Now we know why Greg Cruz of Taotao Tano is demanding for Governor Benigno R. Fitial's resignation.
He was seeking a government job "seriously" but because no job is available for him, he goes on calling for Fitial's resignation and will also ask lawmakers to impeach the governor. Forget about Goro's rants about the bad economy, high power rates, mismanagement of CUC, etc. It all boils down to not getting a job in the government.
Who would want to hire Greg Cruz?
And how many members of Taotano are there, really?
Here’s the Marianas Variety story:
TAOTAO Tano president Greg Cruz, who denies seeking a job from the administration, says he will ask lawmakers to impeach Gov. Benigno R. Fitial.
In a telephone interview yesterday, Cruz said it was the administration that “asked me to apply for a job because they wanted me to shut up.”
He said the administration “made the first move” by asking him to submit his resume.
But an e-mail from Cruz addressed to Press Secretary Charles P. Reyes stated: “Hey Charles, I seriously need a job. Review my resume and see if you guys can help me. Thanks, Greg.”
The message was dated March 13.
Cruz said he also submitted his resume to the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. because “they asked for it.”
“Of course I need a job,” he added.
But he said he never submitted an application letter to Reyes.
“We do not have the money to hire people and this is making many people very angry,” Reyes said. “They don’t understand that times have changed and we are in an entirely different situation — we have a governor willing to do what is necessary: cut costs. They need someone to blame for past financial indiscretions and the governor is the most convenient scapegoat.”
Cruz said Taotao Tano will submit a formal complaint for impeachment to the House of Representatives within the week.
He said they will ask for immediate action “for our people can no longer handle such misery, failure, disrespect and uncertainties in our homeland.”
He added, “Brushing off a serious concern and mocking the individuals who have tried courageously to garner signatures for the recall of the governor might have something to do with the fact that such petitions will have to go through the attorney general who is also an appointee of the administration.”
According to Cruz, the people of the commonwealth need “a strong leader with positive solutions who can guide the islands through this tough economic crisis, and not a leader who preys on the common ordinary suffering people. I call on the support of the entire people of the commonwealth — enough is enough.”
51 comments:
You missed some of the other notable acheivements like threatening to sue Wendy Doromal for defaming our reputation to tourists or firing Ron Hodges from PSS for inciting guest workers to riot or strike, and of course the infamous "workers go home".
Has anyone not noticed at this point, that Goro's flipflop actions are poorly designed to try to help him out. The "draw on the most succeptable-jump on the bandwagon-i'll be robin hood" act, was not a strategy. I don't believe it is honest either. That's why he flipflops on positions so much. Blows with the wind.. or where he thinks the wind is blowing. Problem is.. he's not smart enough to make a windgauge, let alone come up with a strategy.
Take the position you believe in so strongly and stick to it. It's called integrity. Generally, people can only be played for so long.
So staying in Iraq is Integrity?
Not when you don't really believe that it is the right thing to do. I don't believe Bush is so stupid to think that Iraq was the right thing to do.. he did it to avenge.
Period.
That isn't integrity. Now if the policy was.. we will no longer tolerate evil dictators, and he really believed that was the right thing to do.. go for it and stick to it.
Iraq never went well.. because as I mentioned, people can't be played for too long. The administrations attempts to convince Americans that Iraq is a worthwile endeavor never worked.. because they don't believe it themselves.
That has nothing to do with integrity, and everything to do with dishonesty.
I'll follow that up by saying that only a dumb man doesn't change his position, when he's discovered what he's doing is wrong. This, however, should not be mistaken with flip-flopping, and grabbing at whatever issue looks like it might be fruitful in terms of garnering support, or "building the base".
Impeachment is the cause celeb for this afternoon. Tomorrow it will be something else.
Greg's problem is he does not focus on an issue or two and carry through to victory or defeat. He changes course and bounces off the walls with every new piece of input.
Plenty of energy, no focus. This has not, and will not lead to success for his cause....whatever that is now.
It should be interesting though to see Goro's resume. What does this clown have to offer?
Additionally, how many ARTs of Impeachment does Goro plan to introduce to the Legislature. One or two? And what would they be:
ART. I: Governor shall be impeached because he did not hire me!
ART. II: Governor shall be impeached because Goro doesn't like the guy!
Give me a break!!!
No one on Saipan takes this man seriously. He has no supporters and every cause he has championed was a joke. My 2 personal favorites are the floride epic and when he partnered with the Fitial administration, Stanley Torres, HANMI, and the Saipan Chamber of Commerce for the legendary freedom ride of 54 cars.
Does anything Greg Cruz do amaze you?
