Horrendous cost of utilities

The day H-Mart on Middle Road put up shutters, it re-echoed the sentiment of other midsize and large investors who did the same due to the prohibitive cost of utilities here. H-Mart noted having to work up nearly all its profit to pay CUC some $10K per month. No wonder larger investors put up their shutters earlier, saying “it’s no longer profitable doing business in the NMI.”

That it is “no longer profitable” doing business here is another bad omen for any and all efforts to revive foreign investment or the local economy. This as the big blue boys sit in their offices dazed at the largess of years of neglect. It must be one humongous agenda trying to figure out which of the dinky laws they’ve passed have contributed to the current contraction of business here. Turns most elected folks intoning, “When it’s sleepy time in paradise.”

Other than struggling businesses, all consumers too have been saddled with the wrath of merciless surcharge fees. For those billed over $1,000 per month, failure to pay means immediate disconnection. All family income is literally funneled for utilities as though it is the sole family obligation. Just as you pay off the current month of over $1,000 you start chasing down more nickels and dimes to try meeting next month’s bill. It’s woefully difficult that includes disconnection even for those receiving housing assistance.

Mirrored against the Fund’s plans to cut pension and disabilities from recipients and piled with the reluctance of the administration to work synergistically with Kilili’s office to increase nutritional assistance, it makes one wonder if paradise has in fact descended into a complete hellish hole for all. If you will, the character of SNAP has changed over the years. It is basically “supplemental” even for the working class.

Too, we can’t ignore how the business sector fares in all these. In other words, if the balance of the business community doesn’t expand beyond borderline shuttering of operations, you can rest assured that revenue generation would head Deeper South than we’re wiling to admit. Obviously, the culprit is in the surcharge, combined with anti-business or investment laws. It’s okay, you can devour your next bone soup, but please spare us being caught snoozing on the job.

Occasionally, I would remind leadership of the story about a once rich family that splurged their largess in one too many barbecues. They woke up one morning to find out that they’ve spent every penny in their bank account. It was a hard reality to accept after almost a year of wasteful spending.

And so the mom checked the rice container to cook lunch. There’s only three grains of rice in it. She picked them up and made the famous Pacific Soup in a huge pot. That was the only thing available for the entire family. A decision was made to bring everyone to the table so everybody slurps rice soup.

Each slurps his or her share of soup while watching the person next to him to ensure he doesn’t gobble any of the three grains of rice basically mashed and mixed into the soup after several hours on the stove. We too have splurged in style like there’s no tomorrow. So everybody is now watching how the Legislature divvies the soup without any of the three grains of rice in our small bowl. A’ Saina ayuda ham!

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We’ve gone through civics classes learning the first principles upon which our country was founded. One principle stands out as most prominent: The right to life and other rights as derivatives of the principle rights.

We also learned about equality amongst the multi-layered melting pot of our country. It represents the moral commitment of fellow citizens to protect individual rights to own property. It is one of our Bill of Rights. But we ran aground on this issue of citizens’ rights to own property in our own constitution known as Article 12.

It now brings you closer to reality check in your moral obligation to protecting the “equal” rights for all U.S. citizens! Article 12 puts us to a test whether we really understand the essence of the first principles, a pre-requisite to fostering harmony right here at home.

It is our collective responsibility as citizens to reconcile the obvious contradiction under Article 12 that denies other citizens their right to own property. It’s called “equality.” I’d like to note too that landownership (upon repeal of Article 12) still limits it to citizens of the U.S. Foreigners can’t own land here, pure and simple.

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The argument to impose accountability and punishment in how legislators spend the $5,000 subsistence allowance is a move closer to ascertaining the strengthening of self-government in the NMI. Anybody who disagrees with it must resign forthwith. It goes to illustrate in no uncertain terms that you’re into policymaking quite ignorant that your sacred document reigns supreme over legislative rules.

The woefully generous subsistence allowance is a pipe dream for taxpayers all over the economically stricken archipelago. Perhaps this explains the acquired arrogance by imbecilic lawmakers who refuse to be made accountable in how they spend public funds. That we no longer have a lumpy budget, the alternative is to rent two four-bedroom apartments and require them to live together like students live in dormitories. It’s the right thing to do! Now!

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[I] Delrosario is a regular contributor to the [/I]Saipan Tribune’[I]s Opinion Section[/I]