We already are having massive social problems with poker parlors on Saipan. Many of my friends have messed up their lives because of poker and ice. Poker parlors are a haven for ice users to get massive and play all night long. They are also a target for robberies. There are at least one or two robberies a month. We need to vote no on casinos. They will increase the number of gambling addicts on Saipan and Luta. The casinos on Tinian need to hurry up and start building instead of taking their sweet time. We need to stop trying to bring up legalization of casinos on Saipan and Luta so that those Tinian casinos can start building and stop worrying.
We keep this up, we will continue to chase investors away because of an unstable business environment. We chased away that one business who proposed transporting people and cars to and from Sugar Dock to Tinian. People from Saipan who want to work at the casinos on Tinian could have used that for transportation from Saipan to Tinian. People from Tinian could also have used that to get back and forth if they worked on Saipan. There are many other benefits that could have happened from that proposal. The main thing would have been convenience for everyone.
You can't blame the casinos for taking their time; we keep scaring them with our casino initiative proposals just about every election year. Businesses face risks when investing in an unstable environment. Businesses try to avoid risks like these. Let's raise the fees and taxes for the Tinian casinos and have them contribute more to the CNMI so that we don't have to complain and legalize casinos on Saipan and Luta. Keep Luta beautiful and strong with the Taotaomona culture.
Saipan and Luta need another industry; however, the casino industry is not it. Let's use these casinos on Tinian to provide jobs for U.S. citizens. We should make it mandatory that all companies in the Marianas hire at least 50 percent U.S. citizens instead of a measly 20 percent. Let's use what we already have to bail us out of these bitter times, the Tinian casino industry. Let's use it to our advantage instead of to our disadvantage. Let's do what is better for the Marianas as a whole. Get more ferries from Saipan to Tinian to Rota to Guam. Fix up Tinian's airport so they can accommodate more flights.
We, the Marianas, should not compete against each other. We need to unite and compete against Hawaii, Palau, and other similar destinations. There are other ways to create jobs on Saipan and Rota. We should stop importing things that we can make ourselves here in the Marianas. Instead of buying milk from New Zealand that tastes like crap and is yellow, we can have dairy farms and have real milk that is fresh. We can raise cattle here and supply our own beef. We can supply our own pork from raising pigs. We can supply our own eggs and poultry. We have bananas, coconuts, mangos, and other tropical fruits that we don't need to import. The government should support these industries which would create jobs. Have quotas and tariffs on imports that we can make here on our own and create more local jobs. These local products would also be healthier for us. In the future, we can probably export some of these products. It is better to have more exports than imports for a country. Have the U.S. Postal Service start hiring postmen to deliver mail for us. This will also save everyone money on gas. This would create federal jobs. They would need drivers, mechanics, and other positions that pay federal wages. The U.S. Postal Service delivers mail to homes in Guam. Why not here? Reduce the salaries of judges and others in the government who make above $60,000 so that we don't have more layoffs in the government. Increase the fines for traffic violations. Increase the marriage license fees. Increase other fees to generate more revenue. When voting, remember those legislators who voluntarily took a pay cut to lead by example. No to Saipan and Luta casinos. Yes to higher tax contributions and fees for Tinian casinos. Biba Marianas!! Fanogue Chamorro!
Jesse Torres
Kagman, Saipan
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