AdminJun 6The three Rs of politicsSaipan — There are two kinds of people who like saying “I want it now!”: kids and voters. And like doting parents, politicians fall over...
AdminMay 4Politics 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...
AdminApr 5Political Derangement SyndromeSaipan — It’s seven months until the November election, but a lot of people are already afflicted with Political Derangement Syndrome....
AdminMar 13You 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...
AdminFeb 13Three-way! History repeating itselfSaipan — Election Day is Nov. 8, 2022. There are three candidates for CNMI governor as I write this: Republican Gov. Ralph DLG Torres,...
AdminJan 4‘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...
AdminDec 10, 2021The kids are all rightSaipan — In his awesome book, "The End is Near and It’s Going to be Awesome," Kevin D. Williamson reminds us that most governments “do...
AdminOct 7, 2021Of mice and humansSaipan — Lawrence W. Reed, president emeritus of the Foundation for Economic Education, says national and state parks all over the U.S....
AdminSep 7, 2021Bibbidi bobbidi boo! Those who believe in fairy-tale politicsSaipan — Recently, a local public official — one of the better ones — gave the worst possible piece of advice to a college student. He...
By Zaldy DandanAug 9, 2021Guess who won the war on drugsSaipan — Thirty years ago, the banner story of Marianas Variety, the CNMI’s oldest newspaper, was “Top Officials Named as Shabu Users.”...
By Zaldy DandanJun 10, 2021We're wrong; that's how we know we're aliveSaipan — New Zealand’s left-leaning prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, who is beloved by the mostly left-leaning international media, says...
By Zaldy DandanMay 7, 2021On and on: Fixing thing as they see fitSaipan — Never underestimate humanity’s ability to ruin a well-intentioned public policy. In 19th century Vietnam, the French colonial...
By Zaldy DandanMar 7, 2021R.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 DandanFeb 5, 2021Illegalize it!When literary works are judged according to political viewpoint Saipan — Perhaps one of the best things that could possibly happen to...
By Zaldy DandanJan 3, 2021Lend me your earsSaipan — The CNMI’s new Legislature will be sworn in this month, and, as usual, each of the lawmakers will deliver their inaugural...
By Zaldy DandanNov 1, 2020SCRAM!Saipan — This month, voters across the U.S., including Guam, the NMI and the other territories, are electing their leaders, lawmakers...
By Zaldy DandanOct 3, 2020The Trust Territory daysSaipan — In “A Reporter in Micronesia,” his 1966 book about the tiny islands administered by the United States, E.J. Kahn Jr. pinpointed...
By Zaldy DandanSep 20, 2020Hope! and Change! in the Philippine 48 years agoSaipan — Sept. 21st marks the 48th anniversary of Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos’ declaration of martial law which made him the...
By Zaldy DandanAug 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 DandanJul 8, 2020In the name of fiscal balanceSaipan — Staring into the financial abyss, the Northern Mariana Islands government has enlisted the help of Graduate School USA in...
By Zaldy DandanJun 11, 2020Why the Philippines couldn’t be a US stateSaipan — On June 12th, the Philippines will celebrate the 122nd anniversary of its declaration of independence. But for one of my...
By Zaldy DandanMay 3, 2020He told you soSaipan — 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 DandanApr 18, 2020See you on the other side, bossAbed Younis Saipan--They may call themselves Territorial, Popular, Democrat, Republican, Covenant, Reform or Independent, but since the...
By Zaldy DandanMar 9, 2020Run. Run for your livesSaipan — In a book published in 1884, Herbert Spencer wrote that the “mischiefs wrought by uninstructed lawmaking, enormous in their...
By Zaldy DandanFeb 15, 2020The continuing pastSaipan — So far, the news headlines here are about the Public School System’s funding woes; unhappy teachers who are on the verge of...
By Zaldy DandanJan 7, 2020Doomsday? Our kind of day!Saipan— Some of the Northern Marianas’ high school seniors were asked recently if they plan to return to the islands after graduating...
By Zaldy DandanDec 23, 2019And a beeeeeeeeer in a treeSaipan — The last time I experienced the Christmas holidays in Manila was 26 years ago. Which means that I’ve already lived half of my...
By Zaldy DandanNov 7, 2019The world’s second oldest professionClearly, democracy is ridiculous and politics is senseless, but there are many people who truly believe that they can make a difference —...
By Zaldy DandanOct 7, 2019How to be a popular social commentatorSaipan — Say something obvious. Say it because no one in his or her right mind will dispute it. “We should always think about the...
By Zaldy DandanSep 5, 2019‘I read the news today, oh boy’Saipan — After Typhoon Soudelor battered the island in Aug. 2015, someone complained, on Facebook, that the most horrible thing that had...
By Zaldy DandanAug 4, 2019Fat chance“None of the Robespierres of the world knew how to make a pencil, yet they wanted to remake entire societies.” — Lawrence W. Reed Saipan...
By Zaldy DandanJul 7, 2019We are the ones we have been waiting forSaipan — When it comes to politics and the government, many us believe that what’s happening now should be the worst thing ever. Not a...
By Zaldy DandanJun 4, 2019The end is near (again)!Saipan — If all you read (or watch) are news stories, you may wonder why the world has not yet ended. Airplane crashes....
By Zaldy DandanMay 24, 2019So what’s new?Saipan — Worried about your island and/or nation’s state of affairs? Read the news from other islands and/or nations. Do you tend to...
By Zaldy DandanApr 7, 2019At what cost? How much do you have?Saipan — Some critics of casino legalization ask, usually rhetorically, “At what cost?” Fair enough. In discussing any public policy, it...
By Zaldy DandanMar 10, 2019And that’s the way it isSaipan — Twenty-five years ago, there were at least six newspapers on island: Marianas Variety, Marianas Review, Saipan Tribune (then...
By Zaldy DandanFeb 7, 2019Meet the peopleSaipan — In the last election campaign, certain supporters of certain candidates repeatedly stated — as if putting a hex on us all — that...
By Zaldy DandanJan 4, 2019Unsolicited advice to newly sworn in lawmakersSaipan — In terms of lawmaking, you should stick to introducing and passing spending measures, chief of which is the government’s annual...
By Zaldy DandanDec 15, 2018WishcasterSaipan — Humans, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, can foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year —...
By Zaldy DandanOct 31, 2018DrunkmocracySaipan — I experienced my first NMI election in 1993. The voters headed to the polling centers on Nov. 6, and I, like most people on...
By Zaldy DandanOct 5, 2018The great debateSaipan — Somewhere in the Pacific… Moderator: Good evening. We are gathered here today to get through this thing called democracy in...