Well now, isn\u2019t this just too interesting? Seems that some didactic fairy tales, fables and children\u2019s stories may be coming true right here in the CNMI!<\/p>\n
What was it that some of our writers and speakers have been preaching for the last year or two? People like, Harry, Gonzalo, Jack T., Doc Jesus, Nicolas, Juanita, both editors of our daily newspapers and a few other well versed ladies and gents, just to mention a few. But have ANY of our \u201cleaders\u201d ever harkened to even the slightest bark, woof or bay? Nary a one, so it appears! But alas!, a voice is rising. Why\u2026is that Chicken Little\u2019s voice I hear resounding out of the depths of the halls on high? <\/p>\n
\u201cThe sky is falling! The sky is falling!\u201d he told the king! And all because no less than 108 venerable U. S. congressmen have proposed identical bills in the U.S. House and Senate that suddenly have become the harbinger of disaster to the CNMI. Four or five years ago, Congress was just about ready to \u201cfederalize\u201d the CNMI. They were persuaded to back off and, in my opinion, primarily because of the portent of a \u201cnew era\u201d in government to be ushered in by a highly touted John Babauta. We HAD our chance three years ago\u2014but it flew out the window along with just about every single campaign promise and platform plank it was all based on (see Jack T.\u2019s January 2003 letter). Sure, I too voted for the man, because the potential was there. However, within a year, it became apparent that this was going to be just another attempted \u201cride to glory\u201d for the power-hungry, the corrupt, the iniquitous, the immoral, the special interests and all on the back of an ever hopeful citizenry.<\/p>\n
So, the voices began to speak out\u2014on the radio and in the papers\u2014but no one listened\u2026.EXCEPT perhaps the U. S. Congress. In fact, some of those inquisitive voices (Harry?) were proscribed from briefings, meetings and even certain properties! Now I don\u2019t know if all this is mere coincidence or if Congress really has been listening, but it is becoming ever more clear that our officials\u2019 bungling self-interests and nepotistic appointments are eventually going to result in just what so many of us have been warning about in the last two years: federalization! It\u2019s all about an administration that has not only thrown out its initial promise, but has yet to produce a single iota of useful policy; a Legislature that apparently (as yet) couldn\u2019t write a decent piece of significant legislation if it were handed down on stone tablets; an Executive Branch that hasn\u2019t been able to tender a single step toward long term financial recovery. <\/p>\n
Oh, I almost forgot: Someone wants to float a bond for $100M and pay off the debt! But in typical fashion, wants to use 20 years of FUTURE promised federal money to pay it back\u2014money that is supposed to benefit the people of the CNMI. So that \u201cnew\u201d money won\u2019t be there and not one single thought is being given to how we need to restructure our system to pay for our needs or to prevent the same humongous debt from building again\u2014even faster! A debt that now totals (as if we actually know the real total!) a whopping $4,000 for every man, woman and child of the CNMI\u2014more than any other per capita national debt anywhere in the world! Now here\u2019s the really scary part: It\u2019s not even owed to somebody else, it\u2019s owed to OURSELVES! <\/p>\n
A few weeks ago, the Governor gave us a highly upbeat \u201cState-of-the-CNMI\u201d speech \u2013 full of past glory and future promise. But was it really bona fide or only so much claptrap designed to mollify the doubters and disguise the fester? Are the majority of citizens better off today than they were three years ago? Are there any useful proposals from this governor that promise to turn us toward the light? How many times have we seen \u201chis\u201d picture in the local papers? Hundreds, perhaps. And 90 percent of them have been a snapshot made while signing some \u201cproclamation\u201d to declare yet another day, week or month for some special event\u2014and all the while wearing an ear to ear grin under an ever-present mwar-mwar! I\u2019m beginning to wonder just what that \u201cgrin\u201d is all about, \u2018cause I sure don\u2019t see many of the people around me wearin\u2019 that \u201cgrin.\u201d<\/p>\n
Well, there is at least ONE promising spot in the CNMI\u2014and I\u2019m not saying this just because I happen to live on Tinian. But, compare some things: Tinian has potable, high grade, pressurized water everywhere it\u2019s needed or wanted 24\/7. Do you? Tinian has a non-polluting state-of-the-art power plant and distribution system that puts dependable power everywhere its\u2019 needed or wanted 24\/7. Do you? The entire island is in complete compliance (or soon will be) with EVERY single major EPA or DEQ environmental requirement. Are you? The Tinian municipality is able to assist most everyone who needs off-island medical treatment with supplemental transportation and per diem. Can you?<\/p>\n
I\u2019m convinced that there are a sufficient number of good, honest, ethical and knowledgeable people here in the CNMI who know what needs to be done and how to do it. Problem is, none of them are in government service and those that are just don\u2019t want to hear anything from those that know! Could the reason be that IF things were done right\u2014ethically, honestly, openly and with reason and thought\u2014it just might contravene the personal power and fortune so vehemently hoarded by some? All those writers and speakers I mentioned in the first paragraph have espoused upon or allegorically tippy-toed through the swamp\u2014and all, including myself, have fallen on deaf ears. Well, maybe it\u2019s time to pay the piper, so to those in power who would cry about the sky falling: Don\u2019t bother, it\u2019s too late. The rest of the upright, honest, hard working, conscientious and ethical people who are left standing will pick up the pieces and go forward while leaving the \u201cChicken Littles\u201d relegated back to the coop!<\/p>\n
Dr. Thomas D. Arkle Jr.
\nSan Jose, Tinian<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Well now, isn\u2019t this just too interesting? Seems that some didactic fairy tales, fables and children\u2019s stories may be coming true right here in the CNMI!<\/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-81447","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\/81447","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=81447"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81447\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}