By Lee Webber for Kandit News & Views
While I have not written a column for a few weeks, what many will consider recent news – concerning many government of Guam agencies facing financial and managerial problems due to careless spending, poor professional management skills and allowing existing federals funds to lapse – has once again rattled my cage.
It seems that President Trump’s first 100 days, and the DOGE group, have thrown a kink in the budgeting and spending habits of these spend-happy GovGuam elected and appointed officials.
This has also exposed the careless and habitual lack of financial controls, poor fiscal management and oversight by these same people operating behind their careless fiscal behavior, poor oversight and careless spending habits.
Rather than running our government with the primary expense centers being education, public safety, and island healthcare, elected and appointed government officials have continued to operate as though money grew on trees, Guam personally belonged to them, and they were the last of the big spenders – but with someone else’s money!
Rather than operate like a responsible household or business – efficiently and saving money for a rainy day – they act like spendthrifts who believe that Uncle Sam or Guam taxpayers will bail them out and save them from their careless, unnecessary, frivolous spending and lousy management habits.
A prime example of this is asking the federal government for hundreds of millions of dollars to fund a new hospital rather than ensuring that the current hospital runs efficiently and effectively.
A problem that has been going on for far too many years through numerous administrations and legislatures.
Add to this the utter wasteful spending, and careless oversight habits of the majority of elected officials and their appointees and it spells financial disaster for the average citizens whose hard-earned money feeds these bloated and careless habits and turns them into a wasteful spending center called the government of Guam.
It is well-past time for the people of Guam to stand up against political vote buying at the expense of our overall island community and the health, welfare, and future of our island’s children.
It is time to demand fiscal (financial) responsibility on the part of all elected officials, and the proper management and oversight of all of their respective appointees and the departments for which they have been give charge.
We really need more aggressive news organizations on island to behave like the ‘fourth estate” and actually work as watchdogs on government officials. Holding their feet to the fire on a daily basis.
When was the last time you knew of any governor randomly visiting each-and-every GovGuam department to assess their level of efficiency and effectiveness rather than partying, paying political favors and dictating rules?
In business, it is called “management by walking around”.
What about the deplorable conditions at Guam Homeland Security? The horrible conditions of the structure itself, poor working conditions and numerous financial and improper management questions facing the governor’s appointees in far too many departments?
On the other hand, the ongoing deplorable overall conditions in the schools and at the Department of Education as a whole. A place at which senior management allowed nearly an entire summer to lapse without proper work being done on school campuses in preparation for the coming school year?
At what point are the voters and citizens of Guam going to say ‘we’ve had enough,’ and demand that so-called leadership really begins to act like responsible leaders as opposed to careless spend-thrifts or third-world dictators.
It is time for action on the part of the voters of Guam to make the types of decisions that will stop people from leaning on political handouts and Make Guam Great Again.
It is time for sweeping political change and vastly improved governance that ensures top quality education, health care and public safety.
The time has come for the so-called leadership of this island to hit the island drug problem squarely between the eyes. While you may not be capable of complete stoppage, the government can certainly slam the breaks much harder on the drug access routes.
Saving families should be a top priority!
Elected and appointed officials need to work to strengthen the family as opposed to making empty promises and working on their survival through frivolous spending habits and handing out unearned money.
It is time to Make Guam Great Again!
Esta.
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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
