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I am agreement 110%, it is too bad that"common sense" will not prevail. as always, this is one word that is not in the "local" dictionary.
Your observations and "legal opinions" are always so welcomed and respected. (even if sometimes I am not in total agreement)
Thank you.

Sorry, but attribute that first comment to me.(wrong button)

We have too many government employees--and the cuts should be at the top first, where expense is greatest. Constitutional protections may apply to those in office, but if our CNMI Congress would pass legislation now that lowers these salaries, we will at least see savings in the future.

Jane, that is exactly the wrong direction, and pandering to the Politics of Envy.

First, if you look at total numbers, it is not the key management officials where the do-nothing jobs lie (for the most part), because there just aren't that many of them.

The bulk of personnel costs goes to low-paid workers.

Also, a very strong case could be made that the key management and professional employees are underpaid. People with real skills are part of a nationwide or worldwide market place. Don't treat them right and they move on.

That is the ultimate reason that our CHC, OAG, and CUC are so messed up. It's not merely "politics," but just plain maltreatment, incompetence, poor working conditions, and low pay.

Your "solution" would actually make things worse. We have already tried underpaying doctors, lawyers, and engineers for a decade or more. (Not counting recent professional graduates, their pay is fine.)

It hasn't worked. First pay the key employees, so we can get started fixing things. Otherwise, matters will continue to get worse and worse.

An elected AG is worthless without budget control and an adequate salary -- the same as an associate judge.

I'll grant you our legislature is bloated, considering the size of our population. We need a 3-person Senate and 7-member House.

Maybe you should draft some constitutional amendments to change the AG and legislature, and once they've been critiqued, have Tina circulate them?

The writer is very gracious in saying that it was "our" doing. Nobody younger than 30 did this. It was the baby boomer generation.

i wish i knew how to convey what is said in this blog post to all of the people residing on this little island.

what medium could be used?

could we create a text book of some type with at timeline and factual data. a thorough history of the Commonwealth since its inception. a synopsis of each elected leader and what contribution they made to the CNMI (good and bad). economic indicators over the past 30 years. population data. could we place it into ever senior high school class?

i truly believe that the more we know the more we care.

over the last 3 years i have heard our elected officials and members of the private business community speak of economic disaster that will come along with federal immigration takeover. i still hear it today.

have they been so blind to the slow decay that these islands have been enduring economically, environmentally and socially for the last 20 years?

we have 5 years to go with the same elected leaders and the outspoken portion of the private business community that seems to still be stuck believing that things have been super great over the last 20 years and that nothing other than federal immigration control and federal wage implementation are dangers to our future wellbeing.

they bang drums in opposition to those changes but are silent when it comes to looking at what our own government is doing. mva, commerce, dpl, ago all need to be looked at. do we have local policies in place that follow a set plan? do we have a set plan? do we have a functional land use plan? do we have a local vision set forth for our community?

so many questions. just a matter of time before we find some answers. i believe we can.

It was the baby boomer generation that did this? The generation X is in there like dirty shirts too. Want names?

Just a few comments for Opinionated Fellow. I disagree with your assessment of Greg.

While I disagree with many of Greg's opinions on political issues, I don't think that makes him crazy. I see him at work, as our offices are next door. Nothing suggests any mental breakdown. I rather believe he might be relieved to be out of the limelight and no longer Acting A.G. The suggestion that he might be dangerous makes me think you are the one who has some problem (paranoia?), because Greg is a guy who talks things out and is about the last person in the world I would ever fear of physical threats.

I'm also quite convinced that Greg knows well and fully appreciates his own ethnic heritage and is not the least confused about it.

I may wonder why Greg, who is intelligent and honest and hard-working and holds many of the core values that I do, comes to the conclusions he does. I've tried to figure that out in the past, without much luck. I've come to the conclusion that Greg is an unconventional thinker.

I value his opinions, even when I heartily disagree with them. They make for lively discussions and allow us to explore some of the thornier issues we face as a community.

Greg--I hope you will keep posting your opinions on this blog.

Opinionated Fellow--I hope you will keep posting your opinions on this blog, as in the lengthy response you gave, which made a lot of good points. The personal attack is less effective and can actually stifle public debate, being counter-productive.

jmho.

