Should T&T host the Summit (2009) ?

[Sam]

What's the Good.

What's the Bad.

I am assuming we will spend OVER $500,000,000.00 million dollars (plus) just to host the Summit for 2-days. And people still squatting. Laventille still under poverty and many people still (especially deep south) still dont have water, food, electric and proper phone because TSTT is one with the T&T Government. What about de poor roads, schools and hospitals.

Does Obama know we have 2 fire stations in the whole of T&T. What is he room catch fire.

What will Patrick "kakahole" Manning do with the 80+ new cars he bought after the Summit. Wok PH or give it to de police who always claiming they have no cars.

Is Obama bringing Gold, Silver or Oil ?

How can we stop foreign import of stolen cars.

While Obama in T&T, will he have internet access ? or will he have to depend on dial up or go to some Hotel to get service.

Will our run way be long enough to land Air Force One. ?

After de Summit, what's next ?

Will Manning drag race his new private jet with air force one. Give Obama a good time because in T&T there isn't much you can do except to buy a stale bake and shark in Maracus and surf in brown water.

Oil prices is WAY below budget price, in one/maybe two years will we regret the money we spent for this summit.

Crime on the rise in Tobago. De Hilton have more holes in they roof than a net. De golf course looking like Waller Field race track.

Human trafficking is getting popular.

De police corrupted.

Will Abu Bakr strike again.

When is the rail (train) starting ?

Cruelty's to animals and raping the forest and ocean on the rise.

When will we be a developing nation where communication and technology is up to standard.

Is Manning doing this to show Panday he dick harder ?

Is Manning trying to prove something to Caricom members.

What's allyuh thoughts.

[Sando]

WOW...

Like de breakdown Sam...

[Bakes]

Shit thread.

[Pur_Trini]

Great thread!!   

[Star Child]

Great thread !!!!!!

Love it.

[Bakes]

"Great thread" for ignoramuses who just want to rant and rail at the government.


Anybody with sense wouldn't even be questioning why TnT should be hosting the Summit, b/c anybody with sense would understand the benefits to the host country that arise from hosting the Summit.

[Sando]

"Great thread" for ignoramuses who just want to rant and rail at the government.


Anybody with sense wouldn't even be questioning why TnT should be hosting the Summit, b/c anybody with sense would understand the benefits to the host country that arise from hosting the Summit.

I guess you alone have all the sense in the world.

I patiently await to see the benefits of hosting the Summit. This is T&T we are talking about. The most corrupted State in the western hemisphere.

We shall see.

[Errol]

Excellent thread Sam.

 

This Summit is a waste of money. Because Manning will not make full use of such event. All will eventually go down the drain.

[Pur_Trini]

"Great thread" for ignoramuses who just want to rant and rail at the government.


Anybody with sense wouldn't even be questioning why TnT should be hosting the Summit, b/c anybody with sense would understand the benefits to the host country that arise from hosting the Summit.

You only vex because of Sam's reference to stale Bake and Shark......  It wasn't directed at you so don't take it personally!  

[Sando]

Worst government in the history of T&T is Patrick Manning. And it have nothing to do with hosting the Summit.

He just no good.

Imaige the kind of money we spending on a 3 day event. We investing Gold and reaping Bronze.

[Bakes]

I guess you alone have all the sense in the world.

I patiently await to see the benefits of hosting the Summit. This is T&T we are talking about. The most corrupted State in the western hemisphere.

We shall see.

Your statement should have read "This is T&T we are talking about.  Where people love to complain and cry down for no reason."

I am don't have "all the sense in the world", but I damn sure have more than you if you can't see the tangible and intangible benefits of the Summit to TnT.  You will wait to see the benefits but you will never see them because your mind done set that the Summit is a waste of time.  Any benefit that flows from it you'll likely attribute to some other source so doh bother wasted yuh time... just keep grumbling and complaining as yuh doing.

You only vex because of Sam's reference to stale Bake and Shark......  It wasn't directed at you so don't take it personally!  

I'm sure with your stunted intellect yoiu actually find that funny... I hardly take anything anybody on this site ever says 'personally'... let alone some bantering idiot like Sam.

[Star Child]

I guess you alone have all the sense in the world.

I patiently await to see the benefits of hosting the Summit. This is T&T we are talking about. The most corrupted State in the western hemisphere.

We shall see.

Your statement should have read "This is T&T we are talking about.  Where people love to complain and cry down for no reason."

