Editorials

Go get ‘em PEOPLE can — and they usually do — complain about many things regarding life in these small remote islands scattered in the Pacific’s typhoon alley, with a small (and shrinking) population, a small (and shrinking) economy and, consequently, a rising cost of living. As usual, not a lot of…

Kick the can… THE 179-page House committee report on the “health network” (medical referral) bill includes the following ominous phrase: “Legislative reform is necessary to establish a new program.” Recall that lawmakers once tried to give themselves a pay raise, and that they passed a pay-hike mea…

Politicians giveth and politicians taketh away IN January 1984, the CNMI government enacted legislation that, among other things, imposed a 1% “OPA fee” on government agencies, including “autonomous” entities. In October 1995, Senate Bill 9-6 became Public Law 9-68 which exempted the Legislature an…

And that’s a wrap (for now) FINALLY, it’s over. Well, sort of. We’re referring to the impeachment phase of a political feud that has been raging since the 2018 elections. There were enough twists and turns to keep the tedious drama going, but as in most things in life, arithmetic had the final say.…

2011 again? RECENTLY, lawmakers have passed several spending measures funded by fees and/or taxes paid by IPI which is now buried in debt — and lawsuits over unpaid debts and other financial obligations. In short, a significant government funding source is gone. It may also take some time before th…

Look! It is so easy to be wrong – and to persist in being wrong – when the costs of being wrong are paid by others.  —Thomas Sowell ACCORDING to a lawmaker, the recent community trash drop-off in Kagman  “demonstrated the need for universal trash collection.” That’s an opinion held by many well-mea…

Quibble POLITICIANS, more often than not, say the darndest things. Recently one of them stated that the “will of the people…elected a new majority leadership in the House in 2020….” Politicians usually call voters “the people” although not everyone is a voter, and nonvoters are also people at least…

A wage hike, of course PROPONENTS of the House wage-hike measure, H.B. 22-98, are concerned about the rising cost of living in the CNMI. Hence, they want a higher minimum wage rate and more legal protections for workers. These are all good things. To ensure that the legislation would achieve its go…

For courtroom dramas, see Netflix THE justice system in a democracy is not as exciting or dramatic as it is often depicted in movies or TV shows. The democratic justice system’s hallmarks are due process and rule of law. These aim to protect all of us from the capricious exercise of power — from ab…

And the blah goes on WE could be wrong but it seems that some lawmakers are unaware of — or perhaps indifferent to — how a bicameral legislature functions. Surely everyone knows that before legislation can reach the governor, it must be passed by both houses. And before it can become law, a bill mu…