Now, back to the actual discussion...

part 1.
I want to comment a bit more on this part of Greg's opinion:

"The CNMI guest worker program built this Commonwealth. It enabled us to become far more prosperous than our former TTPI compatriots in Palau, the FSM, and the RMI. It enriched us culturally, just like being capital of the TTPI did. And it provided untold opportunity to tens of thousands of guest workers."

I am disturbed to see us sliding into a romanticized view of the CNMI immigration system. I noticed this from Zaldy a while ago, when he said we might look back on this as the "good old days."

The pyramids were built by slaves. They are gorgeous and have stood for millenium. They have informed us of an Ancient Civilization that was rich and vibrant and "advanced." That doesn't make the system that was used to build them "good."

The Great Wall of China was built by forced labor. It is an icon that is so magnificent it can be seen from outer space. It stands as a reminder of wars and a desire for protection. That doesn't make the system that was used to build it "good."

The U.S. South had an era of flowering of literature, architecture, and other arts, based on a rich agricultural life. It was fueled by slaves who worked on plantations. The chivalry and code of honor, the noble and beautiful homes and cities built during that period have provided a foundation for many future works of art and literature. None of the South's success when Cotton Was King make the system that supported it "good."

Our CNMI immigration and labor system did provide for economic growth here and many local people gained wealth and status from the flourishing of our economy. Some alien workers also got status of U.S. immediate relative or eventually citizenship. (I'm not sure this was "tens of thousands"--I don't have the numbers; it might have been, but it might have been fewer.) It was not "slavery" as in the examples I've given above.

None of that makes the system "good."

part 3.
The CNMI Immigration and Labor system kept wages low and eradicated the bargaining position of employees in the CNMI, and made private sector work here unpalatable to many local people. Who could compete with the starving masses of Asia and their desperation for any job? Hundreds, thousands?, of locals have left their beloved islands to look for work in the mainland U.S. because they needed, wanted, and deserved real opportunities to work for adequate wages.

And the worst of the CNMI Immigration and Labor system, imho, is not just damage and harm to the alien workers, and to the local workers who were forced by these circumstances to leave, but to generations of ordinary people here. The two-tiered system that has been built in structurally to our laws (and touted by Jacinta Kaipat, for example), promotes a mindset that the local population should be managers and upper level employers, and alien workers should be low level, low paid grunts. What this lawfully sanctioned perception does is feed racism; it also undermines the self-worth of those citizens here who are valuable workers, but not management-types.

It also skews the perception of real work. The managers in the CNMI system were mere figureheads, and not really people who were doing things--they were just there because of the need to have a certain percentage of local involvement. So the CNMI system elevated those who did NOTHING or did LITTLE over those who actually worked.

It was a completely mind-boggling system; it has caused harm and wreaked havoc in the lives of everyone here, even those who embraced it.

We should never romanticize it and pretend that it was a "good" system. It wasn't.

What we will have now will be difficult, full of bureaucratic red tape, riddled with ridiculous regulations and costs that seem too steep. But as bad as the American immigration system is, we will also have a system that undoes some of the worst harms of the CNMI Immigration and Labor system. For that, I am grateful.

part 2.
It was a system that fostered and promoted some horrible human rights violations.

The CNMI immigration and labor system allowed human trafficking. Our office has helped more than 40 human trafficking victims in the past three years. Their stories were eerily similar to those I heard from the groups of "bar girls" I first met as clients when I came in 1984. The CNMI Immigration and Labor system knowingly allowed this victimization, under the job titles of "waitress" and "cultural dancer."

The CNMI Immigration and Labor system allowed for lots of worker abuse. Many (tens of thousands?) did not receive the full wages that they earned through their sweat and toil. The theft of their work is one of the biggest crimes of the system. At no time did the the CNMI ever enforce an effective system of "bonding" or other surety guarantees to provide for wages to be paid.

