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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...
Admin
- 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....
Admin
- 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...
Admin
- 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...
Admin
- 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.”...
Admin
- Feb 4
Mental colony
Saipan — A few months ago, advocates, including representatives from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and the other...
Admin
- 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...
Admin
- 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...
Admin
- 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...
Admin
- 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...
Admin
- 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...
Admin
- 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...
Admin
- 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,...
Admin
- 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...
Admin
- 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...
Admin
- 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...
Admin
- 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...
Admin
- 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...
Admin
- 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...
Admin
- 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...
Admin
- 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...
Admin
- 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...
Admin
- 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”...
Admin
- 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...
Admin
- 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...
Admin
- 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....
Admin
- 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...
Admin
- 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,...
Admin
- 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...
Admin
- 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...
Admin
- 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....
Admin
- 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...
By Zaldy Dandan
- May 3, 2020
He told you so
Saipan — By the time you read this, it is likely that we’re still observing social-distancing rules, and a curfew remains in place. Many...
By Zaldy Dandan
- Apr 18, 2020
See you on the other side, boss
Abed Younis Saipan--They may call themselves Territorial, Popular, Democrat, Republican, Covenant, Reform or Independent, but since the...
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