Leighton Williams, Projects Coordinator

Whenever this time of the year comes around, I get an awful feeling. It's like the feeling you get when the number of someone you would rather not talk to pops up on your cellphone but you have no choice but to answer.

In fact, I fear this time of the year more than I fear the hurricane season or hearing that an earthquake measuring anywhere between 7 and 10 on the Richter scale just occurred and its epicentre was five miles south of Kingston which means a tsunami can happen.

By now you must be wondering what is the cause of this awful feeling and what could I possibly fear more than dying by a natural disaster? Well, what I fear is the Budget Debates. Frankly, I don't know why they are called Debates because all I hear are harangues. There's no meaningful exchange of arguments - which makes watching cement harden seem exciting by comparison.

I have always wanted to write about the Budget presentations and how long, boring and empty they are but somewhere along the line I usually get sidetracked because, to be frank, there are more important things to write about. But, having been left with no choice but to either listen or watch over the last two years, I have decided I'll pay attention to this 'necessary evil'.

You see, at the end of the day, to me the Budget is like a bag of sweets being dangled in front of children. For me, at the end of the torture, I've always asked myself what do I have to do as a middle-class Jamaican from a working-class background who is not affiliated to a political party and with no family connections to get me a good paying job?

I have to work harder than the poor because no announcement will benefit me and even harder than the rich because I don't have any friends who are politicians who will represent my interests.

So, when I heard our Madame Prime Minister harping on for more than three hours recently, I wished I could be anywhere else on the planet. I mean, Liverpool knocking Chelsea out of the Champions League meant more to me than hearing her talk, because I'm over 18 so if I get sick I'll have to pay the hospital registration fee. And, I'm employed, so the election promises won't help me. And, nothing else that she said will help or benefit me for that matter.

And, the same could be said about Mr. Golding. I mean, discussing Sri Lanka versus Australia in the Cricket World Cup Finals or AC Milan against Manchester United was more important than being told about the creation of more jobs because they are not jobs which will give me or any other university graduate more pay.

While I'm on it too, why can't the keeper of the country's leaking thread bag, Dr. Omar Davies, make his budget presentation more to the point and shorter. I'm sure he could say we're broke because I've not allowed the rich to pay taxes and the people who claim to be poor and don't want to work don't pay taxes so we don't have any money, so the taxes will go up. Consequently, I have only $380 billion to spend and I will be spending it this way and taxes will be raised to help it. I'm sure that would take less than three hours.

But, rather than mope, I will be finding every possible way to avoid listening or watching next year. Because politicians annoy me and whatever promises they make will never benefit me.

Email: leighton.williams@gleanerjm.com