The CNMI Immigration and Labor system provided no protection for spouses. If they had good citizen spouses, an alien spouse might get a green card in the U.S. immigration system and then be on track for her own, independent permanent status. But at least hundreds, and maybe thousands, of spouses did not get green card status. Their U.S. citizen spouses kept them on the CNMI "immediate relative" system, and by requiring that they renew their permits every year, they exercised unbelievable control and power over their alien spouses. Many of these alien spouses were physically or mentally abused. I know of many cases where spouses, after many years, even decades, of loyalty, and for some after giving birth and raising children, were divorced and left with nothing but the threat of deportation. (Yes, those who gave birth may eventually get status through the U.S. system from their U.S. citizen children, but no thanks to the CNMI.)

The federal system is by no means good, it's just better. It's certainly no panacea, and there will still be abuses. By definition, a 'guest worker' is more vulnerable to abuse than a resident.

Tourism will bring this economy back, or not, with some help from federal grants and transfer payments. That's going to take awhile, and I am concerned that the U.S. post-911 tourism policy is terrible.

It was amusing and instructive to see local legislators trying to get USCIS to hire from CNMI Immigration even if the people weren't qualified. That attitude has always been part of the problem.

"Greg is a guy who talks things out and is about the last person in the world I would ever fear of physical threats."

You should read up on what Dhamer's neighbor's said of him. Or more relevant what the people who knew the gunman in our own local tragedy said of Mr Li.

Jane, I am paranoid. I have talked to Greg and like you have been around him. He has a totally different persona online. He takes on aliases and spouts "Let It Be" mantras and blind dedication to Governor Fitial and against the Federal government that often times defies logic.

He intertwines googled or webster.com adjectives throughout his works in an OCD type fashion.

He has admitted openly to being the backer behind multiple nom d'plumes yet when later confronted gets irate and vicious when his name is associated with the comments he spews.

Look at this thread here. "Dad of Joy's 2 Nephews"?? What is that. And I am sure he was extremely upset that you responded with "Hi Greg". He probably called, emailed or confronted you directly about that. This is extremely concerning. He uses pseudonym as if he wants to conceal his identity yet he also sends out tell tales that tie himself to the comments. This is very similar to serial killers who leave items or tracks to tie themselves to killings so that they CAN be identified in the end.

If you surf the web blogs you will see a very interesting history of some of the things that Greg has posted online. From attacks on L'il Hammerhead having a graphic of the CNMI Seal in a post (and a threat to sue her) to calling Fitial a godsend that just needs 5 more years to finish the job then Hienz can take the reigns.

JMHO

"The personal attack is less effective and can actually stifle public debate, being counter-productive."

When you analyze what Greg posts and you review it and you attempt to apply logic and it doesn't mesh and this trend continues in all of his online posting you come to the conclusion that logic is not involved in his thinking. Something else is. What is that? It is my opinion that it is rooted in vitriol, deep seated hatred and an attempt to stifle logical and thoughtful debate on issues. He instead spins and preaches mantras intended to brainwash individuals who may not be privy to the facts.

He has most of the facts and insider knowledge that many do not. Rather than assessing all the facts and trying to come to an unbiased opinion he embraces Fitial's policy stances and go forth across the web like spewing lies and half-truths sprinkled with crappy "Speaking words of wisdom" mottos.

He, not I, stiffles public debate and turns it into a frenzy of name calling and baseless tabloidesque crap.

JMHO

The same could be said about you, Glen Hunter and Wendy Doromal

I agree with you Jane regarding the romantisizing of our recent past. I left this island nearly 20 years ago and just recently returned.

I don't even see anything close to the Great Wall or the Pyramids (other than the empty GIG that was once a thriving disco that rivaled anything in the region). The La Fiesta was not dependent on cheap labor and has been empty for years while we had access to cheap labor.

What I did see upon returning has been eye opening and far from anything I would revel in and consider great development and a prosperous economy. I found destroyed reefs and barren lagoons (in comparison to 20+ years ago. I found empty shells of 30 plus garment warehouses. I found empty strip malls. I discovered that around 70% of those I grew up with and went to school out here with no longer live here. They have families elsewhere. I saw that nearly 90% of the waitstaff, front desk clerks, bartenders,etc were guest workers (I was a waiter 25 years ago and my pals were front desk and housekeeping). I noticed that all the Mom and Pop stores that had once been owned by me and my friends Moms and Pops were now owned by foreign investors. Diego's Mart, Pop's Store, Morgans Mini Mart, Carmen Safeway, Tenda Store, Aldan's Gas Station, Farmers Market, etc. Same with the bars and restaurants like Ship Ashore, House of Chang, Chamorro Village, Town & Country, Chamorro House, etc are all replaced with foreign owned businesses. I noticed the streets that used to be filled with Japanese Tourist were now empty. The golf courses designed 20 years ago by Jack Nicolas were now unkempt. The hotels that used to average 90% occupancy now ran at around 50%. The Jets that used to fly between here and Guam are now prop plans. Direct flights to Japan that used to fly in and out 3 times a day down to 2 twice a week.

