Recipe for deeper mess!

Decisions made usually come from our individual self, done either hastily or thoughtfully. We follow through to figure out whether it’s good or bad. Some are easy while others are harder to understand with confidence. In the process, we sometime sacrifice a better decision over instant gratification.

For instance, in the last election we fell for free utility vouchers to the tune of $10 million. The instant deal blurred our vision struggling to understand what it all meant. Well, we fell for it. It granted real time influence to the donor to dictate any and all policy decisions it wishes from what has obviously become a servile administration. You toyed swinging to and fro on an issue that made you part of the larger problem.

This relationship—government and private firm—is what’s known as cronyism, the seat of corruption. You pick winners and losers willfully as to sacrifice the interest of other well-meaning investors. We said “no” to casino twice via a plebiscite but it changed instantly by a bilateral decision between the administration and the Legislature last year. You quiz what’s the essence of the direct voice of “we the people” in a plebiscite in this case? Isn’t it because we can’t trust legislators?

Today I see the troubled expressions of our people struggling to free themselves from familial pain and mind-numbing hardship. It’s good to revisit where it all started. It began with indecisions of Me, Myself, and I. You now pretend you weren’t a part of the mess. You actively placed it right in your own living room. Now you’re saying, “Nah, this isn’t what I bargained for?” Well, what did you bargain for last November when you changed your vote? Do you really think your indecision could help matters now?

I could have hopped on the gravy train of instant gratification but opted otherwise. I honestly don’t believe that the gambling industry is the future of our children. After table dealing, what other professional level jobs are there for generations of our children? Do we now do away with the scholarship program and funnel every high school graduate for training at BS?

You may have felt good with “biba” and “beeaaa” satisfied half drunk. Sober, you find out that your expectation has gone the other way. Now you ask “how come”? Try to honestly answer it yourself!

It matters to me that we turn our livelihood down the path of better economic opportunities over the Republican toxic-loaded ship that has sunk our quality of life. There’s no leadership to turn the economic depression around. It feeds into poverty and finally, corruption. Nothing is going to change. It’s too comfortable for Republicans now laying eggs in their nest. What about you and the future of your children?

The economy is in shambles. It isn’t a hard term. Bring it down to your family level, e.g., family income and wellbeing. You will instantly see where it has taken you. It’s down the path of more hardship and misery. This is because the people you’ve elected into office are at best, clueless. Confused, they have done a lot of “nothing.”

In brief, we can’t continue blaming others for decisions that came from the three people we know best of Me, Myself, and I. The whole issue begins and ends with the self! No intention to insult your intelligence but perhaps there’s a dire need to jolt your senses into facing real reality.

Growth: Fast and furious

The Marpi land issue has its own upside: forced a slowdown approach to development. It ensures (at least for now) that “we the people” filled with a truly unique cultural tradition aren’t necessarily pulled off the umbilical cord of what made our way of life unique as a people.

Development is fine if it is done at our own pace based on thoughtfully reviewed issues meriting timely decisions. The casino industry includes what’s known as “integrated resort,” a huge project far larger in size and scope than what we’ve seen here and Guam. Why does it matter that we domesticate the issue?

The size of the project would force what’s known in development lingo as “fast and furious.” It means the local government must scramble to find millions of dollars for water, power, sewer and roads where the planned facility would be built. We don’t have the money for it. Hell, we’re now using CIP funds to pay CUC the more than $30 million government agencies owe on a cumulative basis.

The Republic of Belau is a good example of the displacement of its people that involve the Chinese buying up everything. They even bring in their own tourist buses, running local Palauans out of business. It isn’t necessarily a healthy partnership.

Before we lose it all let’s slam the brakes, now! No, we don’t want to lose the light of our candle in the middle of a superstorm. This is our only chance to take back and retain what’s ours!

Official snore: An elected official snoozes and hopes he could find something constructive to do after his long siesta. I like this group because their snore is usually an infectious thing—if you’re standing anywhere near them, you’d snore too! You also get hit and begin your rendition of long yawns and finely tuned snooze. Boy, they even snore with unique musical melodies that could be scary too if there’s an abrupt stop or break. Is it sleep apnea? Eh, wake up the guy before he denies his brain oxygen!