By Zaldy Dandan

At an economic forum hosted by the Saipan Chamber of Commerce more than two years ago, local economist Matthew Deleon Guerrero gave a presentation on the CNMI’s economic conditions. His assessment? The short answer: dismal. The long answer: painfully dismal.

Democracy, however, is also a system of government fueled by promises of free goods and services. Not surprisingly, throughout known human history, the root of most government crises lies in the failure to finance the benefits pledged by those in power.

The CNMI administration believes that, right now, the foremost matter affecting the islands’ relationship with the U.S. is the Commonwealth’s dire need for federal funding — tens of millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars.