The hospital has doctors and nurses but little or no ability to address the community’s serious medical issues. Diagnostic labs no longer accept the government’s IOU’s. CHC can no longer send patients to off-island hospitals because the government hasn’t paid its bills. In other words, if you are sick you may or may not be able to get adequate treatment at the hospital, and if you really are sick you may not be able to get adequate treatment off-island.
The hiring of political cronies, however, continues and the Legislature won’t pass a bill that will significantly cut government costs so it can fund essential services. The current austerity measures are a drop in the bucket. All this uncertainty, moreover, is creating problems for the private sector, particularly the companies that are also government vendors. Consumers, for their part, are becoming more frugal. Stores and restaurants are hurting.
As the islands’ revenue base shrinks even as utility rates go up, no amount of tax or fee increase will make up for the shortfall. It will, however, result in accelerated business closures and more people leaving the islands.
There are still many productive ways for the government to improve its public services. All it has to do is to reduce its nonessential expenditures. Shut down the Indigenous, Carolinian and Woman’s Affairs Offices. Close the Northern Islands mayor’s office. Consolidate functions by folding CDA into the Department of Commerce.
Scrap the water task force — CUC already has a water division. Privatize CUC. Outsource the functions of DPW’s technical services division — this will pump money into the economy and expedite the completion of projects.
Make the election commission a part-time office. Downsize the Department of Labor. The list is endless.
Indeed, there is a lot more the government could do to improve its services and the lives of its citizens. But on Capital Hill, the debate is about who should be speaker and who gets what portion of taxpayer money.
Crony administration
THE governor’s frequent absences from the commonwealth makes little difference if his policies are sound and he has competent people to execute his plans. Positive developments should follow whether he is on island or not.
The problem is that he has neither sound policies in place nor the personnel to execute them. The Fitial administration is filled with political cronies, most of whom have loyalty as their main claim to the positions they hold.
Such “credentials” never produced much — except chaos and bad governance.
Privatize CUC
PREDICTABLY, CUC, still run by the governor, has announced that it needs another $4 million to perform further upgrades. CUC also issued a curious RFP for services that extend financial assistance or services to customers unable to pay their bills. The logic of this arrangement is frightening. Customers cannot pay their utility bills but CUC wants to get involved in securing financial assistance for them to pay the utility? Why is CUC getting involved in this arrangement? To secure further indebtedness for its customers?
