Of CUC and Shutdowns...

Ming Palace shuts down, so they told us.

The ire of CUC bills have been plaguing establishments in the CNMI.

This renowned 24-hour diner griped about the utility bills that soared from $4,500 to over $9,000 just for one restaurant. The manager shared that the management has exhausted all cost-saving measures for the store. "I don't even know now which lights to turn off since most of them are," the manager said. The management said, it has been the worst the store has faced since its existence on Saipan. Then, the manager walked down the memory lane during the golden days of the CNMI. The management said it wouldn't want to raise the prices of the food in the restaurant because it knows that the people have lesser purchasing power nowadays.

Another establishment, a department store, will be downsizing and reducing its store area. The management has cleaned up the owner's backyard where the store will keep stocks et. al. The owner said the bill is just killing the business gradually. Thus, before it dies out, the management decided to reduce the store area and rent just one little space to make it work.

A little hotel used to pay $7,000 for CUC power. Then the management decided to use generator at night again to save from the grueling power bills. The AC's are on at night for the tenant's sleeping pleasure. Then in the morning they use CUC power. At first some pencil pushing saw the potential savings the hotel could reap from the measure, however, the little hotel's current power bill reached to a staggering $10,000 for last month's usage. The owner fainted in disbelief. The hotel had to pay the CUC bill plus the fuel for generators.

A small home or apartment tenant was happy to live in a building with generator. The owner of the building does not charge extra for generator. That should make the tenant happy. Last month usage reached 590 kwh for 31 days. The total bill due was around $160. Due to intermittent power outage, the tenant thought of saving a little because of the generator. New CUC bill came with less usage for the month which was 544 kwh. However, the tenant's bill was $210.

So much stories to tell out there...

So what's yours?

Who reads government newsletters, anyway?

This cash-strapped government can do away with newsletters regularly published by government agencies and offices. These newsletters are just gathering dust on government shelves, reception areas and offices. See for yourself.

The money spent on paper and printing press services should have been better spent on more critical government services like health and safety. The time and effort spent by government employees in compiling materials for these newsletters should have been spent on more critical tasks. What do these newsletters contain anyway? Portions of these newsletters were lifted from the Internet, like tips on how to do this and that. Other more important information like new government services, equipment, office, new hires and so-called "accomplishments" can be printed instead on a piece of paper and posted on government or commercial establishments' bulletin boards. Why need to print a newsletter that's costing thousands of dollars? If the information are that critical, why not tap into the mainstream media for press releases, news coverages or letters to the editor? If these newsletters would only carry the photos of government parties or workshops, it seems there is a real disregard for helping the government save its limited resources.

If this government is serious in cutting unnecessary spending, then the printing of newsletters should be reduced if not totally eliminated. Why not?