I am don't have "all the sense in the world", but I damn sure have more than you if you can't see the tangible and intangible benefits of the Summit to TnT.  You will wait to see the benefits but you will never see them because your mind done set that the Summit is a waste of time.  Any benefit that flows from it you'll likely attribute to some other source so doh bother wasted yuh time... just keep grumbling and complaining as yuh doing.

You only vex because of Sam's reference to stale Bake and Shark......  It wasn't directed at you so don't take it personally!  

I'm sure with your stunted intellect yoiu actually find that funny... I hardly take anything anybody on this site ever says 'personally'... let alone some bantering idiot like Sam.

I don't know what is the problem. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

You cant attack anyone for that because it makes you look like the senseless one.

The Summit might be a good event. But T&T is to corrupted to benefit from it.

No one wishing T&T bad. But we are run by a bunch of dummies !

[Babalawo]

Who vote no? Manning trying to make TnT the switlerland of the western hemisphere. I dont think nothing wrong with that. And the after math of more security, vans,  boats for the police on a discount because of hosting the summit.  Not to add the inspiration to clean & pain up the city and put vagrants in housing project too.  Many people will argue why they did do that before in the first place with out even having the summit, but the lucky presence of Obama is a plus

[Sando]

Who vote no? Manning trying to make TnT the switlerland of the western hemisphere. I dont think nothing wrong with that. And the after math of more security, vans,  boats for the police on a discount because of hosting the summit.  Not to add the inspiration to clean & pain up the city and put vagrants in housing project too.  Many people will argue why they did do that before in the first place with out even having the summit, but the lucky presence of Obama is a plus

But after the Summit what will happen to more security etc etc ?

It's back to square one.

OWTU threatens ‘Summit shutdown’
T&T Guardian.

The Oilfield Workers Trade Union called on its troops to prepare for what it said will be a Summit shut down—the likes of which has not been seen in the region for a very long time. President general of the Oilfield Workers Trade Union Ancel Roget told a mass membership meeting at its Paramount Building in San Fernando yesterday afternoon that the April 17 to 19 Summit of the Americas was the catalyst to take the battle ahead.

“Our action will roll into the Summit and after the Summit,” Roget said. He said Prime Minister Patrick Manning had been country hoping to deal with issues other countries were facing to ensure the event came off without any upheaval. “But we subscribe to a view that charity begins at home and if communities are disaffected we will join and form one big action and if that action embarrass the prime minister, then so be it,” Roget said.

He said the crises facing T&T—like high food prices and inflation, crime and corruption, health and job insecurity—must not be swept under the carpet just to paint a rosy picture to visitors. “All of us must be on the outside, indicating the problems we have, for all of them to see.” “The T&TEC workers are being affected in a very serious way with their jobs being contracted out under the Street Lighting Implementation Unit, and if that means we have to be in the dark to shed light on this matter, then we certainly have no qualms about that.” Roget said.

[Pur_Trini]

[/quote]

I'm sure with your stunted intellect yoiu actually find that funny... I hardly take anything anybody on this site ever says 'personally'... let alone some bantering idiot like Sam.
[/quote]

Stunted intellect, you say?  Now that IS funny!  In view of the fact that you don't know me, it is clear that you do not think before making such rash statements.  Some of your posts on this site certainly validate that conclusion.

Some words of advice - Spend less of your time on here and on Island Mix.  Instead, use that time to better yourself.  Perhaps you can finish your education.   I'm sure that you will eventually come to realise that sitting at your keyboard provoking arguments with people you don't even know will get you nowhere.

Don't misinterpret me - I have nothing but kind words for you!  I am sure that you will eventually grow up and appreciate the wisdom of my advice.   

[Bakes]

I don't know what is the problem. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

You cant attack anyone for that because it makes you look like the senseless one.

The Summit might be a good event. But T&T is to corrupted to benefit from it.

No one wishing T&T bad. But we are run by a bunch of dummies !

Who did I "attack"? 

"No one wishing T&T bad"... please, you need to speak for yourself b/c just like the Republicans wishing fuh Obama to fail it have plenty on this site wishing fuh the Summit and Manning in particular to fail.

[Bakes]

Stunted intellect, you say?  Now that IS funny!  In view of the fact that you don't know me, it is clear that you do not think before making such rash statements.  Some of your posts on this site certainly validate that conclusion.

Some words of advice - Spend less of your time on here and on Island Mix.  Instead, use that time to better yourself.  Perhaps you can finish your education.   I'm sure that you will eventually come to realise that sitting at your keyboard provoking arguments with people you don't even know will get you nowhere.

Don't misinterpret me - I have nothing but kind words for you!  I am sure that you will eventually grow up and appreciate the wisdom of my advice.   

