Dear Honorable Raymond “Usie” Richards, President, 27th Legislature of the Virgin Islands:
We, the people of the Virgin Islands, hereby petition the members of the 27th Legislature of the V.I. to Repeal Act 6905. The 4,282 signatures (with more to come) appended to this petition are from people hailing from “Freedom City,” Frederiksted, to Christiansted to East End, St. Croix; from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay, St. John; and from Red Hook to Charlotte Amalie to Bordeaux, on St. Thomas.
Act 6905 is bad public policy. Act 6905 raises salaries and annuities for the select few and cuts future pension benefits for all government employees except for governor, lieutenant governor, senators and other high salaried persons.
Act 6905 grants authority to float $600,000,000 worth of 30-year bonds and guarantees a $15,000,000 casino bridge loan. Act 6905 will impact the quality of life and erode the purchasing power of every man, woman and child in the Virgin Islands now and for the next 30 years.
We the petitioners do not want either the people of the Virgin Islands or our government to face the same economic crisis as our neighbors in Puerto Rico. We, the petitioners, do not want a shut-down of vital services leading to the levying of new taxes and fees that our people can ill afford. Don’t do unto the people of the Virgin Islands as was done unto the people of Puerto Rico.
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “injustice anywhere is a threat to Justice everywhere.”
Senators of the 27th Legislature, we pray that God will grant you the wisdom to do the right thing for “your people” and repeal Act 6905.
Sincerely,
Denise G. Richards
V.I. Ad hoc Committee for
The Repeal of Act 6905