The political drama continues in
Hagatna. From Adelup to Hessler, the
opening salvos of what will almost certainly be THE issue of the 2014 Election
Cycle has since been launched and the electorate can expect plenty of spin and
rhetoric in the coming days and months.
Yesterday, the Governor of Guam
signed the sixth bill substituted for his Organic Act mandated submission of
the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget for the Government of Guam. The Governor chided the Guam Legislature in
his veto message stating that,"...The passage of the bill is the worst
exercise of political gamesmanship over the past two years."
So the question is-what next?
With a little over 20 days
remaining until the end of the fiscal year, the reviews of the final Budget Act
are happening pretty fast across the Executive Branch and in the local
media. A focus on the Guam Memorial
Hospital was magnified over the past two weeks and final two revisions. There is no question that what is left in
this new law are simply very few options and limited money to operate Gov Guam
this year. We all can expect varying
levels of impact in our community starting October 1st.
The scuttle around town is that
there was so much infighting and bickering among Republicans and Democrats continue to craft talking points to pick at the Calvo Administration's description of
the entire process. With a 15-0 vote,
the Senators of the Guam Legislature met their Organic Act mandate-but not
without much criticism of the process.
Blowups in closed door meetings and absolutely disrespectful encounters
between Administration officials and Senators were played out in recent days
that not only changes the fiscal landscape of Gov Guam for another year, but
will have an adverse effect on who exactly will possess the majority come
election day.
Yes-there will be another Fiscal
Year Budget to debate at the height of Decision 2014. There will be more of the political theater that we all witnessed recently. Each
side will press the other on what exactly is the best direction for the island.
$804.7 million. Policy makers are banking on $140 million to
assist local coffers. Plenty of tax
refunds. Education will get money. Pay raises and COLA payments are promised.
But what will be the collective legacy of this current Guam Legislature and Governor of Guam?
I would surmise that each will
look to take credit for the good things and slam the other for the bad. When the Budget for 2014 falls short or gains
even the slightest of a surplus, each side will spin harsh criticism or
outright victory. Pocket book issues now
rule the day. How does the Gov Guam Budget keep the lights on at your
house? Have the policies outlined keep
food on our collective tables? Does this
particular law attract business to Guam and grow or contract our economy?
There are a lot of questions posed on this particular post. A short answer to many of these is, "...it depends.". I think that this process showed the dark side to Guam politics. It revealed a lack of what many I spoke with on this issue-a true sense of helping our people achieve their own destiny in life. Also missing was a lack of fiscal discipline and acknowledgement of the reality of the times we are facing. Dependence continues to rule the day. Independence is pushed away.
I cannot figure out why
public policy today has yet to progress beyond what was the norm 43 years
ago. We need to push for substantive
change and not settle for the status quo.