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Source: Samoa News "Eni, where are you when we need you!" Dear Editor, I read in the Samoa News that the American Samoa Government is sending a senior delegation to Washington to try to help solve the dilemma of American Samoa being thrust into the federal minimum wage arena way before it's economically feasible for the Territory. I too want my pay raised up but NOT at the expense of our entire economy! This is getting scary. A little something is better than a lot of nothing! A bird in hand is worth two in the bush. There's a time and place for everything, you know, o le fuata ma ona lou. The President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House and other high ranking American Samoa leaders are traveling to Capitol Hill. And they need Eni's help. He's supposed to be on the scene updating them and advising them on strategy to solve this. However, I also read that Delegate Faleomavaega just left Washington and is on his way to Malietoa's funeral. Wassup with that? Is he losing it or what? He's heading the wrong way! Isn't this the very reason the people of American Samoa elected him? To be there for us in Washington when the really important issues come up? That would be right about NOW, Eni. It seems that he has been doing whatever he wants ever since we put him into office twenty years ago and we keep turning the other cheek when he ignores the things that are important. When are we American Samoans going to smarten up? |
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It is his fault that we lost this fight to begin with. And now, to add insult to injury, he's running away from the very problem he created and refuses to repair, the very problem he caused by not being on the scene when Speaker Pelosi first made the mistake of throwing us into the minimum wage controversy. He should have corrected it then. But he was also traveling when he should have gone to the Speaker to make the case for us. Just when Speaker Pelosi needed him, he disappeared! Eni, PLEASE RETURN TO WASHINGTON right away. You are not our head of government, you are supposed to be working in Congress for our people. Togiola is the head of government and he will represent all of us plus you at the Malietoa funeral. That minimum wage bill is up again and we need you back in Washington now! "Sami" Source: LTE first appeared on Samoanews.com, February 21, 2006 Running Well We have experienced our first real test of our ability to meet the challenges of the worldwide force known as globalization. This globalization thing has brought American Samoa much closer to the rest of the world. We are now only milliseconds from anyplace. It is globalization that gives us the opportunity to compete with the rest of the world. But, just as globalization has given us new opportunities, it also forces us to work harder in competition with the rest of the world. Thomas L. Friedman says it best in his book "The World Is Flat":
Well, the sun has come up in American Samoa and we are running. We know we must outrun competition from all over the world or we will starve. Last week we underwent a test to determine the feasibility of operating a call center in American Samoa to serve U.S. customers when the Safelite Group came here to evaluate our resources. Many of us had been running in preparation for and during this event that I call a test. A lot of people deserve our applause. I applaud the Governor for his total support. I applaud our vendors for the work they have done in preparation for this test. I applaud all the people who have worked so hard planning and organizing all the events. I applaud all our local guests for coming out in support of our community during this test. But, most of all, I applaud our visitors from afar who came here with the sincere desire to bring something really good to American Samoa. The Governor greeted the Safelite people as they got off their private jet on Tuesday, at noon. After a brief greeting, the leader of the group gave a strong instruction for us to put them right to work on their task of evaluating us. They meant business and they wanted to get right into it. We were mobilized in minutes and off we went; technical people in one direction, human resource people in another and financial evaluators in yet another. It became immediately apparent that these people were here to make a very fair evaluation and to help overcome any minor obstacles they encountered. In short: they wanted this to work for everyone. Tuesday evening our guests were treated to their first taste of Samoan hospitality at its very finest. The Governor's reception was a grand affair that included gift giving, speeches and entertainment. The Governor's speech was an excellent welcome. Mr. Bill Cooney's speech in response to the welcome was also warm and heartfelt as it focused on our servicemen. The room was buzzing with conversation as our guests interacted with government leaders and business people in an effort to "get a feel for the place". The next day started with breakfast and presentations by our Department of Commerce and Human Resources departments. Then we were off to site visits at BlueSky, ASPA, eCDC and ASTCA. Our final site visit was at ASCC where we toured the campus, saw the PICTA computer-training center and stopped for a wonderful luncheon hosted by ASCC. At the luncheon we were absolutely thrilled and honored to enjoy an outstanding performance by the ASCC Choir. At the conclusion of this meeting, one of the Safelite people made a brief comment to ASCC in which he said "you have shined here". By about 2:00 p.m., we returned to the Tradewinds hotel where "vendors" had set up displays and arranged to have one-on-one