GAS prices going up again, shipping rates going up again, prices for basic commodities rising again, food stamp recipients increasing, more Chamorros leaving the islands to find better pay elsewhere, government workers not making full paychecks, and yet the minimum wage is still at $3.05 an hour. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that if the cost of living rises and the minimum wage remains the same, people will not be able to survive on their own.
The CNMI government fails to realize that if they don’t create good paying jobs, the crime rate will rise. Expect more copper wire thefts, poker robberies, tourist robberies, and burglaries. I don’t blame the criminals for what they are doing. I blame our so-called government leaders. Raise the minimum wage instead of waiting for the feds to do it. People cannot afford basic things unless they get paid higher.
The number of locals working for minimum wage is increasing. Why do some people keep insisting that higher wages will hurt us? There is only one way to prove them wrong. Look at Guam. Their wages are much higher and many people from Saipan are moving there to survive.
Take a look at the Pacific Daily News’ employment section and you could find way more good paying jobs available than in the Saipan newspapers. Raising the minimum wage will also allow people to rely more on the private sector for a place of employment, instead of always relying on political connections in the government. Raising the minimum wage will create more government revenue from tax collections.
$3.05 may have worked for some in the past, but this is the year 2007, in case you haven’t woken up from the 80’s yet. The government needs to increase the taxes for Mobil and Shell. They need to pay their fair share since they have been making record-breaking profits from cheating their customers.
In California, voters voted to increase the taxes for oil companies and use that revenue to find alternative energy sources. Biba Marianas!! Fanoge Chamorro!

JESSE TORRES
Kagman, Saipan