Broken government

The evidence is everywhere in display. Government does not work.

CNMI residents may die because the CNMI government cannot afford to pay off it debts with Hawaii medical clinics. Our government is $4 million in arrears–and growing.

The CNMI government still owes the CNMI Retirement Fund more than $30 million, and it is doubtful that they can ever pay it off with interest.

Tax rebates are never paid on time. File your tax return in April and consider yourself very lucky if your rebate check arrives by October–nearly six months later!

Most government agencies cannot even pay their utility bills on time, and CUC itself is mired in red ink–deeply in debt and with no relief in sight.

CUC charges way too much and requires outrageous “customer” deposits–deposits you won’t find anywhere in the United States.

The Department of Public safety has no crime lab and can’t solve most homicides unless someone openly confesses.

The CNMI Attorney General’s Office is said to condone police brutality, and one of DPS’ victims was recently awarded a measly $10,000 in damages. “The fact is a local jury on this case showed more courage and integrity than the AGO has shown in two years,” said the victim’s attorney, Mr. Karimipour.

One of the AG’s attorneys, Mr. Allan L. Dollison, is not entitled to practice law in the state of California because of certain disciplinary actions which he may not have completely disclosed at the start of his employment with the CNMI government.

The California Bar states that Mr. Dollison’s discipline “. . . consists of one or more of the following: private reproval with public disclosure, public reproval with duties, discipline with actual suspension, disciplinary probation with no actual suspension, suspension for failure to pass the Professional Responsibility Examination and/or disbarment.” So which was it?

According to the State Bar of California, Mr. Dollison graduated from Western State University at Fullerton, California. Meanwhile, U.S. News and World Report’s Y2K graduate school guide shows that Western State University’s School of Law has a whopping 75% acceptance rate and a mid range LSAT score of between 142 to 150.

The midrange grade point average begins at an impressive 2.67. When will the CNMI government ever employ attorneys with distinction?

Tourism is declining and there is absolutely nothing the MVA or any other government agency can do about it.

Chalk it all up to broken government.

Strictly a personal view. Charles Reyes Jr. is a regular columnist of Saipan Tribune. Mr. Reyes may be reached at charlesraves@hotmail.com