3 mother hens and their tiny baby chicks this morning. Hot, hot this afternoon.
______________________________
This is a belated report on the town meeting held by Kilili last evening at the Multi-Purpose Center. I was in attendance from about 5: 10 PM to about 7:10 PM. The meeting was in progress when I arrived and still going on when I left.
There weren't very many people there at first, but more gradually came as the evening went on. Still, in my opinion, the gathering was sparse. Maybe 50 people?
Kilili gave information on two major topics--education and health care.
Education
On education, he made it clear that the threat to federal funds posed by the proposed/pending CNMI legislative austerity measure is real. He was very deferential to the power and authority of the local CNMI Legislature. He acknowledged that he has no power to make any decision with regard to the austerity measure. He can only act as a source of information about the federal programs and how such a measure may interact with them, to the extent our elected local leaders want that information.
He was also clear and certain of his facts: The $16 million figure is the amount that will be lost by PSS immediately upon enactment of the austerity measure as presently pending; and millions more would be lost over the next several years. [The measure itself would save only about $4 to $5 million, so there will be an immediate net loss of greater than $10 million.] The reason for this loss of federal funds would be the failure of the CNMI to live up to the "MOE" that the CNMI signed to get the funds. [Kilili said we may even have to pay back funds we've already received, but I don't recall him putting any number on that statement.]
In order to get the latest federal funds, the CNMI agreed it would not reduce its level of support for education, but would agree to a "mainenance of effort" (MOE). This does not meant that the amount of revenues from local coffers must remain unchanged in a declining economy; but it does mean that our budget percentage of support must remain the same.
The furlough Fridays that the Fitial administration favors could be accomplished as part of an austerity measure, but only if the austerity is "across the board" so that the PSS share of the budget stays the same. Instead, the current budget cuts education, but not public safety and public health, which means that the PSS share of the budget will be lower than when the CNMI signed the MOE agreement.
And thus, passage of this austerity measure will mean an instaneous loss of $16 million to PSS.
But our leaders don't believe this or don't want to believe this.
It must be very frustrating to work with politicians who think everything is a political ploy and a soft "fact" and everything is negotiable. Kilili mentioned how he has had meetings with CNMI local politicians in the Legislature (and I think he said the Executive branch), and that these people don't believe this threat is real. He tried to convince them by having a conference phone call with Department of Education officials in Washington, D.C., but the local politicians still refused to believe that their austerity measure would have devastating effects on PSS.
I want to say kudos to Kilili for trying; and it is also very gratifying to know that our PSS Board and administration are all intelligent enough and educated enough and capable of dealing with reality enough that they do recognize and understand the very real problems that the austerity measure as presently drafted would have.
In the end, it will be our innocent children who will suffer if this measure is passed; our kids who will lose untold educational benefits because of the ignorance of our Legislators and the gullibility of our electorate who voted them into office.
Perhaps our elected officials will wise up and we'll dodge this bullet. I hope so.
<
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: Kilili, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 2 of 2
By: Jane Mack,
on 4/8/2010
Blog: Saipan Writer (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Kilili, health care reform, town meeting, education, Add a tag
By: Jane Mack,
on 2/16/2009
Blog: Saipan Writer (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Politics, CNMI, Kilili, H.R. 934, H.R. 935, Add a tag
Our new delegate, Gregoria (Kilili) Sablan, has introduced his first two bills into the US Congress. I'm very glad they are simple, direct, needed and fair pieces of legislation.
The 3-mile EEZ proposal (H.R. 934) would put the CNMI on par with most other coastal states. The CNMI has turned down the 3-mile EEZ before, when litigating for the entire 200 mile EEZ. Kilili's statements in support are more humble than the CNMI's prior stances. I'm glad to see him saying we need to get something, and then we need to join other coastal states and argue that all of us should have larger areas of control.
The proposal (H.R. 935) to increase the number of CNMI nominations to service academies is also modest--to give the CNMI and America Samoa the same rights as other states.
I like these two bills. I like that they are designed to align us with the rest of the states and territories. I like that they address issues of fairness and equality. I like that they introduce us as reasonable, responsible, and careful--not strident, not reckless, not seeking political ends as much as due consideration and fair treatment.
I also like that Kilili is working with others. He's started building the natural alliances, the easy alliances with Guam and American Samoa. He's taking small steps, in the right direction.
To me, this is a good way to start, a good way to approach the awesome power and responsibility of being part of the U.S. House of Representatives.
As usual these elected are in denial,even when it comes up and hits them in the face.
They have an illogical reason behind it.
It's not only our elected leaders who take this approach.
I see it among people who just feel overwhelmed with having to think about things. They'd rather not! They'd rather just try something, without giving too much advance consideration to what might happen.
When you can't figure things out, sometimes you just have to try things. It's not a bad survival mechanism.
But when it's just the easy way out, because thinking is too much work or leads to realizations the people don't like, that's when I find it extremely frustrating and upsetting.
And of course, we'd like to have leaders who aren't afraid to use their brains.
:-)