Forgive me if I'm wrong for I am no lawyer (thank God) but don't you have to have committed a crime in order to be impeached? I mean the way I understand it is that it simply means to bring charges against someone in office. The only way they can actually be then removed from office would be if they were convicted of the crime which they were charged (or impeached) with.
who cares about greg cruz?
if the media doesn't entertain his nonsense acts then nobody will notice him.
The ARTS of Impeachment can be served on the governor by the House of Reps. To effect the impeachment, however, the governor must be convicted.
Goru is obviously thinking of "recall," not "impeachment."
Maybe he should apply for a job with the Ombudsperson!
Goro spends hours talking without really saying anything. he keeps on giving press releases which the press are all too willing to publish. I remember when he attended the open discussions on a possible granting of permanent residency status for long term workers locally, i thought he's going to give a good answer why he and a bunch of people carried placards saying "go home" to GWs but after an almost eternity, he wasn;t able to explain why. then went on to waste peoples time on anothersubject.
Funny how Greg Cruz could say he "hates politics" (in a follow up story of Variety) despite the fact that he's one of the losing House candidates in the 2007 election.
Can anybody please knock on Greg's head...lots of loose screws!
I was wrong.
According to the Tuesday Marianas Variety, Goru is actually trying to draft a bill of impeachment, not a recall petition.
What a whack-job.
But he's our whack-job.
:-)
Laughter Is the Best Medicine said...
Goru is obviously thinking of "recall," not "impeachment." Maybe he should apply for a job with the Ombudsperson!
Was there supposed to be a joke in there, "Laughter"? Maybe you should leave comedy to the professionals. Goro, on the other hand, is someone who never fails to make us laugh.
What's really "Shameless" (to quote the title of this post) is that virtually the entire economy for U.S. citizens around here is based upon trading political support for government jobs, and this is only one example among thousands.
Our newspapers are poorly written and their coverage of Goro makes my case shameless.
Cruz isn't the only one going in the wrong direction
Federalization now!
CAPITALIZATION NOW!
Dyslexics of the world untie!
One of my favorite professors had to struggle very hard to overcome the challenges of dyslexia. For another close friend it has been a source of frustration that has carried over into many other spheres of her life, affecting how she views people.
So it isn't cool to be ridiculing those with such conditions.
Similarly, the Ombudsperson does not deserve the ongoing carping against him. No matter how much he has contributed to the downfall of the CNMI economy, and participated in morally reprehensible character attacks, he has done so with apparently benign motives, and should be congratulated on his political acumen. He seems to be a gracious winner.
But the USSR POON DEM B (OMBUDSPERSON) is such an inviting target!
I've dated a dyslexic girl, so you don't have to tell me about the difficulties involved. Time after time I'd have to show my appreciation for her by saying "Thanks for the Jo Blob."
Similarly, the Ombudsperson does not deserve the ongoing carping against him. No matter how much he has contributed to the downfall of the CNMI economy, and participated in morally reprehensible character attacks....
That's swift, Mr. Civility. You accuse the "Ombudsperson" of contributing to the downfall of the of the CNMI economy in the very same sentence that you accuse him of participating in morally reprehensible character attacks. If we asked you to actually give a direct quote (in context) from the Ombudsman and explain why it constitutes a "morally reprehensible character attack", you couldn't do it. And now I know why the economy sucks. It's not because people put all of their eggs in a basket that we all knew had a limited shelf life. It's not because we failed to use garment revenues, while we had them, to invest in proper infrastructure or to properly educate our kids. It's because of the "Ombudsperson"! You have no right to call Goro illogical.
I don't read Mr. C. as claiming the Ombudsperson caused the downfall of the CNMI economy, but as contributing to it. Nothing illogical about that.
You are quite right, lack of economic diversification, limited infrastructure investment (or overspending on personnel for political purposes), and inadequate education all contributed to our present straits. So do a host of other factors including Article XII, lack of competition, geographic isolation, corruption, our legal system, the size of our government, etc.
Yet the Ombudsperson and the federalizers claimed that local control of immigration caused the downfall of the CNMI economy, and that granting federal control would solve all our problems.
This is flat-out wrong. If you compare the CNMI (and more recently, Palau), with a liberal investment and contract worker immigration system, against the FSM and Marshall Islands, which have much more restrictive capital and labor flows, you can see that local control of immigration has contributed to a far greater economic prosperity than would have been the case otherwise.
No, it was not the sole cause, but local control of immigration was a strong factor in what economic success the CNMI did enjoy. Now, through unfair political tricks, the Ombudsperson and his federalization allies have rammed through a takeover. But their vengeful and reprehensible tactics -- not even an economic study -- are almost reminiscent of Abramoff's. Two wrongs do not make a right. The CNMI has been victimized by self-interested bureaucrats.
