I think I can! I think I can! Yes, I can!

Once upon a time there was a little railroad train engine that was employed in a station yard for minor work such as pulling a few cars on and off the switches. One morning it was waiting for the next call when a long train of freight cars was needed to be pulled over an unusually heavy grade before it could reach its destination. The superintendent of the yard was not sure what was best for him to do, so he went up to a large strong engine and asked: “Can you pull that train over the hill?”

“I can’t; that is too much a pull for me,” said the great engine built for hard work. Then the superintendent asked another engine. “Can’t you see I am through with my day’s work? Ask someone else.” Then he asked another engine only to hear: “I have just come from a long, long run. Don’t you see how tired I am? Find someone else.”

He heard excuse after excuse and was repeatedly refused. At last in desperation the superintendent asked the little switch engine if he could pull the long train of cars up the hill and down to the other side. “I think I can,” puffed the little locomotive and put itself in front of the great heavy train.

As it went on the little engine kept bravely puffing faster and faster, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.” Then as it neared the top of the grade, that had so discouraged the larger engines, it went more slowly, but still kept saying, “I-think-I-can-I-think-I-can-I -think-I-can!”

Higher and higher it climbed, and its voice grew fainter and its words came slower: “I-think-I-can -I-think-I-can.” It was almost at the top: “I-think-,” It was at the top: “I-can.”

It passed over the top of the hill and began crawling down the opposite side. It had reached the top by dint of its brave effort and then went on down the grade, congratulating itself:

“I thought I could, I thought I could. I did it!”

This children’s story has always been one of my favorites. But by now you must surely be thinking what has gotten into me for telling you this children’s story dating back to 1906. What has this got to do with us and the problems we are facing in the CNMI?

Simply put: To think of hard things and say, “I can’t” is sure to mean “Nothing will be done.” To refuse to be daunted and insist on saying, “I think I can,” is to make sure of being able to triumphantly say by and by, “I thought I could, I thought I could. I did it!”

Daily I see the fear of defeat and depression in the faces of my fellow citizens. I feel their pain. Our economy has sunken to great depths and no one seems to have any really constructive solutions about what to do. Whether I am just naïve or maybe just dumb, I truly believe that “We can! We can!” if we think that we can and are willing to make the necessary sacrifices just like the little engine did.

The following suggestions are made to help us understand that if we want to improve our economy, we must be like the little engine and puff long and hard to make it happen. I am not professing to be a mister-know-it-all, but the following are some ways that we can begin to help ourselves.

But are we willing to puff and puff until we get over the hill? It will take courage and understanding, but we can do it. What is the alternative? Are we waiting for our local government to help us? It is a bankrupt. Are we waiting for the federal government to do it? It has its own immense problems.

I look around and see all the fallow land waiting to be cultivated and bear a bounty of fruits and vegetables. Here we have acres of diamonds yet we refuse to cultivate them. Meanwhile our neighbor Guam continues to import all its needs from the distant United States. For some strange reason we fail to see that being only a minutes away, we can easily fill Guam’s food basket.

As I travel over the highways, I see road construction and sewer repairs being undertaken. But I fail to see any local hires. The only employees I notice are non-resident workers. When I visit the hotels and major restaurants, I am greeted and waited on by nonresident workers. This is a typical scene in almost any business. Where are our people? Are they too busy lining up for food stamps?

We have over 11,600 USCW1 workers that have applied for permission to continue working here; meanwhile our unemployment rate stays at a staggering high. Why can’t we pass a law and enforce it that the majority of workers in many businesses must be local hires?

Do we need all the public sector employees receiving only 64 hours per pay period when many could be transferred to the private sector to replace the nonresident workers? In the private sector they would receive 80 hours and the remaining public workers would then receive also 80 hours. Is this possible or am I just naïve?

You can surely think of other ways to help ourselves. But have we become so emasculated over the years from receiving entitlements so that now we demand them while scorning hard work? Yes, it will take a lot of huffing and puffing of “I think I can, I think I can.” But unless we do, we will remain in the depression we are in.

Here is another little story about self-help. In a certain town, a flood occurred. As the water began to rise higher and higher, one man climbed to a rooftop and pleaded with God to save him. Shortly a power boat came by and offered to save him. But the man waved it away yelling that God was going to save him.

A few minutes later a helicopter flew close by and waved to the man to climb the ladder it had lowered for him. But again the man waived the helicopter away. The water continued to rise and finally the man drowned.

As he approached heaven he spotted God standing nearby. He yelled to God:” I pleaded to you to save me. Why didn’t you do it?” God looked at him and sternly replied: “I sent a powerboat to save you, but you waved it away. Later I sent a helicopter and again you waved it away. What did you want me to do-come down personally and save you?” Aren’t we pretty much in the same category? Who are we waiting for to save us?

Forgive me for preaching but it’s just that I want our community to exert itself more than it is. We must firmly realize that we have the means within our hands to change our community if we truly wish.

Let me sign off by citing a few memorable quotes: “Diamonds are only chunks of coal that stuck to their job.” (Richard Smith)

“Retirement kills more people than hard work.” (Malcolm Forbes)

“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have if it.” (Thomas Jefferson)

Remember a SMILE on your face is worth more than in your pocket. Share your bright SMILE with everyone you meet this week. Let’s make it SMILE WEEK!

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Pellegrino is a longtime businessman in the CNMI and the former president of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce.