Integrated resort the way to economic recovery for the CNMI
My dear people of Saipan: Please allow me to visit you in your homes and to ask for your unconditional support to allow the integrated resort to bring economic recovery to the CNMI.
However, before I proceed let me share with you the overwhelming show of support from our retirees, the many unemployed citizens and our underprivileged families whose lives have been greatly affected by the 25-percent cut in their retirement pensions, the unaffordable insurance premiums, the high utility costs, and the high unemployment rate in the CNMI.
Furthermore, in her testimony before the Court, the Secretary of Finance told the judge that the NMI Retirement Fund settlement obligation for this year alone is $25 million. Next year it will go up to $39 million and will continue to increase over the next few years.
Now where will the CNMI government get the additional revenues that our government desperately needs to meet the above obligations? It is for all of the above reasons that we must allow the investor the opportunity to bring in the integrated resort so that our government may be infused with necessary and critically needed new revenue.
Next, because of our serious financial constraint, our late mayor, the honorable Donald Flores, took things into his hands and applied for a grant from the Office of Insular Affairs. We wish him all the best, especially since Interior gave our late mayor some $400,000 to purchase the much needed heavy equipment in order for his office to continue providing the necessary public services to our community.
Moving on, poker machines have contributed to many social problems in the CNMI. Yet on the other hand it generates millions of dollars for our scholarship program. Today, perhaps we can say that many of our students attending Northern Marianas College, universities in Guam, Hawaii and the mainland U.S. have benefited and also returned home to work in the CNMI.
Moreover, it is appalling to find out that the other investor is lobbying before the Legislature to amend the casino law. The amendment that they are proposing is for the Lottery Commission to issue two licenses instead of an exclusive license, Again, I warn the Lottery Commission to abide by the law.
Let me close by saying that the crippled CNMI economy requires new revenue generating investors and an integrated resort is the only answer!
Herbert S. Del Rosario
San Antonio, Saipan
Dear MV,
If a contributing author posts an article which tends to endorse and/or support a specific entity or individual, you should not brandish that this person is a contributing author because it tends to strengthen his position and your paper will then be viewed as biased for the company he is endorsing.
Mr Del Rosario, the unemployment rate in CNMI is not high because there are many work available but many people does not want to work.
The food stamp dependency is high.
Align the salaries in public and private sector, this way the unemployed would stop dreaming of working only for the government. Get rid of excess government employees and trim down the number of legislators. You will be surprised how much these alone would impact on the economy.
Integrated resort you say is the ONLY salvation? Then you have a very limited imagination. I suggest that you go back to the articles written by the late Tony Pellegrino, There you would find lots and lots of opportunities that we have not looked into.
That’s true: “the unemployment rate in CNMI is not high because there are many work available but many people does not want to work.”
show me statistics poker has helped lives more than it has destroyed lives and i can give you some credit for your statements about it. show me the number of students who have returned and found jobs they wanted, then show me the number of people who have left because they don’t have jobs that will sustain them. get rid of the mayors office and improve dpw. i am against any form of gambling, but competition is better than a monopoly.
You are absolutely wrong.please refrain from what you think you know please. Your answers for a new hotel is sickening. Have you no logic?