CARE: Change, Action, Reform, and Excellence

By Ed Propst
Special to the Saipan Tribune

Brother and sisters of the Commonwealth,

How many of you are contemplating leaving the CNMI? If you are like most families, including mine, the thoughts have at least crossed your minds. Perhaps some of you are packing right now and getting things in order as you read this letter. I am sure, like all families, that you do not want to leave your beloved home, but with a collapsed economy and a seemingly hopeless future, what choice do you have?

I promised myself a year ago that no matter how bad things got on Saipan, I would not abandon ship. If anything, I would have greater resolve to stay and fight the Old Boys Network that has besieged our islands for generations. But I realize that it is not about me anymore. I have a higher calling that I need to answer to, and it is called fatherhood. I can say with great certainty that the predominant reason why our people are fleeing the CNMI is because they want their children to have better opportunities in life. Before they boarded the plane, I’m certain parents wrestled with the decision to leave home, second-guessing and asking themselves if they were in fact doing the right thing. They shed tears and felt great pain and anguish as they embraced their family and friends and said good-bye one last time. As I write this, the question I continually ask myself is not if I will leave Saipan, but when.

But let me make it abundantly clear from this day forward. When I leave, I will leave on my terms, and in a blaze of glory. I will no longer tolerate political pundits who try to give me advice on how to work the system. It is that same mentality that has ruined our islands. I do not want to work the system—I want to cleanse it!

Let it be known that I am offended by elected leaders who embody the old adage, “Do as I say, not as I do.” They ran with their promises for change and got elected and now sit at the round table, deciding the fate of our people. What are they doing today to make the CNMI a better place? What are they doing for our power crisis? What have they done since they were sworn into office? Have they come up with any viable solutions to our problems? Do they even have a plan? Have they included themselves when cutting the salaries of their constituents? Have they spoken out against the OBN, or have they become a part of it?

By the way, if any elected leader takes offense to my criticism of the OBN, it is because they represent the OBN! I have not identified them by name, because I need not to. Their actions and their old ways of doing things speak loud and clear, and come 2009, the voters will ask for a record of their accomplishments. If trying to ramrod a casino gambling initiative down our throats is the best they can do, I suggest they start looking for a new career.

For the record, I applaud Rep. Tina Sablan for her efforts to bring honesty and transparency to our government. Tina isn’t perfect, and she has never claimed to be. There are times when I may disagree with her on some issues, but as God as my witness, I know she is an honest person who practices what she preaches. I will defend Tina’s character because her heart and conscience has always been in the right place. She has consistently placed the needs of her people before her own, and she deserves praise for that. Tina’s critics (and their team of ghostwriters) need to walk a mile in her moccasins before they try to assault her character and integrity. They need to understand that Tina represents every living person in the CNMI, citizen or non-citizen, relative or non-relative, friend or foe. Tina is not in office to deliver tentos and tables, to give chenchuli, to award her relatives with jobs, or to misspend her discretionary fund. She is in office to bring much-needed change. If you don’t agree with Tina on a particular issue, visit her and express your concerns. She has an open-door policy (but no secretary). You can also reach her by calling her cell phone, but don’t talk too long, because she pays her cellular bill with her own money. For any person to push for her impeachment or claim she has committed “treason” is in dire need of counseling, spiritual guidance, a formal education, and according to Charles Reyes, a job. If that doesn’t work, anti-depressants might help.

To our elected leaders, allow me to shed light on some important issues. Take it or leave it, my advice is free. More importantly, it is corruption-free! If you embrace the following, it may not solve all of our problems, but it may be a good place to start. If you disagree with them, then come up with better ones before dismissing them so quickly. Isn’t that what real leadership is about? I humbly ask that you read and consider the following 10 steps of CARE:

