In a speech that included a quotation from the ardent atheist Ayn Rand, the Senate president cited the biblical story of King Solomon and described the Senate’s capitulation as “Solomonic.” Pres, you’ve known me for a long time. I say it like it is. And I’m telling you now that it was not “Solomonic.” It was moronic and you should get a new speechwriter. I’m not applying.
The real mother in that biblical story didn’t want her child harmed. The Senate, in contrast, allowed 1,400 employees to “bleed” for six working days before giving in anyway. And in exchange for what? The Rota and Tinian funding provisions that the governor line-item vetoed? So because of the Senate’s “principled stand,” the “nonessentials” will not get paid for those six days and will have to endure a 25 percent paycut.
What did the Senate and the House minority bloc stand for during the budget brouhaha on the hill? Higher fees and higher taxes in a bad economy and the retention of political hires whose salary, these lawmakers should know, will be on the chopping board once again in next year’s budget “deliberations.”
The Senate and the House minority bloc — it’s still not late for them to do so — could have studied the budget figures and double-checked the numbers provided by the governor. They could have offered real alternatives backed with facts. But no. That’s legislative work. Better to just grandstand and announce how compassionate they were.
Government revenues have nowhere to go but down. And then what? Any workable ideas from the House minority bloc and the Senate that don’t involve squeezing the life out of the business community? Nating. But I’m sure that if the governor once again proposes and imposes tighter austerity measures, they will talk about their sympathy, their compassion. How about competence? How about doing your job as legislators?
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In his speech, the Senate president also commended Rota’s lone House member for “giving up her chairmanship to do what’s right.” But she was removed from the leadership Pres; she didn’t “give it up.” She did not vote with her then-team because she didn’t want to lose the support of her constituents. She did not “sacrifice” anything. She was protecting her House seat. She should have left the leadership instead of waiting for the speaker to give her the boot.
That’s the problem on the hill. Everyone wants to have it both ways. No one wants to make tough decisions, and if they’re forced to do so, they want to be spared from the consequences.
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I have no reason to doubt that Judge Mona Manglona really believed that Judge Ken Govendo’s “adios muchacho” remarks threatened the reputation of the local courts. But it is also clear that her decision to go public about her beef against Govendo has tarnished the judiciary. Her complaint against a fellow judge made the judiciary look silly and petty. While citizens complain about criminals getting light sentences, the court appears to be more worried about the “feelings” of convicted felons. The people of the CNMI are concerned about law and order, but their judiciary apparently is more anxious to maintain political correctness in the courtroom.
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This administration is presiding over the worst crisis the CNMI has ever faced in its 32-year-old history — a crisis that continues to worsen because of government mismanagement, incompetence, abuse of power and corruption.
Yet until Kilili’s speech at the Rotary Club, no one on Capital Hill or even from among the so-called opposition parties dared speak against the governor, who will be in office for four more years. Congressman Kilili is known for his willingness and ability to reach out, but he alone among the CNMI’s politicians has the decency and courage to speak on behalf of the islands’ silent, suffering majority against this insufferable administration.
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