UPDATE: I am on my way to my day job, technical writer. Before I go I just want to say, it’s another beautiful day in paradise. St. Thomas is amazing! When you visit St. Thomas, USVI, please consider the possibilities. St. Thomas, USVI is America’s Paradise. The sunshine and the easy breeze would make “Green Technology” an industry equal to tourism and employ more people than the government. The people would have jobs that pay better than the current service industry that caters to tourism. The agricultural possibilities on St. Croix represent an opportunity to cut the cost of produce for Virgin Islands Residents, go organic, go green and generate self-employment opportunities. The topography of St. Thomas would make the island a good candidate to breed livestock for a profit. Diversification is an essential component of any organizations plan for financial viability. There are government grants available only to the government or government agency. Consider the possibilities. What if the Virgin Islands Government started developing the ”Green Industry” in St. Thomas, USVI. The now vacant lots can be used as solar energy power stations that supply power to WAPA. During times of economic downturn the government has the discretion as it relates to applying for grants to fund “Green Technology” ranching and farming. In a perfect world St. Thomas has everything to work with to approach perfection. But we don’t live in a perfect world and the powers at be have yet to consider the possibilities or they would nothave built Crown Bay Marina without solar energy. The Virgin Islands has all of it’s eggs in one basket still. Even after the failure to brand the islands with West Indian Culture there is still no attempt to act on the best interest of it’s self. The absence of solar energy and the failure to brand the Virgin Islands as a cultural destination makes me bitter because we don’t have good paying jobs. Still I cling to the possibilities that one day the Virgin Islands will empty the trash, go green, go organic and paint. Paint is cheap if you are a landlord strapped for cash, ask the tenants to pitch in with the labor. We all have a responsibility to clean up the Virgin Islands and we should all benefit. Tourists will want to come back, Virgin Island Residents will have state of the art training, better paying jobs and we will have achieved diversification
Our children live in these neighborhoods where absentee landlords with the financial means necessary to maintain their investments but won't. We send them to school with the stench of failure and low self-esteem. Why? Because the friends and business associates of slumlords don't know they own these properties or worst they don't care. My new book "Slumlords Of The Virgin Islands" will identify several landlords by name who act as if protecting their investments will benefit everyone except them. There is no reason for anyone to live in a dirty neighborhood. It should be against the law to rent an apartment that can be proven to be unsafe and the landlords should be held liable. This hurts tourism! It's time for the Virgin Island Government to take charge!
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Mothers Day in St. Thomas, USVI was great! It wouldn't have been better if I had running water in my apartment, but I would have looked nicer when my kids took me out to dinner. No big deal you learn to roll with the punches in St. Thomas. If you are easily worked up into a lather over every little thing that isn't like it is in the states you will not be happy here.