I WOULD like to applaud Senators Jesse Lujan and Eddie Calvo for taking the lead in cutting back salaries and expenditures in their offices by 10 percent. We are certainly facing bleak economic times throughout the island, and the government must lead the people by example.
I am waiting to see how many other senators and public officials follow Lujan and Calvo’s fiscally responsible move. Until our economy recovers, we as the citizens of Guam will have to work together and make a concerted effort to make do with the resources that we have.
Guam and its people are strong and have suffered through far worse hardships than the ones we currently face. We have weathered war, natural disasters, oppression and occupation, and many other calamities.
By maintaining a positive spirit and by adapting to our changing circumstances, we will prevail. Senator Forbes has also demonstrated the right attitude and approach to paring down government expenditures. I would suspect that if staffers in the legislature and elsewhere in the government are taking pay cuts, then other government funded agencies will make similar cuts among their employees as well.
While this is certainly not welcome news, we really have no choice. We cannot afford to further entrench our government into debt. I would rather take a cut now and see our economy and government budget recover than to allow our island’s economy to slowly spiral into oblivion.
Thanks again to those senators for acting responsibly and for leading by example.

ARCINIA PANGELINAN
Dededo, Guam