Letters to the Editor

Repeal 3-year limit law

As if the present state of our local economy wasn’t already bad enough, we’ve once again created an artificial crisis for ourselves by imposing a three-year limit on the stay of contract workers. As our leaders, you must take a firm stand, since failure to repeal the 3-year limitation will further damage the CNMI’s economic condition.

Ask yourself. Can your constituents handle an economy much worse than it is now? So far, our governmental actions on this issue have only shown — once again — that the CNMI is not able to sustain a reasonable course of action for more than a minute. And let’s not just blame you, as our elected officials for this. We elected you and as voters, we haven’t been giving much direction. It’s time to change that.

The belief of many lawmakers was that the 3-year limit would be a peace offering to get Washington and the federal takeover effort off our backs, but there hasn’t been one bit of proof that this strategy works for anyone except maybe lawyers. There was never any thought given to the eventual impact of this bill on our economy or small businesses like my family’s.

I believe I speak for many others when I say it is time for our leaders to put the CNMI first. Our interests were never addressed in this law. Most of our businesses are not going anywhere. Our family business, like others, has been around for a long time and if things continue on this path, many businesses will not be around much longer. The 3-year limit not only increases our cost of operation, it increases the cost of goods and that goes for every other small business that can’t pack up and leave the CNMI.

Who can afford at this time? What do we do when the garment factories leave? For better or worse, they are a big part of our economy.

Let’s start making decisions based on a sound economic and financial analysis of our economy, wages, taxes and our human resource capability, and our projected needs instead of trying to con Washington DC.

There is a need to take an honest look at the labor in the CNMI. We lack professionals, technical and skilled labor as well as unskilled labor. It is politics-as-usual to close the doors on nonresident workers especially in an election year, but that doesn’t address the short-term and long-term labor shortages in the CNMI. Because these kinds of “solutions” are stopgap measures to handle some crisis, when that crisis passes, all hope for a long-term solution goes with it. These problems will not change in 3-year, 5-year, or 10-year increments. It takes several generations to produce sufficient numbers in a base population with qualifications to support the needs of a growing community. It will take time, so let us accept that and work that into the program.

For those who support the 3-year limit because Washington supposedly wants it, I suggest that Washington is not looking for economic suicide. Washington is looking for some cogent plan that has a realistic chance of achieving results in developing our human resources and allowing for reasonable and sustainable increases in wages and improving the quality of life all around. Washington has seen little to suggest that this will come to pass and they will never be impressed with any 3-year limit.

And at this stage of our economic development and given the recession worldwide, I don’t see the point of continuing a 3-year limit that obviously hurts local businesses. Please take action to life the 3-year limit. In the interim, please take responsible action to hire experts to develop a legitimate long-term plan that addresses all these important issues and then, implement it.

Juan T. Guerrero
Tun Herman Pan Road

Investment shortage

Your editorial on the need for investors in the CNMI hit home – which for me is Hawaii. Hawaii has similar problems in attracting external investors to the islands. The State Department of Business Economic Development & Tourism has provided financial and human resources and assistance to interested entrepreneurs and developers.

Just as important is the private sector’s role in assisting investors in finding their way around and through the local economy. In Hawaii, the Hawaii Venture Capital Association has brought together interested investors, entrepreneurs looking for funding, and professionals who provide services to both groups.

Through monthly meetings they present speakers and panelist that provide solid, practical information to their members. Once a quarter they have an entrepreneur present a business plan for review, discussion, and critique by the membership. If the CNMI does not already have a similar organization, I hope the leaders in you business community will consider starting one.

David M. Gillespie
University of Hawaii
via email

3 gentlemen and a satisfied reader

I want to thank and to compliment Charles Reyes Jr., Ed Stephens Jr., and Tony Pelligrino for their interesting and relevant articles in the Tribune. Ed Stephens is an amusing and knowledgeable writer in the real economic conditions of the CNMI; Charles Reyes is an economic and often times funny observer of our politicians’ shenanigans and posturing. Last, but not least, is Tony Pelligrino who writes meaningful articles about family and education.

These three gentlemen provides a positive learning experience to your readers.

This combined contribution amply justify the cost of buying your paper.

Stan Benavente
As Teo, Saipan

Pass the buck on ’em

My son was very disappointed when he didn’t make his varsity basketball team at Mt. Carmel, and resigned himself to work toward his goal by giving all his effort on the junior varsity squad. I told him, after all he’s only a sophomore, and that the varsity team has seniors that have earned their last chance.

But, I went a step further in having him consider the possibility of blaming it on the garment industry. Why not? everyone else does. I told him to just look at the advantages. He could avoid taking responsibility for his actions. He could cry out and team up with many that use the garment industry as their best way to further their own agenda. He could basically twist the whole thing around so that no one, not even his girlfriend, could see it any way than that the garment industry was the reason he had not made the team. Hell, he could even jump on a platform and help get someone elected because of the damn garment industry. Screw the basketball thing.

He didn’t see it. His father works in the industry as the industry apologist. He’s got shirts, and what’s wrong with shirts.

And, then I reminded him of the night at the beginning of the school year, when his Literature class instructor had asked me to help his class understand bias and prejudice better by examining how the two different newspapers treated identical newsworthy incidents. I then told my son to examine how the two newspapers treated the recent death of a Micronesian man. One paper ran the headline “Garment Worker Murdered,” while the other ran the headline, “Kosraen Man Killed”.

The next week one paper ran front page headlines of the demise of the garment industry in American Samoa, and a story of local legislators that were bent on harming the factories by eliminating valuable economic resources. The other paper ran nothing about any of it.

And, then I told him of how one of the reporters for one of the papers had a column that said that they thought it so refreshing that the Mayor would write a letter to them, after they’d run a story about him taking 34 off-island trips, saying he welcomes their scrutiny even though the paper said any normal person would be upset. As good as fessing up to their methods.

My son said that was enough. What was the matter with me. I shut up. We went outside and played a game of Horse to settle the issue. He will be the best, I know it.

Richard A. Pierce

In defense of CUC

The feisty and the all too often obnoxious and generally moody Secretary of Finance, Lucia Neilsen, has openly declared war with the leadership of the hardworking board, its executive director and staff of the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation. CUC’s “misdeed” was in reminding Governor Pedro P. Tenorio of the government’s habitual lethargy in processing payment for its long overdue utility bill.

Lucia, using the public media, reacted in her usual acid-tongue style of prove-them-all-wrong, that the Chairman of CUC board and the flamboyant director, Mr. Tim Villagomez, are not telling the truth about the government’s payment history on its utility. Somehow, Lucia could not believe that CUC would be so daring as to cut off power to her department of finance. Well, you are in for a sobering reality check, Lucia. You think you are always right, and all others wrong. Think again, this time.

Instead of requesting for a meeting like the governor, Lucia asserted that the government has provided assistance to CUC through the fuel excise tax exemption and numerous CIP funding throughout the years, as if she or the department of finance was directly for making things happen, when all that she is known for is to obstruct progress. She even tells the legislature what and how to spend their legislative allocation for their office.

On the long overdue utility bill and the impending power disconnection by CUC Lucia has the audacity to issue the following:

1) publicly issue a diatribe against CUC officials in defense of herself and the governor.

2) remind CUC of her department’s untiring efforts to pay its bills.

3) issue a vile threat to revoke the fuel tax exemption against CUC.

4) remind CUC of infrastructure assistance provided to CUC on behalf of the CNMI government.

5) threaten to cut off essential agencies like PSS, DPS, & CHC in order to pay CUC.

Why penalize school children, risk the safety of the community and add more problems to the health needs of the CNMI by recommending to cut their allocations in order to make payments to CUC? What an effrontery to plain common sense solution and the reality of making right choices and defining real priorities.

Next time around that CUC reminds Lucia of Finance’s habitual delay in processing utility payments she better be more professional and less confrontational. No wonder the legislature and all private vendors in and out of the Commonwealth are extremely unhappy about her performance in office!

I suggest the governor send out a customer satisfaction survey to vendors and government agencies to prove just how dissatisfied consumers are with Lucia’s performance in office, and use that information to compare with CUC’s customers satisfaction of its service. I am sure the result would be very telling of Lucia at her best in office.

Simeon Guerrero
Koblerville, Saipan

Kudos to Tribune Online

Hi, I just wanted to say that I am very happy that I am able to obtain current issues on CNMI with the online newspaper you guys provide. I am originally from Korea, but my family and I moved to Tinian about 12 years ago. Now I am attending the University of Arkansas and hope to return to the islands after I get my Doctorate in Physical Therapy. Again, I am so glad that you guys provide such service for the CNMI and all the Chamorros around the world.

Thank you and Si Yu’us Maase.

Tagabeach
via email

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I just wanted to compliment everyone at Tribune for providing this wonderful website. For the past six months I’ve been checking up on the news in the CNMI and this is the greatest by far source of news information. Keep up the good job!

Ken
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Thank you very much for bringing news of our homeland to those living abroad. The new design is a major improvement from the previous.

FK Benavente
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