Wired868 Wired868 for smart sport news and opinion
On Monday, a controversial, despotic leader of a corrupt, discredited regime went on war footing through the announcement of gifts to a suspicious public.
But enough of Sepp Blatter’s intention to remain FIFA president; what about Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s election budget as she prepares for her final year in office?
(Copyright AFP 2014/Frederic Dubray)
The Trinidad Guardian newspaper described the 2014-15 Budget, unveiled by the Finance Minister, as “Sweeteners from Howai.”
The headline reminded Mr Live Wire of a prank that 33-year-old Brazil World Cup star Maicon allegedly pulled on a drunk international teammate in Miami this weekend, which involved condensed milk, pepper and the latter’s anus.
To summarise, Elias, a Brazilian footballer, woke up with an awfully confused rectum and was told, by Maicon, that he was raped by four men after passing out drunk at a nightclub. Elias supposedly panicked and told the Brazil team management, Maicon confessed and head coach Dunga told the latter player that his international career was over.
In short, jokes that start off sweet don’t always end that way.
And that brings us back to our own condensed milk man and a population convinced its pants have been ankle high for the past four years.
The budget was as confusing as Maicon’s sense of humour.
There was a year-long $500 boon for new mothers from impoverished neighbourhoods to better provide their infants. And TV6 reporter Jabari Fraser took a young mom to the grocery to show how far that grant can go. (Word of advice, Jabari; there will never be a good time to revisit that shopping trip with Faine Richards).
But, simultaneously, the Ministry of National Security is stockpiling enough weapons to ensure that those $500 babies won’t stand a chance once they are old enough to wear three-quarter pants. So that is baby’s milk and bullets for poor families.
(Courtesy Heritage Radio)
There is a $1 million provision for policemen slain on the job; but nothing for citizens unlawfully killed by trigger-happy law enforcement officers.
Fines for reckless motorists will be doubled. But the clogged judicial system and toothless State watchdogs means corruption—legal and otherwise—will continue unchecked.
Howai boasted of new stadia on the way although athletes and sport bodies continue to cry out for supplements, training gear and international tournament practice.
Hoteliers will receive millions to fix their rooms as part of a tourism drive; yet Tobago athletes are becoming increasingly rare within national teams due to a lack of subsidies for travel between the islands and poor investment in sport.
Left like this, Tobago will inevitably fall behind on the sporting field due to a lack of exposure, competition and new ideas. A young Dwight Yorke would go missing. But the People’s Partnership prefers to cough up taxpayers’ money to give hotels like the Grafton Beach Resort a facelift.
Mr Live Wire does not consider that to be a budget; just a hodge-podge of ideas without a clear vision. It is the kind of after-hours recipe that Maicon might put together after a couple of drinks.
Expect some more pain in our ras that no amount of condensed milk could suppress.
On the eve of the Government’s scheduled launch of its Public Sector and Public Service Vaccination programme, protesters, led by Read more
The UNC’s star at the 2020 General Election turned out to be Michelle Benjamin, a fresh-faced councillor from Moruga/Tableland who Read more
Trinidadians, Lord Maestro once sang, ent really know what they want. It is a truism that never fails to repeat Read more
There is nothing like a downpour to offer fresh perspective in life. As flood waters rose in central and south Read more
Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday reminded Trinidad and Tobago of why the Parliament Channel is as useful as a Lasco Read more
It is Day Seven of Hurricane A&V: a low pressure weather system which has struck Trinidad and Tobago with little Read more
the role of the military has to be redefined,the calypso boots sang by the mighty gabby of barbados can be made applicable here.some body seems to be confused and offering wrong advice,the post colonial army has to be engaged in keeping the nation’s youth in a positive life style how much money in the estimates is budgeted for social and prevention programmes,we are losing our young people to gangs and negative life styles buying these toys will further exacerbated the problem,what a no brainer
Wrapped it up Bruce, all true.
