Time for a total revolution

The real reason the CNMI is broke and will never be fixed? The biggest reason is shown in a photograph on the Tribune’s front page with the caption: “Former lieutenant governor and speaker Diego Benavente, left, confers with his cousin Rep. Froilan Tenorio.” When will you people stop voting for your relatives? OMG!

There is only one main reason that the CNMI is broke and it from this malignancy that all the other problems have spread out and are now attacking the whole economic body of the CNMI. Locals are running the show. End of story. If you got rid of the ignorant leeches that are sitting up on Capitol Hill who are all “related” to each other and bleeding the island with no true desire to rebuild it, you would pave the road for real change.

What a disgraceful fall from the top, the CNMI leadership-or I should say the few families that arrogantly run and steal from the island-in only one decade! You should be ashamed of yourselves. In the ’90s you had an annual budget of $225 million, a Retirement Fund that had $500 million, and tourism numbers in the 700,000-plus. And two tax revenue industries-garment and tourism-that were given to you by other countries. You didn’t develop these industries. It was foreigners who brought their products and marketing and management expertise to the island. It was an economic freebie, CNMI, a perfect lazy man’s gift. And then all the free federal money to build your roads, schools. Not bad for a little rock 5 miles by 10 miles in size that isn’t relevant to any global politics, economy, or anything actually. Now your budget has shrunk embarrassingly to only around $100 million. Your Retirement Fund stolen from and now down to around $250 million, and tourism numbers down to around 400,000. What a “local” leadership failure! A total disgrace!

Oh, and let’s add more to the list of leadership failures that are beyond belief: 1) The disgrace of your leaders being imprisoned for being criminals and stealing federal funds and other mischief, and now you have some political leaders being accused of selling ice. 2) The failure of CUC to provide affordable power. 3) The failure of CHC to provide quality healthcare.

It’s time for mandating a total revolution and change to the way your lives are being managed by total idiots that could not survive or succeed off-island in a normal job. The local Budweiser boys up on Capitol Hill could never survive in the real corporate world or build companies abroad as entrepreneurs. But you’re letting them ruin your lives, as short as those lives already are due to diabetes and other health problems endemic to the islands caused by unhealthy eating and lifestyle issues. Wake up, CNMI, stop electing your relatives ! They are destroying your world and causing serious damage to the hearts and minds of your children. And in the end the mayhem they unleashed on the CNMI economically will eventually affect your personal health and mental well-being. Viva la revolution!

Chris West
Santa Monica, Calif.