By Zaldy Dandan
Variety Editor

Fix it immediately

FINALLY, a light goes on in the attic and copper thieves are now going to be more constrained in their activities in the wake of the recent arrests of thieves caught in the act. But incidents of vandalism and purse snatchings are on the rise, and there is this perception that lawlessness is taking hold as the economy deteriorates further, more job losses occur and fewer prospects appear on the horizon.
The Department of Public Safety should reevaluate its priorities and dedicate some of its resources to prevent these crimes. DPS should be reminded about the Broken Window theory: If a window in a building is broken and left unrepaired, the rest of the windows will soon be broken. In other words, the perception of disorder— even with seemingly irrelevant petty crimes like graffiti or minor vandalism — often results in total disorder: “ ‘[U]ntended’ behavior…leads to the breakdown of community controls. A stable neighborhood of families who care for their homes, mind each other’s children, and confidently frown on unwanted intruders can change, in a few years or even a few months, to an inhospitable and frightening jungle. A piece of property is abandoned, weeds grow up, a window is smashed. Adults stop scolding rowdy children; the children, emboldened, become more rowdy. Families move out, unattached adults move in. Teenagers gather in front of the corner store. The merchant asks them to move; they refuse. Fights occur. Litter accumulates. People start drinking in front of the grocery store; in time, an inebriate slumps to the sidewalk and is allowed to sleep it off. Pedestrians are approached by panhandlers. At this point it is not inevitable that serious crime will flourish or violent attacks on strangers will occur. But many residents will think that crime, especially violent crime, is on the rise, and they will modify their behavior accordingly. They will use the streets less often, and when on the streets will stay apart from their fellows, moving with averted eyes, silent lips, and hurried steps. ‘Don’t get involved.’ For some residents…the neighborhood will cease to exist….”
Eliminating and preventing these signs of creeping lawlessness around us will go a long way toward restoring a sense of civic pride, a commodity in short supply these days.

Some austerity

THERE is no longer speculation about whether the minimum wage will go up; the discussion now revolves around the rate increase and over what period of time. The rate and speed with which the wage goes up will determine how much impact there will be on the local community. More job losses will occur. More businesses will likely close as a result. More entities operating on the margins will go under. But businesses that can absorb the cost will survive — and these are the businesses that will pass on the costs to their workers and customers.
The pressure on this bloated government will also increase. Unfortunately, the austerity law mandating salary cuts across the board did not produce the “savings” anticipated by the administration because hundreds of employees were exempted — and it hired hundreds more. Most of these new employees are not contract renewals, or professional or technical hires, but brand new hires.
“Austerity,” in other words, applies to the average government employee, but not to the executives, their attorneys, legislators or the judiciary.
As a local wag once said, “austerity for us, prosperity for them.”

Frightening

THE public auditor has announced that his office will soon conclude an assessment of private sector positions, with the expectation that the

government will soon be in a position to dictate what employees will work at what business.
This is a frightening consideration.
The wage structure in the CNMI promotes unemployment in the lower, middle and higher wage brackets. There is little competition or opportunity for middle or upper management positions in the private sector, leaving the government as the only employer for many college graduates. Wage increases and new immigration policies may change this dynamic — if implemented reasonably.
The goal should be the creation of new professional and technical job opportunities for U.S. citizens, which will help curtail the exodus of young locals to the states and allow for more vibrant and competitive working conditions for employees across the board.
But this means that the Public School System will have to step up to the plate. It has to give more money to the schools for students and teachers. It has to fully implement — not delay — teacher and student achievement requirements.
Pandering to teachers who haven’t passed Praxis and lowering the learning bar doesn’t serve the children of the CNMI. It is a disservice to the community. It perpetuates practices that have contributed in a big way to the propping up the labor and wage structure that has tied the CNMI in knots while limiting individual growth and prosperity in the community at large.
A younger generation is coming of age, and with it, higher expectations.