Well said Bruce.
and now they bringing armourd vehicles to finish we off lord put a hand
The BOBOL TRIBE PNM supporters have a case of “PNM STYLE STOCKHOLM SYNDROME”…….budget after budget with NOTHING for the regular or poor ppl…..now that they getting something they scared to take It and looking for excuses BUT when the BOBOL TRIBE PNM was giving away SECRET “SKULL”ERSHIPS to the wealthy class the BOBOL TRIBE PNM supporters liked that and didn’t complain LOL…they should have a clause stating that ALL THAT DONT LIKE OR AGREE WITH THE MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE should not and are able to opt out…..LETS SEE HOW MANY BOBOL TRIBE PNM supporters will decline it LMFAO
And now they’re engaging in military proliferation.
these program-mes are just election gimmicks to fool a susceptible public,ministry of the people ,what did it achieve ,how do we get this 10 days mentality,ppp has defrauded the nation and hopes to hang on on power,these are desperate times,a wounded animal is a dangetrous one
Damn if you do..damn if you don’t!
I was looking at some of the budget items and noted that several are to be implemented in the first quarter of 2016. Ambitious, hopeful?!
the only thing mr. livewire wants to see in a budget is a PNM stamp at the bottom ……
that is all he needs to give his stamp of approval ….
Mr. Livewire…
your PNM blood showing ! who cut yuh ?
I don’t think I’ve ever seen as much illiteracy and abject stupidity as all the comments made here in this string. Most glaring demonstration of brainless and empty ranting is live wire author of this pile of utter rubbish. I doubt whether any of you have a reading and writing ability beyond age 11. Can’t you people read a book rather than reading and swallowing your own nonsense over and over again?
Good spiel, Bruce. It’s really as stark – and starkly depressing as that.
Garth I could not agree with you more. But the people seem to be asleep. They compensating the families of police officers with poor performance records, giving them armoured vechicles, not doing anything about border patrol and locking up small fish while knocking glass with big fish. Lord put a hand!
Judy I think they understand as well as anyone could. I think what they did was reject them!
Have we seen or do we believe this government understands accountability and management? Of course to a lesser extent, this would also apply to our other governments.
Albert has it failed? It still exists and people are still claiming child benefit in the UK. The problem we are going to have as with all new and bright ideas by all of our governments is, accountability, sustainability and management of the benefit. Who gets it, how much they get in terms of number of children, and when do they stop getting it and why. We should also try to wrap some social programmes around it, but alas that will take too much effort and once th election done, all interest done.
One of the biggest rackets in the country is housing and the distribution from the Ministry of Housing.
But then Rowley is a former Housing Minister himself. So this might not be his strong suit either.
It might say something that within months of the bubble bursting with the Strike Squad, Trinidad and Tobago had a coup…
this ppp is just a facade ,by giving $500,what are encouraging teenage pregnancy among Afro Trinidadians ,the welfare state ,where would the fathers be in jail,baby mamas ,this policy has serious consequences down the road ,squalor desperation will be the result there is a housing shortage ,where would all these families be housed ?.In the uk ,it failed why introduce here for votes.
Corruption in politics is the curse of the common man, unfortunately all governments in my lifetime have been guilty and I do not for see any change in the immediate future. Putting checks and balances in place to stop it is not difficult, but the problem is that the powers that be do not have the will to stop it.
Education has been largely focused at the tertiary level, and I am not sure that the country is getting value for money from this. I would like to see more focus at the Primary level not just on education, but character building. Children today do not seem to know right from wrong, and this is largely due to the examples they are shown.
Crime is a function of the two above.
As far as tourism is concerned, we cannot train people who throughout their formative years have been exposed to a culture of selfishness and lawlessness. Just look at how people drive on our roads. No one seems to care about any one but themselves.
