people bickering not to have Beal bringing their business into the Virgin Islands, are the same people bickering now about not receiving their wages, tax returns, paved roads, and school maintenance.
They boldly blame the government or previous leaders for squandering funds to not provide. Well that does nothing to settle the situation.
My friend said that later on, a friend of his was traveling through Europe, and overheard a conversation between some businessmen who were saying
the Virgin Islands was an unfriendly place to do business.
They specifically mentioned Beal and some other issues. That made me fear for my future livelihood in the Virgin Islands. I do think that it was wrong for them to refuse Beal. The repercussions are drastic.
What big business would come down here if we have such a bad reputation. I don't think the decision was made in the best interest of the youth who will eventually grow in a dying and impoverished Virgin Islands.
That is what this place will be, if we allow things to continue this way. And the hot heads in the senate do whatever they feel would insure their political future rather than the future of the Virgin Islands and those who have to live here.
Beal would have created work. New business would come in. Housing would be needed for the families. Gasoline and grocery purchases would increase.
More flights would have come into St.Croix and St.Thomas to support the rotation of employees. Air cargo and shipping would probably make the biggest money, and reduce the shipping costs in and out of the Virgin
Islands.
Hess and many other businesses would need to employ more people. I don't see how Beal was not going to give back to the community, besides also hiring and training local people. New programs would have probably developed in the University to produce local workers. Local kids could have benefitted from Beal scholarships or guaranteed jobs upon graduation that requires them to work for a certain amount of years locally or elsewhere with Beal, with the option of returning to work in the Virgin Islands.
Did the politicians set up something like that in Beal's contract to do business in the VI?
There are so many ways to make the Virgin Islands better, but we keep fighting ourselves. I could understand if they wanted to preserve the land, but is the land worth the demise of the Virgin Islands?
Did we have better options in a time where the government is going broke, and the Feds are waiting to take over? Conditions are even worse than this one incident.
The government gives too many tax cuts to big businesses. Smaller businesses and the middle income tax payers suffer greatly.
I am sure tax deductions would be less than what we pay, and the government would not be in the condition it is in now if things were done different, and not by what is considered popular.
Beal could have been contracted each year to provide books, computers, or money to the public education system.
It really bothered me that the youth of today had no voice to speak out concerning their future, or someone who would rally in their interest. Who is looking out for us?
B. Bradshaw
