Maybes, assumptions, solutions, and a rebuttal

On behalf of the many people supporting my efforts to fix our government and our economy I am issuing this special rebuttal to elaborate on our governor and the “fix” charges in Forbes as requested by the governor. Thank you governor for the invitation.

No disrespect, governor, but in our democracy you do work for me and every voter, which is why I’m on your case. It’s not personal as political scientists call us the impolite democracy. FYI, governor, most of us, especially economists, know that if we needed money so bad we should be issuing two licenses for $60 million. Competition breeds quality so with two casino operators, there would be a double effort to bring in tourists that would also double the CNMI’s share in winnings, gross receipt, and hotel tax revenues. Yet before the ink is dry on the casino law the governor is making another “maybe assumption” about a loan when he could already have an extra $30 million to help the rest of us who are not retirees.

The governor putting the bond in a hole where he can easily reach it and not tearing it up tells me and the smart voters that he really doesn’t know when or how much we can expect in revenues and I dare him to say he does with any kind of proof!

But the casino rush job was not about immediate revenues anyway but more about getting the retirees paid before election day as it will be years before it’s built and we will see more revenues, which is why the governor is guessing again. The $30 million is for several years and that is what it really means! FYI, readers, the average license fee for casinos is nearly $300 million so we the people should demand for him to tell us why he is giving Saipan away with exclusive rights for only $30 million. He really must think we are all old, blind, cripple, and crazy.

But here is the real kicker: The casino law is toothless and we just got screwed royally! The governor and the Legislature passed a casino law to circumvent the people they took an oath to protect and serve based on an assumption floated by the governor that we (the majority) wanted a casino. Now he is making another assumption about revenues and the bond based on nothing (no feasibility study). I don’t see a single guaranteed solution for the people in sight among all of the governor’s assumptions. The retirees are the only ones who got a solution but nothing for the rest of the 14,200-plus voters so there’s no doubt the message in this letter will reach most of the 14,200 voters.

We the people don’t need a leader making decisions based on assumptions and maybes, especially when the decision can jeopardize the future of the CNMI for our children and grandchildren. Institutions are teaching every day at all levels of education how to use the sciences and the arts for all kinds of purposes and decisions but the governor is guessing in leading us in a complex and constantly changing world. Just think, he had the nerve to tell me to get a feasibility study!

I decided to accept the governor’s challenge to show proof when I read the story about him denying Forbes’ claim of “fixing the casino license award,” which most of us believe is true and it brought back memories of the CNMI back in the national and even international spotlight for having an irresponsible and corrupt government just like they did neglecting and even denying what was clearly human rights violations with maids and other alien workers.

In court and in life a picture is worth a thousand words but words can change the picture. So when the governor and the Legislature tried to paint a perfect picture of them making a hard decision for our suffering retirees, I’m already crying looking at this picture! We now know they were literally preying on our compassion and respect for retirees, expecting us to just follow them and say OK, that at least they got their money and maybe the casino will work. I’m sure this “maybe” induced assumption worked on a lot of voters as I have talked to some of the voters it actually worked on. But even though the picture seemed heroic, I’m sure voters, the governor, the Legislature and especially Sen. Reyes who likes to make jokes about me, can now see that I get the last laugh as my words have changed their picture and literally slicing up their picture into pieces!

I know this because I can’t go anywhere now without someone thanking me for standing up for the people and I want to thank them publicly as you (Johnny Mae Public) and my children are the main reason I keep writing, driven by your encouragement to keep writing. I’m truly humbled! But I got this bit of wisdom about the “picture and words” in Mass like I do with a lot of my letters. But I had never thought of what’s happening from that perspective so it pays to go to Mass on Sunday and pay attention as you must decipher and apply the parables to better yourself, your family and society, especially when you are fighting evil like I am! My mother, who was born a slave, often spoke to me in parables and I would scratch my head sometimes, trying to decipher what she meant. I eventually learned so I guess it comes natural to me now. I’m sharing this because we should all practice the parables in life and not just view them as nice stories on Sunday for application on Monday!

As for the actual case about the “maybe assumptions” and the governor putting the fix in, we the people can only make one assumption from what we saw and heard as proof and the devil is in the details. He asked us to elaborate so here goes: First, the governor and his crew took a trip to Hong Kong and made no official report to the people before doing what was clearly a rush job to pass a casino law. They continued this unauthorized activity by passing a second law in defiance of an official referendum pending by over 4,000 voters. Second, the governor only expected one casino investor (the fix) to apply and was admittedly shocked to learn that the Dynasty (Stars) was getting involved to protect their existing investment. Third, Stars was met with all kinds of opposition and unfair efforts to kill their application. Four, the governor refused to accept the brilliant idea to at least issue two licenses to double our chances for success in building our tourist market and doubling the CNMI’s potential revenues. Fifth, the governor refused to apply more congruent application fees reflecting the average fees for a casino, which is nearly $300 million. He also sold out for pennies on the CNMI’s share of winnings. Six, Best Sunshine did get the bid as expected but the law has no teeth (completion of work penalties or timelines) leaving us to the mercy of Best Sunshine’s promises!

The governor and Legislature knew when he first took office that the casino issue must go to the people, which was an outright violation of their oath and a violation of the people’s right to govern over themselves through referendum in a sovereign democratic republic. Shame on you! I’m sure most voters will agree these are very compelling circumstances that can be considered impeachable offenses, if not by law then certainly in the voting booth. The governor and the Legislature were slick enough to avoid criminal charges but under civil law they could certainly be convicted of ethics violations when we all know the people were supposed to have voted on the casino regardless of the circumstances. It’s the principle of having a democracy that matters most!

I have offered a preponderance of circumstantial evidence, which is considered sufficient proof, especially in civil court, because if it looks like a duck, smells like a duck, sounds like a duck and acts like a duck, it is more than likely a duck! I rest the people’s case.

Ambrose M. Bennett
Kagman, Saipan