conversations with Safelite people. This was sort of a trade fair and it was absolutely remarkable how beautiful the presentations were. Afterwards, our visitors were honored guests at a cocktail party hosted by Information Technology American Samoa (ITAS), the company responsible for bringing the Safelite group to American Samoa. At this party Mark Hunsaker thanked our guests for coming to American Samoa and briefly described events leading up to Safelite's arrival. This was followed by comments by Brian O'Meara in which he voiced pleasure with what Safelite found here. Entertainment focused on recitals by some of our island's great writers and mellow guitar and harmonica music in the background. The event was enjoyed by all and it was a pleasant finale to the visit. I have not mentioned the names of all the fantastic people that made all this work because it remains a community effort. Everyone who took part in this event was sincere in his or her effort to make our visitors feel welcome and to showcase our community. There were no real political or competitive issues. There was just our community coming together to face a test and take our first step into the world of globalization. I want all these wonderful people to take pride in what they have accomplished and be fulfilled by the fact that their efforts were appreciated more than can be expressed here. I think you will agree that we have run well. And, whether we have convinced our visitors to do business in American Samoa or whether, by some chance, we have not convinced our visitors to do business in American Samoa; we will wake up in the morning and run even faster. John Newton Osini Faleatasi, Inc. dba Samoa News reserves all rights. Source: Samoanews.com "BEWARE TRAVELERS" I would like to bring to light the service that is currently being offered by Polynesian Airlines in Apia. It is with regret that I write this letter, however in the interest of the traveling public, I feel that it is imperative that I shed some light on this experience. Bookings were made for my family in August 2005 for a weekend retreat in Apia. Our tickets and itinerary showed that we had confirmed seats to and from Apia. We arrived at Faleolo International airport around 12:00 noon to ensure that we had ample time before check-in for our Flight #PH254 Jan 8th, 2006 at 3:00pm. Upon arrival there, found that there were hordes of people waiting in line (and managed to confirm with several passengers that they were on stand-by for Sunday and several others were confirmed for Monday's flight). Once at the main counter, we were asked to step aside. An agent informed us that we were not confirmed for this flight to which I replied we paid for these tickets, arrived as scheduled in Apia, re-confirmed and should be on this flight out. I continued to tell the agent that no one contacted us (he confirmed that our contact information was on their system � Kitano Hotel). I understand if the tickets were not paid or if we did not arrive as scheduled to Apia that would warrant this drastic change. The agent offered no solution and said that we might be able to make it on the 11:30pm flight and that was no guarantee. I told him in the event this did not happen, what about lodging and food � to which he replied, "sorry I don't know". What happened to Customer Service? It's unfortunate that it takes just one person to ruin or tarnish an operation. As I glanced into their office, I noticed this agent counting money and sorting it into four separate pockets. I can only speculate that something fishy was happening. Were we sacrificed so that he could make a few bucks under the table? We were informed that a special flight would be departing at around 9:00pm for the excess passengers. Well lo and behold passengers that were confirmed for Monday's flight were actually given seats for the special flight while confirmed passengers for Sunday's flight were not given the opportunity to board this special flight. When asked how their system works for the special flight, the agent responded that those that waited the longest got to board first. Does your system not note that there were passengers confirmed for the current day? When I realized that we were not on this special flight, I again checked in with the agent (by this time a new crew had arrived) and asked why we couldn't get on this flight and she responded that she was not informed of our situation. Upon requesting our tickets, I told her that the tickets were taken by the agent. The very helpful lady (Donna) came back out of the office and apologized that our tickets were under a pile of papers/files and that she was not aware of any arrangements for our travel. After inspecting our ticket, she again apologized and referred the matter to the night supervisor and found that we were indeed confirmed for the 3pm flight. We finally were able to board the 11:30pm flight thanks to Donna's assistance. While clearing Immigration, another Polynesian Airline agent asked if it was possible for our daughter to sit on my lap to accommodate for a passenger trying to get back to Pago Pago. My first impulse was to say "NO", however having gone through this dilemma, I offered my daughter's seat (that I paid for) so that he could also return. Now my question is what happened to the extra fare? Since the flight was fully booked, obviously Polynesian Airlines stood to gain an extra fare. During that 12hrs wait, I observed the South Pacific Express and Inter-Island Airlines counters and noticed that check-in was not chaotic. It appears that they have their act together. I would like to encourage these two airlines to increase their flights and hopefully aircraft as they obviously know how to run their operation. