My dear CNMI people

When I retired in 2000, I thought for the first time in my life that my dream for my family would be fulfilled, so we moved to the USA in search of that dream. This dream was cut short with a wakeup call by the Retirement Fund disaster starting with the 25-percent cut in my retirement benefits and the reality of a defunct and defective retirement system.

After 20 years of service to our government and people, I have this real bad taste in my mouth and find myself suffocating to find clean air again. As I struggle to balance my financial affairs caused by this predicament of a failed retirement system, I am now forced to seek employment to supplement the needs of my family and finances.

As a retiree, I have wondered—and I venture to say that this same feeling is felt by other retirees, knowing that we have worked hard for our families—whether our tomorrows will be disrupted by more bad news. The opposition to gaming that is circulating—what the newspapers are reporting as a defective petition—failed to submit a complete copy of the public laws as part of the body of their anti-casino and anti-electronic gaming petition. This shortsightedness is the same as their failure to do their due diligence by evaluating how much their destructive actions further create hardships that are now being endured by many of our CNMI retirees.

This anti-reactionary group has not submitted any constructive recommendations to replace what both the administration and Legislature have passed into laws. My family and I are suffering and are being displaced because of the failure of our past leaders to listen to the pleading and recommendations made by the Retirement Fund’s managers and professional financial planners. So much has been written and covered by our local newspapers that one need only go back and track the history and directions that led to this disaster.

I ask Leila Staffler and Rota Resort and Rota Water owner Mr. Su Ho Cho and his managers to stop the petition circulation and stop littering our Saipan streets with billboards and instead come up with solutions to prevent further financial disasters faced by our retirees. I further ask Mr. Cho of Rota Resort and Water why is he only placing billboards on Saipan and not on Tinian and Rota? What is your motive?

Herbert Taitingfong
As Perdido, Saipan