The road to prosperity—Part II

Before we begin our journey to prosperity, we have to face some truths about who we are, what we think, where we want to go, how to get there and a multitude of other questions. Unless we accept these truths, we cannot make any progressive realization towards worthy goals. We must undergo a catharsis of our feelings. We must cleanse our thoughts and begin anew.

The past has brought us only temporary prosperity. It vanished as quickly as it came. Only a few profited from it. Little of it trickled down to us. Also as a result of how it was handled, it has made many of us poorer and more depressed about life in these lovely islands. Let me explain.

The world—and the CNMI—are very different from the late sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties and yes, even a year ago. No longer is it possible to hide actions or avoid disclosure. Instant communication with photographs, text and speech, internet transmission, cell phones, and all the other technology have put us under a microscope. We are no longer an island isolated from the rest of the world. We are part of the modern world. Like it or not.

When are we going to accept this new role and stop acting as though the world owes us a living? When are we going to grow up and act as a nation that is willing to help itself and accept the fact that no one will help us unless we help ourselves? When are going to stop asking for handouts from the United States? Have we no shame? No pride?

One of the sad things I have noted in most of the nine candidates’ quest to become the first non-voting delegate to Washington is that most of them sing the same tune: “I am going to seek more money for us. We deserve it and by golly I am going to beg for it.” Instead why not ask the U.S. Government to teach us how to farm and how to fish for our food.

Remember the saying: “Teach a man how to fish or how to farm and he will never go hungry.” In other words, we should ask that the U.S. help us to become business people and how to operate our own shops and restore our economy.

It is estimated that there are still 18,000 nonresident workers here. Using an average pay of $800 per month times 18,000 workers equals $14,400,000 per month. Times this by 12 months and it equals $172,000,000 annually earned by nonresident workers. From this amount over $100,000,000 is remitted home and lost to our economy. To make matters worse we allow foreign labor to take away our jobs while also foolishly allowing over $100,000,000 to be remitted out of our country yearly which helps to drain our low economy even more.

Imagine having an extra $100,000,000 circulating around in banks for us to borrow, to build new homes and to buy things we so desperately need. In economics we are taught that the multiplier effect would swell this amount to over $800,000,000 as it circulates throughout our community. Wow! What a mind blowing concept!

Frankly speaking, we are as poor as a Third World Nation. We have no middle class. We are divided into two classes—the haves and the have nots. The closest we come to a middle class is a pampered subsidized mainly unskilled government workforce. Nepotism rears its ugly head in the CNMI daily. Woe to you if you are not in the “in-group.” And all of this is propped up by a non-resident workforce which keeps the rest of us from wanting to become educated and skilled workers. As a result we remain in a state of poverty.

According to a recent census, there are about 16,000 households in the CNMI.
A. 28 percent or 4,480 families earn less than $10,000 per year.
B. 29 percent or 4,640 families earn less than $20,000 per year.
C. 13 percent or 2,080 families earn less than $30,000.
D. 20 percent or 3,200 families earn less than $60,000 per year.
E. Only 10 percent or 1,600 families earn an income of $60,000 or more per year.

Remember these sums are before taxes and before any other deductions are made. Thus the net take home pay is at least 10 percent less. The first three categories—28 percent + 29 percent + 13 percent add up to a whooping 70% of our families live at or below the poverty level. To use the measure of the United States, if an individual earns less than $8,000 per year and a family of four earns less than $18,000 per year, they are considered to be below the poverty level.

We have created a monster which has robbed us under false pretenses. Over the years we have allowed ourselves to be edged out of the workplace by cheap labor. We can change this if we begin in earnest by educating ourselves and learning a skill.

When a foreign investor comes in, we should be the first to be hired. But we must be able to do the job, not merely because we are locals. We should be able to own and operate our own small businesses, not because we are locals, but because we are trained to.

As the late Earl Nightingale always said: “You are, at this moment, standing, right in the middle of your own acres of diamonds.” We do not have natural resources, but we can have skilled people who can produce more prosperity than any natural resources can.

Recall that several months ago I wrote about the plight of Nauru. Once rich in phosphate and as a result of that, for awhile, each resident enjoyed a high income. But now the phosphate is gone and the people never learned any skills. As a result Nauru is bankrupt having lost all its investments and is burdened with about 90 percent unemployment. Read its current history and weep.

A similar thing has happened to us but with a slight twist. We employed nonresident workers during the garment industry boom and enjoyed a brief economic high. But alas this is all has come to an end. The balloon has burst, and we have nothing to show for it except the same unskilled and poor residents. What benefits trickled down to help us?

Unless we learn the skills and trades needed to cultivate our own country, we will suffer the same fate as Nauru. We still have time. But like a sick person, no matter what the doctor says to help him and no matter what medicine he takes, unless he has the will and firm desire to get well, he never will.

Let us have the will to learn a trade. I guarantee you; we will have jobs and a good income for a lifetime. But the most exciting of it all is that we will have created it with our own hands.

Consider countries like Singapore, Japan, Korea, and Switzerland that have little or no natural resources. But they all enjoy one thing in common—a highly educated and skilled populace with a high economic life.

I implore the youth of our country to think differently. Study hard, learn skills. Opportunities will be waiting for those that do. If we value our heritage, stay and help rebuild our economy again. There are undiscovered diamonds under our feet. Become the shop owners and the service people. Become innovative and lead us to new heights.

Recall the quote by Napoleon Hill in his book Think and Grow Rich: “What the mind of man can conceive and believe, he can achieve.”

As I close for this week, I hope I am getting you to think: “Yes, I can and will do it!” God bless you. Let’s continue our discussion next week. Have a great day.