Save Congressman Miller from himself

“End labor and human rights abuses on U.S. soil; save our textile jobs,” read the heading on Congressman George Miller’s most recent “Dear Colleague” letter to his fellow legislators. It should have, instead, read: “support my campaign-contributing labor union special interest groups, advance the obsolete ideology of liberal protectionism, promote trade inefficiencies, and rape the American consumer at the checkout counter.” Such a painfully honest declaration would have made a far more appropriate subject heading.

But at least the honorable congressman (Miler) was specific enough. Notice he did not say, “Save our jobs,” or “save American jobs.” He at least had the common decency to clearly specify US “textile jobs,” which have been threatened–and rightly so, because of the free market and the enormous benefits of capitalistic free competition. (What does Miller want–a labor union textile monopoly?)

Had the congressman merely stated, “Save our American jobs,” he would have been making a complete fool of himself, and severely damaging his enormous credibility as a completely unbiased, absolutely impartial, true American leader.

After all, America is still enjoying its longest peace-time economic expansion in its 200-plus year history. Inflation is tame. Interest rates are low. The unemployment rate, at 4.3 percent, is at a 25-year low. Growth Domestic Product growth is amazingly robust. The American economy, in fact, grew more than 5 percent last quarter. And the US stock markets, of course, remain extremely buoyant. By almost every major economic indicator available, Americans are in virtual economic utopia (to date, strangely unaffected by the woes of the world: Asia, Japan, Brazil, Russia. etc.).

But US Congressman George Miller, brilliant thinker and compassionate man that he is, incredibly enough, is still fretting about the enormous threat the tiny Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands pose to the almighty United States of America.

Here we are, a tiny chain of islands, deeply embroiled in the worst economic recession we have ever experienced, facing an all-out tourism crisis–while US Congressman George Miller is hell bent on destroying us, in order to save the American textile worker and protect the US Treasury.

Yes, protect the US Treasury! That’s what Congressman George Miller actually told his dear colleagues in the US House of Representatives: “In 1998, over $1 billion worth of [CNMI] garments came to the states, depriving the US Treasury of over $200 million in duty fees . . .”

Excuse me, but isn’t the United States, in addition to all the other economic boons I already mentioned, also enjoying a second straight year of federal budget surpluses? And isn’t the CNMI mired in a monster $100 million projected budget deficit?

Clearly Mr. Miller cares nothing for the people of the CNMI, or for the United States of America as a whole. All he cares about is his narrow labor union special interest groups–the people who fund his political campaigns and keep him in public office.