A Rant In Paradise - St. Maarten

Have been bouncing around and chewing on the thought of how blunt I should be here. Sint Maarten can be rough.....you can be persecuted just for a RUMOR....So many times I hear people in the world saying 'Stand up, let your voice be heard....' but should the consequences at least be considered....? As I've stated before, I think on Twitter...I heard an expression people should be mindful of..." Be careful what you wish for...you may get what you want, but will you want what u get?"
I wanted to live here. Dreamed about it. Planned it....and it happened quite haphazardly, but yet I am here. And from here I can watch things going on in the world like an out of body experience. I can watch, comment, yet remain uninvolved. Yet I find myself relating to global issues, even on this little rock in the ocean. The one of the biggest issues I relate to is immigration.

I live in a '3rd world environment' yet it is very American. This island is in it's glory days, which began about 30 years ago. Glory days were brought on by Americans seeking a Caribbean Rivera. Cuba was not an option. So, they came here. And they came, and came AND CAME. And the island took them and took them and took them...until NOW. Now foreigners are the enemy. Why? Because the government of the island didn't take action in time....didn't secure immigration policies early on...and now employ methods that resemble the Gestapo. The solution to everything here is deportation. Road controls, pulling people off buses, out of cars, stopping people just walking down the street. Break a law, get deported, don't pay your rent - get evicted and deported....UNLESS....UNLESS you were born here. Then it's a slap on the wrist. Prison over crowding is such an issue. Kill some one...not a life sentence. A couple months, at that. The whole system is corrupt. People living in deplorable conditions, turn to crime. The government turns a blind eye. I am so tired for foreigners being blames. "Oh, the foreigners are taking all the jobs..." Yeh, the jobs that the locals don't want. The locals don't want to wash toilets, mop floors, haul ice for bars, set tables etc., etc. The locals want the offices with a/c and the management position they feel they are ENTITLED to, without earning it. Sounds familiar...I think I've heard this same tune coming from other countries. I simply want to point out that the 'foreign element' is what made this island what it is today. The locals want the foreign element to go away. OK. So then we leave and we take with us: cars, cell phones, computers, food, machine parts for the power plant...the list goes on and on....This island does not produce anything. Every country in the world needs its foreigners. EVERY SINGLE ONE. Not just the tourist element. It's not reasonable to just stand up and say 'Everybody OUT!' There are ways to handle it. Yes - people need to apply for residency and work papers...but with results and REASONABLE fees. Asking someone to pay $1700 for an application and then that person is denied and doesn't get their money back...what is THAT? And $1700 for work papers that are only valid for ONE YEAR? What is THAT? And 3 - 6 MONTHS for processing? Some people have received their work permits/residencies after waiting 5 months, only to find the permit is only good for 7 months. Why? Because it sat in the office and no one called to inform you that the documents were ready. I personally know people who have received they work permit and it was already EXPIRED. WHAT?!?!?! True tale. Application for residency...good for a year...after that year you have to reapply with all new documents....how do you get a criminal record from your country of origin when you've been living on the island that past year...? Common sense seems to be sadly lacking. And as far as the immigration and Labour Polices....they are simply that: POLICIES. Why? Because policies can be changed at a whim. Laws are immovable. Policies can be changed monthly...as they have here.Some one applying for documents can be denied simply because the POLICIES have changed while that persons documents were in process. Does that make any sense?
And then there is the AMERICAN DUTCH TREATY (http://www.expatlaw.nl/dutch_american_friendship_treaty_text.htm) that Sint Maarten feels they do not have to honor. An international agreement between two countries and this islands government simply decides they do not have to comply. And then Sint Marrten wonders why it cannot get country status. Sint Maarten is the little runt kid who doesn't play well with others in the sand box.