By Ambrose M. Bennett – Activist
THE Truth is WE have 29 officials in the Legislature & two in the Executive Office YET it’s the SAME-O Impotency with taxes, nepotism, waste, austerity and UNLIMITED business & personal taxes FREELY given to J & P Holdings for 22 yrs. and still no Oversights — duh! WE can ALL now see the CNMI is caught between a rock (dead economy) & a hard-place (no new economic development) and yet there is literally still TAYA on the table FOR the People! I keep seeing “Events” like the recent Swim Marianas that are good efforts to increase Tourism, but events are minuscule to the big picture of the need to change and create a “new steady flow of tourists” which requires real Reform(s). You don’t need to be an Economist to see the CNMI must CHANGE (REFORM) if WE are to improve our economy, but our leaders just don’t seem to know HOW still doing the Same-O taxes & austerity. Where are the Senators & Representatives who are SUPPOSED to be Championing Issues FOR the People & Our Commonwealth?? As pointing a finger at PSS and waiting on the Governor to fix everything is no longer an acceptable “hiding Poli-trick” for these 29 elected leaders in the Legislature. WHAT Bills have these 29 elected leaders instituted into law to make a real difference in our economy & quality of life, just bland Bills that are not even baby steps towards fixing our economy? WHY don’t WE have leaders who want to Champion Something or Anything, as they can’t even lease the Marianas Resort. No One is working on anything to bring in new investors & industry which takes time to develop. But WE (our leaders) haven’t even started to reform, as WE are literally YEARS-behind-sinking-the-8Ball for OUR economic prosperity figuratively and WHY I started yelling during COVID for Economic Reform Plans.
Now that the Court has ruled against the COLA for Retirees but leaving a “clear path for the Retirees to seek Legislative relief to fix this obvious OVERSIGHT with Legislation.” One would think our leaders would be lining-up to generate this Legislation for Retirees on the 2026 Ballot that is obviously badly needed FOR Retirees” to keep up with the Cost-of-Living. But that means a “real commitment to Retirees” instead of the usual poli-tricking of only saying to voters they support retirees but nothing of substance — HELLER Retirees waiting to hear your Public Outcry! The only real Reform on the Ballot so far is for the NMDs to access THEIR money. But more is needed like downsizing OUR bloated Legislature to a reasonable number but WHO will champion these Legislative challenges FOR the People is the question. If it was easy, WE could elect anyone, but the job of leading requires real work, commitment to the People & fortitude that may even include putting your SEAT on the line to face opposition, but if you are Doing Right FOR the People your seat is GUARANTEED! But there seems to be no champions FOR the People but I saw Republican Senators being REWARDED with new terms in the Senate for Raph’s Kangaroo Trial, the REAL Pathetic-Politics of the CNMI. Heck, our “GOP Delegate” is even impotent only to “deflect, making inquiries & gaslighting Local stuff,” because Locals are in the same boat with ME, vote Democrat for HOPE!
It’s like President Obama has been saying, “they won’t hear our booing & public outcry, WE have to VOTE” to fix this Republican attack on our Democracy on the mainland & in the CNMI. There must be a MASS FIRING in all of America come 2026 given our present situation that happened on the Republicans’ Watch and don’t fall for the finger-pointing & FAKE Independent Titles. Most informed citizens know who real Republicans are hiding behind the Independent Title just to SIT! So, Voters must be informed & bring their A-Game if WE are to get “A-Results for our Economy & Quality of life.” This “family & culture stuff” is just gaslighting & deflecting poli-tricks to SIT, as WE need Champions to fix our economy!
I can remember Gov. Fitial saying to me “they are ALL spineless when it came to his impeachment” but Trump didn’t make that mistake by “DEMANDING Loyalty” regardless. WE, the CNMI, don’t have leaders with Real-Fortitude to work FOR the People, save two or three, but instead they only work towards “Sitting Again”! But too many voters are in denial and can’t see or refuse to watch the figurative “Horror Economic & Social Movie on Our-Democracy’s Demise” that is now showing on the mainland and in the CNMI! Need I remind readers the Real Cure for OUR Economy is “informed & active citizens” as it was NOT our elected leaders but Public Outcry (Activism) that stopped the “nepotism RAISE by the Governor for his relative.” OUR Public Outcry must also transfer into Public Voting to teach present and future leaders the lack of “Checks & Balance, No Oversights & Economic Impotency are No Longer acceptable” in our leaders!!! The neglect to not even try and address the many ACCREDITED-on-Merits changes & reforms offered by Ambrodamus, Zaldy, Mr. Jang & Others should also no longer be acceptable. WE even have REAL Bigots in the comment section who only offer “negativity & character attacks but taya constructive” who literally needing to be “tarred, feathered & run out of the comment section! All of this economic mess is “On-the-People who are the real Stewards of the CNMI” and must take their citizenry MORE seriously when voting or it’s like Ambrodamus keeps predicting — the Same-O to Nowhere & Nothing (TAYA) for the CNMI! But Nothing & No One can stop Ambrodamus from “Preaching Truth-to-Power,” as WE must become One People, One Direction for New Leadership dedicated to Reforms FOR the People, checks & balances with oversights to fix our economy, as GREATNESS is literally waiting around the corner in the wings for Great Leader(s) — for TRUE!
Ambrose M. Bennett is an Economist who minored in Sociology, a Political Scientist, a retired teacher & former CNMI Board of Education Member, a James Madison Fellow (U.S. Constitutional Scholar), a Fulbright-Hays-Lifetime Humanities & Religious Scholar who resides in Kagman III in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
