Editorials

Sticky-fingered politicians WHY is raising fees and/or taxes always the go-to option for penniless politicians? Not the last resort, but almost always the top option. At a recent House budget hearing for the Saipan Mayor’s Office, a lawmaker suggested raising marriage license fees. Just like that. …

It’s still the economy THE economy — specifically, its dismal state — remains the CNMI’s top issue, if not the only one that truly matters. All the “goodies” that elected officials and other politicians promise are only possible through revenue generated by the economy, whether the CNMI’s or Americ…

It can be improved THE CNMI delegate has offered a well-thought-out policy framework that aims to deal with the CNMI’s workforce needs four years before the expiration of the CW program. As should be evident by now, the federal CW legislation is a well-meaning (they’re always well-meaning) attempt …

The opposite of progress IN his State of the Commonwealth Address, the governor said he is “not repeating the mistakes of the past by resorting to quick fixes that might work in the short term for just a few but fail in the long term for the people of the Commonwealth.” He should have been more spe…

Crickets LET’S take the governor’s reason for abolishing the Commonwealth Casino Commission at face value. “Trying economic times,” he says, “necessitate consolidation of duplicative government instrumentalities to ensure that the Commonwealth’s limited fiscal resources are allocated to provision o…

It’s getting better. No, really. THE CNMI Constitution states that the governor “shall report at least annually” to the Legislature “regarding the affairs of the Commonwealth and new measures that are necessary and desirable.” That report, more commonly known as the State of the Commonwealth Addres…

A timeless piece of advice WHEN private businesses incur losses, they cut costs. When the government incurs losses, it tries to impose additional costs on private businesses. This is yet another reason why government can’t be run like a business — and why government officials, for once, should stop…

Politicians say the darndest things WE want to believe that the governor’s (hefty) funding requests to the feds are not the basis of his proposed budget and its revenue projections — both of which this administration seems to believe are immune from the deepening local economic malaise. To hear the…

Do as they say, not as they do NOT too long ago, an administration official lashed out at CPA for — of all things — hiring a lobbyist, which was described as a “costly engagement,” the funding for which could have been “better spent” on more worthwhile expenses. Recently, we learned that the govern…

Worst ‘economic strategy’ ever TOURISM arrivals are so dismal that even MVA — which is tasked to improve tourism numbers — doesn’t want to talk about them. Not too long ago, the governor sounded gung-ho about the “new markets” that MVA could “tap into,” while ignoring the concerns of the local busi…