THIS is a formal reply to the 3,101 words of opinion by the Governor’s Emissary “deflecting & gaslighting the Governor” in an attempt to sway Public Opinion in favor of the Governor. I really found it amazing but not a surprise to read this opinion thanking Governor Torres that was a PATHETIC attempt to change the Public’s Perception of the Governor. The REALITY is the Governor has completely DESTROYED the Public Trust with his “poli-tricking” to avoid being held accountable and now he is trying to insinuate the JGO is on a “witch-hunt” as if the evidence WE the People have seen was somehow fabricated.
The REALITY is Governor Torres came out “claiming he had nothing to hide and promised to explain” but in the end he has been fighting with every fiber of his being to prevent being held accountable. The REALITY is the Governor didn’t want to face the Democrats in the House which is why he refused to testify but he is now literally BEGGING to testify in front of the Republican Controlled Senate. WHAT is the Governor going to say to the Senate that he could have said to the House JGO is the question every voter should be asking!!! I’m sure most readers will come to the conclusion the Governor is playing his poli-tricks AGAIN thinking Republican Loyalty will save him from JUSTICE!
The REALITY is Governor Inos had NOTHING to do with Governor Torres’ activities and using him in defense of Governor Torres is truly pathetic and even disrespectful. The Reality is Governor Inos was trying to clean-up the Retirement Mess in 2014, that was created by Governor Fitial and Sixto who was over the Retirement Fund at the time. Governor Fitial wanted to KILL the Retirement Fund to decrease the Government’s financial obligations to Retirees. The Long & Short REALITY of this is that crying about Governor Inos and then Governor Torres being attacked for the poor handling of the Retirement Fund was RIGHT because the Retirement Fund is now DEAD. In fact, “the days are not gone for Retirees getting what is due” like the opinion writer claims as Retirees are still 3 years behind on getting the original “cost of living increase” they were guaranteed.
The REALITY is putting blame on attackers and typhoons is not going to change the evidences nor Public Opinion especially when Governor Torres has gotten MORE Money from the Feds than any former Governors almost combined. The REALITY since taking office is this Governor has been in control of nearly TWO BILLION Dollars of Federal Funds if not more which means that MOST of the things the Governor is claiming credit for is REALLY due to the Feds, Kilili and American Taxpayers who paid for these improvements, not Local Funding. The REALITY is Governor Torres has continued to MUG the People and their Representatives of having anything to say in the “programing and use of these HUNDREDS of MILLIONS of DOLLLARS” because he wanted ALL the credit for anything accomplished!
The REALITY is that going back to 2013 and 2014 has NOTHING to do with the last three years of the Governor’s activity, just deflecting and gaslighting the past to try and justify the present is a history lesson and not evidence of innocence. The Super Typhoons had NOTHING to do with the Governor misusing OUR money which proves the opinion letter was a “deflecting & gaslighting show.” In fact, given the hundreds of millions given to the CNMI by the Feds because of the typhoons PROVE that Governor Torres is really a “POOR Money Manager” because he was working MORE for his “Loyalists & Family” than he was FOR the People.
The REALITY is the Governor NEVER gave the People any DIRECT Financial Relief after the typhoons even though he had hundreds of millions to manipulate which is WHY he was being attacked. Using the typhoons for an excuse was pathetic. The REALITY is Republicans were in control back-then and even contributed to “the eighth year of hemorrhaging jobs, tourism had hit rock bottom, crimes like theft were at levels we had never seen, the retirement fund was not making pension payments on time, reducing payments, and in threat of running completely out of funding, public services were severely depleted, we had lost our control of immigration, the future of the CNMI looked incredibly bleak.” But the opinion letter wants us-folks-in-the-cheap-seats to believe the Governor did an incredible job when in REALITY it was a CATASTROPHY created and even maintained by him and Republicans until this VERY DAY!
More recently, the Governor finally decided to give citizens some real direct relief by giving us 500 dollars but the REALITY is he turns around and gives front-line workers 5,000 and 1,000 dollars in bonuses that he didn’t ask the House to approve, which tells me he is playing “poli-tricks” with the House and Retirees. He used this POLI-TRICK to fool voters because the Governor KNOWS that “any and ALL Budget Related Legislation MUST originate in the House and not the Senate” which is what happened with the Marijuana Legislation when the House had to reject the Senate’s Bill. The House was literally “set-up” to look bad for the bonus not being paid because the Governor KNEW the House would do the same thing of rejecting the Senate Resolution like they did with the Marijuana Legislation because it involved funding matters. The REALITY is the Governor POLI-TRICKED everyone who believed him by sending the Resolution to the Senate even though he didn’t really need to make any request of the House because the money was already programed FOR the Governor to USE-as-he-deems necessary. But the BIGGER REALITY is that Keith Ada was soooo RIGHT about the so call bonus that should be part of a “Re-imbursement Plan for the money Retirees missed with the 25% deduction that Retirees never got back PLUS the cost-of living increase that is due for 2019, 2020 & 2021” — HELLER Retirees!
