Todays news on Marianas Variety, headlining the governor's reaction to Rep. Sablan's disappointment with him, reportedly "praising" the convicted Lt. Gov. instead of encouraging and motivating the community of such misconduct should not be tolerated.
The Governor said in the report that you "don't kick someone who is all ready down" in the dumps. He said it would be "un-Catholic" of him if he would add insult to injury.
I guess, it's just human nature to feel compassion to people who committed misdeeds. Besides, the Governor has worked with his partner years and years and for sure the Lt. Gov. has become one of his closest allies. Yet, this things happen.
On this island friendship and families matter the most. I remember some people's relatives would commit theft and other crimes and they would try to go to the media crying, trying to stop the press. "He's my uncle...She's my parent's cousin...He's a son of the former politician...," and so on.
The governor in the news said what happened to the Lt. Gov. should serve a warning to all.
On the other hand Rep. Sablan said, “My point, which the governor missed entirely, is that we should be lifting up all the people of the commonwealth who were victims of the crimes committed, and praising the people who demonstrated so much courage and worked so hard to bring this case to justice and uphold the rule of law.”
(source: MV)
22 comments:
Ode to Ben and Willie (Sung to the tune of Jack and Diane by John Cougar Mellencamp):
Little ditty about Ben and Willie Tan
Two garment and poker tycoons filthy rich from Saipan
Bennie’s gonna be governor of the CNMI,
Willie Tan will finance Ben’s race and promise Better Times.
Suckin on CUC, emergency contracts galore,
Willie and Bennie partying it up with friends and Paseo whores.
Bennie say, hey Willie let’s run to Philippines
Willie Tan calls Century Travel and soon a smile beams
And Benny says
Chorus:
Oh yeah life is good
Give contracts to friends but act like Robin Hood
Oh yeah Better Times
Let’s hope we’re never charged with any federal crimes
Bennie sits back reflects his thoughts for a moment
Calls his servant and orders some beer and squid
you know Willie we oughtta buy the CNMI,
Willie says, hey Bennie we already did
Bennie says
Chorus:
Oh yeah, garment took off like a rocket,
We made billions and still have politicians in our pocket
Oh yeah poker paid our rent
Made money off the poor and now they’re living in tents.
We don’t lie,
We bend the truth,
Some criticize us,
And they may call us uncouth.
Hold on to better times as long as we can,
A depressed economy means we can buy up all the land.
Little ditty about Ben and Willie Tan,
Very soon we will rename our island SaiTan.
Nice to see the Da Guv'nah has found religion. Now he can pray that the Looty Guv doesn't cut a deal with the feds and bring the whole House of Cards down by telling all he knows about guv'mint corruption.
Either way, Timmy V. still gets free electricity.
Howard and Deanne are screwing the CNMI.
Yeah, that Covenant of theirs! We should have voted against it and opted for independence like Palau. No nukes!
As Ruth Tighe wrote at the conclusion of her column on Friday:
The furor created by the various comments made by public officials in regard to the conviction of the CNMI lt. governor is disturbing. Not one of us is all good, or all bad. We all have flaws. When those flaws go so far as to violate law, they should, of course, be punished. But that doesn't mean everything about the the whole person is thus totally flawed. It's not an "either-or" condition. We can and should give credit to those aspects of the person that remain unflawed.
How teddibly proper- but that's not how the world works.
To screw people over to the degree that Timmy has and not expect to get the livin' p!ss kicked out of you when you fall would be beyond naive. Being the 'first to fall' furthers his misfortune as many of the blows he's receiving are actually struck in anger at the CNMI Guv'mint in general.
But Timmy rode the rainbow over the cess pool for a long time. He was due for an adjustment in life style.
Nothing like a good adjustment in life style! Do they have trading beads in Club Fed? :)
Change the NMI law to allow a 30 year old Governor so Tina can take charge of this crumbling commonwealth.
Just what we need, a vapidly grinning do-nothing as Governor.
What would her platform be, wise (doubtful) man? All people move off the island making way for tree hugging researchers and former pet dogs only? Only alien workers allowed on Saipan all others must pay reparations while living in Seattle? All residents must have permission from her and Ron Hodges to take a piss, making sure their OGA pissing form is filled out in triplicate?
Since she has proven herself worthless as a Legislator, you think she would do better as an administrator wise man? Granted, she has just exactly the same level of qualification for both tasks - none.
I can understand her when she speaks... The Gov and the rest of those clowns up there make no sense when they speak. I get so irritated when the Gov keeps saying "You know" No.... I don't know dammit! Explain to me clearly Gov so I can understand what the hell you are saying!
