Questions for politicos

Buddy Magoo and I spent time jotting down questions voters must ask political candidates seeking public office. It was kind of fun even imagining how most doughnut eating suspect policymakers would cringe or bite their eyelids when tasked to answer serious questions.

In fact, the bunch shares a commonality: nearly everyone is confused how to dispose of significant matters of state, hardly an impressive group. Things worsen with the lack of a genius poised to pull the NMI out of its deepening economic depression. Is village silence a default option? Tired of listening to “alleged” experts?

Stagnant Income: Employees’ income has remained the same for over 20 years. In fact, some 51 percent of employees fall under federal definition of poverty income level. What have you done to help them exit the abyss of vicious family hardship? What’s the idea of raising non-productive workers’ salaries by milking productive employees in private industries? The latter would disappear slowly so have you another revenue-generating measure to couch your suspect plan?

Retirement: Efforts to improve the retirement program? I mean Sen. Sixto Igisomar ran it into deep financial ditch. Is he seeking re-election against a legacy of bankrupting the retirement program? What has he done to rebuild the bridge he destroyed that deals with the livelihood of some 3,000 retirees? Ignoring it doesn’t turn bankruptcy into solvency, sir! We want answers soonest!

Economy: Over 3,000 of our people have evacuated elsewhere in search of greener pasture. What have you undertaken to provide meaningful jobs so they could settle working in their island paradise now turned hellish hole? In fact, more are leaving because of cheap wages in private industries. Have you seriously considered “real” over “nominal” wages?

Healthcare: National Republicans are set to repeal Obamacare in 2017 in spite of a Supreme Court decision saving it. Have you looked into replacement funds for Medicaid (Obamacare’s Affordable Care Act) when this federally funded healthcare assistance is terminated? Isn’t there strong resentment of the Supreme Court’s decision meaning Congress could change it anytime beginning in 2017?

Immigration: If the next agenda is to seek for a 10-year extension why not just email it to Homeland Security and Interior to avoid another shopping spree in Honolulu. Is there a threat to morph from 902 SearsRoebuck Team to “Big `N Tall?”

Isn’t this the central issue as we deal with USPL 110-229, specifically, the end of the CW program? Why continue showing off your humiliating disconnection with the needs of our people especially the young ones? It’s about policymaking that takes their future into full view, isn’t it?

Isn’t it the right time to begin reducing the public payroll sending people to private industries? If not now, when would this materialize?

Bankruptcy: We mouth off about self-government yet we can’t keep CUC solvent or keep it afloat, financially. We already have bankrupted the retirement program to the tune of $779 million in unfunded liability. If the feds uphold the immigration law we can guarantee this government falling flat on its face, financially! There’s the obvious consistency in our grand inconsistency, di ba?

Water Mess: With more than 60 percent water leakage in the pipe system here, it doesn’t make sense trying to pile consumers with $160 million in debts just to accommodate a suspect consultant whose work projects on Guam merits ocular review. Former Speaker Joe Guerrero nailed the CUC troops on this score. Can’t see the illogic of pumping more water into the system that goes downstairs daily due to leaky pipes!

La Niña: It is predicted that La Niña would hit Japan in August bringing hot air from the equatorial divide to our neighbor to the north. It’s also predicted that the hot air could trigger death from heat stroke when the weird condition hits Tokyo. Should we be concerned? We are in the way when the hot equatorial air is blown up north.

It could also mean an extraordinarily hot weather for these pearly isles. Must prepare and guard for shifts in wind temperature and direction.

Disconnection: It takes courage to tell CUC to disconnect government agencies that fail to pay their utility bills. Disconnection should include both water and power. Let’s see employees run into the jungle to commute with nature answering nature’s call! About the only agencies that can’t have its power disconnected are CHC and PSS.

Wheels: Someone raised the red flag of the captain leaving the wheels as the boat heads into a fatal storm ahead. No worries! Raffy’s experience was limited to the Senate where he supervised Biktot Hokog. Or was it the reverse? Well, they deserve each other full square.

Not sure that “we the people” deserve either or both. Can’t justify dispositions failing a mandate from “we the people.” If any of them has any plans running for office up ahead, it’s good to establish a routine of running out the front door and never look back at what they would have left behind in ruins.

Lullaby: The last time I heard a beautiful lullaby was when grandma sang it to us more than six decades ago during a rainy, stormy night. But then I heard it again driving through Capital Hill the other day. Disappointing for there was nothing but discordant notes (out of tune) punctuated with the syncopated, “Are You Sleeping?”

Magoo warned, “When Arnold Palacios pushes BSI’s permits through agencies then asked, after all permits were approved, if basic infrastructure is sufficient to support it you know he’s mastered speaking from both sides of his mouth.” Wasn’t this the same guy who made money from the lease of public land by leasing it out to a government agency? Hypocrite!

Lia chimed that Sen. Sixto Igisomar, former chairman of the Retirement board, did nothing but run the program into permanent bankruptcy. “And he has the gall to seek re-election this November.” Dementia? There’s a lot to think about, right? Strange lullaby!