Yes, to the Ombudsperson, this is "illogical." Now we know why the federal government functions so erratically.
One can hardly wait to see how this takeover-on-the-cheap will be run.
G. Cruz can barely read. Pork Chop kisses his ass to try and get the 'local' customers.
So if Greg wants to 'impeach' Fitial, who does he offer to replace him? Not himself, I hope!
Armchair economist, there hasn't been any federal takeover yet. So where's my garment-industry prize? Where's my windfall? Have all my Chamolinian brothers left island with their families the last 24 months because they are taking the millions they made off the garment industry, and living in luxury in Beverly Hills, or because the economy is so bad that there's no jobs here for them that pay a decent wage? Local control of immigration was good as long as it was administered responsibly for the good of all, and not to enrich just a chosen few. Once the local government stopped asking "How many contract workers do we really need?" and started figuring out how much a few corrupt businessmen and officials could make by bringing in another ten thousand (whether there were jobs here for them or not), local control over immigration became a liability, not a benefit. Once the local "experts" figured out they could save a couple of bucks on construction costs by screwing their neighbors out of blue collar jobs and giving them to contract workers, local control over minimum wage law and immigration started to hurt the longterm viability of the economy here. Once the local decision makers decided that virtually all our private-sector payroll dollars should be remitted to the Philippines and China instead of circulating around our own islands, they were committing economic suicide. It certainly didn't have to turn out the way it did, but it was poor planning, corruption and greed that made everything go sideways, not the ombudsman or Interior or Wendy Doromal.
amen!
"I don't read Mr. C. as claiming the Ombudsperson caused the downfall of the CNMI economy, but as contributing to it. Nothing illogical about that."
Mr. Armchair Civility, why is there nothing illogical about blaming the Ombudsman for an economic downturn that has been in full swing for years now, because of a change of policy that has not yet even been passed by Congress yet? The Ombudsman is not the driving force behind the change; he simply responded to Congress's questions by telling the truth. Your colleagues on Capital Hill could learn something from that.
"Yet the Ombudsperson and the federalizers claimed that local control of immigration caused the downfall of the CNMI economy, and that granting federal control would solve all our problems."
Nobody claims that. You're not listening. People are claiming, correctly, that the "Federalization will kill us" mantra is not convincing because we're already dead. They also claim that the status quo has left us with quite a mess on its way out, and can no longer be defended. That's pretty hard to argue with. It's time for a change. Of course one piece of legislation won't solve all of our problems, but neither will stubbornly clinging to a failed status quo.
the ombudsman is smart and he helped us for real
todays news is the greatest in history as 4 lawmakers here put in a local labor bill to end pl-15-108 and our ombudsman seen through this bill very early and spoke against it
i personally want to thank him, wendy, tina, and ron for there advise and guidance to help cgw here
may god bless america
Anonymous said...
Armchair economist, there hasn't been any federal takeover yet. So where's my garment-industry prize? Where's my windfall? Have all my Chamolinian brothers left island with their families the last 24 months because they are taking the millions they made off the garment industry, and living in luxury in Beverly Hills, or because the economy is so bad that there's no jobs here for them that pay a decent wage?
The garment income has been long spent, on the local government jobs so many of our people enjoyed in the 1990s. That gig is over. Now it's time to rebuild our economy, a task made much harder by the loss of local control caused by, first, the threat of federalization, and soon its implementation. The argument of the second "Armchair Civility Anonymous" that things can't get any worse is wholly unsupported, and would have been rebutted by the economic study that the Ombudsperson and other political-solution advocates succesfully fought tooth and nail to eliminate from consideration.
Anonymous said...
It certainly didn't have to turn out the way it did, but it was poor planning, corruption and greed that made everything go sideways, not the ombudsman or Interior or Wendy Doromal.
So where was federal law enforcement?! Why have so few resources been applied to solving this problem over the past decades? Yes, local corruption has been a big problem here. But if Interior and the human rights advocates spent even a fraction of their effort to solving this problem first, we would have the benefits of federal sovereignty we bargained for in the Covenant, with the economic potential envisioned through local control.
Instead, they enabled this long-standing immoral corruption through a focus on political games, reminiscent of Abramoff.
It's still not too late to get some real law enforcement efforts in the CNMI. Let us hope that, having won the federalization "debate," they will turn their attention in that direction.
Anonymous said...
