Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Thieves

Another big problem that we have on island is the sudden increase in acts of thievery. The obvious "Top Dog" in this field are the copper wire thieves. However, this blog is not about them, but about the regular "come up to you and rob you" thieves. There was an article in the Variety today about a tourist and two alien workers who got robbed. To the thieves involved in those incidents, I commend you for contributing to the downfall of this island. Yes, YOU are to blame for the worsening tourism industry. Now, I am aware that the main reason for the decrease in arrivals to the CNMI is the pullout of JAL, but it's things like this that make everything worse for us.

Instead of promoting a good, positive image for the CNMI, you are sending a message out to everyone saying that this is not a good place to go to. Instead of going back to Japan and telling everyone how beautiful Saipan is, how wonderful his stay was, and how hospitable people were, Akinobu Okuda, the most recent tourist who fell victim to you thieves, he will go back to Japan and tell everyone to steer clear of Saipan. He will most likely be telling people that Saipan is a land of thieves and people who attack tourists and it would be best to avoid coming here. To steal is one thing, but to physically ATTACK the tourists? This is ABSURD!! What effect do YOU think this will have on us? If you really think that it won't affect us and you guys don't care about any of it, then you really are fools. You're probably some of the many people on island who constantly complain about how Saipan sucks and we have nothing going for us. Well, thanks to you, it can only get worse from here.

Mr. Okuda wasn't the only one who's been robbed (obviously). Back in November, Marianas High School's sister school in Japan, Seisa Gakuen, sent a few students here to participate in a homestay program. My sister and I hosted a student named Yuta. One day, we all went to Garapan to shop, and DFS was our last stop before going back home. While we were inside shopping, Yuta decided to go walk around on the second floor parking lot for a while. He set his black burberry bag down next to him, and a few minutes later he was distracted by his teachers, who had come to talk to him. After leaving, he realized that he had left his bag at DFS. Only 15 minutes after leaving DFS, we returned, only to find that the bag was gone. We went to security to see if anyone had turned in something to lost and found, but there was nothing there. Now, you might be saying, "That's not stealing." YES, it IS. In his bag was his wallet, which contained $25 (he was lucky he didn't put in all his money), his cell phone, his driver's license (which is REALLY expensive in Japan), and his digital camera. My friend Jeff and I stayed at DFS until around 11 pm trying to solve things. We didn't get anything out of it. Jeff and I jokingly said that Yuta probably hates Saipan now and he probably won't want to come back. However, Yuta, being the nice guy that he is, said he loves it here and although his bag is a great loss, he said from the experience, he gained lifelong friends and he knew we could be trusted. To the person who took Yuta's bag, shame on you. Thank YOU for turning my friend's dream into a nightmare.

Although Yuta has gone back to Japan and is telling all his friends about what a nice place Saipan is, who knows what his relatives might be saying after hearing about his incident? For all you know, they could be telling everyone the same things I mentioned in Mr. Okuda's story. The point is, people, we're never gonna get anywhere with this island if things like this go on. Yes, MVA and many other organizations and individuals are working hard to promote the CNMI, but that just isn't enough. If people keep attacking tourists and robbing them, all the negative publicity will counter the positive advertising and then what will happen?

Think about it before you rob your next tourist. If you really cared about the island, you'd change your ways.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Waste of Money

So a panel of CNMI government officials, including the Lt. Governor, are headed over to D.C. to see what they can do to change things concerning the minimum wage hike bill. I say it's a waste of time and money. They won't listen to us. They shouldn't listen to us. I say it's time for these people that "we" elect to stop thinking about themselves and start thinking about what WE the people want. They've used up our money for far too long, and now we are faced with a huge deficit. The governor started taking austerity measures when he came into office, but then they continue to spend and spend and spend, wasting our money on things like these trips. Judging from the poll that Saipan Tribune took last week, most people in the CNMI are all for the federalization. I say these government officials don't really care about our progress and improvement. What they care about is keeping their hold over the people and the land. They're scared that the federalization of labor and immigration will cause them to lose their power and control over the residents of the CNMI. Well folks, it's time to say goodbye, 'cause your fears are going to become reality pretty soon.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

IMPORTANT NEWS FOR THE CNMI

The democrat-controlled House has voted. The vote was 315-116, with 82 republicans joining the democrats in their vote. The bill now goes to the Senate to vote on. Let's keep on hoping for the best!!!

Click here for one version of the story.

Click here for another version of the story.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

My Saipan Blogging Debut

So, this is my first blog entry ever. No, not really. But it is my first blog that is about one general subject. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Kelvin. I've lived on the island of Saipan my whole life. I'm a senior at Marianas High School and I am involved in many clubs.

This blog will be full of my opinions on the many current events that are occuring on Saipan and in the CNMI. You don't have to agree with me, but feel free to comment and let me know what you think. I created this blog because I think there is a lack of involvement in the community when it comes to teenagers. Adults tend to think that we are not watching or reading the news. Our generation has built up a reputation of ignorance and high disregard to the issues that face our community. While I am aware that there are indeed many teenagers who don't care much for political matters of current events, I also know that there are a handful of us who do care, who do pay attention to the news. To all the teens out there, especially the ones on Saipan and the rest of the CNMI, I urge you to do the same. Read the news. Make your opinion known. Our voices must be heard. We are, after all, the future of our community. Before you read on, however, I am warning you: these are my opinions, and I do not mean to offend anyone who reads them. I apoligize in advance if there are things that I write that end up offending some people.

So for my first post, I thought I'd discuss one of the hottest issues on island right now: the Federal takeover. There seems to be a great scare on island concerning the immediate and long-term effects of the Federal takeover. At the same time, there seems to be a huge chunk of the island population that is greatly anticipating the Federal takeover. My opinion? I think it's GREAT!! This is what I have been waiting for for so long. Ever since I was young, I had been wishing and hoping that something like this would happen. Now that it's finally here, I am ecstatic. Many people, however, are still against it, saying that it will eventually kill our islands. I say the opposite.

In terms of the minimum wage increase, I think that it is a great idea. You're probably thinking, "Of course all teens would support the minimum wage increase because they can start working for more money." While this might be true, I support the minimum wage increase for more reasons. After all, who wouldn't want to finally get more than just $3.05 an hour? The following are a few of the reasons that I support the increase.

1. The cost of living on Saipan is rising, and $3.05 an hour just isn't enough to be able pay the bills, afford meals, and the cost of transportation.

2. Many people say that it's bad for businesses. I say that this issue can be addressed with a few employees being dismissed. Yes, this will probably lead to a higher unemployment rate, but I say that that is just a temporary sacrifice that we will have to make in order to create better living conditions for ourselves in the long run.

3. The increase in the minimum wage will help to provide some kind of "equality" for non-resident workers, sine the wages of jobs in the private sector are obviously lower than those of the government jobs. Eventually, the children of non-resident workers will be able to live a life with a little more luxury. They will feel more secure.


That's all I have to today, as my fingers are too tired to type more. Stay tuned for my next entry.