The REALITY is SLI 22-08 MPLT Initiative by Edith DeLeon Guerrero that grants Retirees Royalties with the transfer of accrued interest FOR the NMDs to get has yet to be acted upon by the Republican controlled Senate. MPLT has over 100-Million and the ONLY person who has gotten a dime of that money is the Governor. The bigger REALITY problem is these Republicans who tout and promote the NMDs have NEVER created a “NMD Registry” that would allow NMDs to receive any payments. Republicans NEVER wanted the NMDs to be fully organized to empower them to fight FOR their money. But REALITY gets WORSE because the Governor just gave MPLT 80-million in Stimulus money even though MPLT already has over 100-million they could tap for Homesteads. The REALITY is the Republicans are trying to use MPLT as THEIR personal “nest-egg” and keeping NMDs un-organized has allowed them to get away with just sitting on the MPLT money instead of HELPING NMDs — so wake up NMDs and Retirees as you are literally owed THOUSANDS — KUDOS and THANKS Keith Ada for making these facts known!
Yes, the Governor really did manage the typhoons but the REALITY is it was the Governor’s loyalists who benefited the most through “un-solicited contracts” that should have been bid-out in a fair selection process just like the Governor is still doing with COVID and the Stimulus Funding. The other REALITY is it was the Feds who pushed for minimum wages to be increased and not Governor Torres who’s only concern was “illegal overtime for his Cabinet Members.” The REALITY of claiming to have done so much with Federal Funds is the hypocrisy two-faced character of this Governor who has YET to write a single formal letter of appreciation to the U.S. Congress, Kilili nor American Taxpayers on behalf OF the People in the CNMI for all the millions sent our way.
The REALITY is “you can gain respect & trust by the teaspoon but you can lose it by the gallons,” especially when you commit what is perceived and even proven to be a CRIME! If this Governor had truly been “FAIR and an Open Book” on his activities he would not have been attacked as HE is the ONLY reason there is so much distrust and like of support for him. The REALITY is his own Lt. Governor other Republicans and even his own “god-son” have come out Publicly against the Governor condemning his activities over the past three years. The REALITY of referring to a “Constitutional Process of Oversight on the Governor by the JGO” as being a “circus” just shows how much DISRESPECT this Governor and the opinion writer have for our Constitution and the Rule of Law. Not to mention the REALITY of HOW Governor Torres manipulated the Constitution to avoid an election for Governor when Governor Inos died with nearly 4 years still left on his term. So the attacks and cries for the Governor to be impeached are actually duly warranted ever since he took over by manipulating the Law just like he has been manipulating ALL the Federal Funds and even OUR Money for “HIS Personal Intentions” ever-since he took office.
The Reality is the Governor is facing “Legal Allegations that are supported by facts” which is why a Federal Judge signed-off on the search warrants in the FBI RICO Investigation that is still pending. The REALITY is that for YEARS the Governor and his emissaries have attacked Rep. Propst with allegations that clearly are not supported by any facts or evidence. Rep. Propst would have been arrested two decades ago when the alleged crime was supposed to have happened if there was any real evidence. So the REALITY is the best the Governor and his emissaries can do is “throw stones to try and make his name and other’s name bad” instead of putting on evidence of proof.
As for the Governor’s opponent (Rep. Tina Sablan) being Politically Motivated, the opinion writer needs to know that the REALITY is the Lt. Governor other Republicans and even the former Republican Party President are ALL “politically motivated to put an END to his reign in office, not just Democrats”. Just like the Governor can’t talk his way out of this mess like he is trying to do on the Radio and with the Senate, the opinion writer can’t explain WHY Republicans are also joining the impeachment effort to get rid of the Governor. Like I said in a previous Op ed, “you can fool some of the people some of the time but you can’t fool all the people all the time” with their “deflecting and gaslighting shows.” Claiming Governor Torres has been the most productive Governor in the history of the CNMI while crying and complaining about the set-backs an challenges of the worse catastrophes to hit the CNMI in the same breath is really a “dichotomy of immense proportions” or should I say a “two-faced analysis” to try and make the Governor look good.
