Dear Source:
Inexcusable is the only word I can think of for the defacing of public and private property by the off-island opponents of the deal by gluing up posters all over Charlotte Amalie. I can only hope that the perpetrators, who were caught on TV news cameras, will be prosecuted.
The only problem in the deal is the industrial development bonds are intended to be paid off by the Territory's revenue stream from the excise taxes on the importation of the rum into the United States. This stream can be changed or eliminated at the whim of the United States Congress, who were not parties to the deal. Our Delegate to Congress will have to be alert so we won't be "jobbed" again as we were by AJCA 2004 when Congress sometime between midnight and 5 A.M. reduced the share of taxes payable to the USVI by millions of dollars so the revenue from these taxes could be used for environmental cleanup on the mainland.
Harris Angell
St. Thomas
Editor's note: We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
