Not enforcing a law is worse than having no law at all. Inconsistent enforcement penalizes businesses that want to follow the law by placing them at a disadvantage to less scrupulous businesses that don’t care about the law and know they can get away with it. Many politicians seem to think that doling out favors to certain businesses or looking the other way when businesses bend or break the law is somehow “pro-business.” But the truth is that a government that ignores the law of the land is only anti-business as it can get.

So, if laws are not being enforced to the detriment of our law-abiding businesses, the first place to look is at the laws themselves, and at the agencies that are tasked with enforcing them. First, we should ask ourselves if the laws are good laws. A bad law that is strictly enforced is still a bad law. Good laws protect the interests of all members of the community and establish a level playing field so that law-abiding businesses can compete fairly. If good laws are not being enforced, then we must ask ourselves why. More often than not, the reasons boil down to mismanagement and corruption – problems that plague the entire CNMI government. And the only way to eradicate mismanagement and corruption is to take measures to make this government as transparent and as accountable as possible.

Strengthening the Open Government Act, and applying it to the Legislature is one obvious and important step. Other measures include an independent government-wide desk audit followed by implementation of audit recommendations; annual independent audits of every government agency with full disclosure of findings; required qualifications for all appointed positions; and aggressive investigation and prosecution of public corruption.

But having a strong Open Government Act on paper, and all the audit and disclosure requirements in the world will mean little if the citizens of the CNMI do not vote honest, competent people into office, and if they do not forcefully demand transparency and accountability from their government. Cleaning up the CNMI government will require not only good leaders, but also informed and caring citizens who voice their concerns and actively participate in the affairs of our government.

Read up on some of the discussions that occurred here:

I think Saipan needs an independent prosecutor who is not allowed to participate in a political party or have any political affiliation, who is unafraid of enforcing public corruption cases. This person can work hand in hand with the public auditor’s office. There has to be transparency in government and although you can never completely obliterate public corruption (the US still struggles with this), the people need to know that it won’t be tolerated.

“It was said that mismanagement and corruption are widespread and urgent problems in the CNMI government.”

looking at our present situation – i’d guess there’s no need for any more debate on this particular matter, is there?

the next question is – when?

i believe the time is now!

carnaag the magician predicts the following:

SENATE— ANDREW SALAS

PRECINCT ONE–APATANG, BENAVENTE, RALF TORRES, JOE REYES, ROSE ADA, AND TOSS UP BETWEEN JANET MARATITA AND TINA SABLAN.

PRECINCT TWO–DANNY AQUINO AND EITHER HENRY TORRES OR HENRY SABLAN

PRECINCT THREE- ARNOLD PALACIOS, HEIZN, TEBTUTED, YUMUL, STANLEY AND MARITITA

PRECINCT FOUR–JOE CAMACHO AND BET IGUEL

PRECINCT FIVE–ROSEMOND CAMACHO AND THE NONG KID

CASINO INITIATIVE—9000 PLUS YES..WILL PASS

JUDGES–NARAJA, GOVENDO AND MONA YES…MANGLONA IS IN THE BORDERLINE BECAUSE PEOPLE DO NOT LIKE A MAN AND WIFER IN SAME COURT.

BOE–GALVIN GUERRERO AND MARYLOU ADA..ROMAN WILL TAKE A REST THIS TIME.

any challanges?

tina,

i checked your gambling blog and i’ve had enough. most of bloggers are just plain anti-casino that they just ignored most legitimate questions.

i think that people forget that you are the candidate and the voters would like to hear from you.

anyways, i would like to hear your thoughts about the tribune’s headline yesterday where cohen mentioned the possibility of granting permanent residence here in the commonweath to approx 8K non-resident workers. you testified in congress last month that you did not see anything wrong with this move and i wonder if you still have the same view today.

i look forward to hear from you.

I thought that Mr. Cohen now says that the granting of nonimmigrant visas to those 5 years or more nonresident workers will be taken out of the ISLA legislation. There is, according to him, a concern raised by Homeland Security Department.

I am puzzled by this because Mr. Cohen has given high hopes to these individuals and as the main representative of the U.S. Government to the insular areas, he should have been more careful with what he says. I think Mr. Cohen should not have given all these people false hopes if he was not sure about what the Congress would do.

Despite that we may disagree with some of his positions, I still think, however, that Mr. Cohen is one of the most proactive Interior official we’ve had in a long time.

ps. The magician sure is great with illusions! In your dreams, houdini.

