Voting intelligently

The CNMI is undergoing a maturation process. Over the past 40 years, the residents of the CNMI have evolved from fishermen, farmers, and storekeepers to government workers, lawyers, and politicians. This has resulted in the development within our midst of a group of voters, I don’t know how large, who are advocating that in upcoming elections, voting should be done on the basis of thought, rather than family ties or partisan politics. In other words, these radicals are proposing that voters look at candidates and vote not based on whether the candidate is my relative or is a Democrat, Republican, or Covenant.. They advocate that intelligent voters should, based on research, select the candidate that has the qualifications to do the job for which they are aspiring. I welcome this development as a step towards true democracy. What this group fails to tell us is, “How is intelligent voting to be accomplished?”

From my perspective as a long-time observer and participant in this CNMI maturation process, let me try to define what intelligent voting might entail. In the process of this decision-making, perhaps a quote from world historian, Thomas Sowell, might serve to guide us. Sowell says, “The big divide in this country is not between Democrats and Republicans or women and men, but between the talkers and the doers.” Thus, voters must decide which candidate is the doer and which is the talker. Of course, the voter must also take into consideration what it is the “doer” says he will do? However, all experienced voters know that, in most cases, while the candidates use different words, they all promise what they think the voters want to hear. The challenge for the voter is, does this candidate really mean it and does he/she have the capability to do it?

How should intelligent voters make this decision? Because I am an Internet “addict” I have been using this method to determine what the candidates are saying. Like every other voter, I read the stickers on car bumpers to get an idea of which candidates are really working at it. Of course I read the newspapers.

For those voters with internet access who are researching candidates for the next CNMI House of Representatives election, I applaud and recommend the website established by freshman congressman, Joseph Norita Camacho, www.camachocnmi.com. At this website, with no partisan politics spin, one can find out exactly which congressperson voted for which piece of legislation. This is “reality transparency.” For some reason, the CNMI Senate has chosen to remain obscure in this matter and has no website,. Maybe they have plenty of secrets, huh?
Articles in the newspapers submitted by those concerned with local politics, are always of interest, but sometimes difficult to understand. I always find myself questioning the motive behind the article. My motive for this letter is education and hopefully clarification. Once a teacher, always a teacher

I am not privy to many stories/gossip about the candidates because I belong to no clan/family. I’m sure if I were privy, these would affect my selection of a candidate. However, one of the nice things about living on a small island is that one can get to know, on a personal basis, each candidate. A personal handshake and conversation with the candidate will give the voter some insight in to his/her real persona, but one must remember, especially first-time voters, that sometimes a person may not be altogether truthful when running for office.

This still leaves us with determining which candidate is a “doer?” How does a voter decide? One simply examines what the candidate has done. Just like any other employer, voters should vote for the candidate that has experience showing that the job he is applying for is one in which he or she has shown the capacity to fulfill. Promises to do a job, don’t cut the mustard. Any smart employer knows this.

A personal note that voters might keep in mind, I received a Bachelors of Education degree which verified that I was a teacher, but it took years of in-classroom experience before I became a competent practitioner. Being a degree-holder helps, but experience is the real teacher.

For those of you who are interested in world history that is not just names, dates, and places, you might want to read Tomas Sowell’s stuff. Currently, I have on my bookshelf several of his books which I obtained from amazon.com. The titles are: Conquests and Cultures; Race and Culture; Migrations and Culture; and Knowledge and Decisions.

Fellow voters, remember voting is like gambling and one always should get the best possible odds before placing your bet.