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Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
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For the Common Good

Dear Source:
The Source reported: "A funding bill the governor sent down two months ago is meant to carry various recipients through the end of the fiscal year, but senators said Wednesday they will have the final say in prioritizing the bill's $23.3 million in new expenditures". Granted, I have not had my first cup of coffee, but I found myself in a very bad mood. I had to reflect on what was going on here to turn my day around.
My background is in working with emotionally disturbed children. Learning to understand why people behave inappropriately and find out what is really going on. Reaching for compassion and solutions is a strong value to me personally.
As far as most, or at least, too many, of our Senators go, I just keep "hitting" the internal frustration and exasperating button when I read what I consider to be "power and control struggles" with our Governor and the legislative Branch!
May I suggest that our present Senators "check themselves out" and reflect on their own personal behaviors and job accomplishments to date…not with the goal to get re-elected but to do some much needed self-evaluation?
The last few years have been quite telling in proving the many shortcomings of our elected representatives.
We have experienced Senators give themselves a sneaky last-minute pay raise resulting in an uproar of the VI Community that won't go away; temper tantrums on the Legislative floor of such immature behavior as to make many of the emotionally disturbed children I have worked with seem quite evolved; Senators consistently absence from important Legislative meetings; Senators who have not listened to the majority of the voices of St. John in regards to the ill-fated and unplanned, unlawful Sirenusa Project; Senators who do not return phone calls or e-mails of concerns from constituents; Senators who spend a good amount of time creating divisiveness amongst the tapestry of people living in our Territories; And what is most disconcerting–at a time of crisis in our Islands–Senators who do not know how to work as a Team to improve The VI's for the good of all!
Our Governor is the Captain of a ship called "The future of The VI's". Our Senators have a very big role in helping our Captain steer this Ship out of the dangerous waters we find ourselves in, but what is happening? The focus seems to be on pettiness and small minded thinking…with the goal of hanging on to the power and control that too many of them seem to have become addicted to! You do not "run tings". We, the people, do. There are way too many egos at play in our Legislative Body. We need much more conscious minds willing to courageously stand up to those who are fighting against our need to work as a Team to move our Islands forward. Our issues are too big for this kind of in-fighting. I do acknowledge a few Senators that have proudly done this, and I believe that they will be re-elected back to continue their good work.
There are too many presenting in office that must leave in November if we are to make future progress.
Bonny Corbeil
St. John

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.

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