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Polynesian Airlines in Apia. When traveling to the US, once payment of your airline ticket is made, confirmation is needed once. If I miss my scheduled flight, then that becomes my problem. At no time am I required to confirm and re-confirm and re-confirm. Once ticket is paid, this is confirmation enough that you are traveling. Shouldn't this be the same practice that Polynesian Airlines would follow or any airlines for that matter? Louis Frustrated Traveler Source: Samoanews.com "AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL OF US WHO CARE" A couple of months ago, when I was applying for the position of RC&D Coordinator here in beautiful American Samoa, I took the time to surf on-line to hopefully learn more about this unique tropical island Territory. The Samoa News Online provided the best, most up-to-date information available. In fact, the Letters to the Editor gave me the most insight into what I was getting myself into. It was clear from so many of those letters that I read from my desk in northern Michigan that people here are concerned about their land, their water, their economy. I was unfortunately disappointed last month when only a few people showed up for the RC&D Council's Annual Meeting, but then I said to myself "it's your own fault - you didn't do a good enough job of communicating!" So we decided to try again, after the holidays. Dear Editor, please help me communicate this huge opportunity to the people of American Samoa. The Resource Conservation and Development Council (RC&D Council) is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that can help people in so many ways - they just need to know about it. Through the countless volunteer hours donated by Chairman Tiapula and others, the Council was formed several years ago, and now receives support through an on-going grant that pays my salary and provides office space (Suite 213, Pago Plaza). As a planner and grant-writer, my job is to LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE, let the public decide which projects are important, then get to work and make them happen under the supervision of the Board of Directors. The Annual Meeting next Wednesday, January 11, 12-2 pm at the Land Grant Conference Room, is the opportunity for you, the public, to be heard. You can propose projects, tell us what's important to you, run for a position on the board, or just learn more about resources available for landowners, farmers, fishermen, craftspeople, businesspeoplethe sky's the limit. I know there are people out there who care; now you can step up to the plate and be a part of a winning team! SINCERELY, Paul Van Ryzin Source: Samoanews.com MV Artemis visitors awed by territory's "nature" That old island hospitality and the lush tropical greenery synonymous with the islands of Samoa left an indelible imprint in the hearts and minds of tourists and crewmen who arrived aboard the MV Artemis on Saturday. Tourists gave American Samoa an above average rating, saying "nature" and "the people" impressed them most during their brief 10-hour stay. One couple from Spain, Julian and Angela Alfonso, both in their early 60's, danced to Samoan music as the Afao Catholic Youth performed a series of numbers. The tourists came from Spain, England, Australia and other parts of Europe. For most, it was their first time in American Samoa. "I love the island," Angela said. It was the "nature" and the people that she found most beautiful. Her husband was equally ecstatic, saying he loved it as well and had found the people to be most hospitable. Angela could not recall her taxi driver's name, but said he was so nice to them that she will always remember him as the man with 11 children. One woman from England said, "We liked sailing into Bora Bora and Papeete, but we just wish American Samoa was in Bora Bora." A man from Scotland flagged down Samoa News and wished to relay that it was "the best place" he has visited so far, and said he would very much like to come back. He has been all around the world, but still rated American Samoa "the best of them all." A couple from Australia was here on their third trip. The woman said she was here for her first visit when the cable car was still working in 1978. "Oh, I really like the place... it's beautiful, the people are beautiful and I will be coming back." She took a public bus tour to the western side of the island and urged others to do the same. Crewmen from India also spoke of the "niceness" of the people and the "nature" being most impressive. Many passengers took teuila or torch ginger aboard and remarked that it was their token of the beautiful nature of American Samoa. They loved drinking icy cold niu, were enthralled by the dance performances, and voiced their wish to return. Following the presentation of a plaque from the government of American Samoa to the Captain, tourists were led to Utulei Beach for umu demonstrations, before some took chartered bus tours with Betty Cavanaugh and Tradewinds Tours and others took taxi and public tours to the east and west ends of the island in Tula and Leone. Many shopped in Fagagtogo and at the handicraft booths set up at the dock. One couples took the public bus to Vatia and were happy that their driver was courteous enough to stop occasionally so they could get some nice shots of the scenery. It was the maiden voyage of the MV Artemis to American Samoa, and the ship's 500 crew members and 1500 passengers are now on their way to Fiji. The MV Statedam, which has visited the territory before, is scheduled to arrive on Dec. 16, the last cruise ship of the year. The twelve tourists who were interviewed had absolutely no complaints about American Samoa. One warned that American Samoa should strive to maintain the natural surroundings and be wary of bringing in too many visitors lest it be "spoilt." Reach the reporter at tina@samoanews.com
