U.S. Virgin Islands Politics: A Need for a Paradigm Shift

This is the first of what I hope will be many entries and commentary bringing my fellow Virgin Islanders from home and abroad to engage in dialogue aimed at addressing the most pressing issues within our Virgin Islands community and providing solutions to those problems. There are those of us who are of the understanding that the current Virgin Islands political topics fails to account for and to address the "baseline issues" (a term that I use to describe the issues that serve as the basis to the underlying problems in our society) in our society. I am of that opinion and that the term: "grassroots" is a term that is not well understood. Grassroots as defined by an online dictionary (thefreedictionary.com) is:

1.     fundamental; "the grassroots factor in making the decision" (basic - pertaining to or constituting a base or basis; "a basic fact"; "the basic ingredients"; "basic changes in public opinion occur because
of changes in priorities")
2.     of or involving the common people as constituting a fundamental political and economic group; "a grassroots movement for nuclear disarmament" (common - having no special distinction or quality; widely known or commonly encountered; average or ordinary or usual; "the common man"; "a common sailor"; "the common cold"; "a common nuisance"; "followed common procedure"; "it is common knowledge that she lives alone"; "the common housefly"; "a common brand of soap")
The key term is basic: "basic fact", "basic ingredients", "basic changes….because of change in priorities". I underlined the word: priorities. If we analyze the ills that plague our society, it is arguably our leaders failure to put the people's basic needs first. What are those needs? Before I begin, I want to make a disclaimer; as an avid human rights activist my lenses (my analytical bifocals) are centered on human rights and so I begin my analysis with the following statement: VI Politics should consist of topics and solutions that embraces Virgin Islanders' civil, political, economic, social, cultural rights as well as rights unique to women and children. This forum will bring to the forefront topics that involve the detailed rights. A Renewal of VI Politics asks you: What are your greatest concerns as a Virgin Islander and what is your take on the state of VI Politics?