“What this [Commonwealth} needs is more unemployed politicians.” Edward Langley

Being brutally honest with you Tina, with a soon-to-be GOP-led legislature and a Covenant Administration, how do you plan on “weeding” out corruption in the CNMI government? Worse case scenario, there would be no one left. But seriously, how do you expect to achieve this task? It would be interesting to know.

I’d be cautious in making bold statements like these (though noble) because with the additional 2 legislators coming in (thanks to you and Sen. Frica’s petition for re-districting), the offices up on the Hill will become increasingly smaller with the small offices going to the minority.

Finally, with the re-districting mess that you and Frica created, how do you proposed to fund the two additional legislative seats? That too, I want to know.

Thanks.

PoliTrix

Election Predictions:

Precinct 1: Apatang, Ralph, Diego, Joe Guerrero, Rose Ada-Hocog, and toss up between Tina and Janet.

Precinct 2: Danny Aquino and O.B.

Precinct 3: Heinz, Arnold, Tebuteb, Yumul, Torres, and Maratita or Dela Cruz.

Precinct 4: JJN Camacho and Justo Quitugua

Precinct 5: Fred Guerrero and Rosemond Santos

Senate (3rd Sen. Dist.): Clyde!!!! With Luis “did-nothing as a senator” Crisostimo coming in 2nd.

It would be Maria Lourdes (Marylou) Seman Ada and Galving Sablan Guerrero (Mr. G) hands down!!!

PoliTrix,

Do you really think that ignoring a constitutional mandate would have been the better thing for the people of the commonwealth to do? My anger is directed at our elected officials that have all taken this solemn oath:

The Oath of Office from the CNMI Constitution (Article XVII – Section 1):

“Section 1: Oath of Office. All members of the legislature and officers and employees of the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions taking office shall take and subscribe to the following oath or affirmation:

I do solemnly affirm (or swear) that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Covenant To Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America, the applicable provisions of the Constitution, laws and treaties of the United States of America, and that I will faithfully discharge my duties to the best of my ability (so help me God).”

Feel free to follow this link to a blog that touches on this issue:

http://commonwealthsoundoff.blogspot.com/2007/08/read-pangelinan-sablan-slip-opinion-on.html

Tina,

I do hope you get elected and if so you stick to your guns and keep your focus aimed directly at making this government more transparent. Throw caution to the wind and stay your course.

“Yes, I know it is impossible. Therefore it will take a little longer.” – Paolo Lugari

I am cognizant about the oath. Tina answered the “WHAT” question, it is now the “HOW” question that I am interested to know.

As a voter of Precinct 1, I feel that candidates should present to the voters of this precinct concrete plans that directly answer the, like I said, “HOW” questions.

In summary, I can seek a public office and say WHAT I intend to do but it’s the HOW I intend to achieve these goals that voters are much interested in. Otherwise, these platforms would be nothing more than mere “yet-to-be broken promises.”

PoliTrix

Quite frankly, saving an already “broke” government by cleaning it up from top to bottom and making it transparent does not cure our economic woes.

We will just be back to being a government that is ALMOST or NEARLY broke. The CNMI government is not set up as a for-profit institution or organization; meaning, savings from one agency will eventually go to OTHER expenses. Using the term “savings” so loosely is no different from saying: All politicians are honest.

My thoughts.

PoliTrix

Wow, PoliTrix, I like your perdiction except for one: Tina is a sure winner but I will not predict who won’t get in. But I agree that your choices are well reasoned.

I’m curious PoliTrix.. have you heard any politician here during this election season give “concrete plans” on how they’re going to address issues based on possible outcomes of this election. I haven’t and I’ve listened to those who’ve given interviews, and read their websites, etc.

At least Tina is putting it all out on the line. And the fact is, it is often necessary to “clean house” and start from the bottom up. It does no good to move your Gucci couch into a house full of garbage.

I disagree with Tina on a couple of major issues.. BUT AT LEAST I KNOW HER POSITION ON THE ISSUES. Tina has proven herself as a person of action, a go-getter. In my humble opinion, if you hold Tina up against any other candidate in this or the last election.. Tina not only outshines them all.. she makes the next best candidates look questionable.

I’ve heard Tina’s “How’s” both in her reponses on specific topics in this forum and at her public presentations and appearances. Whether they work or not we’ll have to see.. but the change has got to start somewhere, with someone. If all it means is that many of the old do-nothings will look terrible.. than this is a good start.

In my humble opinion as well, if you have questions about Tina.. then as a conscientious voter.. you must have ENORMOUS questions about most of the other candidates.

With regard to the topic “cleaning up government”, it’s my opinion that you start from the top and work your way down. Just like dusting shelves. When the top perpetrators are dealt with, you’ll find most of the ones below will stop what they’re doing.

