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Pre-election ruminations
“If it’s any comfort, we should remind ourselves of the purpose of voting. We don’t vote to elect great persons to office. They’re not...
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Oct 8
Looting ‘A’ to satisfy ‘B’
Saipan — A U.S. political writer complains that the Harris-Walz economic plan is unsound. Others say the same thing about the...
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Sep 8
The price of admission
Saipan -- The residents of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are — and should be — concerned about the possibility of war involving...
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Aug 5
Economic uncertainties amid the CNMI governor’s pivot policy
Saipan — I was thinking. Maybe I should compare the CNMI’s dismal economic situation to a scene from an old (and not-so-politically...
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Jul 8
Let them be
What CNMI politicians can learn from wise students Saipan — Besides the holidays, graduation season is my favorite time of the year....
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Jun 11
Déjà vu democracy
“His daily toil is getting jobs for relatives and retainers. Sometimes he puts a dummy on the payroll and collects the dummy’s salary...
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May 7
What the ‘people’ want
Saipan — The people, according to a Northern Mariana Islands official, need it. “It” was a press release that the official wanted...
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Apr 10
The art of political distraction
Saipan — In politics, the opposite of cynicism is delusion. “Idealism” in politics requires high intelligence — or willful...
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Mar 9
Not bad at all
Saipan — According to a local wag, GUAM stands for “Give Us American Money” while CNMI is short for “Currently Not Making Improvements.”...
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Feb 4
Mental colony
Saipan — A few months ago, advocates, including representatives from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and the other...
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Jan 7
‘So far so good’
Saipan — It’s been a year since the new administration and legislature were sworn in, and to the surprise of no one (who is not a...
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Dec 11, 2023
Run on a platform of ‘change’; tax and overspend; blame your predecessor; rinse, repeat
Saipan — Perhaps one of the main reasons why voter turnout remains high in many democracies is that not everyone has the time to compare...
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Nov 9, 2023
‘Government waste’ is a tautology
Saipan — A lawmaker here has complained about “boxes and boxes of Personal Protective Equipment worth millions of dollars [that] have...
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Oct 6, 2023
Things that make you go hmmm...
Saipan — Like Babe Ruth calling his shot in game 3 of the 1932 World Series, the U.S. Congress passed a law in 2018 extending the...
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Sep 11, 2023
‘I see my opportunity and I take it’
Saipan — Since it was sworn in early this year, the new CNMI administration has been complaining about its predecessor’s “highly...
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Aug 6, 2023
What do you call an honest politician? Unemployed.
Saipan — In 2010, after just eight months in office, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama resigned because — wait for it — he broke a...
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Jul 3, 2023
Saipan’s first Liberation Day
Saipan — The Fourth of July is celebrated in the Northern Mariana Islands as Liberation Day, marking “the permanent closure on July 4,...
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Jun 14, 2023
God save us from ‘good intentions’
Saipan — Perhaps the most terrifying phrase in the English language is “good intentions.” Politics and governance are all about “good...
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May 7, 2023
Square one: Economic diversification in the CNMI
Saipan — Elected officials and concerned citizens say there is a need to “diversify” the tourism-based local economy. How? The proponents...
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Apr 9, 2023
We are the government? Run for your lives!
Saipan — Some say, “We are the government.” Usually, they also work for the government. But if you don’t, you may disagree, and may...
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Mar 8, 2023
Groundhog Day in the CNMI
Saipan — In the movie “Groundhog Day,” the main character played by Bill Murray is a world-weary TV weatherman who finds himself reliving...
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Feb 7, 2023
My MO
CNMI media and politics, 28 years ago Saipan — Twenty-eight years ago, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands had — compared to...
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Jan 8, 2023
And now comes the fun part
Saipan — This month, the youngest governor in CNMI history will be succeeded by the oldest. Republican Gov. Ralph DLG Torres was...
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Dec 5, 2022
A full-blown economic disaster
Saipan — As I write this, the CNMI is getting ready for the gubernatorial runoff which will be held on the day after Thanksgiving. If...
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Nov 2, 2022
The cruelest month
Saipan — In the CNMI and other U.S. jurisdictions, November, not April, as T.E. Eliot once declared, is the cruelest month. Eliot says...
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Oct 9, 2022
The price of everything, the value of nothing
Saipan — Recently, a radio talk show announced it was hosting a virtual forum for the two candidates for attorney general. This was one...
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Sep 5, 2022
CNMI needs a better federalization law
Saipan — Almost all of the businesses that participated in a survey conducted by the Tinian Chamber of Commerce want an end to federal...
