THERE was a comment that “Tina was far from being an ideal candidate but compared to Ralph & Arnold she is the better pick,” which made me wonder “what qualifies one as being ideal (perfect).” Well, I think most of us know that NO ONE is without fault and that the perfect or ideal person may never exist, just the BEST person. With that said, none of the candidates for governor are perfect, but one can easily come to the determination that Tina is the “BEST, BETTER and even Heaven-sent” among the three candidates.
Tina is not facing State & Federal Charges. Tina is not a person who will witness “illegal acts and say nothing.” Only Tina told-us-so that “any trial must have evidence & prosecutor.” Tina has never been accused of “lying, being corrupt, nepotism & favoritism.” Tina does not conduct “photo ops for projects that never get finished.” Tina actually has a more rounded and broader base experience and understanding of our relationship with the Feds as she has worked directly with Federal Agencies in Washington assisting Kilili unlike the other two who were against helping Kilili. Tina’s character and integrity have NEVER been challenged or scrutinized like the other two. Tina already has a reputation for “FIGHTING FOR the People,” and doesn’t need to “rebuild the trust,” LOL. I could go on but I think the point has been made that Tina is “the closest thing to Jesus that we have,” as one might say in my culture.
Our children are watching —teachers
Being a retired Social Studies Teacher I can’t help but to wonder “what are teachers, especially Social Studies Teachers, teaching about the real-life examples of our government going awry, as they are “teaching-opportunities in real life.” Teaching about “current-events” is a staple for Social Studies teachers because students can immediately identify with and even connect with the events that are taking place. Our children, especially at the high school level are watching the “HORRIFIC displays of WHAT NOT to DO in Government” and they need to be taught and reminded that these things ARE NOT acceptable in U. S. Government.
I was inspired to start writing in the newspaper by a teacher, the late Teacher of the Year, Ms. Bare. In her acceptance speech she said: “Teachers must see their role as being bigger than the classroom and that we (teachers) must educate our political leaders and the community on what needs to be done,” which is what I have been doing ever-since. Teachers, especially U.S. Government teachers, should never let adverse current events go by and not use them as a real-life teaching opportunity. The kangaroo trial by the Senate with no evidence & no prosecutor should have been addressed in our schools or else we could see a “repeat in the future.” The Governor has violated our Constitution too many times and now he is asserting the House of Representative doesn’t have any jurisdiction over the ARPA money when it’s in our Constitutions at the State & Federal Level that the House is the holder & designated authority over ALL of our money that must be budgeted by Law. The Governor knows this which is why he was asking for 100% reprograming authority yet he proclaims he alone has the authority. Teachers really need to make sure their students are taught the right things regarding these matters or you will have FAILED as a U.S. Government teacher. So please help us all and protect the future of the CNMI by “teaching your students the RIGHT THINGS about our Government.” One People One Direction for NEW & BETTER Leaders!
The writer 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 & Humanities Scholar who resides in Kagman III.
Ambrose M. Bennett