“The CNMI government is not set up as a for-profit institution or organization” – PoliTrix

it may not be, but that didn’t stop rampant pillaging has it?

the only solution to our problems is transparency – the people must know what their representatives have done, continue to do, and their plans to expand their plundering of our last finite resource.

any vote other than ‘independent’ will mean that we have not learned from our past!

Sir, with all due respect, in politics running “independent” means a candidate is “independent” from the people’s real choices. Simple PoliSci 101. For the sake of argument, how do you expect 20 “independent” legislators to agree or for that matter, pass legislation.

Tina, although I have the utmost respect for her courage, is already making enemies of the people she is about to work with. When she makes a harsh and hasty allegation, she should point out who these corrupt officials are and not GENERALIZED!

It takes “numbers” to pass legislation. This is simple math! And without the numbers, there is no way any ONE legislator can get things done up on the Hill. And when this happens, another Beautify CNMI program pops; up out of frustration of being unable to pass bills up at the Legislature.

Starfish,

I do. I’m not singling out Tina. The same questions apply to the other candidates as well. Because this Tina’s website though, I’ve decided to ask her those HOW questions. I thought that in this forum, participants are supposed to “assume nothing and ask anything.”

Sir, with all due respect, in politics running “independent” means a candidate is “independent” from the people’s real choices. Simple PoliSci 101. For the sake of argument, how do you expect 20 “independent” legislators to agree or for that matter, pass legislation.

Tina, although I have the utmost respect for her courage, is already making enemies of the people she is about to work with. When she makes a harsh and hasty allegation, she should point out who these corrupt officials are and not GENERALIZE!

PoliTrix and I disagree on this issue.

we already have a policeman in the legislature by the name of stanley. do we now need policewoman? politrix is correct when he said that the public already experienced a “voice of reason” person who gave the public high hopes and ended up cleaning beaches and taking lots of pictures.

and tina, what is your take on the pozzolan mining that was killed by the “voice of reason”?

???????

We’ve got to clean up the corruption. Politrix makes an excellent point, though, because cleaning up means pointing to real people with real names and real families with (real) power.

But most people/most voters do want a clean government. We just need some hard lessons in the reality of what that means. Like no more nepotism. Like a REAL civil service and a lot less “excepted” service. Like our very limited funds going to the most important needs (and an end to what we might like to have but can get along without–like Women’s affairs and Carolinian affairs and Youth Congress, etc.).

I think the judicial branch is the least corrupt branch of government. (There have been some problems there, but a lot less than elsewhere.) So I think the start of the clean-up effort should be either at the Legislature or at the Executive branch.

How to do that? One person at a time. One audit at a time. One prosecution at a time.

And I would like to think that having more educated Legislators (whether college or law grads) will help, although I realize that a corrupt official with a degree may be more dangerous than one without–but I’m hoping that the smart and savvy will be on the lookout for the tricky and sly.

My twist on keeping the public’s business open for the public. Enjoy.

What if I tried to run through a forest in the middle of the night… blindfolded?

Sounds ridiculous to even begin such an attempt. But what if I did not know what a forest was? That there were sharp twigs to rip at my skin or knock out my eyes, stout trees to knock me unconscious, roots to trip me up, and fallen leaves to hide all other manner of dangers?

What if I had no choice? What is running through the forest blindfolded was part of the Legislature’s decision to make this the “public experience?” Seems to me it would be nice not to be handicapped by a blindfold, you know?

But I am blindfolded. At first by the law, followed eventually by the desire to please the bosses, certainly by acquiescence, fear of loss of job, and until I am just dumb enough not to know the difference.

My blind run through the forest inevitably scars me and I lose my bearings. Hell, I never had any bearings. I didn’t even know I was in a forest. But I can hear others bouncing off of things in the night and comfort myself in the knowledge that I’m only human, that I’m not perfect. So I forge ahead, at twice the speed, ignoring the pain and the damage I am doing to my body.

Or, I sit down in the middle of the pain, the frustration, the deception, the regret and give up and complain about the unfairness of it all, railing against the injustice of it all. How could the Legislators of my choosing have forsaken me and set me up with such an unyielding law? Why was I not given the right to be fully informed? What kind of sick joke is this, anyways?

==========================================================

The intriguing thing is that, as I run through the forest banging off of unseen objects, the blindfold begins to fray, to slip and some light begins to filter through. It is no longer complete darkness that envelops me. Fragments of shadows from the larger trees come into relief much as a mountain does at the day’s first light. Still, I manage to stumble on roots and occasionally (much more frequently than I would desire) smack dead on into the same damn trees. Being particularly wrongheaded, I continue to “fix” the blindfold and feel comfort in that until the next low hanging branch levels me as I barrel past.