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Aug 7, 2022
Stop ‘doing something,’ please
Saipan — I worry whenever a politician and/or elected official says s/he is worried about the people. What usually comes next from that...
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Jul 10, 2022
Tomatoes!
Wanting more of what we're tired of Saipan — Here in the CNMI, it seems that every time “concerned” citizens become “more concerned”...
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Jun 6, 2022
The three Rs of politics
Saipan — There are two kinds of people who like saying “I want it now!”: kids and voters. And like doting parents, politicians fall over...
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May 4, 2022
Politics thrive in economic illiteracy
Saipan — From a Wall Street Journal article published last month: “As yields on two-year Treasury notes this week moved above yields on...
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Apr 5, 2022
Political Derangement Syndrome
Saipan — It’s seven months until the November election, but a lot of people are already afflicted with Political Derangement Syndrome....
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Mar 13, 2022
You don’t believe me? Good for you
Saipan — In the early 1990s, the fax machine and alphanumeric pagers were considered two of the most amazing inventions of all time. You...
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Feb 13, 2022
Three-way! History repeating itself
Saipan — Election Day is Nov. 8, 2022. There are three candidates for CNMI governor as I write this: Republican Gov. Ralph DLG Torres,...
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Jan 4, 2022
‘Unknown unknowns’ and this year’s CNMI gubernatorial election
Saipan — This year, the Northern Mariana Islands will hold its 12th gubernatorial election, and as I write this, there are three...
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Dec 10, 2021
The kids are all right
Saipan — In his awesome book, "The End is Near and It’s Going to be Awesome," Kevin D. Williamson reminds us that most governments “do...
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Oct 7, 2021
Of mice and humans
Saipan — Lawrence W. Reed, president emeritus of the Foundation for Economic Education, says national and state parks all over the U.S....
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Sep 7, 2021
Bibbidi bobbidi boo! Those who believe in fairy-tale politics
Saipan — Recently, a local public official — one of the better ones — gave the worst possible piece of advice to a college student. He...
By Zaldy Dandan
Aug 9, 2021
Guess who won the war on drugs
Saipan — Thirty years ago, the banner story of Marianas Variety, the CNMI’s oldest newspaper, was “Top Officials Named as Shabu Users.”...
By Zaldy Dandan
Jun 10, 2021
We're wrong; that's how we know we're alive
Saipan — New Zealand’s left-leaning prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, who is beloved by the mostly left-leaning international media, says...
By Zaldy Dandan
May 7, 2021
On and on: Fixing thing as they see fit
Saipan — Never underestimate humanity’s ability to ruin a well-intentioned public policy. In 19th century Vietnam, the French colonial...
By Zaldy Dandan
Mar 7, 2021
R.I.P. (human) author
Saipan — In the summer of 2020, amid the Covid-19 global onslaught, the Wall Street Journal reported the rollout of an artificial...
By Zaldy Dandan
Feb 5, 2021
Illegalize it!
When literary works are judged according to political viewpoint Saipan — Perhaps one of the best things that could possibly happen to...
By Zaldy Dandan
Jan 3, 2021
Lend me your ears
Saipan — The CNMI’s new Legislature will be sworn in this month, and, as usual, each of the lawmakers will deliver their inaugural...
By Zaldy Dandan
Nov 1, 2020
SCRAM!
Saipan — This month, voters across the U.S., including Guam, the NMI and the other territories, are electing their leaders, lawmakers...
By Zaldy Dandan
Oct 3, 2020
The Trust Territory days
Saipan — In “A Reporter in Micronesia,” his 1966 book about the tiny islands administered by the United States, E.J. Kahn Jr. pinpointed...
By Zaldy Dandan
Sep 20, 2020
Hope! and Change! in the Philippine 48 years ago
Saipan — Sept. 21st marks the 48th anniversary of Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos’ declaration of martial law which made him the...
By Zaldy Dandan
Aug 2, 2020
‘At the beck and call of every lunatic with a vote in his pocket’
Saipan — “The best novel about American politics,” according to The New York Times, was published in 1956. The author was Edwin...
By Zaldy Dandan
Jul 8, 2020
In the name of fiscal balance
Saipan — Staring into the financial abyss, the Northern Mariana Islands government has enlisted the help of Graduate School USA in...
By Zaldy Dandan
Jun 11, 2020
Why the Philippines couldn’t be a US state
Saipan — On June 12th, the Philippines will celebrate the 122nd anniversary of its declaration of independence. But for one of my...
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