[B]CARE – Change, Action, Reform, and Excellence[/B] [B]1. No more house bills for the next six months.[/B] As a senator of the Roman Empire once stated, “The more corrupt the state, the more laws.” There are more bills being created by our 16th Legislature than there are gambling addicts in a poker parlor on a payday weekend. Please stop passing bills for six months and spend that time figuring out how many public laws are currently inactive or are not being enforced. I am sure you will find hundreds! What? It’s not your job? Then make it your job! Don’t pass the buck anymore. Take initiative and just do it! When you find that a particular agency is not enforcing a public law, come down on them with full force by holding oversight hearings!
[B] 2. Turn off your air conditioners.[/B] Do you know why private businesses like mine are paying 41 cents per kilowatt hour, while most places in the United States are paying less than half that? A large part of it has to do with our government’s failure to conserve! It is a slap in the face to every business paying exorbitant power rates when government agencies have their air cons cranked so high that employees are wearing sweaters, not to mention the culturally offensive long-sleeved shirts and ties. My God, are you trying to make it snow in your office? Effective immediately, turn the thermostat to 78 degrees and wear cool, comfortable clothing to work. Better yet, insulate all government buildings’ roofs, put in fans, and turn the air conditioners completely off! Do you know how much savings we could realize by doing this?
[B] 3. No air conditioning for our prison and our schools.[/B] Yes, I sound crazy. No air conditioning for our prisoners is one thing, but no air conditioning for our children? Am I nuts? Parents, do you remember when we went to school back in the day? How many air-conditioned classrooms did we have? I can only remember two. I also remember sitting in Mr. Kenney’s geometry class at MHS right after P.E., sweating but nonetheless trying to make sense of the Pythagorean theorem. For God’s sake, we are islanders! We should sweat! It is healthy! If our heroic soldiers serving in Iraq can brave 130 degree heat while wearing full battle gear, can’t we make a sacrifice by shutting off the air conditioners? Getting back to the prisoners, why should prison be a walk in the park? If you go to prison, it means you did something bad. You are not entitled to air conditioning. If I had my way, I would put another prison on Goat Island and give our worst offenders (rapists, child molesters, murderers, drug dealers, and crooked government officials) a pocket knife and a box of matches and let them fend for themselves. Yes, I am cruel. But I promise you this. You will see a downturn in criminal activity immediately because finally the punishment will fit the crime! We will receive worldwide attention, and we will send a clear message that if you want to commit a crime in the CNMI, be prepared to suffer the consequences. Radical deterrents are a necessity with the rise in criminal activity brought on by our collapsed economy.

[B]4. Purchase hybrid vehicles and mopeds only![/B] With the realization that oil will soon be $200 a barrel, we cannot afford to supply fuel to our government vehicles operating on V-6, V-8, and V-12 engines. If we must purchase new cars, buy hybrid cars only and assign a moped for every government agency! For all essential government errands our runners must take (such as going to the bank or picking up pugua and cigarettes for their officemates), leave the car behind and take the moped. Not only will you save taxpayers’ money and precious fuel, but you will have a fun time buzzing around Saipan like a tourist! Just don’t forget the helmet!
[B] 5. Massive Power Conservation Campaign NOW![/B] In spite of the skyrocketing prices on oil, how is it possible that our leaders have not worked with the Fitial administration in launching a CNMI-wide power conservation campaign? A campaign that reaches out to every business and government agency. One that does more than just offer up posters, billboards, and commercials, but provides attractive incentives and tax breaks for energy-efficient light bulbs and appliances. If that has happened already, it was so weak and watered down that 90 percent of our population wasn’t aware of it. Conservation needs to be taught at homes, in schools, in churches, and every place we congregate. It needs to happen NOW!

[B]6. Volunteer a 10 percent reduction in salary AND discretionary fund IMMEDIATELY.[/B] I praise Rep. Ralph Torres for calling for a 10 percent reduction in salaries for all elected leaders. While his bill will not take effect until the 17th Legislature is installed, he is still willing to volunteer a 10 percent cut in his salary in the meantime. However, Ralph points out that he wants to donate that 10 percent to whatever agency he sees fit instead of throwing it into the general funds. That should apply to all of our elected leaders. If you volunteer a 10 percent pay cut, then you should have the ability to choose where that money goes, just like ETCs, or educational tax credits. More important than the actual savings, this 10 percent voluntary pay cut will show your constituents that you will share in the burden of salary reductions, and that you are not above the law. It is, after all, the right thing to do. Judges, what sayeth you? Our judges make almost five times the salary of our public school teachers, but are they five times more valuable than the average teacher? Do they work five times as hard? Yes, I heard a judge try to justify his salary because he sometimes gets woken up in the middle of the night. Hey Judge, did you know that most teachers are up grading their students’ papers in the middle of the night? Give me a break already. Go back to being an attorney if you think a 10 percent pay cut is unfair for you. We can find other judges who will place public service above personal salaries!
[B] 7. Alternative energy NOW![/B] Dr. Tom Arkle has written extensively about nuclear power and it has been dismissed and ignored by our leaders, even though it has proven to be safe and cost-effective (under 10 cents per kilowatt hour). If you don’t want nuclear power, then we need to explore other alternative energy methods immediately. Please don’t waste money on hiring high-priced energy consultants, and please do not entertain geothermal energy. That makes about as much sense as a solar-powered flashlight that will only run under direct sunlight. Fuel is expensive and will double within the next two years. We need to be able to utilize today’s technology and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

