Demagoguery

The scatter thought fireworks on the 25 percent pension pay for retirees was a perfect show of disorientation of lawmakers who were totally clueless of the issue.

There were inflated though wrongful views popping up everywhere. The only one that made sense was Rep. BJ Attao who pushed a measure recently to address and resolve the issue. In fact, he pointed out that the $15 million is short by at least $2 million.

None of the demagogues who castigated Settlement Fund Trustee Joyce Tang did anything to ensure that the measure introduced by Rep. Attao was given timely approval. The mouthy cabal engaged in delusional spouts where brawn came storming in over brain. Nah! You didn’t fly off high and mighty but exacted confirmation of adolescency!

The expenditure of any penny in public funds requires an “appropriation.” It’s both constitutional and statutory, requirements demagogues overlooked in favor of false assertion in the news media to distract attention from their negligence.

There’s a principle behind the ID of funds. Must make sure you don’t use, i.e., federal funds to pay the Settlement Fund. It is constitutionally prohibited using operations funds for salaries. Mind you, the 25 percent for retirees is about salaries. Is this why you’re so quick and brave sporting cluelessness?

Cite Authority: Like the reprogramming of $400,000 for the Luta ship: was the source of funds identified? Was the money appropriated? If not, isn’t this a violation of constitutional and statutory laws? And do you have an explanation or have you decided to rule via fiat—dictatorship—over a government of laws? Could you cite legal authority supporting your disposition?

Did the wheels of reason fall off somewhere thus your asymmetrical salvos? Using the intellect—your ability to reason—would have resolved it but chose to mouth off without brain in gear. Had you reviewed pertinent laws you would have found that it “says what it says and doesn’t say what it doesn’t say”. It says “appropriation!” Oh, include a little more to cover late charge payments retirees had to absorb as a result of your grand negligence, fair?

The hasty transfer of funds didn’t make it legal in the absence of legal authority—identification of fund source and appropriation. Moreover, fund shortage mandates identification of funds. Beyond budgetary projections the excess funds are identified and given to the legislature for “supplemental” appropriations.

I wonder if the guys have defective or degenerative memories or serious reading deficiency or all of the above as to miss initial apprehension and comprehension?

Aloof in midst of insolvency

We keep out ears to the ground listening for some hopeful tidings of plans to improve the lot of families everywhere. But people at the helm seem aloof in their self-created comfort zone or vacuum.

Perhaps they’re out searching for the magical dust to use as water sprinkler to dampen the creeping dire effects of a viciously depressed economy.

With depressed economic condition buried under piles of debts one would think that the NMI has the vision to plan beyond natural disaster that includes fiscal preparedness. This doesn’t seem an urgent issue, a tale of the chief navigator oblivious to what’s in store for the multitude under dire fiscal straits or crisis.

Aloof as though twenty years of economic dystopia—where nothing works—isn’t enough. Isn’t salary stagnancy the very culprit of familial miseries these days? Hasn’t this mess started the final journey into home foreclosures or homelessness among families here? How could you have missed the impending cocktail of deluge in familial hardship?

Apparently, the prevailing aura shows how you conspicuously lack the urgency and interest to diligently review what measures to take to ease familial economic hardship throughout the archipelago. There’s your treasured view of the implications of a vacuum you’re not even sure of.

Meanwhile, Gov. Brown of California urges leadership to pare down the $72 billion unfunded liabilities of the pension program. He wants $2 billion pumped into the rainy fund. I was like “Come ride our canoe loaded with $789 million in unfunded liability”. At least it would sink quicker too! In deep kimchee, are we not people?

The only extraordinary action senators have taken was the increase in their salaries of some $2,500 per month for expenses. What about the expenses of struggling families all over the NMI? Does it matter to you that you only took care of yourself while ignoring hardship in households you represent throughout the NMI?

When you’re aloof and only pay attention to your deep pockets you start carving a divide between the “haves” and “have nots” in our community.

Your inaction confirms your aloofness cocooned in the air-condition confines of your office peeping to see if the sunset has spread over the horizon for happy hour. It’s one more piece of wood added to the raging fire of discontentment!

Troubling fiscal crisis

While GovGuam scrambles to meet late allotment obligations for its educational estate, it has the agility to meet them given its thriving economy making millions of dollars annually.

Our revenue generation has devolved into far less than projected. It brings into focus whether the Settlement Fund and other significant obligations could be met. Simple: look south and declare a suspect affirmative answer! Get out of your comfortable cocoon or vacuum and face the music. Passing hopelessness to villagers is very cowardly!

When you skip into your comfort zone it is the less fortunate you’ve failed to help secure a steady future. And no matter how fast you run you still must live with us the next day. There’s no place to hide, pal.

Wrote Joel R. Butuyan, columnist for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, “Improving the lives of our less fortunate countrymen will not only lead to an improvement in their economic wellbeing but will also transform our political, social and cultural wellbeing as a nation.”