Ambrose Bennett
THE TRUTH of the matter is WE should be thankful as a people for China’s Court who has decided the future of IPI for us, as it seems there is always another Government beyond our own that continues to decide our fate. This time it was China with the Casino and soon to be China again with the new flights from China. While I’m sure many citizens are glad to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel with the IPI fiasco so that we can now get rid of a Casino Commission that we no longer need and hopefully the CNMI can start moving forward in a NEW, Different & BETTER Direction with our economy away from gambling to become a “Family & Young Adult Movement oriented destination.”
But I have this feeling the Casino Commission is going to make sure that “gambling” is still going to be forced down our throats even with the failed casino. The next steps by the CNMI are vital, as we have either learned to start standing up and walking on-our-own financially or continue to struggle to carry our own financial weight figuratively. WE (the CNMI) need to “get real skin in the game” as we say on the mainland and that takes WORK from the Executive to the Senate to the House of Representatives and various agencies to become truly competitive in the Tourism Industry! We actually have laws on the books that PREVENT the Hemp & Cannabis Tourism Industry from growing and being a productive funding resource for the Government, DUH! But who in Government is going to do the work to FIX these laws that can help to find that NEW MONEY (new revenue sources) that we need so bad.
As a teacher & parent, I have taught children for over two decades to “be the masters of their own fate” but for some reason that hasn’t happened in the CNMI. If it’s not the Feds we are looking towards for a solution it’s Japan or China or South Korea dictating the future of the CNMI along with raising taxes on people when they KNOW most citizens can’t really afford to pay these increases. I have been saying since the last election started that “WE need to find NEW Money,” yet our leaders have yet to master the trick (economic & diplomatic plays) that can truly propel our economy forward to a level of prosperity that the CNMI only experienced ONCE back in the mid & late 1990s — thanks to Japan & the Garment Industry. But now most of our eggs are in China’s basket, which is why I’m raising the flag of caution while hoping things will work out for the better — so we should be prepared for the worst with a Plan-B, if there is one.
But this is not about pointing a finger at the Governor or anyone because it is the responsibility of EVERY elected leader in the Executive Office and everyone who pens legislation as “One People One Direction” to pursue economic prosperity for the people they represent but that takes real WORK and it’s just easier to think gambling revenues only and just raise taxes hoping some investor will swoop-in and save us. If our leaders will start looking and working to for NEW Money then the rest will come easy for our leaders.
I must end with thanking Mr. Jesse Torres on behalf of a lot of citizens for his efforts to get the ball rolling to finally get United to pay-attention to the people of the CNMI and our endless fight against the inflated pricing of their airfares. It is things like this that can happen IF and only “IF we have more informed & active citizens, which is the KEY to having a successful government & society,” James Madison in the Federalist Papers. KUDOS to you Jesse and THANK YOU! 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 Scholar who resides in Kagman III.