Where is our great wall? We had none. 30 years ago we could have built something great.

We had geographic edge with Japan only 2 hours away. We had great resorts and golf courses that were maintained and rivaled those in other areas of the pacific. We had relationships with agents and airlines that secured set routes and put us int he position to be the HUB for the Pacific region. We had locally run businesses and local workers at all levels that kept the money in our economy and didn't funnel it all out. We had a solid foundation birthed of the Covenant to maintain all of this and grow to be prosperous.

What happened?

We got greedy and we got led by some terribly short sighted leaders.

Our downfall is not to blamed on federalization of immigration. It is blamed on our own doing. We embraced garment. We spent millions on lobbyist. We exploited foreign labor and used guest workers to replace local labor rather than filling gaps and instead replaced our local workforce. We pulled in foreign businesses at the expense of local entrepreneurship. We doled out public land to foreign investors instead of catering to local investors. Our leaders did this because they could negotiate kickbacks and become middlemen in the schemes. Do land swaps and make millions overnight.

3 days ago the federal government took control of immigration in the CNMI 27 years ago we destroyed this economy.

"The same could be said about you, Glen Hunter and Wendy Doromal"

"I know you are but what am I."

"I did it because he did it first"

ALL SIMILAR STATEMENTS. WHERE ARE THE ADULTS? GROW UP!

"The two-tiered system that has been built in structurally to our laws (and touted by Jacinta Kaipat, for example), promotes a mindset that the local population should be managers and upper level employers, and alien workers should be low level, low paid grunts. What this lawfully sanctioned perception does is feed racism; it also undermines the self-worth of those citizens here who are valuable workers, but not management-types. "


SPOT ON!

Jane,

Since you work by Greg and it seems you have a pretty good relationship with him, do you think you may be able to ask him about the vehicular manslaughter incidents that have occurred over the past year. it appears that at least 3 people (pedestrians) have been struck and killed by cars and nothing has come of any investigations other than what appears to be a cover up of some sort. No driver names, changed information, no follow-up, blame cast on pedestrians for not being in crosswalks (no crosswalks within 3 miles of the area in question), etc.

Not a must, it just has always been on my mind.

Thanks!

I saw this on another blog and thought it might be a good way to bring things into perspective when speaking of immigrants. The 1800's are not that far off.

________________________

Any idea when they are going to deport (I will add in: or give permanent status to) the overstaying Carolinians?

"The immigration of Carolinians to Saipan began in the early 1800s, after the Spanish reduced the local population of Chamorro natives to just 3,700. They began to immigrate mostly sailing from small canoes from other islands, which a typhoon previously devastated. The Carolinians have a much darker complexion than the native Chamorros."

A wise blog hostess who wants to maintain a forum focused on useful information and ideas will prohibit and summarily delete comments that (1) contain personal attacks, (2) discuss other commenters, or (3) are off-topic.

This is particularly important when some of your contributors are prone to incivility and unwelcoming behavior. If you don't want to simply delete the comments, you could move them to a separate thread of non-compliant comments.

Otherwise, Saipan's internet bullies will prevail, and drive out most or all other voices. See the Saipan Middle Road blog for an example of unconstrained personal attacks, discussion of other commenters, and off-topic submissions. Compare that with Wendy's blog.

Sometimes the rule of law has its benefits. Or as Heinz put it in his 2005 campaign, “Follow the rules!”

I prefer a robust discussion of ideas, regardless of who their proponents are.

Others are more concerned about getting “credit” for their words of wisdom.

You decide what is best for your blog.

"rule of law" and "words of wisdom".

Where have we seen those phrases before?

