WE have people with “common sense” who understand the structure of government and the need for the Municipal Councils to be empowered and then we have the “ignorant” one who doesn’t understand the basics about our government’s structure that want to do whatever they are told by the powers that be in the Legislature. Finally we have those in “power” who obviously want to keep all power. Common sense tells me that the individual attacking me while at the same time he is begging me and calling for me in the news to educate him about the “structure of our federal system, checks & balances, the sharing of power between the federal, state and local governments and the functions at the different levels” in the news has GOT TO BE “ignorant” about our form of government and has no idea how to conduct an “intellectual argument.” But an editor did raise some interesting intellectual questions that I will address.
The ignorant one has claimed that the municipal councils “haven’t done anything” but anyone with common sense realizes the Councils haven’t done to much because they CAN’T DO much, THEY DON’T HAVE ANY POWER and the Legislature never waned them to have power to do anything, which is why the Legislature has been fighting against their empowerment for the past five years even when we had money. If the Legislature had given some of the local duties to the local government they would have done more and the Legislature would have gotten more done — it’s common sense. But the Legislature wants all the financial & political power and anyone with common sense can see the legislature is fighting to keep all the powers.
I feel sorry for anyone that doesn’t understand how our federal system of government should work and the need to have FULL accountability of our government at all three levels. Yes, our Legislature and services are too big but making them smaller is not going to make them more accountable, which is the bottom line. The Legislature is only checked every two years by the people but a fully empowered Councils will hold the Legislature much more accountable on a daily basis. We should reduce the state level government because that is the portion of government that is too big but we shouldn’t get rid of the Municipal Councils because it is really “time” for us to begin the transition of power to local officials as our population has reached an “unmanageable” level for the legislature alone and we already have the Councils that can begin to take on some of the work load of a reduced Legislature if they are given the power. It is also to our advantage to begin now “gradually” making the transition in power, which will allow for a smoother transition that will allow for the gradual growth of the Municipal Councils with the population and it is to our advantage to begin while we are small. The boundaries of state & local governance NEED to be defined now before it becomes too complex or having a structured government isn’t worth having at all — that’s common sense. Why do we always have to wait until we HAVE to do something (or) do we take steps today to make tomorrow better? Limited government is one thing but having an “incomplete and unaccountable” government is what has gotten us in the shape we are in today — and that’s more common sense.
There have been so many austerity measures by our Legislature that cost is now an “automatic or generic” excuse for anything and everything. But it won’t work this time because the empowerment of the Municipal Councils IS NOT about more money for the Councils but about allowing the Councils to “control” the money for their Municipality. One of the main reasons the Councils haven’t been active in creating sources for revenues is because the Legislature would have control over any money they generated and who in the Municipal Councils with common sense would want to work to raise money for the Legislature to decide on giving to another Municipality — duh? Look at how the Legislature is controlling Tinian’s Casino license money. Empowering the Councils places additional accountability checks on the Legislature, the Governor and on the Councils. Local Councils MUST stand on their own beyond the state funding in the budget, which they can and will do once they have control over the money they generate beyond the state’s portion. I’m sure the Councils will do more for the people and get more done in the form of economic and social improvements if they have the power. Common sense tells me we need everyone in government possible looking for means to improve our economy and I’m sure when they have a say about the money they raise the Mayor & Councils will search for investors, sponsorship for local & international events in their Municipalities, and the list goes on and on. Common sense tells me that anyone complaining about the Councils hasn’t realized that the smaller groups will be more cohesive with more focus and that we must first empower the Mayor & Councils BEFORE they can do anything significant!
But it is really more about POWER in the truest sense and that’s the clear message sent by the Lower House. The Lower House has passed a Resolution to seek the opinion of the Supreme Court on the “empowerment” of the Municipal Councils. The attempt to “void” something so simple as a Neighborhood Watch Program that is already applicable in “local” districts throughout America clearly demonstrates the greed for all government power to remain at the state level and to share NOTHING at the local level. I agree with Zaldy Dandan that the people should vote on the issue but he should realize that the people should be given a real choice to abolish or empower the Councils because to maintain the Councils as they are without any power is not going change anything and everyone with common sense realizes we need to CHANGE! Its not like we are taking a big risk keeping the councils and I hate it when people find “nit picky” excuses to try and kill a true concept before giving it a real and objective chance to work, especially when it has been tried and proven in the rest of America and the last I heard, this is still America.
The Lower House is already stalled on the Legislation and I have a feeling the Senate in the upper house is wiser than the lower house given the admonishments by a senator that “we waste time producing Resolutions that request changes to the names of streets and buildings, we are not doing our job,” which is clearly the job of local government and not the state level legislature. The same senator also said, “the legislature is well overdue for an examination of its structure” which goes right to the point I have been trying to make about the “structure” of our state & local government. We haven’t used the structure properly to best serve the people and we certainly shouldn’t start “cannibalizing and fabricating” the part of our government’s structure that is CLOSEST to the people at a time that we should be “reforming” government for better results, especially, when WE KNOW the day is surely coming when the Municipal Councils will HAVE TO be given more power — its common sense to define the lines, reduce the state government and keep the local government.
The powers that be in the Lower House have never wanted Municipal Council members having as much or more political power as them or a Senator, they don’t want Municipal Council members with the political power to hold them & the legislature accountable for issues, they don’t want Municipal Council members with the political power to influence elections, they don’t want Mayors to have so much political clout that they can “collectively” determine who will be governor. The locally elected officials should never be “figure heads” but representatives doing the necessary & proper work to protect & serve the people or they wouldn’t be apart of the structure. Empowering the Councils will create many positive changes and improve the accountability of the entire government. I’m sure most citizens with a common sense understanding of our government’s structure can easily see the Municipal Councils need to be given a chance and fully empowered so they can do something before we resort to desperate measures of cannibalizing and fabricating our government, especially when most of the one million they claim will be saved from abolishing the Councils will still have to be spent on services the Councils and Mayors perform — duh! Don’t let ignorance and power be your guide, use your common sense to be one people, one direction for better a functioning and accountable government — it’s about time and it’s common sense.

AMBROSE M. BENNETT
Kagman, Saipan