[B]8. Cease clamoring about federalization already![/B] Can you imagine if all of our elected leaders put the same time and energy into CUC as they did into their wasteful attempts at thwarting federalization of minimum wage and of immigration and labor? We got bigger fish to fry! The problem with government leaders who don’t know jack about running a business is that they do not realize the real enemy is not federalization! The real enemy is the practice of forcing businesses to pay outrageous utility rates in order to subsidize our government agencies’ failure to pay their utilities and CUC’s failure to require corporate buddies to pay their power bills on time (even allowing them to work in a payment plan, which puts CUC millions of dollars in arrears). If the CNMI had worked with the United States from the very beginning in implementing federalization, we would be in a much better state today. Stop crying over spilled milk already. You can pout, you can cry, you can shout, but federalization is still going to take place. Stop your incessant whining about the federal government! They are not the enemy. The real enemy resides within.

[B]9. Rescind your resolution against the proposed national marine park.[/B] I am dumbfounded at how our leaders could so quickly and recklessly come up with a resolution that slams the idea of a national marine monument for the CNMI. What I want to know is if it is really true that the resolution was written by a Wespac lobbyist. Do you truly understand the ramifications of your resolution? Have you exhausted all efforts in understanding the pros and cons of the marine monument? Since when was conservation a bad thing? Why do you buy into propaganda and sensationalism? As far as our local fishermen are concerned, how many of our local fishermen travel three hundred-plus miles to go fishing? It is not economically feasible, especially given the high cost of fuel! (Maybe the legislators figure the fishermen will swim up and back.) Do you know who is fishing those waters right now? Illegal commercial fishing companies from Korea and Taiwan! And as we speak, the CNMI cannot do anything about it right now! Stop listening to lies and start listening to the voice of reason. I ask that you revisit your resolution and rescind it. There is nothing wrong with changing your mind if it means you are changing your mind for the right reasons.

[B]10. Privatize CUC. I have said it time and time again; the government should not be in the business of running our utilities.[/B] If we want efficiency and less government interference, then we have to privatize it. But let us proceed with caution, and let us be sure to ask OPA to assist. I trust OPA’s Mike Sablan will raise any red flags if the OBN tries to get involved. And for the record, any greasy, sleazy, scummy, slithering Old Boy who tries to tamper and interfere with the bidding process and tries to award it to his primo, business associate, or old buddy should be the first to try our prison on Goat Island. (Or maybe Uracas now that the Legislature has ensured it will not be used as part of a national marine park. And maybe prisoners could be required to swim up there as part of their prison sentence—like the fishermen.) Only this time, don’t give him a box of matches or a pocket knife. Let him rot on the island for his sins of corruption and his sins against his own people. A thousand curses to any evil scum-sucking individual who tries to interfere with the eventual privatization of CUC!

While I have listed only 10 actions, I could have easily have listed a hundred. I am calling for a revolution to take place. A revolution of minds! My brothers and sisters, we can no longer ask for responsible leadership. We must demand it! The time has come for us to liberate ourselves from greed, nepotism, small-mindedness, poor planning, and incompetence. Let us join hands, put aside petty differences, and focus on making our islands a better place for us all. A new Commonwealth begins with you!

I conclude with a powerful quote from our greatest U.S. President, Abraham Lincoln, one that best describes my sentiment: “Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable—a most sacred right—a right, which we hope and believe, is to liberate the world.”

May God bless the CNMI!

[I](Ed Propst is the publisher of MP Magazine. Check out his blogs at http://marianaspride.blogspot.com/.)[/I]