Some words of advice... spend more of your time focused on your affairs and stop maccoing next man on the internet.  I'm glad that I can give some sense of purpose to your life but the very fact that you think I have time to waste "sitting at my keyboard provoking arguments" with intellectual midgets like yuhself confirms my statements about your intellect. 

I don't even have to know you to tell you that you can't match the quality of my education so don't worry about me my business fix. Spend more time figuring how to extract your head from your ass and less time worrying about what Bakes doing online.

[Pur_Trini]

Stunted intellect, you say?  Now that IS funny!  In view of the fact that you don't know me, it is clear that you do not think before making such rash statements.  Some of your posts on this site certainly validate that conclusion.

Some words of advice - Spend less of your time on here and on Island Mix.  Instead, use that time to better yourself.  Perhaps you can finish your education.   I'm sure that you will eventually come to realise that sitting at your keyboard provoking arguments with people you don't even know will get you nowhere.

Don't misinterpret me - I have nothing but kind words for you!  I am sure that you will eventually grow up and appreciate the wisdom of my advice.   

Some words of advice... spend more of your time focused on your affairs and stop maccoing next man on the internet.  I'm glad that I can give some sense of purpose to your life but the very fact that you think I have time to waste "sitting at my keyboard provoking arguments" with intellectual midgets like yuhself confirms my statements about your intellect. 

I don't even have to know you to tell you that you can't match the quality of my education so don't worry about me my business fix. Spend more time figuring how to extract your head from your ass and less time worrying about what Bakes doing online.

    You're funny!!!  Back to school now, be a good boy!

[pecan]

Sam's question is good in light of the on-going debates regarding government spending and the benefits that accrue from such spending, not only in T&T but in any nation.

On one level, hosting a summit appears to be good for the country.

On the other hand, exactly what will these benefits be? and are they sustainable or will they wither and disappear in the weeks that follow.

This is all about the return on investment.  If we had half a billion (or what ever the projected amount is) to spend, would this be the best use of the money?


I would like to see an analysis that quantifies the ROI for this summit.  Or is it all touchy-feely or soft returns?


edit: I suspect somewhere, somebody has already published what the resulting improvements to infrastructure or services will be as a direct result of hosting this summit.  But I have to admit I do not know as I have not been following this topic closely.  I am genuinely curious to see what these benefits will be. 

[The_Ice]

as far as im concerned im yet to hear of one substantial and sustainable benefit of holding the summit especially with the mess the country is in now.the way i see it we would get lots of media covereage of the shit we living in    if u can list some benefits which would help the hardworking citizens of trinidad and tobago and not the pockets of government officials please let me know.

[Blue]

"Great thread" for ignoramuses who just want to rant and rail at the government.


Anybody with sense wouldn't even be questioning why TnT should be hosting the Summit, b/c anybody with sense would understand the benefits to the host country that arise from hosting the Summit.

Bakes, break it down for those without sense nuh.

[Bakes]

Aside from the more immediate benefits, such as infrastructural improvements in and around POS, there are:

-Exposure for the country as a rising naiton
-A notch in our credentials as a regional leader
-Higher global profile
-Improved investment opportunities resulting from the higher profile
-Investment most directly means a larger commercial tax base
-Jobs for locals
-Increased economic development from the creation of those jobs, and from more money (from commercial taxes)circulating in the economy
-More consumer spending => a jumpstart out of the recession

[dcs]

Aside from the more immediate benefits, such as infrastructural improvements in and around POS, there are:

-Exposure for the country as a rising naiton
-A notch in our credentials as a regional leader
-Higher global profile
-Improved investment opportunities resulting from the higher profile
-Investment most directly means a larger commercial tax base
-Jobs for locals
-Increased economic development from the creation of those jobs, and from more money (from commercial taxes)circulating in the economy
-More consumer spending => a jumpstart out of the recession

Could just be a few weeks attention in the press.
We may have improved investment opportunities from just having the right people here but that is not guaranteed at all.

We were lobbying to be the headquarters of the FTAA I believe...if we still have that sort of goal then this summit would make some more sense to people though that draws some 20/20 cynicism.  All the waterfront projects were built with that kind of financial center idea in mind so at some point you supposed to show off your ability to host and all your infrastructure.  I guess we supposed to be "thinking big".

Who knows maybe we will look back 11 years from now and say they were geniuses.

