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Jul 19, 2007

I Say Don't Shoot! What the...

Oh oh. The Chamber has spoken. This will be up in the paper tomorrow, i believe. Read on! I'm highlighting some words you might like...
Saipan Chamber of Commerce has taken Organization-wide Position on Proposed Federalization of Immigration

The Saipan Chamber of Commerce objects to federalization of CNMI immigration on principle; the CNMI government and business community did not have the opportunity to negotiate issues with the federal government. The legislation, as written, confirms that the federal government did not listen to the CNMI perspective.

There were a number of points that were not addressed: The CNMI has no guarantee of future access to a sufficient workforce; tourism is now the primary CNMI industry, yet there is no guarantee of future access to tourists from China and Russia; the entire guest worker program would completely phase out; and the legislation provides no economic relief for the impact of the contemplated changes.

Mr. Juan T. Guerrero is presenting the Chamber¹s position to the United States Congress in his capacity as President of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce. He is not in Washington, D.C. presenting his personal opinion.

The Chamber asks that retaliation not be taken against any individual businesses. Hurting one Saipan business hurts all Saipan businesses and residents. In a small economy, businesses rely on each other in daily commerce. There exists an economic domino effect, and if businesses suffer extensively, there will be a loss of jobs in the community.
So what do you think?

The Reveler

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

So, as I queried in previous posts... How can the Chamber on one hand worry about having access to enough labor in the future and the phaseout of the guest worker program, and then on the other hand take the position that long-staying workers shouldn't be forwarded an immigration status that will allow them to continue to stay and work? Still doesn't make sense to me. If it makes sense to you... please explain.

And I agree...if this is the position of the entire Chamber, then Chamber businesses in general should be boycotted.

Anonymous said...

doesnt make sense to me either. this island would be a US territory that will have that as an exception, because US listens to the plea of the islands and tolerate injustice and inequality. how different are we with Guam? Is Guam a better place to live in right now?

Anonymous said...

Go ahead, boycott every business in the Chamber. Then, all the guest workers here will be out of jobs, and none of you will ever have to worry about the horrible injustices being done by businesses that are paying 3 times what these people can make back in their own countries.

I'm willing to bet all of you whining about how unfair the system is have never had to actually sign a paycheck, much less worry about where the damn money is going to come from to make good on it.

Try it from this side sometime, you might not be so quick to condemn businesses who are trying to protect themselves from a bunch of feds who could care less if we survive or not.

Another question, do any of you really think the federal government gives a crap about the guest workers? This is about two things - the coming military incursion into Guam, and punishment for the CNMI for past corruption.

Angelo Villagomez said...

...and present, ongoing corruption.

People have a right to boycott any business they want. If I want to boycott McDonalds until they finally build a playplace, I have every right to do so.

Deal.

Anonymous said...

PJ...don't base an argument based on assumptions about the person or persons you're debating. You put yourself in a position of immediate loss...as you have here. I've probably run more businesses and signed more paychecks in my lifetime than you ever will over yours. Now maybe you'd like to argue on the reason and merit of the Chamber position... no? comeon? a little educated debate? ...guess not.

Anonymous said...

Let's take those starving kids from Africa we see on tv, pay em $.25 cents an hour to work here, and give them the leftover cafeteria rice they would throw out away. That's better than them living in Africa with all those bugs.

Brad Ruszala said...

hey, we have flies too...

and anonymous, anyone can make claims about how mighty they are when their identity is unknown.

who debates with ghosts? well, besides shirley macclaine...

oh, and i'm with you on the playplace boycott angelo.

Anonymous said...

playplace! lol!

well, for me one's business loss is another's gain. the guest workers are willing to bet on their jobs just to teach some people. there are other fish(es) in the ocean. If not western union, go to other remittance centers, if not Mita Travel, go to Century Travel, if not herman's bakery go to uhmm...hmm...ah...Mary's? Yeah, that's a great bakery too. People will always suffer from the boycott, but life finds a way...Jollibee lost some guest workers too before and these guest workers, found new jobs or went home as it was their choice.

Anonymous said...

Bravo to you Angelo. I was so disappointed this morning to hear Harry Blalock remark of the boycott "what are they trying to prove"? He was equally dismissive yesterday when he made an announcement that free goods would be given to those who came in to one of the targets of the boycott.
It harkens back to those who ridiculed the bus boycott in Alabama initiated in response to the treatment of Rosa Parks, or the farmworkers strike in CA. Economic protest is a non-violent vehicle of political expression. It invokes the core principles of democracy and capitalism, the very foundation of America. One need only scan Milton Friedman's FREEDOM TO CHOOSE to see that economic boycotts are one of the civilized ways of expressing political or social dissatisfaction.
My support and admiration goes out to those OFWs. Makibaka, Huwag Matakot!!!
JR

Anonymous said...

Thanks Jay... right on!

I remain anonymous for reasons that may actually benefit you. Enigmatic maybe... but considerately purposeful it is.

Anonymous said...

and yoda like

Angelo Villagomez said...

Harry's argument that the boycott will have a domino effect is crap. If I owned a business, like say a bank, that did money transfers, I'd be advertising my services in tomorrow's Maharlaka (sp?) section in the Tribune...or I'd put a flyer up at Jollibee.

Brad Ruszala said...

exactly...


yoda? too funny. i mean, funny it is. master of humor anonymous is.

Anonymous said...

...and so adieu on this issue bid you I, young piehawker.

Anonymous said...

lol. yodel yoda.

Anonymous said...

Anon - my argument remains the same, i merely said what my assumption was. Truth is I have no problem with guest workers, I have employed many of them. As to whether you or I have signed more paychecks, that is really not the point.

Anyone has the right to boycott whatever business they choose, but if all Chamber businesses are boycotted, it's going to hurt the workers directly.

By the way, I'm not a chamber member.

Anonymous said...

just consequences of people's actions. it would hurt definitely everyone. it's all interrelated, might as well do it than do nothing. the sms message only encourages to boycott Juan Pan's businesses not all, because these people believe it's his only stand. (ok the chamber has spoken)

the chamber should be more transparent then. if people want to ban or boycott some businesses it's because they have the power, the purchasing power. Yes, their power will be affected if their source of income is affected, yet they remain to have that power, the purchasing power to keep businesses up as well.

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