I can understand her when she speaks... The Gov and the rest of those clowns up there make no sense when they speak. I get so irritated when the Gov keeps saying "You know" No.... I don't know dammit! Explain to me clearly Gov so I can understand what the hell you are saying!
If none of our politicos has anything of substance to say, we should judge them by their on-screen presence with the sound turned off.
Tina by landslide.
Besides noni, we already have a vapidly grinning, do nothing Guv'nah and a bunch of vapidly grinning do nothing candidates vying to replace him.
Whether Tina's efforts to save economically oppressed foreigners are sincere or designed to gain exposure in the larger political arena remains to be seen. However the neighborhood she moved into in order to get elected provides much evidence of increasing numbers of economically oppressed locals, who she ostensibly represents and for whom her efforts on the part of non-resident workers can bring no benefits. She certainly appears way off her base on this one.
On the other hand, though she hasn't gotten the prize yet her handling of the OGA suit has been most impressive. If not for Wiseman's half stepping, she might have already Manny Pacquiao'ed the Guv'nah's expensive and inept legal team. She's well postioned on this one- can't lose actually.
Either way, if she turns out to be another vapidly grinning CNMI politico, turn the sound on your TV off- at least she'll be nicer to look at.
True, goose, she does have that far more exiting to gaze upon derriere.
Okay, I'll watch. :-) ...if she wins.
tina is one of the few up there that have any sense to look towards the future.
she has come out against the continuation of our current guest worker program in the cnmi. she has asked that the grandfather clause that was initially in the federalization of immigration bill be reinstated. that does not make her pro-alien or anti local it just shows a bit of humanitarianism if anything. the grandfathering provision is pretty simple if you think about it. people that have worked legally out here in the cnmi for more than 5 years be given a pathway to citizenship or permanent residency status of some kind. this is not so far fetched. the alien workers would have had that same option if they were anywhere else under the us flag.
whether or not that occurs i believe she still wants an end to the current guest worker program that has made the cnmi dependent on cheap foreign labor and has created a second-class of citizen that is not in anyway the american way.
if you are against her logic here than what are you really against? are you simply opposed to any partnership with the united states? would you rather be independent or associated with another nation?
the current cnmi guest worker system has lead to a huge brain drain from the cnmi. the dependence on low paid foreign labor has had catastrophic effects economically, socially and ethically.
the only people trying to chase away our local citizenry are those who embrace the current guest worker system and are fighting to retain it.
if you have an issue with her championing the oga than you must be part of the current secretive government and there is no reason for me to argue with you about it. i will say that i think all happening in our government should be public knowledge (with limited exemptions in the case of personal privacy rights). why would i want anything else? why would you?
you attack her for smiling too much. your governor attacks her for having a stomach ache since birth and not being able to smile enough. i say who cares whether someone smiles it matters not. what matters are their convictions and whether or not they give a damn about making the cnmi a better place for future generations. that i think she does.
worthless legislator? that is your assessment. you may grade them based on number of bills introduced or some other scale. i do not. i think she has done very well under the circumstances (one being, having to work with worthless legislators). we have so many laws that we are currently unsure what exactly is on the books, what is constitutional, what is repetitive, what is contradictory to other laws, etc.
she reads each and every piece of legislation that is introduced. she gets as much input from the public as she can and votes based on the merits of the bill not personal gain or back door dealings. she then informs the public of the goings on on the hill and insight into the sessions.
she has spent under $1,000 of her discretionary funds over the past 2 years... single-handedly saving taxpayers nearly $300,000.
she has raised issue with useless legislation and wasteful spending measures. she has set one heck of an example for anyone that ever cares to run for office. she has broken the traditional molds.
she not only told people that they could run for office and win without a load of money, promising jobs, a political party backing, a large family or personal guarantees of favors, she did it. she ran under those conditions and she gt elected. she set a great example and proved rather than stated that it can and now has been done.
she has educated many people on civic duty and enlightened a great number of future leaders of the cnmi through public forums, public speeches, letters, a website, personal visits, community outreach sessions, etc all in an effort to covey to others that one person can influence the direction of the cnmi.
she has since taking office, begun to change the mindset of the current ways of legislating. first and final bill passage is fewer and farther between and is now become an exception rather than the norm it was. public hearings and committee reports are also nearly always conducted and filed prior to bill passage or voting. a budget was passed for the first time in years.
she has spoken. she has voiced the concerns of many people. she has open peoples minds in a way that no politician before her ever has. she has given the island hope. she continues to do today exactly what she said she would do when she opted to run for office.
