Singing "Hard Days Nights"

Employees of every stripe will begin singing “Hard Days Nights” starting in April when the severity of revenue collection turns critical, therefore, reduction of work hours is triggered into reality. How sad that employees in various agencies have already been informed that not only would their work hours be reduced, they must also shoulder 75 percent of their health insurance policy.

Given the continuing contraction of local revenue, let’s hope we stay the course of reduction in work hours over termination of employees in both sectors. But either alternative comes into play when revenue collection falls way short of the projected amount: some revenue for the public sector and money from the private sector to feed a huge government payroll.

The chips would fall appropriately in their place. And given that this is the midterm election, it would be interesting what politicians from both sides of the political divide have to offer disgruntled or jobless locals promised jobs that never came to fruition. The GOP stands a fat chance of reselling tired old and empty promises. In short, it’s all fodder for the democrats.

But the democrats are far from cementing its shattered foundation. Personal pride predominate any gathering among key players turning discussion of issues into a forum to vent frustration all out. Either they rebuild from scratch with the bigger goal taken into full view or kiss it off and allow the GOP another four years. If pride is the culprit, then flush it out now!

The GOP is headed into a deathly rupture of its brittle glass if it holds a primary for the gubernatorial race in the year 2000. The villain will never follow the victor and not when a lot is at stake in a race that commands the opportunity to wield more power and prestige. It grants the democrats the perceptual upperhand. It can turn it into gold if it (democrats) can capitalize upon the end of a GOP political era. It should deftly shove aside pride and personalities and support a newcomer capable of securing the most coveted seat.

I understand that my buddy Senator David Cing would be facing opposition. Well, Cing is a man of substance who’s earned his stripes in the local political arena. A survivor all his life, he’d be very difficult to unseat unless all hell breaks loose. I’ll book him as a returnee to the Senate Chamber in the year 2000.

Senator Juan P. Tenorio (Morgen) is another in my book of returnees. If anything, he listens and asks questions when in doubt. He doesn’t pretend to understand what he doesn’t and openly seeks answers from the learned. If he disagrees, he’s the first to air his views. He figures out issues mathematically. And anybody who does this definitely deals with logic, daily. A no frills lawmaker, he calls a spade a spade.

In Rota, incumbents would have the upperhand from the outset. The Manglona Dynasty would be very difficult to unseat and not when Senate President Paul Manglona holds a post that even prepares him for a higher office in the gubernatorial race for the year 2000. I admire someone who has the ability to listen. It’s the most important trait in the character of leaders. I’ll also book him as another returnee to the Senate Chamber in the year 2000.

But beneath the raucous events of local politics, each candidate must answer the masses a single most important survival question: What can you do that you haven’t already done as an incumbent? As a challenger: Can you do better than your opponent other than making empty promises? We need new ideas and specifics in that the electorate has consistently been bilked by too many empty promises. Many are jobless. As a candidate, you better have something realistic to offer amidst a deepening crisis that hurts family pocketbooks.