Debate Highlights:
1. CUC is broken - Juan Pan
2. CUC "was" broken, not anymore - Gov. Fitial
3. Lt. Gov. candidate Dr. David Borja present not his running mate.
4. Borja said "right fuel" should be acquired for CUC.
5. Borja's team to kill fuel surcharge.
6. Fitial said his current admin "allocates over 20 percent of the general fund to primary and secondary education, a lot more than the 15 percent mandated by the Constitution."
7. Juan Pan questioned otherwise.
8. Heinz dug up for the CNMI and US DEA relations.
9. Fitial said there's a misunderstanding there.
10. Fitial said DEA is stricter due to local enforcers' involvement.
11. Guerrero agreed with Fitial but to avoid "politicking."
12. Heinz said to bring the "Hafa Adai" spirit in this economy.
13. Candidates said teen pregnancy is the most pressing youth issue.
This time the candidates were seated. I don't think some candidates' knees could take the "debate" standing anymore...
Full story here.
22 comments:
Kumoi didn't even show up? What a farce. Ask Kumoi about his "overtime" he got while at CUC.
Farce could be defined as Ben Fitial asking the people here for another term in office. He didn't even have the guts to get rid of the felonious Lt. Guv and paid him throughout...what a F%6&ing joke.
So we all agree No 2 Kumoi and Ben-tan is finished. Juan Pan played with the retirement fund like it was his own dough and is partnered with Willie Tan and Komodo the Dragon.
Not to change the subject, but how much will the boat go for?
Local Kagman High School political science question:
What do the three main political parties have in common?
They all bake bread.
Nice one, Ed. Spoken like a true HA guy.
Ben picked Tim for his CUC leadership, Vice-Speakership experience, technical competence, and family voting bloc support. Ben had no way of predicting this conviction years in advance. Tim was obviously secretive in those actions.
As for “getting rid of” Tim, it's the Legislature who impeaches someone, not the Governor.
So much for voting for legislators Heinz, Arnold, or Joe Camacho. HA!
There should have been a straw voting after the forum/debate among the participants to determine who's the choice to lead.
Noni @ 4:15pm said, "Ben picked Tim for his CUC leadership, Vice-Speakership experience, technical competence, and family voting bloc support. Ben had no way of predicting this conviction years in advance. Tim was obviously secretive in those actions."
While it may be true that Ben had "no way of predicting" Tim's conviction, that doesn't translate into Ben also having "no way of knowing" the depths of corruption at CUC under Tim's watch.
I wouldn't be surprised if Ben's hand was also in the CUC cookie jar. His comments praising Tim in the aftermath of Tim's conviction would make a whole lot more sense -- Tim must have dirt on him.
Who is Ben Stinkial lying to? Only stupid people believe Covenant lies. How many power outages in the past week and Aggreko is still here. Imagine when Aggreko leaves. Back to darkness and load-shitting.
Vote for Big Stinky Ben if you want four more years of corruption.
How quickly people forget how bad things were at CUC were one to two years ago. Do a search on the Saipan Tribune website or Ed Propst's blog.
Tony Muna has done an amazing job at CUC. Sure, there will still be problems with the distribution system -- the initial focus was on the generation system. But overall it's like night and day.
This is Ben's greatest executive management leadership skill -- finding and motivating good, honest, and competent people, then supporting them as they make slow but steady progress.
Sure, in retrospect Tim V. was a mistake, but with the endemic corruption in our political class, there will always be a few crooks who slip through.
Ben is not one of them. He is as honest as the day is long, pouring himself out for the sake of his people. What material need does he have for more money?
One can almost prove by pure logic that he was not involved in Tim's CUC embezzlement. First, it was his own OAG that made the referral to the FBI. Second, Tim had already announced he wasn't running with Ben in 2009. If he had any dirt on Ben to get a lighter sentence, he would use it, like Zachares, Abramoff, and all the rest. He can't, because Ben's clean as a whistle. Third, Ben is being sympathetic to Tim so as not to alienate his family voting bloc -- just like almost all the Legislature except the idealistic and well-intentioned Tina Sablan.
For the sake of good governance, Ben should be reelected, followed by Heinz in 2013, and Tina down the road after she's at least 35.
