BELIEVE it or not, the Governor figuratively wants us to think “the sky is falling” with his announcement to run again for office. Does he think that the majority of voters are gullible enough to vote for him again! FYI Governor, WE the People already saw this movie with Governor Fitial when he was under impeachment proceedings and the Public Auditor was also breathing down his neck with criminal charges and he STILL got re-elected only to be found guilty in a court of Law before he could finish his term. Your days are numbered Governor, for TRUE, as you are not a “Teflon Don” like you may think! Now the Governor is claiming he didn’t break any laws just like Governor Fitial only his situation is even WORSE because unlike Governor Fitial who had a GOP Controlled House and the Public Auditor to deal with, Governor Torres is facing a Federal RICO Investigation that is very REAL and the House of Representatives is controlled by Democrats, even though it will take some of the Republicans jumping ship to eventually convict him, which is WHY Decision Day 2022, is soooo important to elect a Democrat Majority in both houses.
This Governor really thinks WE the People are stupid to believe he didn’t break any laws, as there is enough proof already exposed by the House of Representatives to convict of CRIMES. The question is, will the rest of our Government Officials in the Legislature and in the Judicial Branch do their part to carry out JUSTICE FOR the People! Governor, you broke the law the moment you started purchasing first-class tickets for yourself and then you even purchased them for your wife with OUR Credit Card and last I heard your wife is not entitled to fly at OUR expense — FRAUD! The purchase of “personal items” for hunting and even so cheap as to make us pay for “Cheetos” — these purchases are ILLEGAL. The taking of money from a “foreign Government” is against Local & Federal Laws, which is a matter of public record in how the casino investors allegedly financed elections for you Governor and the Republican Party. In fact, there is a host of criminal acts that you have allegedly committed Governor and saying you didn’t break the Law won’t make your alleged crimes go away as WE the People are not stupid and know that most criminal defendants say the same lie “I didn’t break the law” until they are convicted. But I have confidence that voters are going to be like a real jury come Decision Day 2022 and you can be assured Governor that you will not fool the majority nor will you make a FOOL of the CNMI ever again!
The People of the CNMI are smart enough to know the sky is not falling Governor and I’m sure many and a I pray the majority will not fall for your gaslighting show of innocence. I have often said “if WE (the CNMI Voters) don’t learn our lessons taught to us by history, especially our OWN history, then WE are DOOMED to continue making the SAME mistakes” and I’m sure most voters with common sense KNOW that WE the People made a BIG mistake when you got elected Governor Torres but I don’t think they will make that mistake again. In fact, I am hoping and praying voters will have seen so much that it will be one of the most embarrassing political loss ever witnessed in the election for Governor.
This is the same Governor who promised PROSPERITY but delivered AUSTERITY so what is he going to promise this time. Oh, I forgot he is going to take FULL CREDIT for ALL the improvements that are being PAID for by the Feds. Heck, anyone with good management skills can do a lot of good with half-a-billion dollars so don’t be fooled voters by what is sure to be the most “Hyped-up Gaslighting Show” by the Governor that the islands have ever seen. The improvements made from the Federal Stimulus money are not the makings of our Governor as WE the People really need to say THANKS to “our-fathers-in-Washington,” something I have yet to see ANY CNMI Governor do — “send a letter of THANKS to the President & the U.S. Congress for the millions they sent our way. Sad and even parasitic (blood-sucking) in nature. But that’s what Republicans do, they just take and take and take but never give not even a thank you, which is only seen on their election signs when they win, for TRUE!
But the autocracy that the Republicans have turned our government into is really a “Chinese Political Strategy” of “controlling all the moving parts of government” and even society. To show you what I mean and like elkapitan commented, even if the House of Representatives tries to Impeach the Governor, they won’t get a 2/3 vote and the Senate certainly will never convict — one reason the Governor is running as he knows this fact. It really may not matter what the House submits to the AG for possible prosecuting as most of us already know the AG is not going to indict the Governor or he would have a long time ago as the evidence is really Public Knowledge — duh, and the second reason the Governor is running again. The Governor is virtually “UNTOUCHABLE” by our OWN checks & balances because they DON’T WORK as Republicans refuse to let the checks & balances built into our government work, just like the Republicans are doing on the mainland — just stop everything the Democrats are trying to do FOR accountability in government and FOR the People.
But it gets worse for voters and the CNMI, as the Republican Base is “wide and deep” which is the third and most compelling reason our Godfather chose to run again. He knows ALL of the leading Government Jobs are held by GOP Political Loyalists and ALL the Boards and Commissions are FULL of GOP Loyalist which translates into a whole LOT of families automatically following the Republicans even if they have betrayed us-folks-in-the-cheap-seats tooooo many times and the proof is Angel Demapan got re-elected even though him and other Republicans flat-out SOLD us OUT to the Casino. They can do no wrong in the eyes of Republicans die-hearts. The GOP has always been more interested in their personal interest than OUR Business. But the most tangible and compelling reason the GOP Base remains wide and deep is because YOU will be punished if you are not LOYAL as they run a tight ship voters. So, VOTERS are going to have to LEARN to be smarter or should I say learn to “OUT-smart” these Republicans if WE the People are to EVER turn the CNMI into the paradise that voters once dreamed it would always be. If voters fall for the Governor’s grandstanding to run like he is so innocent, then the CNMI may be worse off than I ever thought it could be but only time will tell come Decision Day 2022, and hope and PRAY the message voters will send for the Governor and many of the Republicans will be, YOUR FIRED!
To be continued: One People One Direction.
The writer is an Economist, retired teacher, former CNMI Board of Education Member, James Madison Fellow (U.S. Constitutional Scholar), a Fulbright-Hays & Humanities Scholar who resides in Kagman III.
The head-rest of George Washington’s “Rising Sun” chair.
