By Ambrose M. Bennet – Activist
THE Truth is the rescission of the raise to Mr. Hofschneider’s raise was literally the “last straw” for me, as it was great to see a public outcry strong enough to influence a government’s action. The People sowed seeds of rejection to the raise, and the Governor had no choice but to take it back. Well for over two decades I’ve been trying to get the People to understand that “if they aren’t willing to protest the wrongs & imperfections of government actions” that it will be the Same-O. WE are now REAPING the results of the “Same-O By the People and the Same-O By our Politicians” that has landed the CNMI in ICU literally! The People & Legislature Members of the CNMI have all FAILED miserably when it comes to holding our government accountable. WE have allowed “weeds & fungus (poli-tricks & corruption)” to figuratively GROW in the CNMI thus WE are REAPING a crop that is insufficient to cover our cost (budget)!
WE don’t have politicians who want to be real “Stars & Champions FOR the People,” just people who want to SIT, which is WHY a large number of citizens don’t’ trust nor like any of our leaders!!! Our government has become a “Top-Down” (Governor to the Legislature) operation with virtually NO Checks & Balances on what the Governor is pushing. Heck, the entire Legislature has passed Bills for the Governor that proved to be ILLEGAL as WE can only count on one or two people in the Legislature to hold the Governor Accountable when it’s the fiduciary duty of ALL 29 of them. Just think about the real DAMAGE & WASTE Ralph did to his CNMI and was even cleared in a Kangaroo Trial to do more damage with BOOST. But Sen. Hofschneider who conducted this farce was rewarded with another Term instead of being FIRED! It also seems our Justice System may have FAILED to hold Ralph accountable, as the Coconut Wire (public outcry) is even saying “Ralph is going to run again” but the wire is also saying, “some NERVE Ralph, it ain’t happening” — LOL!
But what got me was, a public outcry over a 15,000 raise when I’ve been exposing Hundreds of Thousands in WASTE with the Cannabis Commission, the three Casino Commissions & the loss of 22 years of UNLIMITED taxes in the MCAS scheme that add up to be 10s of millions of dollars over time and yet no public outcry — but Time will surely prove these issues to be another I TOLD YOU SO from Ambrodamus! Heck, there was never any public outcry over the NMD funds that went unchecked for Decades until I started writing about this injustice being perpetrated on NMDs. It took a neophyte Senator to finally write the simple Legislation FOR NMD’s to finally get access to their money! Heck, I’m seeing real BIGOT Trump Lovers in the comment section who go unchecked as if there are NO good men & women in the CNMI to counter their disgusting comments, which would NEVER happen on the mainland of America — it’s sad for TRUE! WE the People need to take a serious look in the mirror to question YOUR Stake & Stewardship in the CNMI and look at our economy. People got outraged about the simple raise for Mr. Hofschneider, but the People need to start getting outraged over the things in the MILLIONS that our Governor & Legislature “Do & Fail to Do.” WE must expand “Public Concerns & Outcry to ALL Economic Issues” as governing is NOT self-correcting, as that is the TOTAL RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PEOPLE!
WE the People will surely Reap What WE Sow, as saying nothing is Sowing nothing, thus WE Reap TAYA. Just look at our destitute economic situation today when tomorrow (the next budget) is going to be an even BIGGER challenge if WE, the People & our Leaders don’t start Sowing some Good Seeds that will have a real chance to grow! OUR economy is EVERYONE’s business, which should be obvious in these trying times, it’s not just the Governor but the Legislature and even ordinary citizens job to “promote growth & investment in the CNMI.” WE see what “just waiting for investors” has gotten us in TAYA, so, WHO is contacting potential investors to CHAMPION something to contribute to OUR economy FOR the People & the CNMI is the question yet to be answered by the Powers-that-Be! The Economy & Tourism is EVERYONE’s Business, so we must all act like it — HELLER!
AI is good example of “good in = good out,” HOWEVER, poor, bad & wrong going in = poor, bad & wrong outcomes, which is what WE have with our economy from too much poor, bad & wrong going in BY our leaders. Our government can only be as good as WE the People Put-In (voting, raising concerns & seeking accountability) as the Governor’s rescinding the raise because of the PEOPLE was an eye-opening lesson to be learned about the Real-POWER of PROTEST. But the problem is our citizens & leaders have NOT graduated to become “individual activists FOR the People & the CNMI. Accountability checks & balances BY the People & Leaders are now OBSOLETE phenomenon that has gotten the CNMI in this economic MESS! The CNMI will continue to Reap what WE Sow and WE must start sowing good seeds or our crop (CNMI’s economy & government) will continue to be the Same-O CNMI going in the wrong direction — Backwards!
One People, One Direction for more Public Outcry for Oversight & REFORMS!
Ambrose M. Bennett 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-Lifetime Humanities & Religious Scholar who resides in Kagman III in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.