by Craig Butler
I travel quite a bit on business so I am accustomed to the mess that we call our international airport. On Friday last I was on American’s 10:45 am flight to Ft. Lauderdale. I arrived early and was looking forward to a leisurely check-in before getting to the departure lounge to send some emails and read the newspaper.
Having been away the week before, I was aware that the parking lot in front of the arrival terminal was partly closed due to renovation, but it was an inconvenience that had to be borne.
But Friday morning was different because those in control had now decided in their infinite wisdom to close the entire parking facility. This has to be the most ridiculous decision I have seen in a long time.
What in life could have convinced them that this was the right thing to do? Well, for what it’s worth let me say emphatically that it wasn’t the right thing to do. It has had a disastrous effect on the parking situation at the airport.
Forget trying to get a space in the main parking lot because that is full to capacity, so you are left with the overflow lot. What a load of crap this place is - the lot is a gravel space and with the rain that we have had recently it’s become a mud pit. Worst of all, one has to wait on the courtesy bus for transportation to and from the terminal, and this can take anywhere up to 20 minutes as it appears there is only one bus to service everyone.
Now I can understand the need to improve the facility, and it’s long overdue so you wouldn’t get any argument from me in that regard. However, the powers that be are supposed to make the airport a more user friendly environment and they are failing.
My experience with the overflow lot was neither pleasing nor friendly as I was greeted by a young man who was only concerned with how long I was going to be away so he could calculate the fee that I was to be charged. In this case it was $15 and it should be noted that this amount - unlike at the other airport lots - had to be paid in advance. There is also no order in the overflow lot, so it’s a free for all with cars being parked anywhere in a haphazard fashion.
I returned on Sunday only to have to endure a 25-minute wait for the shuttle to arrive which, in fact, it never did. Realizing that if I wanted to leave the airport the only way that was going to happen was by me walking to my car and so I set off. Now as most know I am out of shape and overweight and in that hot sun carrying bags it felt as though I had run a mile.
The same young man whom I met on Friday was there again and the police officer who is stationed at the kiosk looked at me and must have seen the look of anguish on my face and probably thought to himself that should this rather large man drop from exhaustion here today I am going to have far too much work to do and accordingly he dispatched the young man to take me to my car in the golf cart.
I must admit the young man was far nicer on Sunday than when I first encountered him. He tried to ascertain why it is I was walking and I told him of the long wait and he said that the shuttle was supposed to be by every five minutes and went to great lengths to apologize for the same.
As for other areas of the airport I wish I could say that there was method in the madness, but it actually appears as though the new managers are trying to correct too many things at the same time. Accordingly it looks as though nothing is happening.
Not wanting to be only negative I do notice that they have changed the way in which departing passengers bags are handled, and that is an improvement.
The Judiciary:
The Judiciary is one of the three arms of the state but based on how judges and magistgrates are treated in this country you wouldn’t know that. We are all talking about the crime wave that has gripped this nation, as well as the backlog of cases and other areas of concern.
The government has tabled a bill to amend the jury size in non-capital cases. As I noted before, I don’t have a problem with that as I have yet to see any evidence that it affects decisions. But this measure alone does not address the real concerns and is not the point I wish to discuss.
Successive governments have failed to properly address the needs of the judiciary. It is not enough to put people on the bench just to have the numbers, what is paramount is that we attract some of the best legal minds to take up these positions.
To do so we must make a concerted effort to give the position the respect it deserves and make the perks available worthwhile. I say that because the job will never pay what these people can earn in private practice so we need to accommodate them in other ways.
Benefits ought to include a full housing allowance; housing staff; food allowance; diplomatic status; medical insurance; a decent car; proper office facilities and equipment; and clerical assistants.
Maybe when these things are put on the table we will get some of our best and brightest forgoing the big bucks for the opportunity of dispensing justice. It would also send a strong message to the people that we as a nation are serious about crime.
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