[W]hy is there nothing illogical about blaming the Ombudsman for an economic downturn that has been in full swing for years now, because of a change of policy that has not yet even been passed by Congress yet? The Ombudsman is not the driving force behind the change; he simply responded to Congress's questions by telling the truth. Your colleagues on Capital Hill could learn something from that.
As stated several posts up, I and other economic analysts have never claimed that federalization efforts were the sole cause of the CNMI's economic difficulties.
Nor do I speak for the Legislature or Administration. But when Interior opposes the views of the CNMI's elected leadership in headlong pursuit of their own political agenda, something is wrong. The attitude that the federal bureaucrats are "Truth-Tellers," while the local government consists of "liars" speaks volumes about what, exactly, is wrong with the Office of the Ombudsperson to this very day.
We can only hope that, having won this victory, Interior does not continue to practice an "ends justifies the means" philosophy. Fortunately, Nick Pula seems to be a breath of fresh air, compared to the miasma of David B. Cohen.
That's right, we could have had our "sovereignty" if only the Federal Government would have cleaned up behind us. Sovereignty means that we take responsibility for our own actions and pay for them, not that we get to do whatever we want and stick someone else with the bill. And Nik Pula is indeed a breath of fresh air, but what has that gotten you guys in the rejectionist camp? Did the Bush Administration change its position in favor of federalization? No. Did the Senate support you? No. Did any of the people that you guys called "friends" (Akaka, Faleomavaega, Young, etc.) support your position? No. Enjoy your fresh air, but the winds of positive change are finally blowing through these beautiful islands.
Armchair economist, your contradictions are eating you alive. You decry the lack of federal law enforcement, but condemn the actions of interior officials who blew the whistle on human trafficking and other abuses that have occurred. You can't have it both ways; either the feds should be involved in enforcement--part of which is necessarily calling attention to abuses that need to be investigated--or the feds should help the local government continue to paint a fantasy picture of sweetness and light under local control. According to you, the feds are to blame for local missteps for not taking a more active enforcement role, but once they step in to rectify decades of failed policies, they are depriving us of our sovereignty. Whatever you're smoking, I want some.
You can't expect consistency from these guys. Their marching orders from the start were to oppose federalization no matter what, which is why they constantly contradicted themselves. They attacked the integrity of everyone who disagreed with them, even helpless women who were forced into prostitution. That playbook somehow worked in the Abramoff years, and these guys were arrogant enough to think that they could pull out their old playbook. Times have changed.
Armchair Economist said...
“[I]f Interior and the human rights advocates spent even a fraction of their effort to solving this [corruption] problem first, we would have the benefits of federal sovereignty we bargained for in the Covenant, with the economic potential envisioned through local control.” (Emphasis added.)
Anonymous said...
“That's right, we could have had our "sovereignty" if only the Federal Government would have cleaned up behind us. Sovereignty means that we take responsibility for our own actions and pay for them, not that we get to do whatever we want and stick someone else with the bill.”
You misread my post. I'm not making a local self-government full-sovereignty argument. I have always fully respected and endorsed federal sovereignty in the CNMI as provided in Covenant Section 101, the very first and fundamental provision of the Covenant.
The problem is that the federal government has failed to provide adequate law enforcement personnel here -- FBI agents, assistant U.S. attorneys, EEOC lawyers, labor investigators.
Everywhere else in the country gets enough resources. While you may wish to call it "cleaning up the states' mess," our Congress deems it part of the federal government's responsibility. Interior, which is supposed to advocate for the needs of the territories, has been woefully deficient in this regard. Instead, the Ombudsperson has "sounded the alarm" and embarked on a campaign of negativism and political activism.
Anonymous said...
“Armchair economist, your contradictions are eating you alive. You decry the lack of federal law enforcement, but condemn the actions of interior officials who blew the whistle on human trafficking and other abuses that have occurred. You can't have it both ways; either the feds should be involved in enforcement--part of which is necessarily calling attention to abuses that need to be investigated--or the feds should help the local government continue to paint a fantasy picture of sweetness and light under local control. According to you, the feds are to blame for local missteps for not taking a more active enforcement role, but once they step in to rectify decades of failed policies, they are depriving us of our sovereignty. Whatever you're smoking, I want some.” (Emphasis added.)
As for sovereignty, see above. The emphasized portions of your comment highlight why federal law enforcement efforts have been so ineffectual in the CNMI. "Calling attention to abuses that need to be investigated" is not the same as actually solving the problem. What the Ombudsperson should be doing is silently and efficiently referring the abuses to relevant federal authorities, who should then bring criminal charges and send the perpetrators to jail, or file civil Labor, EEOC, or OSHA cases.
