One of the reasons I love living in Belize is because the schools uphold strict rules. In addition I can correct my children without fear of disapproval from society. My kids know that if they want to have a great job, make decent money, get ahead and attain their goals and dreams all they have to do is work hard towards the goal - the opportunities abound.

Sure teen pregnancy and over-indulgence of alcohol or casual drug use are also options - but not if they want to get ahead and grasp life with both hands.

I would like to continue to live a life in which the government has rules and enforces them even-handedly. I don't want to live in a society that accepts street gangs as a part of life. Many of our kids are falling into this trap - they have broken homes, no solid father figure to look up to, admire and yes, perhaps fear a little. Who is teaching our kids respect when our single mothers are at work all day? Who is ensuring they have a safe place to go to school? Who is punishing them if they don't attend school or don't bother to do their homework?

Now is the time for Belize to get a grip - get a handle on our social values, promote family unity, promote education, promote sports and team activities.

If our country continues to allow many of the issues we see happening today we will go one of 2 ways - dictatorship or anarchy.

Our children are our future. We need to work together to nurture our future leaders - instill them with pride of themselves, their community and their nation.





Why did people loot and cause destruction?

Amanda, I think the riots in Britain are all about government budget cuts.
The people are upset over the government cutbacks in spending for social programs, like paying for collage tuition, etc..and so they are showing their displeasure.
Same as the troops pulling out of Belize , their government is in financial trouble like most of the planet, and they are cutting back.

Yes, it is a sad state of affairs what is going on in Britain and other Western Countries. This is a result of becoming too dependent on Government. A helping hand, no problem but it has gotten to the point where whole families are dependent on Government payouts for every facet of their lives for their whole life. They end up without self pride and without a work ethic. Sad but we will probably see more of this rather than less in the future.

The governments have promised more than they can deliver and the people are not equipped now to help themselves because of their dependency.

I think the riots in Britain are more down to opportunistic vandalism and looting than anything else. Many of the rioters have been found to have homes and jobs, or to be in full-time education. I'm glad to see a youth from a very good home has been jailed for 6 months for looting a bottle of water.

Nonetheless, there is a major gulf in Britain between the "haves" and the "have nots" that I think is a big fundamental contributor to the present troubles. Many people are jobless and hopeless (and in increasing numbers also homeless), but they still see conspicuous consumption around them. And of course there is now a wholly unaccountable government in place, sucking in millions of pounds.

As to dictatorship or anarchy in Belize, I think the latest from Dean Barrow in (effectively) suspending the Constitution is a big step towards totalitarianism.

As for "kids know that if they want to have a great job, make decent money, get ahead and attain their goals and dreams all they have to do is work hard towards the goal", I'm afraid that may once have been true but it emphatically no longer is. A key reason why so many people feel utterly disillusioned and hopeless.

"The people are upset over the government cutbacks in spending for social programs, like paying for college tuition, etc..and so they are showing their displeasure."

Excellent observation, elbert. Therefore one can deduce?

That Elbert is mis-informed.

Time
http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2011/08.../#ixzz1Uk5QP3P4
To reduce the riots that have shaken Britain this week to nothing more than criminal wickedness, as Prime Minister David Cameron and his cohort tend to do, is a dangerous exercise in denial. And it barely survives the most cursory scrutiny: Thousands of people don't suddenly take to the streets to manifest wickedness as if in response to the appearance of Lord Voldemort's Deatheater sigil on their Blackberries, without any context; criminality -- which the actions of the rioters certainly are, with no mitigating features or excuses -- on the massive scale seen in London this week is indicative of a social crisis. And to dismiss as apologists for thuggery those who seek explanations in the state of society for a mass outbreak of criminality is a self-serving, self-deluding evasion by those in power. When so many young people have been so willing to break the laws that maintain order and protect property rights, it doesn't require a Marcellus to point out that there's something rotten in the state of Britain.

Read more: http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2011/08.../#ixzz1UlGNDa60

"This is not about poverty, it's about culture [that] says everything about rights but nothing about responsibilities."

DAVID CAMERON,
Prime Minister of Great Britain, speaking at an emergency session of Parliament in the wake of riots that shook London neighborhoods for nearly a week

David Cameron is a twit and has full knowledge of why these thugs are rioting... not to mention that the police force stood down for days before taking any proper action to arrest and detain these rioting thugs. Hoping this is not precedent to further acts of rioting in London... or anywhere else.

I think it's sad and awful and that those of us who don't live it might want to step back and refrain from pontificating too much.
We lived in LA during the 92 riots and I can say that as an affected resident the "reasons" were so multi-faceted that no one comment came even close to explaining why.