I believe those are two of the mantras repeated time and time again by Greg on various blogs. He pulls them out in order to stifle debate and discussion. So far, he has had no luck in doing so. Rather he has had to alter his alias and scurry away.

I have read through this thread and learned quite a bit. There are a few comments that may not "fit" in very well but they are still somewhat pertinent.

You see discussion and dialouge are not as set and unchanging as you would like them to be they are just like rules of law that over time are molded and altered in an attempt to make them better. As we grow and mature we learn to adapt and no longer are we so set and focused when speaking with one another as to not be able to entertain tangential conversations that stem off from the root discussion.

Perhaps I can make this more clear by simply pointing out your own comment directly above. It is severely off the topic of the original blog post. You have just posted a comment regarding your desire for this blog owner to moderate her blog to suit your fancy. You ask that she remove comments that do not stick to the original blog post subject matter. How ironic that your comment in and of itself fits your criteria for deletion.

We are all capable of reading comment posts and coming to our own conclusions. We do not need you to legislate or censor things for our unprepared minds no matter how "enthusiastic" you are about your own "ideas".

What is your fear GB? That people will read things that are not inline with your train of thought? That people will call you on your spin? That people will point out the holes in your fuzzy logic? That we will not be phased by your "Follow the Rules", "Words of Wisdom" and "Let it Be" lines? That people will learn to see things from different perspectives? That you will have to come to the realization that you are the one that is truly being the attacker and the aggressive one, albeit in a passive-aggresive manner (i.e. At this point, it doesn't help to say, “I told you so.").


I stand by my earlier opinion. I strongly believe that you have some serious issues.

JMHO

Noni 8:43AM:

You said: "Saipan's internet bullies"

You resemble that remark.

When you are dishing it out it is not bullying or stifling debate. When you are receiving it, all of a sudden it is. You rant from blog to blog about the rule of law. You use that to bash those who marched in the Unity March. The Rule of Law is not set on a stone tablet that you hold tightly in your grip. Things change and the rules change.

The USA is a product of CHANGED RULES. The CNMI is as well.

Open up your mind and see things as they are. Federal Immigration has not caused destruction of the CNMI economy, culture and society. If you feel these areas are destroyed than look to find out the real reason why.

I think we have the potential to be a thriving little island. Our culture is strong and just as with law it is always growing and evolving and changing.

I see great things to come in the near future. I see the Rules of Law being further adjusted to suit all of our best interests. I see our culture continuing to grow and adapt. I see our economy adapting and changing in order to truly enrich those who live here. I see our society becoming a true model for the Pacific and the World.

Some people “dish it out” with personal attacks or by discussing other commenters.

Others try to participate in a dialogue about the issues at hand.

Who says any particular commenter, including this one, has any objection to consigning inappropriate comments to a separate thread?

Of course, that wouldn't be necessary if everyone would display some elementary courtesy and civility.

Noni 1:14PM:

We are not babies that need to be coddled. I believe we can handle a certain amount of dishing when we are discussing opposing views. The world won't end. It is when we stifle debate by censoring or run away when we do not agree with what is being said or cry foul and ask people to be removed when discussion ends and dialouge ceases to exist and progress can no longer be made.

JMHO

Over the years I have developed the amazing ability to skim comments that are irrelevant or objectionable and to skip them.

Lessons in this art are available at nominal cost.

A series of anonymous one-sided personal attacks and discussion about another presumed commenter is not "dialogue" in any meaningful sense of the word.

Nor does retaliation on behalf of someone too polite to do so for himself increase the level of social discourse.

hmmm. you say something like "i told you so". someone responds and says "shove it" another responds with a different view. another responds with a story about their personal past. another responds with experiences with one of the commentors and their concerns. people respond to the concerns. one guy gets censored and re posts it in a better format after getting the message from the blog host. one guy gets mad that he is being called out for his pissiness. one guy says he self-censors and can teach others this useful talent. you end with there is no dialouge here. i respond to you with this post that shows there clearly is.

love the net!

Yes... the Internet is a electronic sand box where we all come to play.

Not self-censors: skips comments that don't meet his exacting standards.

