Putting casinos on Tinian and then Rota was idiotic from the beginning, but they got what they wanted. However, IF the casino idea would work in the NMI, Saipan is the place it should have been. Saipan, has the major NMI seaport and airport. It has the larger population. It has most of the infrastructure. It currently does NOT have the number of visitors necessary to support a casino industry.
I hear and read about how damaging the casino business will be to the family and community. I do know that every time someone starts talking about “family” and “community” red flags go up. I think that is code for “I have a job, I am fine, don’t change what I have.”
I also hear, “we should focus on tourism to improve our economic woes.” When people talk of “tourism” as a solution to our economic problems, I think they are completely out of touch with reality. THERE ARE NO TOURISTS. Of course, that is not completely true, but, the situation speaks for itself. Tourism is all but dead in the CNMI. If we want them back, we better give them a reason to come back. Continuous yakking about our beautiful beaches is just not doing it.
Still others damn casinos because someone is going to get their pockets lined. My question is, “So?” If someone makes a zillion dollars off the deal and it somehow feeds and clothes your family, pays your bills, and keeps a roof over your head, why are you worried about what the next person has? I find I have enough trouble living my own life to be worried about what the next person does. But that’s just me.
My very poor point is this. I know of several small scale entrepreneurial enterprises that will probably succeed, however, except for Tony Pellegrino and the Saipan delegation, no one has come up with any viable, long range ideas for solving the economic woes of the CNMI. It’s easy to criticize when you bring nothing to the table.
JOHN DAVIS
Fina Sisu, Saipan
