The Jamaican dollar has greatly devalued against the U.S. dollar which is now at an all time high selling price of at least JA$100 for US$1. Unemployment continues to be a major factor as many students are graduating without any signs of employment unless their parents own a company, holds a high position at a company, or the graduate or their parent knows someone influential in the business sector. Having close connections to well-known, wealthy Jamaican families not only will guarantee a top-level job, but it demonstrates nepotism at its best!! Nevertheless, prices of food, gas, electricity, water, and just about everything else have been rising steadily, yet government workers' salaries have remain frozen with the excuse from the finance minister that there is no money to increase salaries. But, government ministers demonstrate that they have no conscience by using tax payers money to profile at expensive functions and parties every week as seen in the media, and they seem to have no problems finding money to purchase luxury cars for themselves. Furthermore, it is quite absurd to recently read that ministers have received a raise! Even more alarming is that while the government professes there is no money, they seem to find the money to dress in the most expensive clothes and accessories, stay at the most luxurious hotels abroad, take expensive vacations, and arrive there and back on first class airline tickets issued with the use of tax payers' money. After all of these blatant offenses, the Jamaican people remain passive. The only action that the people seem capable of taking is complaining on the radio talk shows and other media about high prices, over-charging of pubic service companies that monopolize industries, and other consumer issues. The irony is that in a country with so many "leaders", no one will step up to organize any public demonstrations against the difficulties they are facing. Obviously, if prices of goods and services continuously increase and consumers maintain their usual buying customs of these goods, then there will be no efforts made to lower prices or even consider the issues. So, price increases will continue since government and business owners have realized that the passive nature of Jamaicans will not allow them to take action in the streets such as the people of Brazil, Egypt, and other Middle Eastern countries where the people can no longer take government abuses and have come out in force to demonstrate the government high spending, corruption, and lack of concern in funding the important needs of the people. People of Jamaica need to put aside their passivity, political biases, and go out in large number to demonstrate government's selfish actions of self-service, the corruptive acts and basically the lack of regard for the people's well being. At this point, that is the only way that a government with no conscience will recognize that they need to begin serving the people of Jamaica and not their personal interests.
