Term limit

Governor Benigno R. Fitial's campaign slogan didn't quite work out, but would there be “better times” if someone else had won the 2005 CNMI election?

I don't think so That's been on my mind for a couple of years now, and Brad Ruszala brought it up in some comments over on Middle Road. He took a lot of flak, but it's a strong argument.

Saipan has always been the engine of the Commonwealth economy, and the collapse of the garment and tourism industries has been devastating. The tradewinds of change are an outside force that no Governor can stand against.

This mess has been coming for a long time. When Juan N. Babauta took office I was telling anyone who would listen he needed to start a Reduction in Force in his first six months. The obvious answer was that he didn't want to be a one-term Governor. He didn't, and he was anyway.

Fitial was the House Speaker, of course. If Babauta had said 'green', his answer would be 'yellow'. Now he's the Governor, and it's time to bite the bullet. He's only going to have one term anyway.

That's not even criticism. This all peaked on his watch, and he gets the blame. For a year or two, I heard from a lot of folks who said Lt. Gov. Tim Villagomez was working on getting them a job. They don't say much now. Something had to give, and there are only so many supporters of the previous administration who can be shunted aside.

They didn't hire enough, and they didn't fire enough. So it goes.

The problem, of course, is that there is no safety net. Rather, the government is the safety net. There's no unemployment insurance and very few private sector jobs pay a living wage. That's a structural problem that won't be fixed anytime soon.

You heard it here first: the next Governor will only serve one term.

Papa Doo Run Run

I see the House of Representatives is looking into runoff elections for Governor. Nobody worried too much when the winning candidate got forty-some percent, but a lot of people got upset about the 2005 election.

So, how about an instant runoff if there are more than two candidates? This site is just an overview, but there's a lot of information out there. It would save the expense of another election. The downside, or upside if you're that type, is that people could write in NO and still have a vote in the second round. Don't want to embarrass anyone, do we?

Where can I get a copy? That Pandemic Influenza Table Top Game looks intriguing. I've always thought learning should be fun.

As long as you don't get carried away: "The Traditional Medicine Conference aimed to strengthen, promote, and preserve traditional medicine knowledge; and to advocate protection of herbal plants, especially those that are near extinction through education..." I'm teasing, I've always thought traditional medicine should be preserved, American Indians using salicylic acid and all of that. Almost 300 participants they said. I believe it, there were almost that many in the credits at the end of the story.

Hours of fun I've already got a new toy, though. I call it Degrees of Separation. You just find your favorite subject, and find out which lobbyist was in favor for the year of your choice. It's addictive. Most people can't help looking at the other clients of that lobbyist, who they lobbied and the members of the firm. It's a great family game, my 11 year-old was fascinated once I showed him what I was doing.

Just remember: CONTENTS UNDER PRESSURE - EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE. IN CASE OF FIRE OR LEAKAGE, DO NOT STORE ABOVE 110 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT