A troubled and bothersome thought

The other day, I visited the Smiling Cove Marina to see how cruise boats are doing in terms of the number of tourists headed to Managaha Island. I noticed a slight improvement since last November and held on to my suspect hope that tourism would see brighter days this year.

As I gazed out into the horizon, two things came to mind: 1). The long journey to an open-ended destination between where I was sitting and the distant horizon. 2). The instant drop to 4,000 feet just as soon as you parallel the Puntan Diablo on Tinian to the east.

The distant horizon represents the long journey to economic recovery, while the sudden and steep drop pertains to the question of how much deeper would the current economic crisis plunge into the dangerous abyss of bankruptcy. Indeed, I was troubled by these thoughts and their implications on the pocketbooks of people at the grassroots level.

Definitely, it’s a long and an uncertain journey to recovery. It is my personal view that unless all 1,080 plus businesses who folded up last year have returned and bustling once more, only then can anyone convince me that in fact economic recovery is a reality. Otherwise, imagine how long it would take before 1,080 new businesses begin opening-up here to replace those who have filed Chapter 11 cases. Ten to fifteen years, perhaps?

It was troubling too that the last government payroll was short of $3,000,000 as to forcibly deny 1998’s retirees their 30 percent bonus. Imagine what the balance of the year would be–more severe plummet in revenue collection–or good tidings of some appreciable measure of recovery. Both issues require careful attention especially by the public sector. And it is one time in our developmental history when both sectors must address and resolve what must be done internally to save the balance of the local economy where the public sector draws its money to pay government employees, vendors and public services.

As I inch my way out of the Smiling Cove, half-filled cruise boats make their way out to sea headed to what’s now a very controversial piece of rock–Managaha. They all faded in my rearview mirror, including the horizon. How I wish the current economic doldrums could disappear in similar fashion. But that would be wishful thinking all the way around. Driving into the hotel area brought me back to dire reality as streets once littered by tourists are fearfully empty. How strange the twist in the last two years which went from bustling to bust!

It’s really all up to local leadership to make the best of current conditions. It’s all in the palm of your hands. Let’s roll up our sleeves and start fixing our torn sails. Si Yuus Maase` yan ghilisow!

Old strangling policies of yesteryear

The legislature isn’t equiipped with the appropriate staff to analyze and dissect policies of yesteryears that have really piled against the very source of revenue generation–industries that have long supported the local coffers over the last 20 years.

To keep these arcane policies in place is to allow the slow death of tourism related businesses and others who are struggling to make ends meet. It means, zero-sum revenue generation. It means, at the end, that the public sector must engage in a choiceless reduction in force at some point soon this fiscal year. It’s time to deal and make difficult decisions.

•••

Last Christmas, a merry judge asked a prisoner why is he back in court. The defendant replied: “For doing my Christmas early.” The jolly judge quizzed him further: “How early did you do your shopping?” Said the defendant: “Before the stores opened”. Had to march back to the slammer singing “I’ll be home for Christmas” some fine day.