she is a shining example of what i would like to be. she is uncompromising in her rooted belief that all her decisions made should be for the betterment of the cnmi as a whole.
she is working with others in the community to ensure that a new breed of lawmakers takes the reigns. she has set an example of how it can be possible. she has paved the way for many to come.
i do not believe that to be worthless at all.
she has taken extreme criticisms and attacks. at the end of the day they old no water and are not rooted in any truth. she has shown us that we can endure the pressure that in the past caused many to break or conform to the old systems. the systems that have put our islands in the position they are in today.
we need many more people like tina sablan. the greatest thing is and the thing that i hope she knows is that there are many more out here at home and abroad that share her views and respect what she has done.
"Whether Tina's efforts to save economically oppressed foreigners are sincere or designed to gain exposure in the larger political arena remains to be seen."
maybe you should give her a ring. her efforts are not to save economically oppressed foreigners. she is concerned about our failing economy in the cnmi in general. i believe from what i have read on her site and what she has told me that she would like the alien guest workers that have been out here residing for more than 5 years legally in the cnmi to get a pathway to citizenship or long-term status of some kind. it is hard not to see someone that has worked in the cnmi for 5, 10,15, 20+ years as being anything but local. so even that would be pro-local. i think many people would like to see an end to the indentured servitude that has been allowed to occur out here. i know i do.
i would love to see the mass majority of jobs here in the cnmi held by the economically oppressed locals that you referenced rather than a second class of citizen paid extremely cheap wages. so if ending the guest worker program may achieve that than i think even in that respect she is representing her constituents well.
We need an unpaid legislature, to reduce the size of the local government, greatly reduce the judicial branch budget, improve the status of long time workers, open new flights, routes, and markets, with new carriers for tourism, eliminate article 12, and yea, elect Tina as the Governor.
Or you could call for independence, give back US passports, refuse US food stamps and aid, make a compact treaty with China, and elect Oscar Rasa for Govnah.
each representative (20 of them) gets around 130K (+/- depending on budgeting in that year) per year. each rep holds office for 2 years. that equals 260K per term or a total of $5.2 million dollars for all of them in just discretionary funding plus add an additional $300-400K per year to the speaker to distribute to committees or for other discretionary purposes and over all you are talking about close to $6 million in DISCRETIONARY FUNDING per term for the HOUSE ALONE (not including their personal salaries that equal an additional $1.4 million per term.)
$6 million is not chunk change and would be able to go pretty far in reviving this economy is used properly. instead we give it willingly to 20 reps to disburse.
they use solely their own individual discretion to determine who should get any of this money. they decide if one school deserves a "donation" from their discretionary pot over all the other schools. they decide if one non-profit deserves a donation of money over the others. they decided if one constituent deserves their cuc bill paid over another. they decide to build tables with this money and decide who's party gets a table over another. they decide who's child should receive their money to go off for medical referral over another child.
and on and on.
why?
why aren't these funds put into the general fund and budgeted properly to the agencies responsible for public services?
why do we WASTE these funds by putting them into the hands of our politicians?
the legislative bureau was created to assist the legislature and to proved the needed manpower and legislative expertise in order to function. the lb has a budget and maintains a staff.
save the at bare least cnmi $6 million a year and cut the discretionary funds in the next budget.
now turn to the senate and the 9 people that also use an additional $3.5 million every two years in discretionary funds. now turn to the mayor's office. do the same thing - cut his budget. now turn to the administration - cut his budget. municipal council - cut their budget. semi autonomous agencies - cut their budgets.
with these cuts in two years you would look at saving the cnmi around $60 million dollars.
talk about cutting costs. the first step (the $6 million and $3.5 million in the legislature) can be done very simply and very quickly with no new law needed.
nearly $10 million savings from one simple thing ----
---- your representative not spending their discretionary funds.
too much to ask from someone that you elected to serve the needs of the community?
i think not.
joe "we need revenue generating bills" camacho,
what about becoming -
joe "i personally saved the cnmi $300,000" camacho?
what of the rest of you on the hill?
so easy for you to increase fees and raise taxes of your constituents.
why not do what YOU personally can DO to save our cnmi much needed money and allocate it properly?
How much of the retirees' money has been paid to Joe Camacho's wife as attorney fees since this case began in 2006?
$200K? $400K?
Has the NMIRF Board Chair been delegated sole authority to make such decisions? How much of this retiree money being diverted by the Chair is eventually making its way back to his campaign?
John "Bolis" Gonzales is smarter than Tina and Kalili put together.
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