[Blue]

Regardless of my own opinion on the conference, I dont think that any of those points you raised is beyond debate 

Aside from the more immediate benefits, such as infrastructural improvements in and around POS, there are:

-Exposure for the country as a rising naiton
-A notch in our credentials as a regional leader
-Higher global profile
Maybe. In my opinion, conferences like this get more attention in the host country than anywhere else. It would be interesting to see what the impact on the global profile of the last host was (I don't know who it was, so I guess it didnt make much of an impression on me )

-Improved investment opportunities resulting from the higher profile
-Investment most directly means a larger commercial tax base
I wonder how strong the correlation between higher profile and more investment really is, particularly in the current economic climate. Maybe if we devalued our dollar.

-Jobs for locals
-Increased economic development from the creation of those jobs, and from more money (from commercial taxes)circulating in the economy
-More consumer spending => a jumpstart out of the recession
If more jobs were generated, it would lead to more spending. But we're in a global recession, increased local spending is not going to kickstart the economy. And Trinidad is still dealing with horrendous inflation caused by overspending anyway

Overall, I think its debatable whether the incremental benefits of holding the conference are greater than just investing $500m wisely.

[pecan]

Aside from the more immediate benefits, such as infrastructural improvements in and around POS, there are:

-Exposure for the country as a rising naiton
-A notch in our credentials as a regional leader
-Higher global profile
-Improved investment opportunities resulting from the higher profile
-Investment most directly means a larger commercial tax base
-Jobs for locals
-Increased economic development from the creation of those jobs, and from more money (from commercial taxes)circulating in the economy
-More consumer spending => a jumpstart out of the recession

Bakes, these are all motherhood statements.  You can attach that list to any major capital spending project any developing nation undertakes.

Does anyone have quantifiable specifics?  projected increase in jobs, incremental foreign investment, increase in GDP etc.  And who, if anyone, will be measuring these metrics?

If we doing this just to look important, then let's acknowledge this.  Otherwise, fiduciary responsibility dictates that the government has to be accountable to the taxpayer and stakeholder in T&T. 

Measure, measure and measure.

[WestCoast]

Otherwise, fiduciary responsibility dictates that the government has to be accountable to the taxpayer and stakeholder in T&T. 

arm....Pecan wha ya mean by this

an ya din have to cuss needa....fidu who?

ah feel DCS hit de nail on the head
buh ah fraid all that FTAA business
NAFTA ent help Canada atall

An Introduction to the FTAA Process - PowerPoint.
http://www.crnm.org/documents/FTAA/Intro%20to%20FTAA.pps#5

[pecan]

Otherwise, fiduciary responsibility dictates that the government has to be accountable to the taxpayer and stakeholder in T&T. 

arm....Pecan wha ya mean by this

an ya din have to cuss needa....fidu who?

ah feel DCS hit de nail on the head
buh ah fraid all that FTAA business
NAFTA ent help Canada atall

oops .. is a oxymoron .. my bad

[Bitter]

http://www.summit-americas.org/FAQ_eng.htm#2

Six Summits of the Americas have taken place:

    * First Summit of the Americas, Miami, Florida, December 9-11, 1994
    * Summit of the Americas on Sustainable Development, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, December 7-8, 1996
    * Second Summit of the Americas, Santiago, Chile, April 18-19, 1998
    * Third Summit of the Americas, Quebec City, Canada, April 20-22, 2001
    * Special Summit of the Americas, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, January 12-13, 2004
    * Fourth Summit of the Americas, Mar del Plata, Argentina, November 4-5, 2005

[Sando]

http://www.summit-americas.org/FAQ_eng.htm#2

Six Summits of the Americas have taken place:

    * First Summit of the Americas, Miami, Florida, December 9-11, 1994
    * Summit of the Americas on Sustainable Development, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, December 7-8, 1996
    * Second Summit of the Americas, Santiago, Chile, April 18-19, 1998
    * Third Summit of the Americas, Quebec City, Canada, April 20-22, 2001
    * Special Summit of the Americas, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, January 12-13, 2004
    * Fourth Summit of the Americas, Mar del Plata, Argentina, November 4-5, 2005

Wonder how the Summit helped Bolivia, Chile, Argentina and Mexico. ? if I am not mistaken they are still suffering.

USA in a rescission if the Summit so good why didn't they host it there, they need all the help they can get.

Spend 500 million and get back one. That make real sense.

We will get 2 weeks of international coverage and then no one will even remember T&T. They might remember a bake and shark in Maracus before de Summit.

We dont have the individuals in power who is capable of building from anything positive. Patrick Manning is a bloddy dunce.

[ribbit]

Otherwise, fiduciary responsibility dictates that the government has to be accountable to the taxpayer and stakeholder in T&T. 

arm....Pecan wha ya mean by this

an ya din have to cuss needa....fidu who?

"fiduciary" ... sounding like a jamaican cleanser