M45- AN EXPERT

WHAT DOES THIS GUY KNOW?

Here is an X-body spewing what he thinks about wages and immigration in the CNMI. Story Here
The federalization issue hovering over the Commonwealth and the tiered increases in the minimum wage the next six years may weigh heavily on the growth of the CNMI's tourism industry. This was the assessment made by First Hawaiian Back economics consultant Dr. Leroy Laney during an interview with the Saipan Tribune last Friday following his presentation at the monthly Saipan Chamber of Commerce meeting at the Saipan Grand Hotel. “That [federal control of immigration] could have implication on the tourism industry and I think that's in terms of a longer term economic development perspective. With the minimum wage and with the U.S. controlling immigration, if that happens, I think the CNMI has to say goodbye to any kind of growth engine that depends on low wage labor. It's got to be something else and the question is what's that going to be?” he said.
Now who is he, one may ask, to have this profound and astute local insight?
According to local writer and analyst of all things, Bruce the man Bateman,

Here's what he says... Story Here

Dr. Leroy Laney had just arrived on Saipan after spending a few days on Guam while putting together the first forecast report for that island territory since 2006. What got my attention and what troubled me most about this learned man's forecasts was that none involved the CNMI directly. In fact he disclosed that this was his first trip to the CNMI wearing his chief economist's hat since the mid-'90s. He admitted that he “had not even heard the phrase Federalization of Immigration” until he stepped off the plane a couple of hours before delivering his remarks. Think about that for a moment. The chief economist for a company that controls about one third of the banking market share for our whole country's economy hasn't even looked at our numbers for over a decade. Things have changed just a bit since then.

So I reckon if this is the information being spread about by the anti- Fed's they ought to get some more reliable sources for their propaganda. A guy who never heard of what is happening here is hardly qualified to bullshit others about something he don't really know. Just let it be!

.....GED.....