By Lee Webber
As we continue to work our way ever closer to the general election and you look at the candidates for gubernatorial, senatorial and attorney general positions (now potentially 3 people) (incumbents and challengers) what are you looking for?
Have you made a list of the government and candidate failings that you expect them to rectify and maintain? Or are you happy with the status quo?
Have you taken the time to look at what is needed in the areas of public safety, public health and social services, public utilities as well as public education?
Were the things accomplished in these areas during the current administration worthwhile and did they really meet your expectations and our community needs?
Or, did they fall short and if so, in what way?
Do those running for office have concrete, realistic plans to repair what is broken and improve what is weak to make it better and more acceptable for our entire island community?
Or, are you looking to candidates as officialdom that will only fulfill the requirements of the political position?
Wouldn’t it be better to be looking beyond that for candidates who will not only repair but maintain the myriad of repetitive and perennial problems that have been facing our community for far too many years?
Do you plan to gauge your favorite candidate by what they claim their opponent hasn’t done, can’t or won’t do?
Or, are you planning to cast your vote based on what current candidates have done to make Guam a better place for us all?
Candidates will try to divert your attention away from their failures and weaknesses, rather, pointing out their competitors’ inadequacies rather than showing you exactly what they have accomplished during their own time in office.
Or, in far too many cases, have failed to accomplish!
Or better yet, they will very likely work to convince you to vote for them because of what they have managed to do for you personally by giving you back your own hard-earned tax dollars (or free federal tax dollars). Some of which may have been given to you directly in the form of pay for not coming to work, grants or outright gifts.
But couldn’t the same have been done by anyone else who held that office and had access to those funds?
Better yet, why didn’t they supply you with a job that also happened to beautify our island at the same time. Thereby giving you a sense of accomplishment and a few extra dollars at the same time!
Another good question is what have they done, “personally,” with their own time, money and effort to make Guam a better and safer place for us all?
That will realistically give you a more accurate indication of what they are made of as individuals and will more than likely accomplish if elected into public office.
What about feeling safe while walking in your own neighborhood, in a store parking lot or in your village at night?
How many people do you know who have had family members involved in thefts, assaults, illegal drugs or other crimes?
What experiences have you had in dealing with the growing number of homeless individuals on a daily basis as you go about your daily lives with your family?
What sort of promises are politicians making to fix these problems if you agree to elect or re-elect them and do those promises match their own history?
Again, concentrate in the areas of public health and social services, public education, public safety and public utilities!
Have you really closely compared candidates claims against their actions? Are they realistic and really possible to accomplish based on what you know about these candidates, their proven capabilities and work history?
In short, can they really do what they claim will be done for new and existing candidates alike?
For existing ones, have they actually accomplished what they claimed would be done when you elected them two or four years ago? Finding the results or failures is actually easy if you take the time to look around.
As an example, have water and waste-water services improved?
Has the water pressure, quality and service at your home or business really improved? Are there fewer contaminated beaches? What has actually been done to make these things better?
Or, do you still receive near daily water outage notices on your cellular phone?
What have the people currently in public office done to actually improve these two services during the time they have been in office?
Look around and ask your friends and neighbors what their experiences have been in these areas.
It is time that we as an island community stop voting our emotions, familial connections and begin voting for people who will actually work diligently in all areas to improve our overall quality of life for every man, woman and child on Guam.
Promises are cheap and actions speak much louder than words. Remember, when the body is stressed, it tends to break down and the body has a hard time lying.
Esta.
Lee P. Webber is a businessman and civic advocate, the former publisher of the Pacific Daily News, a former president and publisher of the Honolulu Advertiser, and a former director of operations for USA Today International/Asia
