Casino: A terrible deal!

The Saipan casino law is terribly shortsighted as it literally sold the islands and our people for 30 pieces of silver. This is the work of evil geniuses of pro-casino legislators and the governor.
The Inos, Guerrero, Hocog, Demapan, and Torres cabal are convinced the $30 million is the value of the island and our people. It is their savior to save the Fund. But the settlement agreement requires $50 million annually to pay retirees, true? Isn’t there a shortfall of $20 million? What happens to retirees’ paychecks after 2015?

The governor and his running mate were in Hong Kong in search of investors. Isn’t this the role and duty of the gaming commission? Why would you people pre-empt the commission from doing its work?

Do you realize that your trip raised more suspicion than trust and confidence? Why the spouts that applicants weren’t the ones you met? Then whom did you meet and who handed you the casino law so crafted to meet their corrupt whims?

There’s the Latin term “gravitas” which simply means “the dignity of leadership.” It’s all about recognizing the seriousness of the issue at hand with a strong sense of responsibility that doesn’t give into frivolous behavior or excessive levity.

Why would you actively seek alleged professionals on casino from Hong Kong and Macau? In short, why bring the fox to guard the chicken coop or people who are in bed with so-called investors? Whatever happened to common sense in this case?

Moreover, the CNMI is a permanent part of the U.S. Is there fear bringing real experts from the Nevada Gaming Commission? How many of you have a clear understanding of what “soft” and “hard” counting entails? It’s the most important aspect in any casino operation and is it something you wish to leave in complete abandon? Isn’t this where we figure out taxes and how much must go into the local government coffers?

The national average on casino taxes and elsewhere is about 37 percent. Why are you charging only 17 percent? Why are we openly ignoring the very aspect in real time revenue generation? Isn’t this the goal—make more money—where Vegas, Macau, Singapore, and South Korea make its money? You seem lost in fees or bread crumbs!

When you turn yourself into slaves of people with money, it seems very clear how easily your knees buckle as to ignore the needs of your people. Are the island and its people worth only 30 pieces of silver? Is this your ultimate display of disorientation, shortsightedness and loss of your “true north”?

Caveat: For investors please do your “due diligence” and take note that by month’s end there would be over 5,000 signatures to place the casino law on the ballot for complete repeal. We will guarantee you the final death of casino once and for all. Do you still wish to remit your $30 million?

If we follow your mindset, it seems that for every fiscal malady or shortfall here, we should scrounge up more casinos to meet revenues going south. Imagine how many casinos would be needed to take care of CUC’s $64 million court adjudicated fine, the Fund’s $700 million unfunded liability; more than $200 million if we float pension bond obligation; $23 million in government utility bills; CHC’s $500,000 monthly utility bill; $6.5 million annually to cover Medicaid when it runs out of funds; $13 million owed DB members; and other obligations. Shortsighted!

With more debts than the much promoted monetary savior from casino, this activity would definitely prompt corruption given that the law is simply a woefully terrible deal for the islands and its people. I’m appalled that they have the gall to sell our islands and people for 30 pieces of silver! It’s far from being the real answer to the bankruptcy of the local government. Sign the petition to repeal this law and let’s show the half-cocked elite on the hill that we treasure and are ever mindful of the future of our children! Let’s repeal casino. Better safe than sorry!

Juggling trivia

When CNMI hotel employees are paid $5.50 an hour and must still head to NAP Office for food stamps, what does this tell you? Isn’t this a form of federal subsidy for the hotels? It’s no rocket science stuff either, discerning that at day’s end it’s a federal subsidy!

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Then hoteliers start spouting we need more hotel rooms. Yet we can’t replace the 10,000 foreign workers with warm bodied U.S. citizens? Placing 2,000 more rooms translates into 5,000-plus more jobs, most of which would go to foreign workers. Something’s amiss here and “planning” doesn’t seem to be on our radar screen.

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Cliven Bundy, the Nevada cattle rancher all his life (and a family history as ranchers for nearly a century) never backed off the Bureau of Land Management’s attempt to chase him off from grazing public land. The feds pulled back out for fear of mounting support for the Bundy family.

The feud shows an oppressive federal government boasting of an overreach to intimidate citizens. The U.S. Constitution didn’t authorize the federal government from any form of land ownership. So what’s BML trying to secure without ownership?

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Rev. Al Sharpton has redefined Easter to mean the resurrection of Obama. Dumb! Is the Holy Bible about Obama or Christ? I suppose this is one time when I could settle for premeditated stupidity! He’s the most racially pulverizing promoter of racism designed to hail left wing agenda. Mr. Sharpton, we’re not as stupid as you are, sir!

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Appalling how the IRS has spent $2.8 million giving its employees bonuses for doing regular task. Isn’t it their job to collect taxes? Isn’t it also their responsibility to pay their share of taxes? Why would the IRS reward employees who failed to pay their own taxes? Insane!

John DelRosario Jr. is a former publisher of the Saipan Tribune and a former secretary of the Department of Public Lands.