The experiment was meant to prove that many voters in the CNMI just don’t know how to vote because that is the biggest reason we are in this desperate situation. We the People never gave ourselves a real chance here in the CNMI or in Washington. I predicted our Delegate and Governor would NEVER really work together for the common good of the CNMI and now this fact is the leading headline in the news — I told you sooooo! The first 100 Days and more have also passed since our Delegate was re-elected and I must ask the question, where is our BEEF? I told voters that there would be very little if anything coming from Washington and our Delegate and his blank record speaks volumes to the truth that I foretold voters.
I wonder if voters have ever considered why other Territories got hundreds of millions in Stimulus and ARRA funding and foreign nations can get BILLIONS from our federal government every year! The answer is very simple, they know how to play the political game in Washington — a game that I was trying to teach our voters how to play and the majority of voters still got it wrong in the gubernatorial and delegate elections. It is easy to teach children but getting adults to let go of old and bad habits is truly a bigger and much more difficult challenge.
I don’t have to even mention the lack of success with the present administration because we see it every day but I have been keeping up with our delegate in the news because I predicted that he won’t deliver much of anything this time around and this is just some of the proof that I promised. We have seen a lot of pictures of our Delegate and heard some nice stories since the election but I would like to know “where is the beef” figuratively and literally.
Many people I talked with prior to the election were saying Kilili was doing OK but it seems they didn’t understand that OK is not good enough because we needed something BIG and even GREAT to happen in Washington. So for the OK people, this is especially for you because the rest of us want something big and great to happen for the CNMI. Expectations are the fuel for change, improvement, success and prosperity but too many voters lowered their expectations to OK being good enough and just Letting It BE — see the problem because we voted for this as our attitude will always dictate our altitude!
But for the record, the first news in December of 2010, from our Delegate was that it doesn’t look good for him with the GOP in charge of Congress — I told you soooo but I guess it is OK!
In January of 2011, we were informed our Delegate will not get to vote in Committee and may not even be a member of a Committee — he did get on the Insular Affairs Committee but that is a joke to me and to those who remember Kilili trying to kill the Insular America Project I created all in the name of his personal politics. He’s on the Insular Affairs Committee but didn’t want to support the promotion of the Insular Areas — so go figure out that ridiculous dichotomy.
In late January he was able to convince the CNMI government to borrow 10 million for our schools. But if I’m not mistaken, Kilili was elected to get the Federal government in Washington to do something for the CNMI, not local government.
The only legislation filed by our Delegate as of February 1st of 2011, was the same two Bills that didn’t go anywhere when he had the Democrats help which tells me the re-introduction of these bills with the GOP in charge was just for show. The sad part is these bills had nothing to do with helping our economy but I guess that is OK too.
On February 3rd I read a letter about how Kilili invited a person to Washington to hear the President’s State of the Union Address and he got a nice Letter to the Editor for doing it. But more importantly, Kilili still didn’t invite the main person who really needed to be there the most — the Governor. It was all show and — no beef!
On Feb. 19th our delegate announced that the millions of unspent CIP funds would be returned. This is an excellent example of why the CNMI needed someone with Political Real Estate in Washington to stop this. The support of the GOP in Congress would have served us well on this issue but Kilili is virtually powerless and even afraid to ask — clearly another I TOLD YOU SO!
In March Kilili was able to get us some discarded books from the Library of Congress, which shows he is trying but digging through the trash figuratively is not why we sent him to Washington. If this is OK and the best he can do then we all know that sometimes your best may just not be good enough because we need much-much more than discarded books from Washington.
I never said Kilili is responsible for this ECONOMIC mess but it is his JOB to help in cleaning it up and to stop avoiding the problem using photos and education for a shield. I think most readers know we need more help with our economy than anything. But I’m willing to bet that come election time Kilili will be right back on the front page with education money and other smoke and mirror tricks to get reelected. This is the governor’s last term and it should also be Kilili’s last term if voters have learned their lesson on how to play the game of politics because it’s not about whom you like but who can give us (voters) the BEST chance to be successful — no one will ever be perfect. One people one direction for more CIVIC VIRTUE in electing the person who offers us the BEST chance to succeed regardless of our personal dislike or reasons — it is called being an intellectual and professional.
Post Script: On a final note, the submerged lands issue of Kilili is really an idea of John Davis that came out in the first Delegate Forum in Kagman. Kilili used the idea but can’t get it done for McCain who is GOP. BUT if voters had sent a GOP member to Congress things in Washington might be very different and better for the CNMI in this Congress on a lot of issues — we blew it again voters.
AMBROSE M. BENNETT
Kagman, Saipan
