By Zaldy Dandan
Variety Editor

The perils of passing quickie, feel-good legislation

RATTLED by the thought of losing their cushy jobs in this economy — about which they have done nothing to improve — lawmakers have overridden the governor’s veto of the power rate cut bill. CUC, its consultants and the administration maintain that the higher rates are necessary to cover operations and higher fuel costs. They have shown lawmakers the numbers. They have warned that these legislated cutbacks defy market realities and will result in rolling power outages. Lawmakers, however, were looking at a different set of numbers: their office budgets of over $100,000.
The people don’t need anyone to tell them what the fuel prices are. They know. They also know that this government and CUC are dead broke. Now they are wondering how soon before the Legislature is compelled to pass yet another bill — this time, to roll back those power rate cuts.
We’re guessing it will be after Nov. 3rd.

Questions to ask lawmakers

THE election season has been unusually quiet, with fewer banners, signs and posters, no public address systems belting out inaudible campaign promises. But candidates are still out there, busy drumming up support in house-to-house visits and small pocket meetings.
On Capital Hill, nothing generates quicker action from the Legislature than an upcoming election. Note the speed with which bills are passed and vetoes overriden, including, not surprisingly, the measure that cuts electric rates.
But this flurry of legislative actions raises the following question: Why couldn’t it have occurred earlier in the year? How many small businesses have closed, how many jobs have been lost, how many families have struggled with no power over these many months because the power costs were simply too high to bear?
What exactly did your elected officials do these past two years, and are you better off now than you were then?

Long overdue

THE administration touts a few recent successes like Judge Wiseman’s reaffirmation of Public Land’s decision to revoke JG Sablan’s pozzollon mining permit, and DPL’s recent approval of a new lease agreement for Laolao Bay. All seem to signal forward movement, but it is premature to call these actions successful. It is still unclear who the new developers are and what they are promising to build in exchange for newer and better leases.
One group that seems to be making progress is the zoning board, which is methodically conducting public hearings, soliciting input and setting guidelines for development in the commonwealth.
Zoning is long overdue. Residences sometimes sit next to water companies, tire shops, poker arcades and various industrial operations that create noise pollution and increase human traffic in neighborhoods that might otherwise be safer and more tranquil.
Now mixed uses for the more established communities like Garapan make sense, but new industrial uses should probably be prohibited. It just isn’t necessary to locate another tire repair shop in Garapan. It probably doesn’t make much sense to permit trash collection activities in the tourist district either.The official planning office was closed about 10 years ago, but the previous governor made a showing by implementing existing development plans and as a result some big improvements were made to Garapan. But it stopped there. Nothing has happened since. Even with $99 million in Covenant CIP funds and other federal grants ready to be tapped, no new capital improvements have been committed to paper, much less constructed. Judging by the history of a few previous administrations, by the time these projects are in the pipeline, four years will have passed.
Someone has to remind this administration that there is no time to waste.