Instead, he trumpets his findings loudly to anyone and everyone, often in the process interrupting and preventing the very law enforcement he should support. Or he publicly scolds CNMI law enforcement for perceived shortcomings, knowing full well that there is concurrent primary federal jurisdiction, or that the CNMI government lacks funds (especially after withdrawing Interior grant funding), or that there is nothing that can be done by either government, such as private collection efforts from insolvent or bankrupt former employers.
"Blowing the whistle" does not substitute for actual work, though that may be an institutional problem of the Ombudsperson's congressional mandate and limited authority -- certainly he personally has no absolute power to get the federal resources our community needs. But that is where his advocacy should have pointed, toward actual federal law enforcement and not self-promotion.
Few people in the CNMI during the past five years, except perhaps Governor Babauta for a very short time with respect to the economy, have "paint[ed] a fantasy picture of sweetness and light," except the federalizers in their caricatures of the CNMI when explaining why a takeover was needed. This, again, is a perfect example of the misuse of the resources of the Office of the Ombudsperson and Department of the Interior in advancing a political agenda rather than taking the steps to solve the problems.
There is really very little difference between the Ombudsperson and Greg Cruz, except that the former is much more educated, intelligent, has a higher degree of focus, and was on the winning side in his activist political campaign -- due in large part to tremendous federal resources and media support. There is little point now in debating the wrongful nature of so many of these tactics, nor to reprise the Froilan Tenorio/ Abramoff debacle.
Let us hope that now, at long last, with responsibility for these matters being turned over to the federal government within some thirteen months, that the Office of the Ombudsperson will finally turn toward the need for more law enforcement resources in the CNMI.
Not loudly, not publicly, not even necessarily quickly, but surely and effectively. “It's amazing how much can be accomplished when no one cares who receives the credit.”
Armchair Economist, do you know how many human rights abuses the ombudsman has referred quietly, without fanfare, to various local and federal law enforcers? I didn't think so.
Maybe sometimes the people need to be informed directly, so they can insist that their enforcement people do a better job.
GREG CRUZ IS AN IDIOT JUST WAITING TO EXPLODE... I FEEL SORRY FOR THE GUY BECAUSE HE HAS ZERO CREDIBILITY JUST LIKE HIS SO CALLED TAOTAO TANO HE SOMETIMES HAS GOOD POINTS BUT THE PROBLEM IS THAT HE JUST DOSNT KNOW HOW TO EXPRESS HIS CONCERNS IN A MANNERLY AND PROFESSIONAL WAY! ONE DAY MAYBE NOT TO DAY THIS GUY WILL BE THE CAUSE OF HIS OWN STROKE... HE STRESSES TOO MUCH FOR TOO LITTLE...
GORU, NA PARA! TAYA BALI'MU. UN NA LALASTIMA HA I TIEMPOMU! MAOLEKNA UN ATENDI ENAO I PATGON MU KINI SIGI BUMURUKA POT TAYA SA I PATGONMU MAS IMPOTANTE!
SI YU'US MENAN UN BINENDISI!THATS WHY I DIDNT VOTE FOR HIM...
greg did your mom drop you on your head when you were a baby? or did someone hit you with the stupid stick?
wait wait... i know... its a combination of both
greg cruz you embarrass me as a local with your TAOTAO TANO SHET!
one question did you attend UoDF (UNIVERSITY OF DUMB FUCKS)?
LOL.
that's nasty!
Tina Sablan got a tight ass.
Her ass is tight from holding in all that shit. Report says she has not taken a crap in 3 years now. True, a little shit escapes her mouth occasionally, but she is now so full of it from no poo poo that her ass has balooned up from holding that sphincter tight.
I guess that type of sophomoric comment is the price one pays for being the most honest, courageous and principled politician that the CNMI has ever produced. It looks like the last Anon is more comfortable with the usual political hacks.
My natural tendancy would be to barf when people receive the type of delerious praise that Tina Sablan receives in some quarters. However, in her case, I have to say that she deserves it. I think people who express the type of ugly sentiments as a couple of Anons up are truly losers. All the more so because that Anon seems half-way educated, in that s/he made no glaring grammatical errors. People of this type who harbor deep resentment against Tina Sablan (and there are plenty in the local administration) are truly losers who are on the wrong side of history.
Goru Cruz should get a job with the USSR POON DEM B.
The USSR POON DEM B = The Ombudsperson.
That's very clever. Not.
Indeed. There are very few on Saipan as clever as the USSR POON DEM B.
With the impending passage of S.2739 on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 by the U.S. House of Representatives, however, within the next couple of years the Foreign National Workers of the CNMI are likely to find that he was too clever by half.
Especially in the perpective of those who get sent home.
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