Truth in advertising

“Are you better off now, than you were four years ago?” So went the famous question that discredited Jimmy Carter and installed Ronald W. Reagan into the White House.

That was nearly 20 years ago, at a U.S. presidential debate that sparked the glorious Reagan revolution and years of unprecedented prosperity for most Americans.

But for many CNMI voters, the question still haunts us today: Are we better off now, than we were four years ago?

Clearly, the answer to that question is no: We are not better off than we were four years ago. Our unemployment rate is high. Inflation is rampant. Tourism is stagnant. Economic growth is nonexistent. The local government is spent.

The blame for this calamity lies squarely with our current batch of incumbents. They can no longer hide behind the Asian financial crisis, because they have only made it worse, through bankrupt economic policies deliberately designed to choke off foreign investments.

Current incumbents should start owning up to their colossal failures and follies. To help them with their truth-in-advertising campaigns, I have compiled a list of possible statements and slogans, such as:

* “While we eliminated college loans and cut government grants almost in half, we gave ourselves a hefty pay raise.”

* “While we cut governmental department spending, we raised our own legislative spending ceiling from $2.5 million to $8 million.”

* “Although I complained about Froilan Tenorio’s high priced consultants, I never said a peep about the current crop of consultants I am afraid to name, or the excessive and questionable office space rentals I’d rather evade.”

* “For the first time in history, I gave the CNMI an estate (inheritance) tax.”

* “I reduced your rebate and raised your taxes.”

* “I gave private businesses a hard time and constantly threatened them with punitive regulations. I never repealed the Foreign Investment Act.”

* “I made life absolutely miserable–a living hell–for employers trying to hire nonresident workers.”

* “I did absolutely nothing to counter the negative publicity surrounding our besieged commonwealth. Instead of keeping Preston Gates, a proven firm, like I said, I raised our annual operating budget by several million dollars.”

* “I came up with stupid bills like prohibiting adultery.”

* “While I gave myself a hefty pay raise and raised my budget, I let public school kids swelter in classrooms without airconditioners.”

Would we be better off without the current batch of incumbents?

You bet your assets we would!