IT is very ironic how lawmakers do not want to increase the minimum wage yet at the same time, many of them do not want to decrease their own salaries.
I hope the people of the Northern Marianas open up their eyes this election and see who has done what.
Who tried to help our economy recover? Who created new industries to replace the garment? Who tried to decrease the unemployment rate among U.S. citizens? Who made it easier for U.S. citizens to be replaced by cheap, foreign labor by insisting on preventing our minimum wage to increase? Who allowed all the highly paid consultants to continue to do work for our broke government? Who allowed highly paid lobbyists to be hired to do dirty work for us? Who appointed many unqualified people for highly paid positions? Who tried to improve our islands’ infrastructure? Who did not want to lead by example by taking a voluntary paycut? Who did not vote on making it mandatory for judges and elected officials to all take mandatory paycuts?
CNMI government leaders need to practice what they preach and all take paycuts, especially those at the top. It is easy for them to pass laws for others to take mandatory cuts yet they, themselves, keep refusing to take a cut of their own.
Thank you to those government leaders who did take paycuts voluntarily. You truly are leading by example.

JESSE TORRES
Kagman, Saipan