Vote “No”

How should we vote on the three ballot initiatives? The answer is “No” on all three counts. No on Bellas. No on the Article 12 proposal. And no on the separate finance agency. “No” on every proposal.

Why should we establish a separate finance office for the legislature? Can we really trust the CNMI legislature any more than we can trust the executive branch?

To be sure, the CNMI legislature has demonstrated a consistent pattern of overspending and misallocation. They raised their salaries at least twice in the past few years. They raised their budget ceiling from $2.5 million to $7 million. They did this while government revenues plummeted by 20 to 30 percent. They did this while private profits, tourist arrivals and hotel occupancy rates have all hit record lows.

The legislature is no guardian of precious government resources. They are just as likely to overspend as the executive branch. The only difference is that their fiscal irresponsibility is dispersed: instead of focusing on one governor (for example, Froilan Tenorio), the blame is scattered among several different legislators (who are thus exonerated).

Why did the legislature make this proposal? Is Governor Teno wildly overspending? Or could they be frustrated because they feel Teno has not spent enough on their pet projects? And could this initiative be the legislature’s way of gaining control to spend rather than to save?

Moreover, if this proposal passes, what will become of the present finance department? Will it be abolished? and will its employees be laid off? And if not, would we then have a needless duplication of finance functions?

And why should the CNMI judiciary get its own separate finance department? Is this really necessary?

Are we going to have three separate finance agencies for the three branches of government? And will each branch then feel free to spend our money to its heart’s content?

The CNMI judiciary is not above petty politics. The CNMI judiciary is not above government waste, fraud, inefficiency, and abuse. The CNMI judiciary has spent extravagantly in the past. It bought luxury cars: Toyota Previas, Caddillacs and the like. The former Court Director was paid $75,000 a year–more than any department head, including the chief of police. The CNMI judiciary is as subject to waste as any other government agency.

Can we really trust the CNMI judiciary with its own finance office?

Remember that the CNMI judiciary raided the CNMI Retirement Fund to build its extravagant “House of Justice”. Due to enormous political pressure, the Retirement Fund was forced to grant the CNMI judiciary millions of dollars in loans–when the Retirement Fund could have reaped better–and safer–returns elsewhere.

Vote “No” on the finance office proposal. For that matter, vote “No” on all three ballot initiatives.