Sport is a vehicle that the Governments of our land have not used to unite our people. Look at the Strike Squad, as soon as they lost, football which united the people, was left to suffer until the Soca Warriors of 2006 which again united our country, but one man was allowed to start it’s destruction ably assisted later on by a Minister of Sport. There is so much talent around but the support infrastructure is non existent. Again this is not rocket science. In business, well managed companies have a strategic plan, an operational plan, with supporting budget and checks and balances to ensure that money is spent according to the plan. Value for money is evaluated on a daily basis. People who do not perform their role in an efficient and honest manner are held accountable and dismissed.
Because we only have about seven people who would qualify as journalists and thy probably busy.
Why hasn’t any journalist done a story about the 73(?) schools that were constructed or about the other claims made by the government about how our money was spent? I heard about one in DV that was opened with great fanfare and showed a well equipped facility. It was not built because it used an existing building. After it the ribbon was cut by the PM, I think, the next day all the equipment was removed and the ‘school’ closed. It never functioned for even one day! We have recorders, not journalists! 🙁
One thing that they took from the middle class was our gas subsidy!
And Howai is encouraging us to have fun on the IPO instead? In the queue after Rahaman?
Brilliantly put Denice.
Just think of whatever concerns you most: corruption, crime, education, tourism, sport…
Then look at the budget and ask yourself if there is any sign that the Govt gets your concern.
Hmm, still looking for the goodies for the working/middle class that we can give back. Budget after budget: continue to squeeze taxes out of the middle class, to give funding and tax breaks to the business people/financiers and grants to the poor. Grants which the middle class “too rich” to qualify for, and tax breaks that they not “rich enough” to get….
A word of caution: examine the sweeteners carefully. Don’t end up like poor Elias.
I’m always suspicious of a late flurry of construction activity too, which obviously isn’t something the PP/UNC invented.
It resembles a late scurry to appear to be working for the people at best.
Or an attempt to fatten the pockets of financiers and/or launder money for use in the next election campaign at worse.
People will accept these sweeteners gladly. Most will rationalize it as taking what they can get while the getting is good.
Judy-ann they’re hungry for power.
And tell your friends, NOT to take them!
Well, if you don’t want the goodies, give them to shit back!
Your red card is a fake…like Rowley’s e-mails.
The many irritations of this budget are sinking in by the hour……the precarious hold on my peace of mind is dying the death of a thousand cuts
Vernal, they always say don’t go to the grocery when you are hungry because you will buy a lot of nonsense! I think the PM and the MOFAE were hungry!
Nope.
That was no more creative than a grocery list. In fact I think it is Kamla’s grocery list!
Juliet Solomon, I choose the rumour with the most legs and the one of the three I’d hope to be free in any case… And that says much about the choices!
I agree Vernal Damion Cadogan. There must an underlying point to a budget. We are probably not used to one anyway.
But this didn’t show me that the government was enthused or creative in its thinking about corruption, crime, tourism, poverty, sport or anything else mentioned.
” Mr Live Wire does not consider that to be a budget; just a hodge-podge of ideas without a clear vision.”
I agree, but I suspect this can be passed onto the country because there are enough among them who have no idea what a national budget is supposed to look like.
I have no words for this budget nah .. I just don’t know what to say :/ … As for Maicon that prank and the outcome is both funny and disturbing for some reason … smh
baby milk and bullets for poor families – they come out best this year
Of darkness resides within him.
Maicon’s “prank” is seriously disturbing, to resort to such measures suggests that some form
This went deep, especially with the family of police getting compensation if he/she is killed in the line of duty but innocent citizens being killed by police being left high and dry. This budget read like a morbid tale from the crypt!
you joking right ?
you seriously want people to get a million dollars if their family member dies ?
How about some life insurance ?
oh and police can get life insurance too ….
wait , wait no …
life insurance for a police officer is prob five times as much as you would have to pay …
compare 200 dollars a month to 1000 dollars a month for life insurance !
Yeah…
not everybody in T&T PNM till dey dead that they will make themselves look like a callous fool in a shameful attempt to support the PNM by maligning something that is GOOD done by another party …
you had to be a fool !
Nice that you cared at all then.
really do not care enough to get into it.
Feel free to expand on that…
what rubbish.
Luv it
well said