Some people are blaming the wrong governor. Here’s a direct reminder of who stole your money

Governor Arnold Palacios faces a political dilemma that threatens progress and even criminal justice in the Commonwealth. At a time when reasonable citizens should be coalescing around his efforts to stabilize government operations and the economy, his detractors and trolls of his corrupt predecessor are trying to rewrite history… and stall the prosecution of the former governor and his cronies.

The problems facing the people of the CNMI, they say, have been caused by Mr. Palacios. The thing is, he’s only been the governor for less than two years. Since coming to office, the CNMI House has pushed forward many of his reform and stabilization proposals, but the Senate president’s switch of allegiance to the Republicans has bottlenecked most of these proposals. At least one of the bills stuck in the now-Republican (de facto) Senate is legislation the anti-corruption prosecutor needs in order to more effectively bring corrupt criminals to justice.

Granted, we believe the governor can and should be more aggressive in his agenda, and even in his tone. But at least he’s been moving in the right direction. All of that progress can go to its death this November, if voters slurp up the lies by Republicans that count on the worries and anxieties of Commonwealth residents about the dismal economic realities and the feelings of despair that have permeated.

The fundamental problem is that families don’t have enough money to eat healthy, pay the utilities and phone bills, and pay back loans. That fundamental problem has a root; and if we dig, we can find it. So dig we should:

Families don’t have this money because the economy sucks.

The economy sucks because tourists aren’t visiting Saipan like they used to.

Tourists aren’t visiting Saipan because Saipan’s attractions, infrastructure, climate of safety and utilities reliability have gone downhill, and the prices of hotel rooms, taxis, and most restaurants are far more expensive than other resort destinations.

Saipan’s attractions, infrastructure, climate of safety, and utilities reliability have gone downhill because the CNMI government didn’t use pandemic funds (read: Free money from United States taxpayers) to make these critical investments. (The unreliable power systems in Saipan, Tinian, and Rota? All of that could have been solved with a few million bucks – a fraction of the pandemic funds – to replace the systems).

The CNMI government didn’t use pandemic funds to make these critical investments because Ralph Torres used the money to give his friends and family sole-source contracts for a bunch of BS that served absolutely no public purpose.

The prices of hotel rooms, taxis, and most restaurants are so expensive because rather than providing a real boost to these industries so they could survive the devastation of the pandemic while holding back price increases, Ralph Torres used federal money to BOOST his cronies and to provide corporate welfare only to the businesses he preferred.

Families don’t have this money because the government itself can’t afford to operate with as many employees as before, and even the workforce that survived downsizing has to endure reduced work hours.

Families don’t have this money because the government can’t afford tax refunds.

Families don’t have this money because the government can’t invest in infrastructure programs that can kickstart economic growth.

Families don’t have this money because the government can’t provide stimulus payments to households that can help to ease the struggle and create at least a bridge of economic stability.

The government can’t pay its workers more, remit tax refunds timely, invest in infrastructure, or dole out stimulus payments because the government doesn’t have money.

The government doesn’t have money because Ralph Torres spent it all, and then after he spent it all, he left behind a deficit of bills amounting to more than the CNMI government collects in taxes annually.

See? It didn’t take much digging to uncover the shallow roots of the problem.

Every shovelful of dirt reveals Ralph Torres and his Republican cronies. He took the money. This isn’t even some academic theory. He is directly responsible for the pain and struggle of the CNMI’s people. He plundered the people’s money without remorse and with complete impunity, and now his trolls and surrogates running for office want you to believe that he is some victim and that the present problems were created by Arnold Palacios.

Arnold Palacios didn’t take that money. Ralph Torres did. Even if Governor Palacios wanted to steal from the people of the CNMI, former Governor Torres looted all that booty and left nothing for Palacios to take.

And for anyone foolish enough to believe otherwise, think about this: Ralph Torres couldn’t care less about the suffering in Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. He reportedly is doing just fine with the businesses he set up for himself prior to leaving office, and that reportedly are thriving. Businesses in the CNMI and in Guam. He may as well walk up and down Beach Road with two middle fingers raised to the Commonwealth.

The lies from the trolls and the surrogates are not to be solely blamed for the misinformation and the despair. The INDEMs’ failures in the House, and the turncoat of former Democrat Edith Deleon Guerrero in the Senate have contributed to the unnecessary roadblocks on the righteous path to rebuilding and ascension from the pit.

I’m thoroughly disappointed in the majority leadership in the CNMI House for its lazy and lackluster “investigation” into Mr. Torres’ abuse of federal funds. The Independent-Democrat (INDEM, as they are called) coalition was placed into power by the voters with a clear mandate to hold Torres and the Republicans accountable for the rampant corruption of his administration and the previous legislature. If Republicans and Republicans disguised as Independents win seats in the legislature, the fault should rest squarely on the INDEMs’ failure to show voters they are committed to bringing Mr. Torres and his cronies to justice.

If the INDEMs are fortunate to receive the blessings of voters and retain leadership of the House and regain leadership of the Senate, I suggest they get serious about their work and stop using their offices to travel on the government dime to every useless junket they’ve been going on. If their rate of travel continues, we should all question what makes them different from Ralph and his cronies.

And for crying out loud, maybe in the next legislature they’ll actually make substantial changes, like outlawing gambling, passing local antitrust statute, revising and deregulating the business licensure process, and stiffening criminal sentences and penalties on white collar crime. Because if they don’t do these things, who will? Certainly not the Republicans or the Republicans disguised as Independents.