Let it BE!
noni 10:20PM
You are out of your mind!
Every statement you just made can be refuted with a barrage of responses that will make Ben look the bufoon and clown he and his "Special Asisstants to the Governor" are.
You go back and read the local blogs for this past year....It's not "Better Times" it's "Better Crimes"
It's easy to generalize, but facts are facts.
Fortunately the CNMI's fate is decided not only by bloggers, but by all the people.
Can somebody please tell me what the other candidates will do to improve the present situations?
Stop this vote for me BS, please! Let us hear your no-nonsense plans!
Kumoi, please stop lying about the EIC and the Surcharge. We know that these two cost money and we would like to know how you intend to finance these two issues you are promising voters! EIC cost money...We the taxpayers will fund this! If you kill the CUC surcharge, then how do you intend to finance the differences?? Converting back to Bunker Fuel is a good idea, but how do you intend to tackle the issue? Funding and US EPA concerns?
All in all, I still believe that Fitial has the best realistic plan.
We are still receiving our paychecks; no mass layoffs; we have a stable power..what can we expect with the little money the government has! PLEASE EDUCATE ME!!
Take it easy... it's a CNMI election. Lot's of pomp and loud noises from a bunch of gout stricken diabetic political re-treads, all trying to out do each other in their religious avoidance of any issues of substance.
It'll be over soon enough and we can all go back to our downward spiral.
The really sad thing about this gubernatorial election is none of the candidates are worth voting for! We have to contend with either:
1) the status quo,
2) Napoleon Bonaparte,
3) Kumoi and his has been ideas,
4) Juan Pan and his god complex
Boy, what a choice!!
downward spiral. LOL! Goose, you are funny but so rite on! let the misery continue.
Please do a post on the illustrious Carmen Fernandes NMC President for life.
This wench is firing every persons who file grievances or badmouthed her. The performance of these instructor and staffs were never question.
Why also Dr. Deborah Cabrera left? She is the one with key staffs did all the accrediation works.
And now Carmen is hiring all political hire.
This Board of Regent Charlie Cepeda need to go back to school because he don't fire her but gave her four years contract? Why?
back to school? charles never went to school.
7 years for Tim?
Tim got 87 months, which equals 7 years, 3 months.
His brother-in-law James Santos was sentenced to 78 months, or 6 years, 6 six months.
Did they steal his boat as well?
What is the difference in CNMI political parties?
a) food
b) platform
c) sign color
d) slogan
e) c & d < hint e is correct
The last couple comments on unheard are pretty good!
By the time he pays restitution of 348k and pays his hapless 500. an hour council, he will be broke.
Most wanted Tim to get more time but he got more than Abramoff and 87 months is 2640 nights with a possible reduction of about 340 nights for a total of 2300 nights that he will nOT be fishing on that beautiful boat.
The crime was simple theft, but their conduct and lack of remorse warranted a long term. Had they plead guilty, apologized, and cooperated; they would have got 18 months.
Our Congress, Tim, and Mr. Santos turn out to be the scum. I can't believe Santos and Tim are letting their wife & sister go down. If Santos had a shred of class, he would have told the prosecutors early that he would testify and cooperate, but his wife was afraid and followed orders and was innocent. For that, a man of principle would have taken for 20 plus years. Now his minor child loses both parents. Are these the kind of people that our Congress protected and asked for leniency?????????
The GOP here should have second thoughts putting Reyes and those people in a newspaper ad.
August 6, 2009 8:54 AM
Anonymous said...
"An old wise man" hit the nail on the head. The CNMI appears to have reached the point where public officials are either corrupt or condone the actions of convicted felons! Tim and James should have taken the high road, admitted their guilt, expressed some remorse and cut a deal which would have resulted in no prison for Kinai. Instead, the scumbags tried to save their sorry asses. The members of Congress who wrote letters of support should be ashamed of themselves!They should apologize to the many less fortunate who had their water and power shut off while Tim and James enjoyed the benefits of their scam!
August 6, 2009 9:54 AM
Anonymous said...
Remember this when it's time to cast a vote. Any elected official who would write a letter supporting these actions should NOT be in office.
August 6, 2009 11:38 AM
Criminal Defense Lawyer said...
Pete P. Reyes is indeed quite shameless.
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