Money to scaffold Guam’s economy

The Issue: Millions of dollars in defense money will be flowing to support the Guam Naval facility.

Our View: That’s $328.4 million more in addition to the $80 million given to upgrade Anderson Air Force last year.

“The Navy’s Pacific headquarters in Honolulu has signed a $328.4 million contract with Raytheon Corporation to provide base operations support for the US Naval facilities on Guam. The contract is for an eight-month base period followed by seven one-year options”, according to the Honolulu Star Bulletin’s Business Brief of 11 January.

“Raytheon’s services will include administering the facilities, engineering and maintenance, operation and maintenance of utilities, supply and transportation, waterfront and harbor operations, housing and food, and family support. Raytheon initially won the work in a bidding process. The work will begin in February”.
Lexington, Mass.-based Raytheon is an international provider of commercial and defense electronics, engineering construction and aircraft.

What does it all mean? More money to support the 30 percent economic contribution of the military into Guam’s economy while the NMI must make do with what it could scrounge up in its sliding tourism economy and much maligned apparel industry. It means wealth and jobs creation–more complimentary local revenue generation and jobs–while we struggle to revive prosperity in partnership with investors and guest workers from nearby Asian countries.

Imagine if some fifty percent of the total money going into Guam’s military bases is spent on Tinian. The NMI wouldn’t be scrambling to make ends meet pushing against the crushing blows of the Asian crisis and bent federal agenda on economic annihilation. If only our southern neighbor would be tolerant of our dedicated efforts to bring prosperity to our islands albeit all the venomous though vacuous perceptual allegations of human rights violations.

While we question the accuracy of the 14 percent unemployment here, we understand that Guam’s is a percentage higher (15%) Interestingly, we never see this issue raised by any of our detractors for obvious self-serving reasons. But then what with our southern neighbor being in the good graces of Interior’s former helmsman who even saw fit to take Covenant funds earmarked for the NMI’s impact of the compact expenses.

Nonetheless, we are even more determined to start all over by capitalizing on allowing current investments greater latitude for expansion while we lay-out the basic infrastructure to lure lasting capital investments into the NMI. Albeit a daunting task, we will forge on with heads up high for we know that wealth and jobs creation is as American as anything under the blue skies of paradise! Si Yuus Maase`!