Ambrose M. Bennett
THE Truth is “if not me then who, as this should’ve come from a Democrat Senator.” It is traditional & even a fiduciary duty for “the opposing Party to rebut National, State & Local Addresses to the People.” I was waiting to see if Dems would respond, as Dems could Do Better! However, as readers can see the Dems are silent and sooo darn smart, LOL, even helping Republicans by blackballing a Dem (Ambrose) with a voice & skills, a Political IQ-139 and ammunition with a delivery system (the newspaper), so go figure THAT about Dems! I’m not complaining, as this rebuttal is the TRUTH Democrats should be spraying on the SOCA. Truth be told, the presentation on our “State” was well-played in a wholistic presentation that was even impressively formatted. But the Governor was ONLY right about “WE owe a debt of thanks and gratitude to the Government Workers, NMC, PSS, CHCC & the Private Sector in the trenches doing the work” not Arnold — KUDOS & THANKS to ALL & don’t believe Arnold’s HYPE!
The TRUTH be told, I predicted “Arnold’s SOCA would be a deflecting & gaslighting show” and Arnold did not disappoint me. He started by pointing his finger at Ralp’s administration when he was second in command and didn’t do SQUAT — LOL, and he used the veils of deflecting & gaslighting. For True, there are a lot of successful projects by Government Agencies that started in the distant past, recently, & in the present that are great for the CNMI covering a broad range of improvements within the CNMI. Most of the projects are not Arnold’s work and would have happened anyway, as it has been government employees doing the work to acquire the Federal funds for these project(s). In fact, WE really owe our biggest debt of gratitude to the Federal Government for funding all of these projects and I must admit the TRUTH that I was sooo glad to finally see a Governor say, “THANKS to Our-Fathers-in-Washington” whom WE owe so MUCH, WE would virtually “be dead-in-the-water without them”!
Many of the projects presented will indeed improve the aesthetic & welfare of the CNMI internally and some will even create new jobs, but they are jobs for People WE don’t have nor the money to pay people if the Feds don’t. WE also didn’t hear anything definitive about OUR Global Brand other than “bland talking points on the attributes of the CNMI” but nothing that would make the World say “I need or want to visit the CNMI.” But Arnold was right about Agriculture Improvements needed but he didn’t say HOW, as People are more concerned about the price of food TODAY than Arnold’s undefined plan. Even creating a Digital Economy does not translate into substantial revenues for the government and WHY only now do WE learn the Tinian Stablecoin is unconstitutional — some Legislature! It is easy to see WHY the MV Poll shows an overwhelming desire for a New Governor. I’m also sure many agree, WE need to teach ALL of them a lesson, save two (Babauta & Flores), by DEMANDING BETTER & Electing ONLY New Officials. It would be GREAT to see the People send a message because, if WE don’t CHANGE it’s the Same-O for TRUE, as “WE could Do & Be BETTER,” especially if WE have new open-minded Leaders who are LISTENERS absent of bigotry!
KUDOS to the cost cutting & collections by our great Finance Secretary, but Arnold never addressed “the elephant” in the room of “rebuilding our Tourism Industry & creating new industry(s).” Instead, Arnold deflected his responsibility to rebuild our economy by gaslighting existing projects, which sounded great. But truth be told, virtually none of these projects he presented have the capacity to improve our Tourists arrivals and create new industries. Arnold was simply gaslighting by focusing on all the good & great things being done by government entities and even the private sector but avoided the elephant. Arnold was clearly deflecting the real issue of fixing our economy & gaslighting the accomplishments of others, for HIS credit. Arnold wasn’t going to hurt his re-election with the whole TRUTH. Arnold even totally “deflected on OUR status in D.C.” by not saying anything about his work with OUR Delegate & his Lobbying efforts in D.C.! Heck, WE the People only got two sentences in the SOCA on really “Fixing the Economy & Zero on new industry” that ended in him assuring more suffering FOR the People through “MORE Taxes while he gives away unnecessary taxes revenues for promises, CUTS to Retirees, PSS” & everything possible. But he didn’t admit the TRUTH that Austerity will loom and No New Tourists nor New Industry — the Same-O I’ve shared that is even ostracized in the Economic Roadmap. It should be clear Arnold told only the good stuff with “Half-truths, which is really a WHOLE Lie”!
But Arnold had to admit the CNMI is only generating enough in revenues to cover around 60% of our budget needs. He couldn’t hide the TRUTH that OUR next budget will be over 90 million dollars SHORT of meeting our basic needs in Government operations, which doesn’t even include the need to INVEST in growth & development if WE are to fix & rebuild our entire economy. I’ve been pleading for the development of New Industry(s) since 2001, and now even the editor Zaldy has shared the “Economic Roadmap” that says the same thing — “New Industries needed”! The editor & I are the only two people “holding Public Accountability Oversight” and ignoring either of us continues to prove to be a mistake by the-powers-that-be as only the People suffer and miss-out! Ambrose is the main reason Recreational Cannabis & Hemp Industries were legalized but instead of pursuing & developing these industries to generate New Revenues, there were only efforts to “control Ambrose and to make SURE Ambrose was not successful in transforming these industries into their intended state” with no credit to Ambrose being the driving force — pathetic bigotry. They trashed most of Ambrose’s 89-page first draft of the legislation ending with a 29-page Bill that is clearly insufficient to create the revenue generating industries of Cannabis Tourism & Hemp — a TRUE example of nepotism & bigotry over progress. This rebuttal would’ve been much more effective coming from Dems, as WE are NOT getting Better! WE the People, especially Dems, must CHANGE for the BETTER if the CNMI is to Get BETTER!
One People, One Direction.
Ambrose M. Bennett is an Economist who minored in Sociology, a Political Scientist, a retired teacher & former CNMI Board of Education Member, a James Madison Fellow (U.S. Constitutional Scholar), a Fulbright-Hays – lifetime Humanities & Religious Scholar who resides in Kagman III in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
