There are administrative remedies that need to be exhausted, reminds the congressman, and appeals processes to be met before these regulations can be adopted and the CNMI economy left for dead.
We are, however, fast approaching the time to begin prayers to the patron saint of lost causes.
Private sector jobs are being lost, the construction sector is nearing its end as the administration continues to play with the procurement process which keeps contracts from being signed, projects from being built and money from circulating in the economy. CUC, the Water Task Force and the Department of Public Works are still revisiting projects that have been on the drawing board for years and years. They are still resisting the award of contracts to firms that have not established loyalty to the powers that be — a clear violation of local and federal laws, and an offense to the general public.
Meanwhile, government officials continue to hire employees even as the administration delays payments to vendors, hospital suppliers and other not so well-connected businesses. And while there is a tremendous amount of hesitation about implementing a rational austerity plan that might include a prohibition on hiring nonessential personnel, there is little concern expressed over the fate of thousands of employees hired by the private sector. There are hundreds of local employees in the private sector, but who bellyaches over their welfare?
As the tireless labor advocates laud the coming of federal immigration, hundreds of residents and nonresidents in the private sector are losing their jobs and forced to leave island, all in the name of progress and humanity. The economy shrinks further in response to their and their families’ departure, but government employees, voters all, have security. In fact, this is the only class of employee with job security in the CNMI.
For their part, government officials set the policies that guide or kill development in the CNMI, and most of their jobs are safe. Indeed, the system is designed to guarantee job security to government employees who set the policy guidelines for everyone else. This may be one reason why it has been near impossible to adopt a reasonable and rational government approach to problem solving. After government employment is secured there is little more to do.
Useless
VERY few people would agree that there is any utility in having the Saipan municipal council or the mayor’s office continue operations. But there is travel for municipal council members and key staff and there are millions of dollars to fund countless more employees. Any objective evaluator, however, would recommend shutting down these entities. If this is not politically possible, then the island at least needs to consider electing someone who might do something different.
In any case, no additional funding should go to the mayor’s office for animal handling of any kind. These funds should go to the local veterinarian or the nonprofits operating locally. This way the community will have the proper assurance that the project will get done and will be operated responsibly — meaning humanely.