As for the CNMI being “on track” the REALITY is the CNMI is “not on any track for success with our economy” as the only thing the Governor has done was try to implement “Bubble Tourism” that has led to COVID outbreaks in the Community. The REALITY is the CNMI was doing fine with no community spread until the Governor started the Bubble Tourism and now look how that has turned out, especially when the CNMI is spending MORE Federal money to bring tourists than tourists are actually spending. AGAIN, the Reality is the Feds and Kilili are the ones doing things for our Economy not the Governor who is just managing the Federal Money that he refused to let the House Program. The REALITY is “WE are on track” but the track leads to NOWHERE — for TRUE!
What got me was the RIDICULOUSNESS and even LIES of the opinion writer “on track” claims that “the increased food assistance, the traditional canoe at the Seafaring Traditions Program, recipients of assistance through the pandemic, the repaired walk paths, the lack of power outages, the increased child care assistance, the shelter for months following Yutu, the Covid-19 vaccinations well-ahead of most states, the Inos Peace Park that NO-One has visited for anything, the new San Vicente Children’s Park, the Motocross Park, the CNMI Soccer Training Facility, the new or rejuvenated community and youth centers were all because of Governor Torres when most of the informed readers KNOW these things were done with Federal Money that any Governor might have done given there was so much money to be spent.
The REALITY is the “buck stops at the Governor’s Desk” so why didn’t he make sure Retirees got the measly bonus BEFORE he took off to parts unknown? Trying to imply this Governor really cares about People is really a joke, as Rep. Tina Sablan and Rep. Propst have been the ones “OUT Front & Up-Close” to the People suffering doing things to directly help them after the Typhoons. I have yet to see this Governor on record personally visiting and helping the people after any of the Typhoons as it was always Rep. Propst leading the way. There have only been TWO People elected who didn’t campaign: “Rep. Stanley Torres and Rep. Ed Propst” which speaks volumes to the TRUST and CONFIDENCE that voters have in Rep. Propst. I’m sure thousands of voters as saying to themselves that the Buck needs to stop at Governor Sablan’s Desk for a change.
It was just flabbergasting to me for this opinion writer to claim Rep. Propst as being a “bully” when he is well known for being one of the biggest bullies for “tolling Social Media and attacking people” like a bully. He has even tried to bully me attacking my past on things that happened nearly half-a-century ago but he didn’t get the Memo that I don’t have any shame in my game. But the REALITY of his attempts to attack and bully Rep. Tina Sablan and Rep. Propst tells me and many voters that these two Representatives are the BIGGEST THREATS to the Governor and Republicans losing control of our government. I sure hope she selects Rep. Propst for her running mate as it will surely be “POETIC JUSTICE” for both of them and FOR the People of the CNMI. But I will respect and support whomever she chooses who will surely be better than this Lt. Governor who sit quietly and even signed-off on things where the Governor was clearly breaking OUR Laws. The REALITY of a bully trying to call other people a bully will go down as one of the BIGGEST Political Poli-tricks ever to see “the kettle calling the pot black.”
As for the Governor doing the right thing and being a good man, PLEASE give us-folks-in-the-cheap-seats a break. The REALITY is this Governor will stab you in the back while smiling in your face like he did me and others. Just ask the two Representatives in the House and the former Budget Officer who were asked to run as a Republicans but when they refused, he FIRED them or had them FIRED — for TRUE! The Reality that most of us regular folks see is HOW this Governor has mistreated people, especially the POOR. He has continued to place “more taxes and higher fees” for every day activities even charging poor people 75.00 a year to grow their own Marijuana when in other states its FREE. In fact, the REALITY is Kilili has provided more “DIRECT HELP” to the People and other Government Entities than the Governor — a “Reality Check.”
The REALITY is that if the Governor was doing the right thing and if he had been a good man, he wouldn’t be facing impeachment. Nothing has been made up by the JGO as their EVIDENCE is doing ALL-the TALKING. The evidence proves for most of us with common sense that the Governor is GUILTY. Putting a spin on the Governor’s activities in a history lesson IS NOT going to clear his name nor change the Public’s Opinion of him being an out-right CRIMINAL! The REALITY is the Governor has DESTROYED the Public’s Trust, especially when there is still an FBI Investigation Cloud hanging over his head. WE the People are NOT stupid so you can park the poli-tricks for the Governor in the sewer. 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
