T\u2019was the night before Christmas, when all through Saipan,
\nNot a single light turned on, not even a fan.
\nThe night was so dark that you just could not see,
\nJust another power outage, thanks to Uncle Ben and CUC.<\/p>\n
The children were perspiring profusely in their beds,
\nWhile us parents spent hours fanning their sweaty little heads.
\nAnd mamma was wondering what happened this time,
\n\u201cWhy the power outages?\u201d she said. \u201cAggreko\u2019s online.\u201d<\/p>\n
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
\nI sprang from the bed to see what\u2019s the matter.
\nAway to the window I looked far and near,
\nSome silhouettes of strangers had suddenly appeared.<\/p>\n
Some young boys, maybe teens, breaking in to our neighbors\u2019 home,
\nI had to do something so I picked up the phone.
\nI knew at that moment what had to be done,
\nSo I did the right thing and dialed 911.<\/p>\n
The neighbors on vacation, this morning they left,
\nI\u2019m sure they never thought they\u2019d be victims of theft.
\nThe police responded quickly and arrested the teens,
\nBut with lenient judges they\u2019ll be released by the spring.<\/p>\n
With the power still off, we lit up a candle,
\nI wondered how much more of \u201cBetter Times\u201d we could handle.
\nRising unemployment, crime, and burglaries,
\nDCM, Ridlyme, and rubber-stamp AGs.<\/p>\n
The future is bleak, more families moving away,
\nWhy don\u2019t we leave? Why should we stay?
\nOur leaders every time promise change if elected,
\nBut once in office only hire those connected.<\/p>\n
The arrogance of this governor is abundantly clear,
\nHe leads not by inspiration but through instilling fear.
\nThree years as governor, are we better off today?
\nIf you want to keep your job, you better not say.<\/p>\n
But what has he accomplished? What has he produced?
\nAside from sole-source contracts and a federal lawsuit?
\nIs there anything he has accomplished that he can savor?
\nAside from wanting to retain cheap labor?<\/p>\n
There are some who support him in his lawsuit against Uncle Sam,
\nWhile forgetting about the millions given annually to our homeland.
\nA frivolous lawsuit, wasting precious money in court,
\nUncle Ben seems to forget he holds a U.S. passport.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn Deanne! On Howard! On Baka!\u201d cries Uncle Ben.
\nHe promises to see this federal lawsuit to the end.
\nWhile using precious local funds to sue the U.S.,
\nHe seems to have forgotten our students at PSS.<\/p>\n
One thing you must know, and I swear this is true,
\nIf it were not for federal funds they would have closed down our schools.
\nLet\u2019s always remember that education holds the key,
\nTo a better life filled with opportunities and prosperity.<\/p>\n
Our people clamor for change, but are they willing and able?
\nTo elect honest leaders who won\u2019t deliver tents and tables?
\nIs change really possible? Can we do it in \u201809?
\nOr will be subjected to more bitter times?<\/p>\n
And wouldn\u2019t you know it? The power just came on.
\nNot a moment too soon at the crack of dawn.
\nYes, there are fewer gifts under our small Christmas tree,
\nBut that matters little to a loving family.<\/p>\n
Our children will wake soon and greet us with joy,
\nAnd open their presents and play with their toys.
\nWhat problems we have are forgotten for this day,
\nFelis Pasgua to all, and to all Hafa Adai!
\n[B]
\nEd Propst[\/B]
\n[I]Dandan, Saipan[\/I]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
T\u2019was the night before Christmas, when all through Saipan,
\nNot a single light turned on, not even a fan.
\nThe night was so dark that you just could not see,
\nJust another power outage, thanks to Uncle Ben and CUC.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-129085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=129085"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129085\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=129085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=129085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=129085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}