By Mabel Doge Luhan for Mabel’s Table, Kandit News & Views
Don’t cry for me, Argentina!
So said the fictionalized Evita Peron, as she and her dictator hubby Juan Peron looted Argentina while throwing some crumbs at the underclass to maintain support. Through croneyism (especially in heavy industry and imports) and TARIFFS, Argentina’s government took the country from a per-capita GDP the same as the US a hundred years ago, to today having a GDP about the same as the Philippines. (Note: this is if we use real-world currency exchange rates for the Argentine Peso, not the pipe-dream imaginary rates officially quoted by the Argentinian government) Yes, those are the wonders of tariffs, croney capitalism, and tight government control of industry and media — not to mention a cult-like leader whose followers turn out in the streets en masse to pay tribute to him while he robs them blind.
But we’re not here to talk about Donald Trump, but another malevolent crybaby: HANMI.
Just recently, Japan’s government issued a warning to some hotels in Tokyo. You see, those hotels had formed a BUSINESS ASSOCIATION and were MEETING REGULARLY to DISCUSS ROOM RATES AND OCCUPANCY LEVELS. Imagine that! And Japan’s government gave them money and let them control a few government agencies. JUST KIDDING, JAPAN IS NOT THE CNMI. Actually, unlike the CNMI government, Japan’s government told those hotels that this is an ILLEGAL PRICE-FIXING CARTEL, and made them stop. (This is also why Japan is rich and the CNMI is poor.)
https://mainichi.jp/english/
“Sales representatives working for the companies gathered nearly every month to share information, including plans for future room prices, the source said, noting the hotels have been holding meetings for decades.”
Imagine that! The government actually siding with consumers, instead of “investors” and “ranking officers.” Japan sure isn’t the Philippines, nor the CNMI.
Here, instead, we have HANMI’s regular monthly wailings — not only bragging about their latest meeting where they shared pricing, sales, and occupancy data and planning (for science, not illegal collusion!), but demanding that the government use public funds to pay for their advertising. And implying that we should all be Very Sad when their occupancy rates or room prices are lower than they’d like.
Of course, if we really believe that what we want is more visitors to the CNMI, then we should applaud lower room prices. We, the people, don’t benefit from all the money spent at the hotels. In fact, less money spent at the hotels leaves tourists with more money to spend at our small businesses — at least the small businesses that haven’t yet been “taken care of” by Finance, Zoning, Commerce, Labor, DPW, DPL, and now MVA’s “tour guide licensing” efforts.
So who among the CNMI’s politicians is going to stand up to HANMI? Or, more directly, who among the CNMI’s politicians is willing to give up free buffets and room stays in favor of the rule of law, consumer rights, and increased tourism? Inbound, not outbound! If you want outbound tourism, just support MVA, as most politicians do, alongside its usual pet poodles at the Marianas Variety.
Sure, international tourism to the US is mostly dead and gone now, but maybe we can still get a few tourists from Guam, or Americans living in Asia.
Maybe we don’t have Japan’s infrastructure, industry, economy, education, workforce, or used panty vending machines. But maybe just once, we can be like the first world and stand up against the alleged HANMI cartel?
J/K, it’ll never happen. We’ll keep on keeping on with the governor’s phalanx of chauffeurs and security guards, do-nothing fake employees and fake government contracts, titles of nobility for politicians’ relatives, and of course the government wholeheartedly funding and supporting HANMI, which allegedly might be considered a criminal organization in most first-world jurisdictions.
Keep on supporting HANMI and its publicly paid advertising arm, MVA, Capital Hill. Those DELICIOUS HOTEL BUFFETS don’t come for free. Not for most of us, anyway.
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Mabel Doge Luhan is a woman of loose morals. She resides in Kagman V, where she pursues her passions of crocheting, beatboxing, and falconry.
