Thank you, Salvation Army

I just returned from the Saturday morning breakfast in Chalan Piao, where I counted 36 children and 15 adults having breakfast: eggs, hamburger patty, rice, and coffee or juice. I applaud the Salvation Army staff, all the volunteers, and others that make this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday breakfast and lunch possible. Thank you also to the local businesses that provide basic food and other necessities to the less fortunate in our community.

If you had elected qualified politicians instead of your unqualified relatives since 1978, you wouldn’t need this service, Article 12, or casinos in the CNMI. Even now, more than 35 years later, governors are still appointing the same unqualified people to the same positions or rotating them to different departments, their only qualifications being, as far as I can tell, that they are loyal and they are NMDs. When a really qualified young person comes back from a good overseas school with a bachelor’s in English or master’s degree in business administration, they are shuttled off to places like the library or NMHC where their degrees have absolutely no relevance. Could it be that they are so much smarter, modern, and the bearer of new ideas that the old, arrogant, antiquated department heads feel threatened and don’t want them to show them up for the political lackeys they are? I certainly don’t know but I do know this is happening.

Elections are coming up and it’s going to be another turkey shoot. I will be taking apart each ticket in the coming weeks so you can at least know that your uncle is or is not the most qualified candidate. Tradition will dictate that you have to vote for him of course, because he’s your uncle but when everything gets messy again, you will have an idea why. That’s for you over 40’s. For those of you under 39, this would be a great time to break with tradition, which has given you 36 years of almost unbroken corruption. Yes, corruption, folks, also nepotism, cronyism, Yakuza, the Korean mob, rich guys buying politicos, shady deals made at night and junkets for almost every government high official exemplified by the recent trip to Macau by “unnamed government officials” and an almost instant casino bill when they got back. This is the primary reason Garapan has no sidewalks, drainage, streetlights, zoning or other amenities most “tourist destinations” have. It’s cheaper for tourists to go to Guam than come here. I wonder why?
Break with tradition, vote for the most qualified candidate. Watch the paper, I will give you a full, unbiased report on all four slates, all eight people, in the coming weeks.

Gary DuBrall
Chalan Piao, Saipan