Dear Source,
The 25th Legislature of the V.I. government has once again relegated statutory responsibility of control over the purse strings of our government by giving the Turnbull administration what they asked for: a lump-sum budget for executive departments.
Was it laziness or irresponsibility of the senators who did not want to have to monitor and make informed decisions on funding requests by the executive branch? The senators apparently took the easy way out; they gave the administration what it asked for as a sign of solidarity with the Democrats in the executive branch. It seems we have more of the same in the 25th Legislature; despite the new faces, the new names, they all behave alike, they remain within the box.
What should citizens expect after such demonstration of irresponsibility by the 25th Legislature, when the Senate abdicates its responsibility to control spending by the executive branch over which Senators are to exercise oversight? Watching and listening to the performance of the 25th Legislature so far leaves us with little hope there will be improvements in the way our government functions. Consider how they began their tenure, with the refurbishing of offices, spending tax dollars before they even promote more income for the treasury. Have they returned the vehicles that they received from the 24th Legislature, acquisition of which was highly criticized by the public? Our worst fears are materializing, with the Democrats in control of the executive and legislative branches of government. With the action by the Senate, yielding to the executive branch's requests for lump-sum budget, there will be no progress in bringing our government closer to fiscal responsibility.
It is up to us — the citizens — to make known in no uncertain terms our displeasure with the performance of these Senators. We should use any and all public media to express our disagreement with the 25th Legislature's performance, or lack of, so far and remind them of their promises and of our stated priorities. We cannot depend on the local media; they do not appear to be able to do much investigative reporting or to follow up on lead stories. Therefore, the radio talk shows and letters to the editor should provide us with the needed outlet for our views and opinions. We may also talk to the Senators one on one — if you can catch up with them. After election they conveniently cease to be readily available to the citizens. They seldom reply to correspondence, with few exceptions.
Remember: Democracy requires vigilance and involvement of the governed to be successful. If the citizens fail to exercise their rights and responsibilities, democracy suffers and it deteriorates into something else. It behooves all of us who believe in the democratic form of government to exercise our duties to our selves and our community and participate with others of like mind in the process. Get involved in your neighborhood civic group or a political party of your choice and participate in the development of policies you believe will improve your community and your quality of life.
J.J. Estemac
St. Thomas

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