It’s commonly used to describe words or action when someone wants to dazzle you with statements or deeds that APPEAR true on the surface, but are actually designed to try and mislead you or fool you into believing that what the person is saying or doing is for your benefit when the opposite may be true.
Such tactics are commonly used during political campaigns by candidates whose record is less than stellar. Nonetheless, they will parade before you a magnificent spectacle of “wool-pulling” stunts in an attempt to convince you that their record really is stellar after all. Don’t be fooled by the example paraded out by Governor Fitial last Friday.
The 11th Youth Congress should be commended for its forum held last Friday which gave us a first glimpse of what is to come.
This forum has shown us that the youth of today is concerned about their future, is concerned about their homeland, is concerned about how their government is run – and soon, they will foment the disembowelment of “old-style” (read: “family-style”) politics that have long ruled the NMI – and generally helped lead the slide down a slippery slope of ineptness, greed and corruption to our current calamitous state of affairs.
And now for some “wool-pulling”: According to published reports, Gov. Fitial said: “his administration allocates over 20 percent of the general fund to primary and secondary education, a lot more than the 15 percent mandated by the Constitution.”
He also said his administration “allots more than 4 percent of the general fund to Northern Marianas College although the Constitution mandates only 1 percent from government resources.”
While percentages can sometimes be used accurately to make a point such as: “the cost-of-living has increased by 10 percent this year over last year” or “the price of gasoline has fallen by 20 percent in the last month,” the statement by the Governor will lead you to a false deduction.
Believe this: ANY candidate who resorts to the use of percentages to make their point is almost invariably trying to hide the truth and fool you into thinking they are doing more than they are.
Percentages are sometimes nothing more than a clever way to manipulate the numbers, and the use here is illustrative of the basis upon which this candidate will (or must) campaign.
His assertion that he allocates 20 percent of the general fund (vs. A 15 percent mandate) may lead you to think he has increased the amount of money to education. NOT SO. Education actually receives LESS (NMI) money than in previous years and money available from the general fund has shrunk circa one-third over the last 4 years. The amount of monies available from a much smaller general fund may result in a higher percentage of it being allocated to a particular critical function, but is in no way indicative of the real amount allocated to anything. Example: 15 percent of a $200 million fund (2006 budget) is $30 million; 20 percent of a $146 million fund (2009 budget) is only $29.2 million! Result: higher percentage, less money.
In fairness, one could mention the governor (or was it the Legislature?) for at least maintaining educational spending near previous levels in the face of a drastically declining general fund. After all, is not education a critical function? But, he CHOSE to try and mislead us into thinking he was doing more than he was instead of relating actual figures, which, by the way, are one of the LOWEST educational spending rates per student in any U.S. School district. Not exactly a statistic to be proud of. This is sad testament to a lack of truthfulness and honor and a triumph of self-aggrandizement. Now, we should ask all the candidates to tell us how much they will spend per student, on what programs and where the money will come from – and, please, NO percentages!
On a side-note: The ‘Kumoi/Borja’ campaign apparently wants you to continue believing in the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny. As in campaigns past, the same old rhetoric is trotted out anew (re: CUC) but still deeply ensconced in a very old paradigm. This format worked in the past, but times they-are-a-changin’ (as they say) and “old-box” thinking must give way to new and innovative methods and procedures; NONE of which have yet been revealed by candidates or their “platforms” in this (young) campaign. Oh, did I say “platform”? It seems that every candidate still believes in everything — God, country, mom and apple pie inclusive — but nary a detail in sight. The devil is in the details. Ask for the details.
Things are heating up now, and every voter should look deeply into what is said, study the innuendo, calculate the depth and veracity of answers when questioned, measure the capacity of expounded ideas to perform – and their consequences — and spread the word when you see obfuscations of the truth. This may be the only way to challenge the candidates to take a different road – one of truth, honor, openness and FACTS. From what I have read, much of the NMI youth of today can and will see through the fabricated façades of politicians. They will get to the truth by examining the record and base their votes on that instead of the “theory of relativity”. I commend them each and every one for that and their desire and eagerness to participate.
DR. THOMAS D. ARKLE, JR.
San Jose, Tinian
