Let me state from the outset that I am political novice, thus my letter is designed for someone, anyone, to free me from my ignorance.

Firstly, with our country in dire economic straits and austerity measures being reflected in several areas of our day-to-day lives, lay-offs, short-hours, unemployment, problems with NIS, problems with debt to GDP, 200 dollars giving a person only two bags of groceries [if you’re lucky], some government workers, casual and otherwise, having to go sometimes three months without being paid, contracted workers smelling hell, water bills drowning people, light bills shocking them and on, and on, and on; this is what I want to know.

We taxpayers are paying an MP to be Special Envoy on Reparations and Economic Enfranchisement every month, what exactly, other than collect a salary, does he do on a five-day work week to earn his money? What the hell does a special envoy on reparations in a three by six country do that relates to that title?

We taxpayers are paying Senator John King who was once an MP to be a special advisor on culture and heritage. Then we are also paying Senator Dr Shantal Munro-Knight to be Minister in the PM’s office with responsibility for Culture.

So, what exactly do both of these people do on a day-to-day basis for my money and your money? I ask this especially seeing that we already have one of the best cultural people ever in Barbados in Carol Roberts-Reifer. Do we have enough culture to divide among so many people?

Now we have someone who is a special envoy, director or consultant, or something sounding real pretty like that, who is the responsible for protocol. What exactly does she do on a day-to-day basis to be getting some of the money I work so hard for and pay in taxes every month?

What is really going on? Are Bajans paying attention?

And on the subject of consultants, I once went to a consultant a few years ago, paid him for that consultation and that was that. I went back to him six months later, he saw me, I paid him for the consultancy and that was that. Government have some consultants on their payroll and I do not understand their role.

Do these people tell government the same thing every day for a month and get paid? I would think that if I have a problem and I have a consultant and he tells me how to deal with the problem, I take his advice, I pay him and that is that. End of consultancy. But people in government must have very hard heads if they have to pay a consultant every month [as is the case now] for him or her to keep telling them the same thing, the same consultancy subject area, every day.

That sounds like madness! At this rate, we have consultants on crime [but crime still going through the roof); consultants on the economy [one economy] and life getting harder by the day. Consultants for this, consultants for that.

Do they give the same ideas, every day on the same subjects, to the same people? This is crazy! But these people drawing salaries upwards of $9 000 monthly and I want to know what are they doing daily for my money and your money. Will we soon have a consultant on mauby bark?

As I said at the start, I am an idiot to certain things. But as a taxpayer whose money is getting spent, I demand answers. The reason why you people do not get answers but can only get curse in Parliament, is that you do not demand enough from your MPs. But that is who we are.

Pinching [yes, pinching] above out weight!