Editorials

Tell us something we don’t know DIVERSIFYING the local economy has been a topic of discussion in the CNMI since at least the late 1970s, and it led to the establishment of the garment industry in 1983. At its peak in 1999, the industry remitted $39.3 million (worth about $76.2 million today) in use…

Not a rosy picture THE House version of the FY 2026 budget bill — a more realistic take on the administration’s original proposal — is still pending in the Senate. Senators are expected to offer amendments or even draft their own version, which is par for the course. The goal, in any case, is to tr…

For real THE administration’s original FY 2026 budget proposal — projecting more than $20 million in new revenue — leaned heavily on a pension obligation bond, “special revenue funds, federal funds, and funds from autonomous agencies.” It also hinted at “innovative, sustainable revenue-generating m…

The dog ate their homework THAT was just too sloppy, even for House members. We’re referring to their inexcusable failure to act on an executive order that their own legal counsel said is unconstitutional. The Senate legal counsel reached the same conclusion. Again, this is not about whether the Co…

Left hand, say hello to right hand IN May 2025, the late Gov. Arnold I. Palacios said he had tasked the Office of Planning and Development to push a federally funded CNMI economic recovery study. The goal was to provide “a comprehensive strategy to guide the CNMI toward long-term economic recovery,…

Fingers crossed ELECTED officials who believe that to govern is to tax and spend should ensure there is an economy capable of generating the taxes they wish to spend. They cannot take the existence of that economy for granted. They cannot skip Step 1 (economic growth) and go straight to Steps 2 and…

The magical world of government CUC management benefits should be investigated, a lawmaker says. Sure. But why only CUC management? Why not call for a review of the entire Commonwealth government — all three branches, including the municipalities — to identify which entities are duplicative and whi…

Reading between the lines IN a recent status report to the federal court, the U.S. government highlighted an issue that CNMI elected officials would rather not revisit: CUC “has not implemented measures to assure that its revenues are sufficient to cover every day operating and maintenance expenses…

The real issue AS with most of the “burning issues of the day,” the discussion surrounding the Commonwealth Casino Commission and the governor’s executive order to abolish it has devolved into (mostly ad hominem) arguments over politics and political figures. The issue, however, is pretty much clea…

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. …