RETIREES are now finally learning the whole TRUTH and WHY they are suffering the CONSEQUENCES of this Governor’s poli-tricking! The Bonus was NOT about Retirees but about the Governor getting “Full Reprograming Authority for OUR Budget” which really has nothing to do with the Bonus. But the Governor has seemingly instructed the Senate to make sure he gets the “reprograming authority” which is why he sent the Legislation to the Senate, his LOYALISTS, instead of the House. The Senate is clearly performing the Governor’s Personal Intentions over the Retirees. Retirees could have actually gotten our bonus for Christmas but the Governor wanted to use the Senate for his “Poli-tricking Power Play to control ALL the money in our government that would really make the Budget created by the Legislature a MOOT issue.” OUR Representatives are the PEOPLE’S only means to say WHAT to do with OUR Money, but this Governor is soooo darn greedy as he already had over 500-million plus the budgeted funds and now he wants to literally make HIS own budget-duh! The House is doing the Right-thing by placing a “check & balance” on the Governor which is mandated in OUR Constitution. So retirees and voters should be getting upset and angry at the Governor and the Republican Senators, not the House as they are doing their job in working FOR the People to perfection. I’m glad to see the term of “poli-tricks” being adopted in the Legislature as it’s the TRUTH about this Governor and the Republicans who continue to be LOYAL to him!
I encourage every voting citizen to check-out the next Governor of the CNMI, Tina Sablan, so you can get the facts straight from the horse’s mouth (Our Representative). You should be able to access her statement on February 22, in the Legislature as she explains in details WHY the Governor should NOT have full reprograming ability, especially when he has been Impeached for crimes and has a few hundred million in OUR Stimulus funds and the budget to work with — it’s just PURE Greed! WE the People all know “greed is a DEADLY Sin” that is truly contributing to the Governor’s demise. So, he can keep-up the poli-tricks or learn HOW to bow-out gracefully with respect FOR the People, OUR Representatives and OUR Laws.
I keep seeing Retirees speaking-up for the Governor but I’m sure they can’t really know nor get-it that the Governor is really the one to blame. Being a Political Scientist, I saw this OLD Political-Trick of tying-issues together for legislation that the Board of Education used by “tying funding needs with the erasing of the collective bargaining wording for Teachers” but the Governor’s Legislation was designed for “Bonus & Full Reprograming or Nothing for Retirees.” I really thought the Senate President was much smarter but it seems he is even falling into the Governor’s LOYALTY Trap that’s going to get them all (Republicans in the Senate) KILLED politically. For the first time, Sen. Jude U. Hofschneider’s and ALL Republican Senate seats are going to truly be on the chopping block, especially among retirees who should surely be leading the People holding the axes (votes). Senator Hofschneider & Cruz should be worried because if the People of Tinian truly want a BETTER Tinian & CNMI it should be obvious what voters need to do for any chance of real progress on Tinian — get NEW and BETTER senators for Tinian. You only need to look around Tinian that is virtually a ghost-town to see what their Senators HAVEN’T-Done FOR the People of Tinian.
Voters should also be able to see the longer this Governor is in office the POLI-TRICKS will continue to prevail OVER “OUR Policies, Laws and the People.” It is truly AWFUL how the Governor used Retirees to try and get full reprograming authority which is WHY Retirees need to STOP listening to this Governor and start helping to change our Political Arena. Retirees can help us ALL by simply promoting the idea that “nobody knows where your vote goes and the theme to elect NEW & BETTER Leaders” — Democrats for TRUE! WE should all be truly concerned the Senate’s LOYALTY in helping the Governor use Retirees could be a prelude to what they intend to do in the trial. LOYALTY over being “JUST & RIGHT.” Everyone who attends Mass knows this. We voted the Senators and ourselves into this mess and we can vote them and ourselves out — it’s really that simple!
To be continued: One People, One Direction.
The writer is an Economist, Political Scientist, 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.
Ambrose M. Bennett
