An open letter to the Legislature

Congratulations on passing Senate Bill 14-48 known as the credit relief bill! You showed real courage to come out publicly and forgive the debts owed by you and your relatives to the CDA. After all aren’t you supposed to look after your and your relatives’ welfare and help even at the expense of the general public! Forget the fact that the money was given to the CNMI to help all the people.

How dare the CDA insinuate that you have a conflict of interest? Aren’t you and your families the only ones suffering from the weak economy? The rest of us are flourishing. We don’t have any economic problems. So go ahead do what you think is right for yourselves.

Now if only the governor will sign this bill. But don’t worry, you have enough strength to override his veto. Didn’t all nine senators and 15 representatives vote in favor? This represents 88.88 percent of the entire Legislature vote. And if you add Rep. Maratita’s and Rep. Yumul’s vote, who happened to be absent, you will have 96.29 percent of the vote. Forget Rep. Arnold Palacios’s honesty and ethics. So what that he too has a loan with the CDA? Cross him off the list for future favors. No one can stop you.

You have automatically gotten my next vote to keep you in office. Don’t worry, all of your relatives and others who have loans with the CDA applaud you and will remember this infamous day. You are truly the epitome of what most of us think about legislators.

The CDA is crying that Bill 14-48 will bankrupt them and affect its relationships with federal agencies since it is the depository for all federal funds to the CNMI. But don’t worry about that because 20 years ago, the CDA was called the Economic Development Loan Fund. It had the same problem not being able to collect its loans. So what did it do? It merely changed its names, forgave its debtors and continued in business as the CDA. See how simple it is to solve this problem. Just close CDA, select another name and go right back into business. Don’t worry, Uncle Sam will forgive everybody.

Because you are courageous I have a suggestions for another bill that is necessary and will help every taxpaying citizen in the CNMI. If you pass this bill you will be automatically elected to office for the rest of your lives and you will set a worldwide precedent. Since you have the courage and numbers to pass this bill, you will become instant heroes to all of us in the CNMI.

Here is the plan. One of you introduce a bill either into the House or the Senate to ABOLISH INCOME TAXES! Think of it. No one will have to pay any income tax. In this manner we all benefit by having more money spend. We will not feel the economic stress that we feel because we will have more money in our pocket. Forget the CNMI government economy. Somehow it will continue. But you will become instant heroes to all of us. After all if you can do it for yourself and for your relatives, how about the rest of us?

Everyone will applaud you and bless you for this generous act of help. Since most of us agree that the CNMI is in an economic doldrums, no one will oppose the bill. It will sail through both houses. If the governor dares to veto it, shoot him down with your override. Go for it. See how easy it was to pass Senate Bill 14-48? You can do it. I and all of us will be eagerly watching with impassioned breath for this courageous and unselfish act.

Again, bravo and congratulations! Keep us this kind of legislation. You are my kind of people.

MC Calvo

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