Elites in government

The “Island Elites” are running the CNMI. Who are these “Elites,” generally speaking they are many of our elected officials that have found a home in government. Do not misunderstand me, I do not feel that all of our elected officials are “Elites” We have many good people serving the public, but there is a group that feel they are elite and those are the ones that I want to talk about. The CNMI is not alone, just look at Washington, D.C., it is full of Elites. The Elites are people who carry an air of superiority they feel that they are smarter than the folks. They hold their head higher and look down on the rest of us. They sit in meetings with a lot of papers in front of them and look intelligent, and important. When I look at them it seems that they are actors on a stage, only following a script, doing what they are told by their “leadership.” This attitude made me feel sad. Why is it that when someone gets elected to a public office they seem to feel that they are better than the rest of us. They work for us, we are not their servants! I want to give your readers some examples of “Elite Characteristics”

1. I have attended many of the legislature meetings. When our legislators come into the meeting, many are often late, carrying many papers, books and laptops. They take their positions behind their microphones and adjust their seating. They look good, even smart! Some may shortly take a nap, others sort through their papers finding trade journals, and newspapers that they read during the meeting. I have seen some use their laptops to shop on line. They look at each other and tell insider jokes, some at the expense of the public, or someone that has been critical about them. When votes are taken the legislators look at each other to see who is voting for or against an issue, they do not want to be out of step with their leadership. When a member tries to lead the meeting agenda, the “old sticking nail”, syndrome takes over and the other legislators try to slap down that member. I have seen this happen many times, for example; Tina Sablan often came to meetings ahead of time, well prepared and asked good questions, but the other members would not even give her their attention. I often felt sorry for the members that really tried to get something done. Major problems were not addressed in a serious way. Resolutions on naming roads, or giving credit to someone long dead took more attention than for example, discussing taking CUC private. These legislative meetings must change to be taken very seriously, members must come prepared by fully studying the issues in depth, have held relevant public hearings and to be prepared to debate the issues and not just following what the “leadership” or what the “Governors men” want. I wish they would take questions from the public but they do not. I feel that they really do not want the public to attend their meetings because they do not like being “exposed”

2. Casino’s have taken too much of our elite leaders time. They all seem to be involved but know nothing about the details of the issue or the opportunity. The people of Saipan have said NO two times to casinos over a period of years. The people are the boss, not the Legislators, the latter need to learn this fact and if they cannot change their opinion which is against the will of the people, they should resign ASAP! There is market research, social and economic studies available regarding casinos. Have our legislators read these? I have read a few and there are real problems with casinos that would not be good for the CNMI. Where do the Churches stand, I never hear any public comment from them. The children of the CNMI will suffer because of the conflicts casinos bring to homes and families. The people know this! Our elite legislators and Governor know this fact all they have to do is read. Casinos are not a quick fix for our problems, they are a new business development and it takes years to realize any financial benefits for the people. This fact is not rocket science and should be easily understood even by the “elites”.

3. The elites of the CNMI seem to believe that the public is uninformed and naive. This might be true for some because of our location and interests. I want to give you a real example. Several years ago a candidate running for public office in Saipan listed his accomplishments in his campaign literature. On his list was: “Voted International Business Man of the Year”. His name was listed in a book which was published in Hong Kong. The story that went with this book is that he was being recognized by a distinguished group of international leaders to receive this award. The truth is he paid $25 to get his name in the book. I had received advertisements from the same book company asking me to send in $25 to get my name listed, I did not because it had no meaning. I laughed when I saw this in his campaign literature. The sad thing about this was that voters may have believed what they read. Some of our leaders seem to think that they can “pull the wool over the eyes of the voters”. Perhaps they can!! That may be the reasons we see such grandiose numbers coming from our elite leaders for projects they sponsor that always seem to fail or just fade away. We cannot believe or trust our public officials without testing them and their claims. How long will we be fooled? The voters need to select “real leaders” that can be trusted to tell the truth and be open about what they are proposing. Right now it is hard for me to believe anyone on Capital Hill. Our Government has lost the confidence of the people that they serve. We need change that starts by how we vote at the ballot box