So once again the government of Trinidad and Tobago have thrown the middle class under the bus in favor of the poor. Now it might sound as if I have something against the poor or the less fortunate, but that can't be further from the truth. I understand that the less the fortunate among us may need a helping hand once in awhile, but I think the powers that be (in this circumstance the government) need to make better choices in regards to when and to whom they lend a helping hand.
Case in point being the highway resettlement scheme. We all know the story pretty well but allow me to paraphrase it briefly for those who live under the proverbial rock. So the government decides that it needs to build a highway and the route will basically cut through a number of settlements. The government is then required to resettle those persons who will be affected by the construction (how sweet!) However a number of these persons had illegally squatted on the land to be used for the construction of the highway.
Here is were the government makes their boo boo. These squatters are then to be provided with land valued at around 200,000 TT dollars (which could increase to 600,000 TT dollars) and are then required to pay something like 50,000 for it over the course of 30 or so years. So essentially these people who have broken the law are getting an unbelievable gift. Seems to me as if it pays to break the law!
But my biggest issue is the fact that you have a large number of middle class working people who have been attempting to acquire land for ages and would jump at the chance of owning a piece of land and are more than willing to pay market price for it. Why is the government continuing to reward improper or bad behavior when you have a group of people who have done all the society requires of them but get nothing The norms of society dictate that you should do the following things. Finish secondary school, go on to University get a degree and find a job. The majority of the middle class have followed this norm to a 'T', but yet they can't purchase a house or a piece of land for whatever the reason. In my eyes it would make more sense to reward these persons for their drive and their current accomplishments.
That said everything in this world is based on money and profit. Show me a government that is not concerned about money and I'll show you a bunch of idiots. Therefore wouldn't it make sense to offer this opportunity to a group of people who could afford market price. Wouldn't this lead to some form of substantial profit being made by the government instead of the possible losses that they will probably incur by essentially giving the land away. To make matters worse if a loss is actually incurred the government is more than likely going to look towards taxation as a means to recouping its losses. Who do you think is going to have to bar the brunt of this taxation, yup you guessed it, the middle class.
To often in this country the government rewards the poor in order to keep them under their authority. The poorer classes are much easier to manipulate and control than the aforementioned middle class. I get that and I understand it. But a stronger middle class would be way more beneficial to the country than a large class of poor individuals who are constantly clamoring for a handout from the government.
Let me reiterate that I have nothing against the poor however I feel as if the country would be in a much better state if the government refrained from rewarding criminal acts. The strength of every country should be based on its middle class, because essentially they are the ones who have the best opportunity to move the country forward.
Also the message that this sends to the population is that you should do right but don't expect any rewards for it. What type of motivation is that? All that is going to do is motivate more persons to look for the easy way out of all situations and that my friends will undoubtedly lead to more chaos than we a actually need at the moment.
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