But this cozy setup is likely to change when the U.S. Republicans take over one or both houses of Congress. And this is why on Nov. 2nd it is better to vote for a candidate based on his record in office and not his campaign pledges. (Better Times, Let It Be, anyone?)
The other, but related, boilerplate promise involves reminding the feds about the Covenant provision that obligates the U.S. “to assist the government of the commonwealth in its efforts to achieve a progressively higher standard of living for its people….”
This is a feel-good promise. Very comforting. We look around and we see an economy in shambles, abuse of power, corruption, incompetence, mismanagement and a rising crime rate. And we’re told it’s not the CNMI’s fault. It’s the feds’. Of course.
But it has been 32 long years since the establishment of the commonwealth so why do some local politicians still sound like they’re running for office in the Trust Territory era? The islands have changed and continue to change before our very eyes, but some politicians are still stuck in the past and fighting “battles” that have already been fought.
The CNMI has been in charge since 1978. It has been provided billions of federal taxpayer dollars and continues to receive millions more in new U.S. assistance every year. The people of the CNMI, moreover, are citizens of the richest, most powerful nation on the face of the planet. Any CNMI resident who will use all the opportunities provided to him by his nation could achieve anything, as can be seen in the examples of the outstanding local men and women who have made a name for themselves in their chosen careers. In the CNMI, under the American flag, you’re provided free education, college scholarships, medical referrals, homestead lots, affordable housing loans, affordable business startup loans, low local tax rates, exemption from federal taxes, generous wages and benefits if you work for the local government and generous pensions once you retire.
Under the Covenant, the CNMI was given control over its lands, minimum wage and immigration. Its elected leaders, however, decided to use these Covenant provisions to create a third world economy, bring in thousands of foreigners willing to work for low wages and allow them to stay here for years and years, creating families with U.S. citizen children. It was this economy that was supposed to pay for the first world wages and benefits of the CNMI government. Even someone who knows basic arithmetic only would have figured out that this was a pyramid scheme and could not be sustained.
The CNMI is where it is now because of the choices it made. It is time for the commonwealth to take full responsibility for the mess it has created. And no, voters. You can’t blame your officials past and present. You voted for them. Again and again. And even though you complain now about the current set of leadership on Capital Hill, you will re-elect and even “promote” most of them to higher office.
The CNMI’s problems can only be solved in the CNMI not in D.C. The feds and your congressional delegate could help you get some of the tools you need to get out of this financial wreck. But it’s still up to you, people of the CNMI, to use these tools and use them wisely.
Clearly, you can’t trust politicians who tell you it’s not your fault. It is your fault. That’s the bad news. But the good news is because you’re in charge, you can do better. You can improve. You can be the change you want to see in this beautiful community.
One last note: Nothing in the CNMI or U.S. Constitution says that a lawmaker should “work” with the governor. Come on CNMI voters. Do you really want your congressional delegate working with the governor — like the way he has been working with the Legislature? How’s that working for you so far?
Send feedback to [email protected]
//
