What resources is the U.S. government taking from Guam? I guess you could say the “land,” but the U.S. government paid the fair market value at the time when it took the land from the squatters after WWII. Then the U.S. government sunk billions of dollars into improving the land (roads, electric lines, sewer lines, water lines, reservoir, airports, sea ports, and power plants). By definition this is not colonization. Without federal government protection the land of Guam is worth nothing! The U.S. government is supposed to take resource from the colony not give them to Guam.
There were 13 little British colonies back in the 1700s that were unhappy with the King of England for demanding taxes just because he had declared the area a British Territory. There was a Revolutionary War and the Evil Empire was born. The Evil Empire was based on the thought that all men are created equal and the powerful should do more to the less fortunate.
Guam pays what taxes to the Evil Empire? Guam sends what natural resources to the Evil Empire? Guam wants to change its status why? What could be better than being a colony of the Evil Empire?
Now let’s see the Evil Empire took Guam from the Spanish that had killed off all the indigenous people that lived here when the Spanish arrived. The Chamorros and mestizos couldn’t own property because they were property until the Evil Empire took over.
Then the Evil Empire took Guam back from the Japanese, who almost wiped out the “mestizo” people, living on Guam at the beginning of the war. Guam definitely was a colony of Japan as the Japanese took everything they even thought could be of value to Japan. Now Guam thinks the U.S. taxpayers should reimburse them because of the horrendous atrocities committed by the Japanese. Guam caters to the Japanese tourists and somehow the Evil Empire is the bad guy here.
Before the war there wasn’t much on Guam that the Navy didn’t bring here and there was nothing after War II. Then once again the Evil Empire started working its evil on the people of Guam. It condemned the land, so that it could build roads and infrastructure. It built power plants, put up power lines, built ports, built airports and installed water lines. The Evil Empire didn’t even compensate the indigenous people for their loyalty during the war! The Evil Empire did compensate the person living on the land (squatting) that was condemned even though technically as a colony (territory) all the land belonged to the Evil Empire. Then the Evil Empire required the indigenous people to use the electricity, roads, airport and social welfare system until they were addicted. This is the only evil thing that I can see that the Evil Empire did to the colony.
Every year the Evil Empire spends $2 billion on the welfare of the people of Guam and collects not a dime of tribute (taxes) from Guam. Yet every year Guam complains that the Evil Empire isn’t doing enough for the poor oppressed (colonized) people of Guam.
Now that the Evil Empire is having a financial crisis of its own, instead of trying to do its part no matter how small by getting its own out of control finances under control, Guam thinks this is the time for ultimatums. What does de-colonization get the indigenous people of Guam except off the U.S. welfare system? Just be careful what you wish for (demand) you might get it.
CHARLES ADAMS
Tamuning, Guam
