Ambrose M. Bennett
THE Truth is I Told the Governor before he was even elected that one of his first acts in the first 100 days needed to be “getting rid of the Casino Commission (CC) and create ONE Elected Gaming Commission for the entire Commonwealth to end the never-ending challenges with these commissioners & gaming who have continued to FAIL to deliver the needed results. WHY he put the CC responsibilities under Commonwealth Lottery Commission when WE don’t even have a lottery instead of fixing the entire problem with all the commissions and WHY did it take Arnold over three years to finally admit “Ambrose was RIGHT” even though he would never say it but it’s the TRUTH — see the problem citizens! I knew when the CC wouldn’t mention collecting OUR Community Chest and was even failing to collect any money owed to the CNMI nor their salaries that “WE the People did NOT need these Yahoos” pretending to be commissioners. I even wrote about the fact that the CC needed to “get IPI Stock before it was too darn late” as I KNEW years ago that our chances of collecting anything was diminishing at the speed of light. But who listens to the very person who was educated & trained to “Look over the horizon on economic matters.” Now WE are over three years behind in fixing all the Casino Commissions and even paying them when there is NO Casino.
In fact, Rep. Marissa Flores even tried to do something about the CC, but it was clear to me someone got to her and “shut-her-down.” I also saw this same ugly phenomenon happen with the Vice Speaker when he was over the Cannabis Commission. I had even convinced him to “Reform our Cannabis Industry” but he ended up “ghosting me & writing a Bill to only remove Government Employees from testing,” which was more about “election poli-tricking to get re-elected” than actually fixing the entire industry and it worked as he got the most votes in his precinct. But the Cannabis Commission is still dysfunctional, still not doing anything to promote the industry, have yet to write a single law for the Legislature to pass to create a “ticketing system for marijuana crimes and costing more than it’s bringing in revenues” maintained by nepotism to save Joe Palacios job. Yes, DPS can’t write a marijuana violation ticket because the violations don’t exist six years later.
I have also been Telling Our Leaders So for years about the basic economics taught in High School of “avoiding one-crop economies” because if the one crop fails like tourism, there are NO other industries to take up the slack. The Road Map suggested, there are many challenges to Tourism that the CNMI “can NOT control,” which is why it is so important for the CNMI to develop other industries, especially the industries that have the potential to create some level of “self-sufficiency in some foods, goods or products” for the CNMI. Tourism Growth for TRUE is the immediate solution to get the CNMI out of ICU but our economic base must expand if the CNMI is to truly grow & prosper. The CNMI has also NEVER pursued OUR “valuable competitive advantage” to manufacture products being Made in America at the cheapest cost in America given OUR minimum wage is lagging FAR behind the rest of America. The Economic Roadmap told WHAT was needed to have a productive economy, but the study did not answer the all-important questions of HOW! In fact, the Hotel occupancy level is now DEADLY Low, yet “Hotel Modernization” has not been addressed when it is a vital factor to bringing in a New Group of Tourists from Japan, S. Korea & other nations. But even the Hotel Association is AFRAID to hire me to show them HOW to increase their occupancy levels because of you-know-what by Republicans, so the MISSED opportunities continue only for Time to PROVE Ambrose was right AGAIN as Time has always been on my side like I keep telling readers!
While I was very glad to see MVA taking the proactive & progressive step to hire an Australian Marketing Firm (circul8), but PLEASE don’t talk to the People like WE are Stupid, as to say “the firm is going to pay for coming here” when WE are paying a half-a-million dollars for them to do the work is really insulting to OUR intelligence, as circul8 is using OUR money to come here — duh! So please don’t’ start “gaslighting” the People with half-truths that are really Whole-Lies! However, I do want to say KUDOS to MVA for at least trying to follow through with their “Global Branding” efforts which is really needed. However, OUR major challenges are indeed immense and given Trump’s disastrous takeover and assault on government workers, immigrants, private citizens, his political opposition, elected officials, law firms, businesses and even the world with his tariffs that he wants U.S. businesses to absorb earning the title of “TACO.” But in the CNMI, WE the People seem to have only ONE Party given the opposing Democrat Party is more like DACO (Democrats Always Chicken Out). If the Dems can’t even handle working WITH Ambrose a tried & true Democrat, what makes them think that anyone with common sense who has been witnessing their silence on EVERYTHING would believe they can manage & lead the CNMI. I Told Dems So long ago who “buried their heads in the sand” on me that their silence is not a plan but a genuine plan for FAILURE, which voters can now easily see! Dems are OUR best hope for real change and a BETTER CNMI but if they can’t CHANGE and create a real plan with the leadership who has the wisdom & humility to listen, the fortitude and ability to execute the plan for the entire Democrat Team & the CNMI then WE the People are royally-screwed & DOOMED! So, start listening and Do the Work to apply our Competitive Advantages to make the CNMI BETTER & a MORE Competitive Tourist Destination.
One People, One Direction.
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.
