THE TRUTH of the matter is the recent Bill to increase taxes of 5 cents on each soft drink and alcoholic beverage container has given pause for a lot of opposition, which tells me there should have been a Public Hearing before taking this desperate measure. While I understand and even appreciate Rep. Marissa Flores who is a neophyte at this and the House for trying to generate new revenues, this was NOT the way to do it, as it isn’t enough to make a real difference economically and everyone has already been adversely affected by the increase in the cost of living in too many ways to mention. The first rule on taxation is “NEVER put more taxes on the People than they can bear,” which even has a Biblical origin that says “God won’t put any more on you that you can bear.” In fact, it was “taxation from England without representation” that created the American Revolution —the Boston Tea Party, duh! This tax Bill is just like the Casino Bill that disrespected the People. They should have been looking for new revenue sources on Day-One but instead they only focused on one thing of “cutting cost” which is why I asserted that our leaders need to “learn how to chew-gum and walk at the same time” (cut cost and find new revenues).
For me being an Economist, I often view the desperate measures of raising taxes on the people you swore to “protect & serve” without a Public Hearing is disrespectful and even a cop-out to avoid doing the real work to generate new revenue sources. Heck, I’ve been trying to get our leaders in the House & Senate to attend the International Hemp Expo this month, which offers the opportunity for the CNMI to directly interact with the major Hemp Investors to promote the CNMI as an “American Destination for Hemp production and manufacturing.” I don’t have to tell readers the great potential a new industry that is not labor intensive but AI driven with high paying jobs can do for the CNMI. But as usual, it’s Ambrose’s idea so the idea was shot down yet the Hemp Industry has been legalized and nothing is being done to get the industry started nearly four years after becoming law — Pathetic Economics! Maybe ONE-DAY, our leaders will start listening to Ambrose, a great teacher, “who taught students and even some of our leaders on HOW to be good and even great citizens & public officials.” Drop the ugly racist politics, revenge & denial of the truth that has only served to stall & prevent Economic and Social progress, which ends up hurting the People and now our youth like we see with this tax hike on soft-drinks and liquor!
The Governor is right about chasing IPI for the money they owe the CNMI but I think the Casino Commission is helping IPI to stall. They are also going at it wrong by trying to get money, as the CNMI should be trying to attain partial OWNERSHIP in the IPI Hotel/Casino FOR the People. IPI can’t delay the transferring of IPI stock to the CNMI in court for debts as the buildings are there unlike the money they don’t have. Heck, there has NEVER been a suit filed by the stalling Casino Commission for OUR money that amounts to 77-million, which tells me the commission is stringing things out on purpose just to keep getting their big salaries for meeting only once or twice a month. If we can go to the moon and other planets, I’m sure we can learn how to catch butterflies in the CNMI.
I would submit the Governor take control with and Executive Order to negotiate with the power of being “the People’s partner with IPI and temporarily retire the Casino Commission until there is an operating casino” as it’s a waste of money when the Commission is only doing settlement work. The Governor only needs the CC’s attorney to negotiate and collect what is due while transitioning the Casino/Hotel into a productive operation oppose to this never-ending legal drama for money IPI does not have. We are talking about 64 million owed to the Government and 77 million owed to the People that amounts to MORE than our budget ($141-million), which is far better than raising taxes on soft drinks & liquor. This is too much money to just be chasing butterflies, as We can get stock in IPI to sell immediately and/or keep some of the stock for a future new continuous revenue source once the IPI’s or Whoever’s operation is functioning again. We must devise a real plan to end this quickly and finish the eye-sore Hotel/Casino. Instead of complaining about taking down a crane, they should literally be FIGHTING with teeth & nails to take down all the Chinese Symbolism, which is one of the prime reasons preventing the Japanese from returning as our primary tourist market. The CNMI needs real REFORMS, not taxes & butterfly nets, in the way our leaders are doing things. The House is even sitting on a Bill that would give NMDs 10s of millions but instead the House chose to focus on raising taxes their People don’t have the ability to pay. The business sector is even against this tax, even though they won’t pay the tax that will be passed on to their customers. WAKE-UP and initiate the Economic Reforms we need as WE need you to be BETTER Stewarts of our Commonwealth.
One People, One Direction.
Ambrose M. Bennett is an Economist who minored in Sociology, a Political Scientist, a teacher & former CNMI Board of Education Member, a James Madison Fellow (U.S. Constitutional Scholar), a Fulbright-Hays & lifetime Humanities Scholar who resides in Kagman III.
Ambrose Bennett
