Columnists

THE Bootlegger/Baptist theory of regulation was discussed, for the first time, in the May/June 1983 issue of Regulation magazine. The author was economics professor Bruce Yandle. In 2014 he and another economics professor, Adam Smith (I know!), published an expanded and updated version of how B/B “…

A FEW weeks ago, this column focused on how the Suez Canal traffic jam would speed up development of the Artic seaway.  When the Ever Given got stuck in the canal and brought global trade nearly to a standstill (we are still not back to normal), it taught many lessons and led many people to draw co…

WHILE the Governor is grandstanding with Vinnie, in a futile effort that should result in both of them being FIRED, the Democrat Party is deliberating as to whom their candidates will be with an announcement COMING SOON! It is more important than ever for voters to “get-it-right” this time around, …

WHEN the CNMI House and Senate unanimously passed House Bill 22-21, transforming the Commonwealth Development Authority into the Commonwealth Economic Development Authority or CEDA, the Marianas created a centralized agency that would take the lead in conducting proactive outreach and promotion of …

IN May 1971, the New York Times reported that “Micronesian nationalists” were accusing the U.S. of planning to keep their islands. The Times was referring to the Micronesian islands that the U.S. had seized from Japan during World War II: the Marianas (NMI), the Marshalls, Palau, Ponape (Pohnpei), …

IN the old days on Tonga, there lived a ruler who was very cruel, so much so that his subjects dreamt of overthrowing him.  Many talked about it but finally a courageous man decided to do something about it.  He organized his followers and developed a plan of action, but before he could make his mo…

THE great Republican Plan for the CNMI to flourish from the casino has blown-up along with blowing-up the Republican Party that told us that LIE for over a decade. I’m sure many of us would like to just blow-up the casino and I’m sure most of us know Rep. Vicente C. Camacho wasn’t totally serious a…

THE pandemic has caused extraordinary disruptions in education across the globe. During the onset of the crisis, schools in the Marianas closed before implementing online classes. Students then persevered against the challenges of blended learning as schools mixed remote classes with sporadic face-…

YASCHA Mounk, founder and editor-in-chief of Persuasion, calls it 180ism: “the tendency of many participants in public debate to hear what their perceived enemies have to say and immediately declare themselves diametrically opposed.” As an example, he cited the recent controversy over some of Dr. S…

LACK Of Real and Meaningful NMD Participation in Decisions About Their Land The Northern Marianas Descent Corporation or NMDC has repeatedly, over the last two years, asked the Department of Public Lands for information about the expiring leases and for an opportunity for open and honest discussion…