Source: Samoanews.com "Comments on HR 4182 Legislation" Early this month I sent an email to Congressman Falemavaega Eni thanking him for introducing HR 4182 in Congress. HR 4182 calls to repeal that law requiring amendments or revisions to the American Samoa Constitution to be approved by the U.S. Congress. This is a long overdue measure that our people wish to see take place in light of what happened in the past. Last week, Congressman Faleomavaega finally issued a press release about his proposed action in the Congress whereupon he introduced HR 4182 to repeal that law in Congress. In the press release, Faleomavaega explained that the reason why Congress enacted the law was because the late Governor Uifaatali Peter Coleman wanted to run for a third time in 1984 and under the Constitution, the Secretary of Interior has that authority to amend or revise the Constitution at any time. At the time, the Secretary of Interior was a Republican, and the thought was that he may amend the Constitution to accommodate Coleman's desire. Hence, Congress decided to pass the law requiring any amendments or revisions to be approved by congress. After reading the press release by Faleomavaega I said to myself, this is quite untrue. This was not the reason why congress enacted such a law. I wished that the person responsible for introducing the law in Congress would come forth and explain the real reason. That person was our formed Delegate to Congress, Fofo Sunia. I am thankful to Fofo for coming out and setting the record straight. I am somewhat baffled as to why a public figure in Faleomavaega's position would mis-state and misrepresent the true facts behind such a congressional act. The issue of Coleman running for the third time never came into play at that time. It wasn't an issue until about mid-1984. However, I still want to comment further on this important issue. There was not much input from the local people as this law was already passed by Congress before it came to my attention. It was one of those pieces of legislation that at the last minute Congress acted upon before it went out for recess in 1983. It is called the Ombudsman Act. I was never contacted by former Delegate Fofo before he introduced the act although I was the Attorney General then. We were more or less forced to re-act after the fact then. When the late Governor Coleman called me about this new law, he told me Fofo's story about an effort by the former Under Secretary of Interior for Territorial Affairs wanting to amend the Constitution and place the appointment of the Attorney General and Treasurer back with the Secretary of Interior. I checked to confirm this allegation on this proposed act by the Under Secretary of Interior for Territorial Affairs, Pedro San Juan. The last Attorney General appointed by the Secretary of Interior was John Carver and I had worked under him. When he left in 1978, he drafted a letter for the Secretary of Interior's signature transferring that right, amending the Constitution, to have the Attorney General be appointed by the Governor of American Samoa. This was during the time of elected Governors. I even asked Governor Coleman if he had received a letter or anything in writing from San Juan about changing it back to an 'appointment by the Secretary of Interior', and he said no. On one of my trips to Washington D.C., I personally made an effort to see Mr. San Juan. I told him I would like to see any documents or letters he may have written proposing to appoint the Attorney General or the ASG Treasurer. San Juan told me, "Avi, I have heard those allegations by Fofo. The walls of this office can be my witness that I have never made such allegations, and I did oppose such a law calling for Congress to approve any amendments and revisions to American Samoa's Constitution. I feel that the present arrangement whereby the President's authority has been delegated to the Secretary of Interior for administration of American Samoa is just sufficed." He never even made such a proposal for the appointment of the Attorney General and the ASG Treasurer. But he did receive a copy of a letter from the Acting Associate Justice of the High Court, and also received information about the disposition of such matter by my office. I was being accused of not prosecuting cases recommended for prosecution from the team of Auditors from Washington DC. According to San Juan, "we just did not want to meddle with your local problems. When we decided to grant your local people the right to elect their own Governor, our policy was hands off on issues arising out of your own administration of local policies. Such cases as complained on by the Acting Associate Judge did not rise to the level of considering changing the Constitution of your Territory." Now the issue can come to rest, as there is no written document to verify allegations accusing Mr. San Juan. Now that Faleomavaega has HR 4182 calling for repealing said law, I applaud the action by our Congressman. At the last Constitution Convention where I co-counseled with then Attorney General Leulumoega Lutu, I remember the general concession introduced by the late Fonoti Aufata to formally ask Fofo to take action in repealing that law in Congress, Fofo was present in said sitting of the Constitutional Convention chaired by the late Salanoa Aumoeualogo. This was the same Constitutional Convention that the late HC Fonoti told a story about a golden chicken laying golden eggs. Instead of voting for formal resolution, the Chairman made a ruling, "Malilie ia, o lea e fa'afofoga mai le To'oto'o, ua matua foi o ia. Ae o le finagalo lena o le fono Faavae a Tutuila ma Manu'a." To me, even though there was no formal resolution, the general sentiment and intent of the Fono was for the repeal of said congressional act. Even though this late of date HR 4182 will pave the way for future Constitutional Conventions to structure a real Constitution for American Samoa whereby its social, economic and political destinies are determined locally, instead of in Washington DC. Watch out for our actions to follow them in a proper priority and be consistent about them. We do not want to see a cart to follow the cattle, so to speak. That is why I am consistent with my position against setting up a federal court in American Samoa. As the judicial system is part of a political make up of a country. Let's finalize said status when we determine our political status, and finally our constitution, instead of piecemeal fashion. Soifua. Tautai Aviata Fano Faalevao Chairman, Republican Party of American Samoa Osini Faleatasi, Inc. dba Samoa News reserves all rights. LTE that first appeared in Samoa News November 12, 2005 "ASG's or Manu'a plane?" Dear Editor, I have followed the stories regarding the ASG plane and have been waiting to see if the District Governor of Manu'a was going to offer a statement. Based on Samoa News, it was initially reported that the plane was purchased funds from an account belonging to the Governor and that it would be used for surveillance of illegal trafficking and such, government business, and or Manu'a's medical emergencies � respectively. Notice that Manu'a's needs were last.Now it has been determined that funds used to purchase the plane came from moneys earmarked for Manu'a and not from the Governor's account. The latest reports now lists Manu'a's medical emergencies first and then the other stuff. I ask Tufele, Togiola's District Governor of Manu'a, "What do you think of the whole ASG plane situation? Where do you stand on the matter of the moneys used to buy the plane was earmarked and intended for Manu'a?" People of Manu'a should be outraged! Once again, Togiola has made it clear through his actions the lack of attention given to Manu'a's needs. It seems the Governor initially lied about where the funds came from to purchase the plane and now is blurring things by putting Manu'a's needs at the top of the list. It would have made sense to use the earmarked moneys to improve and fully staff the dispensaries in Manu'a, and bring in real qualified resident doctors. Why would ASG conduct surveillance for illegal trafficking anyways? The Coast Guard does this already as an agent of Homeland Security. What business does ASG have in Manu'a that requires so much traveling between Manu'a and Tutuila that it justifies a need for the purchase of a plane? Instead of flying Manu'a residents to Tutuila, why not provide Manu'a with facilities that offer the same services as LBJ? Come on Tufele, aren't you at least curious as to why funds intended for Manu'a was used for the ASG plane and was later made know after the purchase was made? Or have you known all along? I'm sure the citizens of Manu'a would like to hear from you and what you think. Pomasame Column Cause column Common Cause LTE that appeared on the Samoa News October 29, 2005 This week's column is twofold. The first part will hopefully reflect current public sentiment and concerns with regards to LBJ and how we got to where we are and some ideas to ponder as we search for ways to correct this deeply serious problem facing each and every resident on this Island. There has been some progress at LBJ albeit limited. The fact that amputated human limbs are no longer witnessed in the mouths of hungry dogs and the creek behind LBJ seems to be less toxic (at least used syringes and other medical apparatus aren't being washed down the creek to the beach). The place is cleaner, the facilities are better maintained and seem to function a bit better. And to give credit where credit is due there remains a small cadre of caring dedicated staff and nurses that's the plus side. On the negative side, millions of dollars have vanished down the LBJ rat hole because of poor management, kick back schemes, and out right theft. Twenty years ago there were several Board Certified Physicians. The Pharmacy was pretty well stocked. Employee salaries went further and overtime was paid promptly, and a person had reasonable expectations that he would be receiving proper medical attention for his malady. To date we have tolerated lots of promises and band-aid fixes. Yet we see the administration costs at LBJ increase and medical services decrease. And, the same old guys that allowed this to happen are still in charge. If LBJ CEO Taufete'e John Faumuina and his deputy, were captains of a sea going vessel and the ship was sinking because of their personal improprieties, do you think the ship owners would allow them to continue to command that or any other vessel? Yet the Governor wants us to believe that if he borrows $10 million from the ASG workers retirement fund and gives it to the guys who have been sinking the ship, things will improve. On top of that the Governor has the idea that the American Samoa TeleCommunications Authority will be able to repay the loan. This idea is not the reality it might have been fifteen or twenty years back. We are in the twenty first century and technology is changing so fast that it is quite possible there will be no ASG Office of Communications. In fact it is already happening, "Blue Tooth" and other wireless technologies are beginning to replace conventional telephone company services throughout the world. Common Cause takes the stand that some serious thinking needs to be done by trained individuals, like experienced hospital administrators, people who are familiar with bond issues (like bankers), a trained medical staff with a few board certified physicians who would be familiar with and be able to use the latest technology. A fiscal plan needs to be implemented that could be supported by the Federal Government (who would probably have to guarantee the bond issue). Possibly we could make a working arrangement with a U.S. medical school or hospital. These and other ideas need to be seriously considered and introduced into solving our hospital's longtime problems. The less the politicians are involved in this process the better. Then assuming that the present CEO and his Deputy have been removed, we might be able to put together a viable plan. There is no alternative. The second issue this week, is it appears that the Government has come to the realization that the canneries might leave and something needs to be done to replace the revenue the canneries contribute to our economy. Every ethical businessperson who invests his or other people's money in a business is obligated to abide by the law. It is the law that set the parameters of how business can be conducted. Followed by market driven needs, capitalization, competent educated employees, transportation, communication, cost of doing business, vitality of competitors, the list goes on and on. These are difficult issues at best. But business is a gamble and those who take that gamble expect profits. The federal government realizes that fact. So special federal laws have been put into place regarding its trading and taxing policies with the Territory. One can speculate that the original idea was to employ locals and introduce an economic base to be shared by locals. That isn't what happened (unless you import pampers, soda pop, cigarettes, etc. and few locals do). What the Territory presently has to offer is a large group of low paid foreign workers, a significant group of opportunistic foreign business operations, and a bureaucracy that barely functions yet eats 97% of the Island's income. Further, we have a reputation of being a thoroughly corrupt government with a credit and business history that continues to drive away serious investment from potential U.S. business organizations. We at Common Cause discuss these kinds of issues as well as others at our meetings. It is our hope that you the readers of this column are being made aware of our efforts and you will join us in our attempts to produce a secure future for our Territory. With your help and input we can effect a return to an honorable, intelligent system of government. Soifua First seen in Samoa News, October 11, 2005. "CLEAR AND CONCISE" Dear Editor, I must say that I was very impressed with the letter that retired Dr. Tuia'ata'ata sent to your paper which was CLEAR AND CONCISE regarding the description of the majority of Fono members (Senate and House), that should also apply to the overpaid dictator-like governor who makes decisions not for the benefit of the territory for his own agenda and that of his supporters. No where else in America would such corruption be tolerated and accepted other than in American Samoa, where if you have ties to those in power, you most certainly will be treated with favoritism. No where else in the American political system is a population so overly represented in local government and "the legislature OBSCENELY OVERPAID" for basically eating, talking, making travel plans, discussing home improvements, and what types of new vehicles to purchase or how much should they increase their salaries and allowances this year. No where else does the local government mistreat the locals, misappropriate money that is never found, spend millions foolishly, while the infrastructure, hospital, school system, public works, etc. is ignored. No where else is the local environment so neglected while the local officials are off island spending money, visiting relatives, blaming the Congressman that not enough of US taxpayers money is making its way to American Samoa. No where else is the smell of corruption quite as evident, while the majority of the populace just accepts it as part of life. Why? Some of the elected officials truly are honest, honorable, QUALIFIED, and educated men of integrity, who wish to promote the economic growth and development and quality of life in American Samoa. As for the other officials, look at them yourself AMERIKA SAMOA - where are they? What are they doing? How are they benefiting you? How much better off are they than you? What have they done to deserve their rate of pay? Why haven't you been treated the same? A government airplane? Should all the US territories be purchasing an airplane as well, with taxpayers money? A McDonald's on the most important and only visibly recreational area for tourists? Look at your island! Look at where you are going? See what they haven't done and ask yourselves, "why do we put up with it?" I hope that those faipule read Dr. Tuiaataata's open letter and know that he speaks the truth. He says what most of the local citizens want to say, but are afraid to speak up for fear of mistreatment and unfair conduct. I hope that one day Amerika Samoa will not be the "cesspool" that it has become. Clean out the funk, it begins at the top! My poor great-grandfather would be turning over in his grave if he knew what a nasty place his HOMELAND has become, complete with idiot leadership... GET RID OF THE SLIME FLOATING ON THE TOP....and the sludge in the middle... please Amerika Samoa don't wait until they give your more problems! Sincerely, Geoffrey Sagapolutele First seen in Samoa News, 27 September 2005. "STAY HOME!" Dear Editor, |
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