Opinion: Island leaders showing they couldn’t care less about the poor

By David Lubofsky

This story below is a good comparison with the Guam 37th legislature and how they have dealt with the poorest on Guam and of special concern now during this Typhoon Mawar disaster. They are very quick to make laws or introduce Bills that impact the poor such as the idiotic idea to cane people who break the law. We all know the most disadvantaged would be the ones that would have suffered the most if lunacy prevailed to pass the Caning Bill.

They have passed laws to arrest poor people on the street who ask for money, which by the way is supposedly a protected constitutional right. They have chased the homeless away with questionable resources available for them and even the Guam Homeless Coalition was not in agreement with the AG office proposals. They now have introduced a not well thought thru Bill to lower wages below the Guam minimum wage of the poor if they work who are on welfare by two dollars per hour somehow thinking this will get them a job or get them back to work easier. The only one who will benefit from such foolishness is employers or businesses who save the two dollars per hour by hiring and under paying the most disadvantaged, which is indicative of the sponsor of the Bill, a business owner.

They discussed giving tax payers $500 each but of course the poorest on the island are excluded who need it the most, as expected by the 37th anti poor legislature. Imagine, the audacity that these leaders would put 500 in their pockets but put the poor in jail for asking for money on the street after they were excluded from this assistance.

Let’s not forget the poorest of Medical patients who may have a loved one hurt or die due to medical negligence with no accountability as our legislature does nothing. Guam, it’s estimated, has the highest maternal deaths in the free world. Most of those deaths are also estimated to be among those with lower socioeconomic status. Again, the 37th ignores the issues. I won’t even get into foster children or special education children and related issues.

Where are the poorest citizens of Guam today after Typhoon Marwar? What services are provided? I haven’t heard about them. Will they still be arrested if they ask for money on the street? Oh wait, the police are busy escorting gas trucks to fill up gas tanks of those also who voted to put the poor in jail or who want to cane them or lower their wages if they find a job or who simply are crickets when it comes to the most needy.

It’s my opinion that the Guam 37th legislature has done more so far in 5 months to harm the most disadvantaged on Guam than any past legislature.
DISAGREE, ARGUE THE FACTS, NOT THE EMOTIONS.

A STORY TO LEARN FROM

She asked her, “How much are you selling the Saba?”
The old seller replied, 3 pesos per banana, Madam.
She said to her, “I’ll take 6 bananas for one peso each or I will leave.”
The old seller replied, “Come take them at the price you want. Maybe this is a good beginning because I haven’t been able to sell even a single banana today.”
She tooked the bananas and walked away feeling she won. She got into her fancy car and went to a 1st class restaurant with her friend, ordered whatever they liked. They ate a little and left a lot of what they ordered. Then she went to pay the bill, costing P2,200.00. She gave P2,500.00 and told the owner to keep the change.
This incident might have seemed quite normal to the owner of the restaurant to keep the change.

The point is, an analogy of the Guam 37th legislature.

Why do we always show we have the power to bargain when we buy from the needy ones? And why do we get generous to those who do not even need our generosity?