THE TRUTH of the matter is scatterbrain efforts by Government Officials & Private Activists still continue, as there is NO continuity between these two all-important variables with the Governor when it comes to working as a Team WITH the Governor to achieve the SAME goal of a thriving economy. These scatterbrain activities have only served to be in continuous conflict with the Governor and preventing the CNMI from making any real progress in rebuilding our economy. Some of the things I’m seeing are truly HARD-to-Watch because I KNOW it didn’t have to be and improvements that could have even been FREE! But who listens to a qualified person who can literally “run-circles” around some of our leaders and some were even my student, yet getting them to listen as adults seems fruitless. Just to show you what I mean:
I promoted the use of our lot numbers for our address at virtually no cost, but instead WE the People had to pay nearly a million dollars for someone to figuratively create a new wheel (address system) that we didn’t need. It truly hurt to watch the People’s money being wasted and We still don’t have “address maps” like we already had for lot numbers — duh!
I commend NMC, PSS and NMTI for their efforts to transform our workforce but it is really a requirement FOR the Government and not these institutions. When the Feds come in 2029, they will be holding our government accountable, not these Education Institutions. But our government officials have yet to even weigh-in on the issue, as I have done more to try and create a genuine “government-systemic-plan that addresses all employers, all CW jobs and all local people who want to work, as all CW jobs do-not require an apprenticeship.” The CNMI will need a “holistic plan to convince the Feds to allow some CWs to stay or it could end up like immigration, as for now it is going to be a scatterbrain reckoning come 2029, that could easily backfire thinking WE can put it all on NMC, PSS and NMTI —scatterbrain with no leadership.
I have been writing about the need for cameras in Garapan and at all the major tourists sites for nearly TWO DECADES with no results even after the CNMI got Billions over the past two decades that was meant to help our infrastructure and they overlook cameras that virtually every major city use on the mainland. Well, MVA is now talking about more police to monitor Garapan and even requiring more cars that WE can’t afford either. ONE-PERSON can watch all-of Garapan and all the Tourist Sites if DPS had a “City (Island) Camera Command Center” like many Police Forces have today on the mainland. This is something that won’t happen with more police nor cameras like it’s been for years. But it is things like this that is what I mean about it hurting to see Kaduku ideas that can even gain traction. MVA and Others have political clout like Herman Guerrero who got HIS unnecessary Bill done in one week. But I’m just a highly educated outsider with an IQ of 139 who was EDUCATED to advise leaders & governments, so they pretend they don’t read the paper instead of giving serious thought to apply!
The Business Community is crying and pleading for Chinese Tourists and the legislature is thinking about putting E-gaming in all the Hotels, which is a clear DICHOTOMY (conflict) — it’s kaduku, DUH! I guess the Business Community ignored me and the Government of China that said “they are NOT going to allow their citizens to come here to gamble yet there is an attempt to put gambling in all the hotels — pure-scatterbrain! This entire thing with China is scatterbrain thinking China will just save us just like we were told the same success story about China & the Casino that turned out even worse than I predicted. Put E-gaming in all the hotels the Government of China is not going to let their citizens come to the CNMI. These scatterbrain efforts for Chinese tourists and still talking gambling after 20 years is outdated and may be even futile. I’ve seen ENOUGH of this mess before the E-gaming ends up in the villages just like the Poker machines that were SUPPOSED to have also been in hotels! The CNMI needs to be a “Family Oriented Destination” as our new tourism model.
There seems to be virtually “NO Continuity” between the legislature, business sector and the Governor as they are all pulling in a different direction figuratively — scatterbrain. I’m not saying anyone is a scatterbrain but I am saying our efforts are scatterbrained needing continuity for real success, which is why it is so hard to “pick ourselves up and move forward” because the powers-that-be are clearly not working together on many issues as WE the People are caught in the middle going nowhere quick, fast and in-a-hurry! I could go on-an-on but I think the message is clear, as continuity creates synergy & progress to attain prosperity for all. If Jude or anyone can guarantee the Feds & China are going to go along with this EVS-TAP I might agree but it will still kill any hopes of ever getting the Japanese to return in numbers. Do your homework like you were taught in school and stop the scatterbrain efforts.
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 Scholar who resides in Kagman III.
Ambrose M. Bennett
