I think Mr. Ottley came closest to the crux of why the status and constitution questions still confront the Virgin Islands when he said "senators should not expect the proposed legislation to sit well with residents when it does not address the "nitty-gritty issues" they face on a daily basis." I would go one step further and say that it is because of the problems which confront us that we are not willing to extend more power and autonomy to a government which is unable to deal with mundane matters such as potholes, transportation, schools, crime, etc. Burdening our overtaxed government with even more responsibility at this time would not lead to a solution but a worsening of the current situation. Let's expend all our energies on making our islands run smoothly and then we can address the very important issues of status and constitution.

Steve Marsh
St. Thomas