(he said prissily)

I skimmed right over your last comment KAP. :-)

I was in the Immigration office today and the are in such a sate of confusion..they screamed at me ...they don't know when the entry permits will be avaiable!
Been waiting over a month for the IR card. For three weeks I had answers such as the government did not pay the printing fees to the company that prints the plastic cards,to they are out of ink Tempers are flaring there. Those without the approved entry cards are getting angry too!

why is this not surprising, it is like everything else this govt. does, past and present.
They wait until a couple of weeks before the Feds take over before some thinks of a way to try and "screw" the Feds.

Then with the incompetence in that agency they actually expect for people to actually do their job. And nobody can ever think about ordering more than one consumable items for spare or stock, then they have to jump through hoops to get any office supplies.
Somebody there should just buy it to get on with the project, like the teachers do when they don't have stock.

But possible that it is not available as somebody in the Govt "got a deal" from one of their relatives to purchase something that is obsolete or not available consumables or parts.
Also probably no other agency has this type of "printer"
And we will have 5 more of this and this agency will handle the "local" labor.

No wonder many of the locals have any jobs (the one's that actually want to work)
What will really be bad is if this "umbrella' turns out to be worthless,Or the Feds change everything and give a status to the workers. (which would have happened if the other team got in office)
But this Gov will not request it and now he doesn't care about anything as he cannot run again, so he will trash everything and run the rest into the ground.

The CNMI goverenment is like a boonie dog that died six months ago..and dosen't know it.

Many CW's and IR's were waiting in line at 6:00 am this morning. Two lines for CW's and 240D IR's. After waiting four hours in rain,with no movement in the IR line, many just shrugged, gave up and left.At 10:00AM Hershbein led a group of overstayers into the office to process papers. Much anger was expressed by the CW's and IR's waiting in the unmoving lines. Never have I seen so many angry and sullen faces in a crowd before.
Hershbein and Cody look like their blood pressure levels are very high.

A very nervous and confused Jerry Cody has just announced to the waiting CW's and IR's that Immigration will stay open until 12:00 midnight this evening to try and complete the "umbrella process".
Since the rain stopped the lines are getting longer.

When did you move to Saipan, Jane? 1985?

You should well know the logistical difficulties of keeping items in stock on a geographically isolated island.

At least we still have daily passenger service.

Anon 11/29 6:41--

What are you saying? That because we have some difficulties getting things, this is a legitimate excuse for months of excuses in not issuing actual entry permit cards?

I've been here since 1984. I know that we have difficulty buying things at retail outlets because they frequently run out.

I also know that the government officials were just as much aware as I was of the problematic nature of deliveries here. And good leaders would have been able to and would have prepared for the situation.

There was no good excuse to be unable to provide actual card entry permits for months! Printer ribbons, like anything else, can be shipped in within days.

Lame excuses.

That was a Bruce Bateman comment, if I ever heard one. We have this wonderful new invention called the Internet where we can magically order things from a magic screen using a magic plastic wand and then they magically appear in our mailbox a few days later.

It is called foresight, planning,knowing your job, like purcahseing the same type of equipment in the Govt so it can cut the espense on orders of consumables. But that is what this govt and many business lack.
I have ordered materials to arrive on schedule from the US mainland and Pacific areas for various jobs over the years also spare parts for machinery to be on hand. Gotten emergency spares in 24 hours from the US mainland etc.
So distance is not an exscuse.
Job knowledge and proper supervision from political appointees is the problem like all of the agencies here.
Also actually showing up for work is also another for the Sup..

The problem with a lame excuse is that at some point you might have to defend it with something even more lame.

It's simple to borrow a printer from another office and load the driver.

Whew. I thought I was the only one with that reaction.

Join the list of groups who are being a bit dissapointed by their expectations of the new administration. Not that the new direction is bad, but too much was expected politically. At any rate, the new administration should toss some money to oversight law groups and at the inplace CNMI govenrment, for infrastructure and security uses. Trickle down, if nothing else.

Dengre has an interesting post on journalism, where he talks initially about the blogosphere's rash of disappointment-bashing.

I'm not disappointed in Obama, btw. I don't agree with all he's done, but heck, I sometimes disagree with myself...

We need oversight groups, and lots of law-enforcement and auditing here, but I think the feds' money would be better spent if focused on needs already identified by the GAO rather than just tossed around.

And NO DELAY in implementing US immigration here.

JMHO.