Editorials

Just the facts  THE CNMI’s (struggling) economy needs workers. They’re already here, including those on CW-1 permits who were vetted and approved by federal authorities. But then there’s the “touchback” rule which is as arbitrary (and mindless) as any government rule that was concocted mainly for p…

Grim reality THE “Save Our Airlines” online petition calls on the CNMI government, Marianas Southern Airways and Star Marianas Air to “achieve harmony.” That is, lower airfare. Airlines, to be sure, could lower their rates right away, but only if the government would provide subsidies. The governme…

We couldn’t agree more TO paraphrase former President Obama: Let us be clear. The CNMI is not facing an “unprecedented crisis,” if by “crisis” we mean the CNMI government’s insolvency and the local economic downturn. Both have existed before the establishment of the Commonwealth government in 1978,…

Great fiction A ROTA hotel shut down months ago without, apparently, the central government’s knowledge. This is now a “major issue” because the government is owed money by the hotel owner. Based on the statements made by certain officials, it seems that they believe the government could have colle…

“We all know what should be done, it’s just that we don’t know how to get elected afterwards.” — Jean-Claude Juncker, former president of the European Commission Decision-makers… IN his recent testimony before a U.S. Senate committee, Governor Palacios said the CNMI is “facing fiscal calamity becaus…

Modify or scrap the ‘touchback’ provision THE CW-1 “touchback” provision is a punitive federal rule imposed on a depressed local economy struggling with, among many other things, a labor shortage. The NMI U.S. Workforce Act, or Public Law 115-218, states that the employer of a CW, who has been in t…

Right call GOVERNOR Palacios said he doesn’t want to raise taxes and penalize businesses and people “because of the misappropriation and misdeeds of government officials.” Right on. Economic recovery depends on several factors that are mostly beyond the CNMI’s control. Many businesses are still str…

Of course “It is more than likely that the transition report’s main theme would be:  ‘It’s worse than we thought.’ ” — MV editorial, Dec. 9, 2022 THE CNMI government received about $600 million in federal funds from the federal government to primarily pay for the costs of running the CNMI governmen…

CNMI Labor’s urgent tasks UNDER the new administration, workforce development will remain one of the top goals of the local labor department. To know more about this issue, the department’s new leadership should be aware of the actual experiences of legitimate employers who, amid a labor shortage, …

Good choice ON Monday morning, just before he was sworn in,  the CNMI’s 10th governor made one of his first crucial decisions as chief executive. He chose — wisely — to deliver a levelheaded and gracious inaugural address instead of an earlier version that sounded like a gloating stump speech his p…