mitridate To your original point, Your opinion of Bonaire going to crap over the last 20 years must be put in context. What hasn't gone to hell in the last 20 years? Bonaire only seem bad to you because you are comparing the present state to the past conditions you experienced. If you simply change your perspective and compare the present condition to what it will be like 20 years from now, you will realize how sweet it is.
Next time you travel bring your oldest clothes and leave them behind for those who have not. If it makes you feel better you can leave said clothing in your pickup for easy pilfering by locals so as not to upset the normal method of clothing exchange.
Your approach to what happens on Bonaire is quite unusual. Comparing the present with to what it may look like in 20 years from now would make all ongoing efforts to save of what little is left due to human interference and ignorance void, not a good idea
Leaving my old clothes in my pick-up for "easy pilfering by locals", why on earth should one do this??? To support their criminal approach???
I have to been many places around the world, where people are living under much worth condition than the locals on Bonaire, with no social welfare programs provided by the Dutch government and the EU (which is a scandal on its own!).
But these very poor guys never came up with the idea to steal from us or others because we had items they didn't have.
Pride and common sense prevailed.
Unfortunately (I know this becomes touchy now) this did not apply to places where the locals had African roots, like many other islands in the Caribbean (Curacao!!) and Pacific seas, USA and certain places in Europe, naturally in Africa (I spent many years of my professional life in Africa and could write books about this issue).
Stealing is part of their daily life for most of them, in Africa we had to live in camps with big fences and armed guards, not funny at all.
Coming back to Bonaire, the building industry is thriving, strangely enough you will hardly see locals working, almost all workers (untrained as well) are "imported" from South America, there would be lots of jobs for the locals they, but obviously it is easier and less strenuous for them to live from social payments.
They should better work and earn money, in that case there would be no need to steal t-shirts from tourists.
A last remark, the prison on Bonaire is currently expanded to double it's capacity to 400 persons, Bonaire's population is around 15.000. The ratio prisoner/resident is almost a world record by itself
.
