Out of $36 Million, St. John Got 0.0005 Percent

Letter to the Editor:

St. Johnians wish to thank Governor Turnbull, Island Administrator Harley, and our fine senators who gave St. John $18,000 for the Guy Benjamin School’s playground out of $36 million in appropriations. What more could we have ever asked for? Thank you for looking out for all of St. John’s needs. Your collective foresight to manage St. John with such generosity is simply above and beyond the call of duty. We understand that the other islands deserve so much more than we do.

Perhaps, there are some on St. John who feel that we could have used a little more funding, say for a planner to help us solve our parking and congestion problems, or to help establish better youth programs, or to build the police station in Coral Bay, or to move the school or beautify Cruz Bay, etc., but they just don’t appreciate how much you have worked to give St. John what it truly deserves. Just because the Car Racing Assn. of St. Croix got more than eight times as much as the island of St. John doesn’t mean it wasn’t appropriate funding.

Some think that St. Johnians should have more of a say in the managing of our island, like a mayor and town council would offer, but who needs that when these fine leaders are looking out for us with such supreme generosity. I can remember only one other bill passed in the last eight years earmarked for St. John, unfortunately, that stripped St. John of its Capital Improvement Funds.

Who needs an active participation of our community when our government is handling all of our needs with such amazing dexterity and care?

You are all tops in our book and we just can’t wait till November’s election to show you how we feel about you!

Steve Black
St. John