Gordon Robinson | The world according to Mark

The “six” was tied at 5-5 when I drew six-four; five-four; four-trey; four-ace; double-trey; double-deuce; trey-deuce.

Gene Autry drew and posed double-six (we refused to play “winners pose”, a game for novices). Dessie played six-deuce, and I gratefully inserted double-deuce. The Beast dutifully cut Gene’s pose with six-trey; Gene played trey-five; Dessie deuce-four.

Quick, what’s my play? The answer is at the end. No peeking.

On Tuesday last, Mark Golding accused the Government of “missing the mark” with its Budget and promoting societal inequality. He sought to disabuse the Finance Minister of what he called a “fantasy” that Jamaicans were doing well. He asserted that neither Nigel’s nor his (Mark’s) constituents were doing well.

Perhaps with tongue firmly lodged in well-fed cheek, Mark actually complained “only a few well-connected are making money and living well. Many Jamaicans are living from hand-to-mouth. They can’t pay the bills. They are feeling the burdens of an economy pressured by two years of COVID-19 and now the Russia-Ukraine conflict.”

Ohhhhhkayyyy….

The cartoonish caricature of self-flagellation produced by this old-school whining about individual success as if it was something to be discouraged needs no comment. Finger-pointing is usually countered by the old adage that a finger pointed at others means four pointed at you. But in this case, all five pointed at Mark. So it wasn’t a good look.

Let me see if I can hit the Mark Nigel allegedly missed. Mark, inequality has been endemic in Jamaica forever. As a political trick it’s tiresome. What we suffer from in Jamaica is INEQUITY driving wider inequality. The rot began setting in during 1991 when the dollar was prematurely “liberalised” in the context of a society unable to grapple with predictable consequences. Thereafter runaway inflation, insane macro-economic policies based on high interest rates, high taxation, and wild “run-wid-it” spending forced an already unequal society to levels of inequality unimaginable during my teenage years.

Finally, Peter Phillips emulated Scotty’s ‘Draw yu Brakes’ in 2011. By then runaway national fiscal indiscipline destroyed the prospects of all constituents save, as Mark pointed out, “only a few well-connected”.

I suppose he who feels it knows it.

What was Mark’s solution? He proposed that the Government return to the wild days of spending irresponsibly; creating fiscal deficits; and specifically, increasing Jamaica’s debt/GDP ratio.

The World According to Mark: “We can always recover lost ground in our efforts to lower debt when the crisis is over.” When? 2030? 2040? 2050? Which crisis? Today’s? Or tomorrow’s? How much “ground” will we have to recover? What’ll we have to show for the added debt?

Mark wants Government to spend FORTY BILLION DOLLARS MORE on social welfare via PATH, poor relief, and social pension. Really, Mark? Seriously? When that dunn and people STILL “living from hand-to-mouth” what next? Spend another $40 billion?

Mark may think this sounds great at political rallies and can buy enough votes to avoid electoral embarrassment, but this profligate approach to public spending has no place in Parliament.

EDUCATION

There’s one route to closing the inequity gap, thus reducing inequality. Many of the currently “well-connected”, who began connected to nothing but caring, sacrificing parents, took that route. IT’S CALLED EDUCATION.

Mark’s proposals regarding student loans were closer to the Mark. If we must overspend $40 billion annually, let it be on free (no loan) primary to tertiary education for thousands, not on more vote-buying handouts.

Mark, sometimes you put partner’s interest before your own so the team can win. Jamaica is YOUR partner, so play for Jamaica not yourself. Peter Phillips did, though it cost PNP an election.

The correct play is to use four-five to go two fives. It’s tempting to play for myself by going the other way, but my hand wasn’t as good as it appeared. Autry posed and played the first five, which seemed to discombobulate Dessie, who cut his own card and played mine. He probably also held both outstanding fours, in which event I’d only pass partner (poser) and then have to cut my own card.

Or, best case, Gene draws double-four and Dessie plays four-blank, forcing me to cut four anyway.

Peace and Love!

Gordon Robinson is an attorney-at-law. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com