I KEEP telling readers the Governor is one of the best at “poli-tricking, deflecting and gaslighting issues” — for TRUE! His Deflecting of the truth about our economy with his “PROSPERITY Gaslighting Show” that was really a LIE but it got him elected in 2018 — now think on that for a moment VOTERS on how you were poli-tricked! But it really gets worse because the last bonus for Retirees was 1,275.00 in 2018, which means Retirees are due far more than the 500 and retirees are also OWED a bonus (cost of living increase) for 2019, 2020 and 2021 — HELLER Retirees! But the best the Governor can do is 500.00 and that was a fraudulent and ugly poli-trick. Now the Governor has the Retirees caught in a “Catch-22” going nowhere and getting nothing after he publicly PROMISED a Bonus for Christmas. Well, Christmas has come and the New Year is on the horizon and still NO bonus with no hint as to WHEN or even IF the Bonus Checks will ever come. But I’m sure a lot of retiree-voters “missed-the-play” made by the Governor thinking the fault lies with the Democrats in the House, however, FYI readers, I believe it was all by design.
First, I find it strange that the Governor made his announcement of the Retirees getting a 500 dollars bonus but him and his Lt. Governor left the CNMI almost immediately. I KNOW the Governor knows better than to send any spending measure to the Senate because I educated HIM & Sixto about “Expenditures & Revenues Legislation” with the Marijuana Legislation and they obviously didn’t listen because the House had to write a New Marijuana Bill in the end because it involved the “expenditure and the collection of revenues”. Furthermore it’s like Rep. Edwin Propst said: “the Governor didn’t need any approval from the Legislature to give Retirees their bonus as it is a matter of existing Law” and he has never needed permission in the past – so its clear the Governor was just playing “poli-tricks” to try and make the House look bad because he knew this Democrat House would do its job and conduct oversight on all expenditures like Rep. Propst is doing now with the “Cleaning & Sanitizing Billing for the Multi-purpose Building” that is over 47,000 a month.
I believe the Governor did know the Senate couldn’t sign-off on the Retirees getting a bonus which is why he took-off for parts unknown and we still don’t know where our leader is and if he is traveling on OUR dollars. I also believe the Governor KNEW the money that was needed for Retirees presented a real challenge so he just dumped it on the Senate knowing the House would “protect the CNMI from violating the use of Federal Funds and object,” especially when the House has the “oversight authority on our Governor and ALL spending”.
It was all a calculated “power-play to cast blame on the House” while he (the Governor) remained squeaky-clean figuratively. I say this because I read an opinion letter that clearly puts the blame for the Retirees not getting their bonus on the Democrats in the House but I believe this was the plan all along to try and make the Democrats in the House look bad — don’t forget, “making their name bad” is a very old strategy for ugly-revenge. One can say the Governor is either IGNORANT to how he must pay the bonus payment to the Retirees or he purposely forgot or ignored the proper procedure and just happened to disappear for the Holidays. In both cases its POLI-TRICKS by the Governor while him and his Lt. conveniently disappeared seemingly to enjoy the Holidays off-island while we deal with Covid and the same-old-U-know-what.
I am hopeful that the Democrats in the House will address “the oversight on payments due to Retirees and that they will make sure that it is a matter of Law and Record that Retirees are due their bonus for the past 3 years and that Retirees will get the same amount if not more than in previous years. Also, Government Employees, don’t be fooled by the 5,000 and 1,000 bonuses, as you would have gotten them regardless of who was Governor. THANK the Feds & Kilili who put your “premium pay” in the Law and don’t let the Governor buy you and your vote. WE (retirees and all voters) are NOT stupid Governor. See you in November if you even make it to the ballot! 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
