Retirees vs everyone else

Fellow retirees, this letter is for you! I have seen an unprecedented number of letters from retirees in the news and all of them are backing the governor so they can get their 25 percent back. I just wonder where these retirees were when I was writing about how the Legislature was robbing the Fund and when I was trying to help the Fund. There wasn’t one letter of support for what I was trying to do, which truly reminds me of Sodom and Gomorra and God’s search for just one righteous person. Well, it is obvious to me that among these retirees writing letters that are so vocal for the governor and their 25 percent that none of them are righteous enough to promote a stance that is in the best interest of everyone in the CNMI—just their own personal interest. Putting oneself before others in society is clearly a selfish act that demonstrates a lack of character with no civic virtue.

We are supposed to be civilized, educated people in this day and age, knowing that we must all exhibit some level of civic virtue if we are to work together for a common cause. If we don’t all start putting the CNMI in the forefront of our politics, we will forever be wandering in the economic desert of pestilence. Those who are only interested in their 25 percent are not concerned about what will happen to the rest of us as they can only see a payday for them. The retirees who are OK with the Legislature and governor ignoring the no vote need to know they are building a wall between them and the rest of society, just like I predicted. I even warned retirees they would be used to win the election but the letter writers still don’t get it.

I am a retiree and want my 25 percent like everyone else but I know that “all money is not good money,” something these retirees who are supporting the governor need to learn and may have to learn the hard way. Don’t they know the governor was the Finance secretary when the Fund was being robbed and he helped! Don’t they know the governor helped our previous governor kill the Fund and didn’t say a word to us but now he pretends to want to help retirees? Don’t they know the $30 million is a temporary fix and it still might not happen, given the opposition of citizens and the legal hurdles yet to be cleared here and in Washington? Don’t they know you can’t get something good from what is clearly an evil act of disrespect and defiance of the will of the people?

Political science and the morality of the casino issue should have been enough for the governor to know that he must put the casino issue on the ballot again. But he is not a politician so we can’t expect good political decisions that unite the people because it is clear the governor has divided us with the retirees versus everyone else to get elected.

P.S.: I watched with embarrassment the State of the Commonwealth Address and I can tell readers that the AG Cup and Mock Trial students can deliver a speech better than our governor! The governor also continued with his half-truths in reference to our economy rebounding, which it is. But it is not from anything the governor or the Legislature did but the result of the economies in other countries improving, allowing more citizens to travel! Its common knowledge the governor hasn’t done anything to boost our economy, which is why his economy rebounding statement is a very clear example and proof of how the governor has skillfully used half-truths to tell whole lies to get elected. Don’t be suckers voters as you should just stop listening and pick someone else in November.

Ambrose M. Bennett
Kagman, Saipan