By: Susanne Thevenet

Susanne Thevenet — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 20:35:00 +0000

I met the man who cleared the seaweed off the beach at Sandy Hill Beach Club this past winter. He was from Wisconsin and he and his wife faithfully went to Geraud’s every Sunday for breakfast. For him, it was a labor of love. For Anguilla to continue to thrive the tourist product — those beaches — must be kept pristine, or the tourists will stop coming in a heartbeat. If someone figures out WHY the seaweed is washing up everywhere, someone else can figure out how to stop it, but someone, lots of people, have to get it off the beaches every day NOW, today and every day to keep the touism product pristine. Raking it behind the high tide line only temporarily solves the problem — taking it to the dump is better yet. Better yet, find a use for it so perhaps you can sell it.
Governments, like people incur debt because they spend money they don’t have. It doesn’t matter how great the need, how marvelous the project, etc., if a govt. lacks the cash UP FRONT or with bonds and a means to pay them off over the term of the bond to pay for a project, then it should not be undertaken IF that govt. wants to stay out of debt. Once a country is in debt, it must create something of value for the debt owner to exchange for his debt — an IOU. If a govt. can’t pay its IOU’s, then someone comes in and takes them over, no matter how altruistic the project was that puhed that currency and nation into debt.

Selling Anguilla’s land is only part of a solution to the problem. Attract innovation, manufacturing, etc., even though you don’t have enough “open” locatons. Every country in the world is in the same “boat” as Anguilla — desperate need for industry, revenue for the govt. so it can provide services, etc.

No “easy answers” and certainly Great Britain is not going to bail out Anguilla or any other member of the Commonwealth.

By: Mary Goodnow

Mary Goodnow — Sun, 13 Sep 2015 21:48:00 +0000

Wow! I believe that seaweed has become an issue in the Caribbean but Anguilla depends much more than most with the appeal of beautiful, white sand beaches. My husband, John, and I have been coming to Anguilla for 35 years. We built a home at The SeaRocks which we sold, perhaps, 12 or 13 years later. Three years later we missed the people and the beaches of Anguilla so much, we purchased a condo at Sandy Hill. Another resident at the Sandy Hill Club worked about two to three hours for three months raking seaweed from our lovely beach—it became beautiful again. But it was about then that we knew a problem was approaching all the beaches in Anguilla. Now it is in the entire Caribbean. However, all Anguilla knows their (and our) beloved beaches need help as soon as possible. How about starting as large a beach clearing as soon as possible? We have the best beaches in the Caribbean so let’s take the lead in cleaning them. As soon as we do this, our tourist industry here can begin publicizing this wonderful accomplishment.

Thanks for listening to my thoughts and best regards,

Molly Goodnow

(Mary G. Goodnow)

Comments on: WE COME AS YOUR FRIENDS by Tyrone Hodge

By: Susanne Thevenet

By: Mary Goodnow