Hasty decision on Romney

The local GOP was quick throwing its endorsement behind Governor Mitt Romney, the frontrunner among national GOP presidential bets. Such decision was celebrated with seemingly irrational exuberance as though Romney is now the presumptive GOP presidential candidate.

Yes, Romney may be ahead of the group but “he has not demonstrated the ability to win a race without vastly outspending his opponents, often by 5-to-1 and even 12-to-1. He will not enjoy this luxury against the sitting president and the billion-dollar Obama machine,” according to Dr. Milton R. Wolf, a Washington Times columnist and a cousin of President Obama.

Wolf says Republicans are “fooling themselves” if they ignore this sobering reality. Said he: “Mr. Gingrich forced President Obama into an astonishing game of chess. In a 30-minute video titled ‘$2.50 per Gallon Gasoline, Energy Independence and Jobs,’ Mr. Gingrich unveiled his vision for renewed American prosperity centered on oil and natural gas production. He demonstrated his unparalleled insight into the intersection of energy, security and prosperity. Mr. Gingrich rightly declared that never again should an American president bow before a Saudi king. Meanwhile, Mr. Obama, stung by his recent half-billion-dollar failed Solyndra boondoggle, began floating his latest green fantasy of harvesting algae to cure the pain at the pump.

“Panicked by Mr. Gingrich, Mr. Obama was forced off his game and repeatedly tried to respond, only making matters worse for himself. He stayed true to the Democrats’ anti-energy agenda and mocked Republicans for wanting to drill for new oil. This made the president the butt of a joke for Jay Leno on The Tonight Show: Democrats claim that new drilling for oil won’t help us for at least 10 years, but haven’t they been saying that now for more than 10 years?

“Mr. Obama boasts that oil production is up under his administration. True, but only because the president hasn’t yet stopped production on privately owned land. Mr. Gingrich cut right through his profound dishonesty: ‘Under President Obama, because he is so anti-American-energy, we have actually had a 40-percent reduction in development of oil offshore, and we have had a 40-percent reduction in the development of oil on federal lands.’”

Mr. Gingrich reduced Obama’s once-confident “Yes, we can!” 2008 version into the backpedaling, “It’s not my fault” 2012 version right before our eyes. A defensive Mr. Obama dissembled: “We know there’s no silver bullet that will bring down gas prices or reduce our dependence on foreign oil overnight.” Wait, what about that algae? Newt had Barack right where he wanted him.

With this, Peter Ferrara, former adviser to President Reagan, declared that Mr. Obama had just lost his first debate. The GOP race remains open. “So ask yourself this: Which Republican candidate beside Newt Gingrich has demonstrated the ability to make Barack Obama squirm?”

As NMI heads into bankruptcy

For many who earned their stripes after the war, ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, we were loaded with enthusiasm and optimism that hard work leads to freedom and prosperity. It’s traditional teaching at its best. I am sure the same troops never imagined the archipelago sinking into its chaotic or apocalyptic lowest today as a result of negligence and arrogance from within and without.

During the incipient years of the new political relationship, we boldly ventured into undertakings, greenish or neophytes as we may be, convinced that being proactive was the fitting approach to doing things right. We believed in helping development move along so we would have sufficiency in dealing with our needs that increase annually by leaps and bounds. Somehow, we dropped the ball and took a long snooze.

Then, nothing was to have gone wrong and not when there was a seven-year guaranteed funding from across the Pacific Divide. These funds were intended to help the CNMI prepare the strong pillars and lasting economic foundation of the Marianas Archipelago that would only require intermittent or occasional refinements.

But I don’t recall having seen a set of socio-economic plans prepared by leadership for implementation. If we did, they must have been scrapped or trashed by politicians who prefer ad hoc planning versus fully thought out plans. They’re more attuned to planning BY eventualities versus planning FOR them in advance.

The absence of a plan is a tale and complete depiction today of what happens when we do things on an ad hoc basis. We’ve cushioned the mañana syndrome by conveniently burying our heads in the sand to avoid studying, understanding, articulating, and implementing an orderly plan. Such a plan was needed to guard the wealth that descended on these isles during its economically healthier days when the CNMI was thriving in both apparel manufacturing and tourism. We thought “those days” would be around forever. Well, they’re gone! And, yes, they’re gone for good, too!

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The 2011 fiscal year budget decreased substantially to $103 million. Over the years we’ve seen this budget take a downward spiral from some $256 million annually to a meager $103 million. Prospects of this figure ballooning are very slim. In fact, given the persistent closure of more businesses, therefore, revenue streams going south, confidence of finding more money has thinned out significantly too. It would exact bankruptcy to the hilt.

So where do we find more money to pay off debts to the Fund of more than $300 million, the power needs of PSS and CHC, critical medical cases, and some breaks in the prohibitive cost of utilities, gasoline at the pumps, price of goods and other shocks families had to endure these days? I have no answers either but I equally quiz: What’s next? Will it be more work hour reduction or reduction in force in the back burner for implementation soon?

Certainly, a reduction in force is difficult given the contraction of private industries. They are steadily putting up shutters. So where would you place employees who are victims of a reduction in force? There are no opportunities up that alley either, is there? I call the impending situation dystopia, meaning, where nothing works. It is the furthest of my dreams but the magma of apocalyptic hardship is steadily moving our way and will see it devour our livelihood in our presence. Our people are now watching their future at the brink of complete collapse, disaster, or both.

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