Must be the heat of summer

Keeping my ears to the ground at the village level, people speak with fainted hope yearning for better times ahead, a sentiment that has become a common refrain.

I’d hurl peripheral queries to get a feel for their expressions. It’s all strange vibrations that include loss of jobs to an increase in the number of broken families.

The socio-economic issues are complex as they are appalling. I do not profess to know the answers other than to lend an ear if only to ease their troubled minds. I usually leave the discussion loaded with hopeless sentiments.

A young man expressed a sense of guarded optimism that the Japanese economy is on the road to recovery. I refrained from saying a word for fear that I might offer an answer that would falsely raise his hopes of brighter days in the near term.

If such discussion is common at the village level, then it goes without saying that the victims of the current economic doldrums, are really feeling the pinch of a combined external and internal phenomena that is headed to rock bottom by year’s end.

The crux of their questions, though, revolves around a single theme: “What have we done to mitigate the assault of our fragile island?” I wasn’t ready to offer an answer either for they know, even at this level, that their men of wisdom have failed them.

But then, it must be the heat of summer that has gotten the better part of their judgment. It is the true pulse of our people at the village level? It is troublesome. Too, how do you rate the performance of politicians mitigating their constituency’s apparent plunge into deeper economic bad times?

New bizmen at Garapan Street Market
The superficial notion that we have total control of the fate of the fragile local economy is far from reality. But the least that policy makers could do is offer some sense of understanding in partnership with the private sector to address and resolve substantive issues.

Need the prevailing punitive attitude be perpetuated? Lest we forget, businessmen have literally exhausted all avenues to stay solvent. Now, if this is too difficult to understand, let’s see you guys (policy makers) establish your own business so you get an inkling of the difficulty of investment in bad economic times. Any takers?

Perhaps we ought to reserve the weekly Garapan Street Market to put to a real test how our 27 policy makers would fare peddling coconuts, tapioca, fish, barbecued meat, beer, and other political wares.

At the end of July, we should ask a private accounting firm to audit each legislator’s business to see whether they are able to keep their month’s end bottomline figures in black ink. Those who fail must be required to take Introduction to Business and Economics 101.

Most will fail this rigorous proving ground because none had to earn a living the old fashion way–earn every nickel and dime!

In midstream, we should raise the minimum wage for their employees to $12.50 an hour (living wage rate?) mandating 60-hour work week. All deductions are applicable, including all applicable fees from business license, labor and immigration requirements, health certification, etc. These guys would puke as they are put through the same requirements they see fit to impose upon others.

Let’s see you deal with the frustrations of dealing with local employees who are long on criticisms but awfully short when it comes down to real work ethics. Honestly, it should be fandango taking an ocular review of their individual ledgers, yeah? I venture to say that about 99.99 percent would fail during the first month. Competition would be awfully stiff, selling the same thing as your next door neighbor, wondering if this is the real world outside your cold chambers.

Well, it should be a fun venture. If you fail, and I guarantee most of you will never see the next break of dawn, at least you soothe your overblown ego with Happy Liberation Day! for coming full square with reality!