Get updated or get voted out

I see signs all over Saipan pleading “please vote for me” but when I look you up on the net, there’s nothing there. You are invisible. Maybe your relatives know you but the 4,000 of us that don’t vote don’t know you. Not one sign has a www.site.com on it. Ninety percent of you have never even given an interview to the Marianas Variety or Saipan Tribune. Why? Nothing to say? It’s 2014 and only one of you has had a Facebook page for more than three months (set up specifically for this election), only two are on Linkedin, only three on YouTube and those are all campaign ads. One GOP guy still lists “Hawaii National Guard” and he hasn’t been a member for years so he should put “was in” or “formerly in”. None of you have a footprint anywhere. The only mention anywhere for most of you is when the MV or ST mention you in a news release. How can we vote for you when we know nothing about you?

Even on your official party website, most of you don’t even have a bio. When one is listed all it tells us is that you went to school, are married, and have kids, worked for Parks, CUC, or customs or whatever. Nonsense. All of it just nonsense. Most of you, apparently, have never done anything noteworthy and yet you want our vote. The GOP site has lots of candidates but only a few bios and not one word about what they believe in, what they are going to do for the CNMI. The Democrats have a site with absolutely nothing on it. Of the two independents, the Babauta site has his and Torres’ bios, a “kinda” wish list but no platform and I can’t even find a site for Hosfschneider and Yumul. All four have FB sites set up three to four months ago.

So, voters, unless you know these ladies and gentlemen personally, there is no way for you to know who they are, what they stand for, or indeed, if they stand for anything, or if they are statesmen, housewives, liars, farmers, corrupt former department heads, smart or just plain dumb—we just don’t know.

Incumbents and/or former legislators should disqualify themselves since none have tackled any real CNMI problems. The first, last, and only reprresentative with any balls was Tina Sablan but she’s smart, too smart for the CNMI and is now giving Hawaii her expertise, instead of taking the BS she apparently received daily while here. What the CNMI desperately needs right now are statesmen and stateswomen, not just a nice old grandpa that is bored and wants to junket.

If the election were next Friday, based solely on information available on the Internet, today, July 18, the 4,000 unattached voters would probably only vote for these candidates: Juan Babauta, Juan Torres, Greg Sablan Jr., Susana Guerrero, Vincent Camacho, Maryann Borja-Arriola, and Joey San Nicolas. There just isn’t enough information on anyone else to make a recommendation yet. We can hope all the candidates will join 2014 and post their dreams, beliefs, and hopes for the future, and what and how they will go about achieving it for the people of the CNMI. Remember, voters, not one candidate has told us “why” we should vote for them. Demand transparency.

To past and present student reps to BOE

This is part of the mandate of the Board of Education to PSS: [to] … recognize the distinct and unique cultural heritage and indigenous way of life of the people and…be committed to provide for the language needs of the people and the preservation of their cultural integrity within a global community….” but in reality, this is a mandate for families, not the PSS. I would love to hear from the past and/or present and/or future student representatives and get your take on this and find out what you did, are doing, or going to do to make PSS more responsive to the diverse student body that is the reality of 2014. If you are unsure of what is expected of you or what you can accomplish, contact me and I can give you hundreds of tips.

The one certainty at PSS is that it is not addressing the needs of students and major changes need to be made. Just think of a PSS where an 8th grade graduate enters the 9th grade on day one and the teacher says, “Students, you have three hours to decide what you want to do and pick which direction you want to go. Do you need technical, vocational, or academic training to accomplish what you want to do in your life?” Three hours later you have your choice and the direction you are going to go. You might want to change your career path later and that will be fine, do it anytime you like. We need education for students, not administrators and teachers and board members. Their quarterly paper is called “Students First” but their actions are anything but. You student representatives, make them live up to it. Contact me at garydubrall@gmail.com.

Gary DuBrall
Chalan Piao, Saipan