Did you say issues?

Occasionally, Magoo and I would shoot the breeze weaving in and out of redundant issues just to see where progress may have been made even accidently. I call it our “talk stories” conversation.

He said he loves discussing issues but why the same issues all over again? I said it’s called “redundancy” gift wrapped in our special ability to forget them almost instantly. Thus, we repeat the same mistakes, time and again, as though a new experience has descended! Dumb!

Fiscal: The boys are angling to use MPLT funds to augment recovery efforts. Specifically, the administration is looking at funds coming from land leases of indigenous public land for this purpose. This isn’t the first time “segregated” funds have been eyed as largess.

How would indigenous landowners partake in this decision and who among servile political stalwarts would be there to guard and protect the interest of the indigenous people? Just the idea of “peeping” into indigenous money is a tale of impending fiscal crisis never before seen in our developmental history!

Take away 80 percent from the projected $145 million in revenue for this fiscal year. You have some $20 million left for all others. Isn’t it true that cumulatively PSS and CHC need more than $80 million to function this year? How do we pay some $62 million for fuel so CUC can keep the lights on? You do the simple math here. Get my rift?

Road Map: The NMI snores as issues of significance await discussion and disposition from both our side and the feds. There are orders to clear the local labor roster of CW workers by 2019. Has there been discussion (NMI and feds) how this would adversely affect the labor-intensive tourism industry here?

A majority of workers in hotels here are CW1 workers. What happens when their contracts are terminated by 2019 without a realistic transition program in place? Do we sacrifice the economy for the sake or fulfilling US Immigration dictates? Isn’t this more an economic matter than anything else and isn’t this the very crux of the urgency today?

This is where policymakers seem punch drunk how to connect the dots. Yes, it pertains to foreign workers whose eventual disposition without due diligence seriously implicates the likely collapse of the local economy. Forced comprehension is a must at this juncture hoping we know the issue before the train leaves the station. Got this one Digu`?

Hopefully, both sides would meet and resolve the issue before us. I venture to say that given the lack of warm bodies here for the immediate and long-term basis, realistic alternatives would have to include granting the nearly 13K foreign workers US Citizenship just to cushion the local economy.

Retirees: GovGuam retirees just received their COLA of $2,000 apiece. Should help improve their fixed income meet a myriad of tiny increases throughout the year including cost of medication. Are retirees in the NMI getting anything at all or do we march alongside others who have been struggling in the sea of stagnant wages for fourteen years now?

Even our monthly pension pay is suspect solely reliant on revenue collection. If there’s insufficiency, there comes the concurrent bubble up in payment. Keep praying that BS is around for at least another five years to cover its donation of $30 million every two years. Keeps the program going for whatever it’s worth!

Metastasizing BS: The lyrics to BS’s music on its integrated resort project keeps changing from $7.1 billion to $3 billion to any other figure you wish to plug at your own risk. Braving completely superficial and false spouts of terms of total investment isn’t a guarantee the NMI would get what it’s promised. This is due to project funds placed in speculation land solely reliant on what it could sell at the HK stock exchange.

Anybody buying or has such venture been a consistent loss? With economic diversification ordered in Macau by President Xi Jinping effectively destroying the Triad and a decision by Reno, Nevada, to diversify beyond casino tidings dims this sector from turning into an economic mainstay. Could we draw timely lessons from this or do we ignore once again? When do we engage comprehension on issues that matter?

Disillusioned: If your representative or senator is inattentive or seem to be suffering from dyslexic illusion of sort, see if he hasn’t been compromised with a little gift from the friends of the casino community among the elected elite. Hey! That’s the club to join!

What’s the outward symptom? A big smile that shines brightly even on overcast and rainy days. There’s the ever-present smile that isn’t a smile anymore but a nuisance.

This group has its own language. It no longer talks about problems in the villages but more like trips abroad paid for by “our sponsor.” And they aren’t worried about their re-election. Someone’ already set to bankroll their expenses.

Wow! How come nobody wants to bribe me? I know I’m not a super human being but a perfect person with human frailties too, yeah? Anyway, I’m looking for a BS T-shirt to wear every Friday and Sunday in hopes they’d offer me a job as trash collector on the floor of the casino. But then it’s destined to fall flat on its face. Do I want the association of grand failure?

Pray: My friend was at the cemetery placing wreaths for loved ones. I winked at him while he reciprocated, smiling. We finally met up and shook hands quizzing while laughing when would we be interned so we join the chorus too. He said, “Don’t know when but whatever it may be, when He brings you to it, he makes sure He pulls you through it too.” How true the words of wisdom!