Letter to the Editor:‘We are your partners’

YOU HAVE NO SHAME NOR RESPECT COMING OUT ON THE MEDIA BLUNTLY EXPRESSING YOU HAVE THE FULL AUTHORITY TO INFLUX OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM AND ALL FEDERAL ASSISTANCE. WELL! GET USE TO IT! TAOTAO TANO'S WILL BE ON YOUR CONTACT LIST. KEEP THEM NUMBERS...DON'T ASK US TO BE NICE TO YOU AFTER ALL..



mv - Monday December 10, 2007

AFTER my most recent letter to the editor came out, I’ve been receiving some interesting phone calls mostly from locals. The callers represented opposing sides. Some called to ask if I could give them a ride and there were those who called to tell me basically that we, nonresident workers, were taking away what were supposed to be only for locals.
Don’t get me wrong. I love talking to people regardless of from what side they are taking. I take each conversation as a learning opportunity; knowing how they are thinking and why they are thinking that way. I’m writing again not to argue or question anybody’s opinion but to try to explain as objectively as I can my understanding of our role as your guest workers.
We came to your island because your invertors were looking for qualified people to work for their businesses. I’m sure they would have thought initially of hiring locally if the right person is already on island considering that the cost of getting foreign workers and processing the work permits, etc. is not a joke. It’s either you cannot do the job or you do not want to do the job. We are here to fill a need.
Nonresident workers are a vital part of building your island and your economy. There are nonresident workers who have spent 20 or more years of their lives serving you. Isn’t it just right to have a two-way relationship where both parties, nonresident workers and locals, give and not only us are giving and you receiving?
Some callers believed that we’re taking away their share of food stamps. Food stamps are from the federal govenment and not from the local budget. I believe there is enough for everybody who needs it. It’s not that locals are not getting their fair share because we are prioritized.
I sympathize with you if what you are saying is accurate that some Head Start centers are not accepting your kids because they are filled up with the children of nonresident workers. But don’t you think it is an issue that the government should address? We are also paying taxes and so I believe that it is just fair that we can put our children to schools.
Did you realize that with the new labor law, your investors are going to be inconvenienced because businesses will have to slow down as employees are leaving? Companies will be training new employees all over again and then just when the new employees are trained, they need to exit again. This is not to mention the cost of airfare that will be incurred.
I believe that you have every right to enjoy the privileges of being the owners of this island and of being sons and daughters of the great United States of America. But please, do you really believe that now is the right time for this new law? When the economy is almost hitting rock bottom and even our governor is saying we are in a state of great depression, why do we have to make it harder for businesses to survive?
The beauty of democracy lies in the fact that people, regardless of race, are free to express their opinion in a civilized way. I don’t understand why I am getting harassments for expressing my opinion. Please know that we respect you, your laws and your culture. At the same token, we hope that you can also respect us.
I know some locals who are going to our country on a regular basis either for business or medical reason. In fact, some have moved there with their families. We don’t tell them to go home or that they’re taking away what’s ours. Instead we show them our hospitality.
What about the children of the nonresident workers who are born here? Does your Christian heart tell you to ignore the fact that families will be separated or children will suffer?
Because I am only human, sometimes I feel sad knowing that some locals think of us as trying to steal what only they should have. Again and again, I say and I would say it again. We’d like to think that we are your partners. We take because we give. I pray that all of us will have the same motto in life so everybody will be willing to give.
IRENE N. TANTIADO
Chinatown, Saipan