Bitter times

Not original, I know. Everybody's made fun of the Governor's Better Times campaign slogan by now, but I'm not talking locally. Yet. (A little foreshadowing, folks)

Nope, it's the foot Barak H. Obama planted firmly in his mouth when talking about the working class:

It's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to express their frustrations.

Hillary Clinton called the remarks “elitist and arrogant”. A strong indictment indeed, coming from her. The usual suspects crowded print, airwaves and the internet with reaction.

They should lighten up a little. Sure, it's the usual pop-psychology pap we all use to explain how other people can Get It Wrong. It ignores the fact that people can honestly disagree. Saying it in San Francisco? Well...

Really, though, that argument gets a lot of mileage because it's got an element of truth. In hard times it's human nature to cast about for a villain, and we sometimes (usually?) get it wrong. There are always profiteering pundits to egg us on.

On the home affront

I see that on Saipan every day. Blame the contract workers, blame the locals, blame the airlines. Heck, let's all blame Washington. There's a nasty undercurrent lately.

Let's back up. Contract workers come for jobs. They don't control anything. If there's a path to naturalization, well, why not?

Local leaders? Well, who elected them? After all of these years, a lot of voters are the children of aliens. There's a large group of other Micronesians and people from the states. With so many elections decided by a handful of votes those are blocks that could make a difference, and they don't.

I constantly hear 'outsiders' say I didn't know what anybody stands for so I voted for so-and-so. I know him and he's a nice guy. Sorry, they're all Nice Guys; that's how they get elected. Do some digging, or don't waste your vote. Oh, and shut up about the fine mess we're in.

Report card day

Ah, that's too serious, so I'll have to end with something light WARNING: I'm being facetious here. After all, nobody in his right mind would suggest having a recall vote on every single elected official

It would be fun. We could combine it with the non-voting delegate vote to save money. Even the Judiciary? Why not, especially if you've read the self-serving I've-got-mine-Jack folderol they're peddling. Now that's why they need a PIO.

They'd all be retained, of course, but it would be interesting to see how many would get a B plus from voters.