Post #164963 by Thomas on Fri, Jun 10, 2005 11:00 AM

Polynesian posh boy, I enjoyed your comments. Not seeking an argument here, just offering some alternative thoughts.

I admit to not having been to Jamaica, but I don't think "tropical paradise" is how most local residents would describe it. Jamaica has been in a state of de facto civil war off and on between rival criminal gangs; Kingston has at various times been virtually shut down. I think every time a U.S. (or other foreign) - based employer, including (horrors) "Margaritaville," commits to investing money in that highly troubled country and employing local citizens, it's casting a vote of confidence: "This place is worth the effort. Businesses can profit here. This is a real country, not just another aid recipient." Unless the "Margaritaville" dispatched armed men to force you to patronize it, I don't see what the problem is. You passed by it in favor of other things more to your taste. Free markets work here, why shouldn't they work in Jamaica too?