===========================================================

“Tina! What is my government trying to do to me? Why is my elected representatives so unyielding in keeping the public’s affairs secret?” I cry out.

“Take off the blindfold.”

“Huh? What blindfold? Isn’t this part of the public experience?”

“Umm, no. I keep trying to find ways to get it off you and you keep putting it back on. Hate to break the news to you, but that wasn’t my idea.”

“Look Barbara, you have everything you need to get through this forest. Stop for a second, trust me, take off the blindfold and turn around for second to look at what you have run through.”

“Holy cow, you mean I’ve trampled all those bushes, all those trees, and formed that (dare I say it?) perfect circle? I’VE BEEN RUNNING IN CIRCLES? YOU KIDDING ME?”

[chuckling] “Umm, yep. Don’t get me wrong, from where I stand, there is a certain beauty to the endless fields of perfect circles I see created by our citizens. And hey, I’m always up for a good chuckle, but I have to admit, that looks pretty painful. Is it?”

“HELL YES… hey Tina, is my circle really a good one?”

“Oh boy, we’ve got more work to do than I thought… Let me ask you something, Barbara. Why do you insist on running through a forest blindfolded, going in circles, bashing into other people once in a while, running straight into trees and adjusting the blindfold? Look, take the blindfold off or at the very least recognize that you’re wearing one, will you?”

“Well, ok, I’ll do that and see what happens (if you’ll pardon the pun)”

her great smile] “Sure, Barbara. Oh, and one other thing… walk, don’t run. This is not a race and the forest is endless.”

“OK, so let me get this straight, I have always had everything I needed to navigate this government, my elected officials just decided to make it more complicated?”

“Sort of. Don’t worry about it too much. For now, leave the blindfold off, ok? There are some really big trees I’m pretty sure you don’t want to run into in this forest.”

While I, and I am sure many others, find solace in keeping the blindfold on, Tina has taken hers off and she tells us that we can see our way through the forest called the CNMI Government much better with the blindfold off.

Keep the public business open and transparent for all to see and know!

Go Tina, Go Girl!

To PoliTrix:

You ask how 20 independents, 20 people who are not from the same party can come to some agreement. Well, I participate in a great many meetings with a variety of different people. We all come to the table with an assortment of ideas, and we come to agreement on many things. If you have a group of good people, with good intentions and no personal agendas that involve profit (monitarily or otherwise), that group can produce good and just work.

Tina Sablan, good luck and may God bless you on election day. Every time we argue, it makes me realize just how right I am…haha, just kidding. Seriously, I don’t mind having differences of opinion with people…it’s what makes us human and unique. What is most important to me is a person’s character, determination…gumption! Damn, that’s my new word for the day cuz I’ve used it twice. Tina Sablan, in a nutshell, is a nut…oops, I mean, Tina in a nutshell, hmmm, that could be a candy bar…lol. Okay, seriously, Tina in a nutshell, is HONEST and BRAVE. Too bad she’s not Republican..j/k.

Tina, take care and keep your head up. In the wise words of Tupac, “Baby, don’t cry, baby keep your head up, even when the road is tough, keep your head up..”

…and thanks for fighting racism. What this island needs right now is everyone to come together and exchange hugs. Peace, love, and respect to everyone in the CNMI.

…and thanks for letting me promote MP Magazine, the CNMI’s premier magazine!

4 out of 5 surgeons highly recommend MP Magazine when sitting on the toilet and reading…

DoctorsAnonymous Survey, Sep 2007, http://www.edisaliar.com

P.S. If you get this question right, you will win a free MP Magazine…

What is Tina’s dog’s name?
Hint: It’s not “DINNER”

This past June 2007, over 200 NMC students received their degrees but many are still unemployed.

Therefore, do you agree that retired government employees should be re-hired given the scarcity of employment opportunities? I don’t!!!

Bottomline, retirees should remain retired!!! The GOP Precinct 1 Chairperson, herself, is a former retiree… How can the GOP from this precinct convince the voters to embrace its platform when people like Ana Teregeyo continue to leech of the government. The acronym GOP has a totally different meaning in CNMI politics. In these parts, it is defined as: The GREEDY OLD PARTY!!!

People in CNMI should be reunited as one to accomplish some goals that our government cant pursue specially to our own beloved students. Without them there will be no use in staying in this ROCK. Lets reunite and give chances to those students that wanted to learn and pass their course with dignity.