By Ambrose M. Bennett – Activist
THE Truth Be Told, People are leaving the CNMI because there is just too much “hypocrisy & corruption in government and the WACK (irregularities, ludicrous or foolish in nature) Acts that continue to adversely affect OUR economic & social decline. But I do want to offer my KUDOS to Mr. Anthony C. Torres, Commonwealth Economic Incentive Authority Chair for his “truthfulness about the migration to the mainland & his vision of economic marketing to find prosperity for the CNMI.” I admire his passion to deliver HIS “vision”; however, I can tell he’s not an Economist, as it was like “wishing-on-a-Star for Investors to come and do all the work to save & grow our Economy! However, being a scholar, theoretically I recognized the presentation was “one sided with only a vision” as he didn’t say “What & How the CNMI (the Moon) is to Do the Work to generate a Tidal-Bulge for an Economic Gravitational Pull for Investors to create” a “tide that lifts all boats” (the entire CNMI) — a vision but No Plan for Execution! Furthermore, marketing incentives to “international investors with their Qualifying Certificate” is not new for the CNMI as that has been the “status quo” ever since! Sorry Mr. Torres but someone MUST Do-the-Dirty-Work telling the TRUTH to avoid the Same-O Incentives & Tax Giveaways of OUR future!
Heck, Ambrodamus started pushing for New Industries in 2001, when I warned the Garment Industry was leaving in 2005, which came TRUE as Time was on My Side, but no one LISTENED. Now look at TAYA after 20yrs. of missing-out on New Industries! Ambrodamus also made SURE in the Legalization Bill the CNMI could create a prosperous “Hemp Production, Manufacturing & Exporting Industry” (a billion-dollar industry) with high paying jobs like Mr. Torres mentioned. The Hemp Industry Is on-the-books but wasn’t mentioned, making the assertion for new industries WACK or simply a “Deflecting Poli-trick.” WHO is going to “Do-the-Work to solicit & set the conditions for HIS wishful investors & industries, as “Talk-is-CHEAP” especially when No One is Walking the Talk for Economic Reforms which takes real WORK! The CNMI’s decline is also far beyond the need to just sell the CNMI on the international market & wishing-on-a-star for a tide of investors to resurrect our Economy, as WE need COMPLETE Economic Reform in many areas. In other words, “Clean-Up our House to live-up to the American Dream BEFORE inviting-in the International Community, as Time is proving Ambrodamus is right as the CNMI’s Nostradamus for TRUE! Thanks for the deservingly-so title Saipan Man and I hope you are reading my very relevant Op eds being republished online, LOL!
But in fact, creating incentives & giving away OUR Future in taxes is a lazy way of putting all the work on the investor(s)! FYI readers, the very creation of the CEIA was a poli-trick given the previous Governor “made it clear to all-of-us that the Commonwealth Economic Development Authority was the CNMI’s EXPERT & LEADER for the Economic Reforms with the 22 yrs. MACS tax giveaway for “bland promises” (TAYA) to J&P Holdings LLC when the CNMI already had an interisland Air Service — a WACK Job with No Oversight! So, WHO are the experts & leaders of the Economic Reform in the CNMI given it’s a ridiculous dichotomy (contradiction) with CEDA & CEIA — duh! CNMI leaders continue to create dichotomies deflecting issues with gaslighting poli-tricks like this Ridiculous-WACK-Job that’s clearly Redundant to have CEDA & CEIA — HELLER! CEDA & CEIA are literally “two pigs-in-a-sack” (a bamboozling Poli-trick), as WE say in my culture when you thought the sack was weighted down with real money and/or valuables, as I’ve never fell for the pig-in-the-sack trick. I pray voters get-it how the Governor, Representatives and Senators continue to “poli-trick ALL-Of-Us” and now they’re deflecting from CEDA to CEIA with the Same-O Incentives & Tax Giveaways but still No checks & No Oversights on the WASTE & Economic mess within the CNMI, as WE have a “dirty house that needs CLEANING” — duh!
But more importantly is the fact that “American Investors were not given any consideration” by Mr. Torres, as American Investors want & expect real OWNERSHIP for their investments, especially inside the Federalized American Family of States. FYI readers and based on my research, Hawaii’s Thriving Tourism Industry was “founded on American Investors & American Tourists” which is still the trend today in Hawaii with an overwhelming number of the Tourists being Americans from the mainland. The idea of “avoiding American Investors in favor of International Investors” is WACK for a State Level Government in the American Family! The only mistake was the Hawaiians didn’t get the 25-yr opportunity to build “Their-OWN Economy without the opposing forces of American Investors” like the CNMI was given but those years were WASTED just like much of the Federal Dollars are WASTED! However, the Lesson LEARNED is that American Investors are the BEST Hope for the U.S. Commonwealth to find perpetual economic growth. In fact, part of OUR New Brand should even be “America’s Zipline Islands in the Pacific with the Most & Longest Ziplines in the World” —now that’s Real International Marketing & Branding to make Tourists from everywhere visit the CNMI! However, NO Leader and not even MVA took Mr. Jang seriously enough to search for the IDENTIFIED Zipline Investors. Oh, I forgot as the Delegate told us, our leaders are saying “just wait and the investors will come on their own” — pure WACK of deflecting & wishing-on-a-star for investors. Then there’s the political-bigotry of not wanting Mr. Jang, Zaldy, Ambrodamus or anyone to get credit for something GREAT in the CNMI, so they fail or should I say “REFUSE to DO-the-WORK to seek-out investors”-sad! The CNMI could also be the Best Family Oriented Destination in Micronesia IF someone would simply Do the Work — duh!
However, unlike leaders on the mainland who “pay-attention to the news & pulse of America responding appropriately to the People who hired them to Do-the-Work” even if it means a fight with the opposition! However, the leaders in the CNMI play “ignorant of what is being said in our ONLY newspaper” that has its fingers on the pulse of the CNMI! They, our leaders, could care less about what Ambrodamus, Zaldy & Mr. Jang or anyone say because it’s a matter of accountability that they want to avoid at ALL-COST even when it means the loss of real Progress and/or PROSPERITY! But they can move at lightning-speed when they want to, as people like Herman Guerrero got them to create an unnecessary law on Education in one week and they even created the Saipan Casino Law after Ralph and his Crew’s private jet services in China in one week but its taking FOREVER to end the Well-Known waste with the Oversized Legislature, the Cannabis & Casino Commissioners and the many other mistakes & injustices in the CNMI! After Ambrodamus’ yelling for almost 20 yrs. NMDs finally have hope of using THEIR money but WHY so long — Oh, Ambrodamus was the only one, but it PROVES he was 20 yrs. ahead of CNMI Leaders & the Times! CNMI Leaders can keep playing ignorant about Ambrodamus’ Op eds, but it will surely lead to their own demise in November, as the People Are-Not-Stupid and Sick & Tired of the WACK! WE can’t keep wishing-on-a-star for investors as WE need to start earning Progress & Prosperity the old-fashion-American-way by doing the WORK, as Time & History continues to be on My-Side proving Ambrodamus’ exposed oversights and his predictions & ideas were RIGHT!
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 & Religious Scholar who resides in Kagman III in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
