A Christmas Wishlist: Tax Refunds, Jobs, Better Government

By Eddie Baza Calvo

Hafa Adai my fellow Guamanians,

There are scores of companies from China, Japan and the Philippines who want to bring millions of dollars to Guam. Some of them are thinking about it. Some of them are coming. Some of them are already here.  I don't like being away from home. It's tiring. Meetings go from morning to evening. I missed my wife and kids... and I missed all of you. I'm just lucky to have a wonderful wife, who takes care of my family... and an aggressive lieutenant governor who manages the island's affairs while I'm away.

I've been on a whirlwind of meetings with some of the largest companies in the most bustling cities of Asia - Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing and Manila. My goal was simple - convince these companies to bring their money to Guam so that more of you can have jobs. I never appreciated the government policy of relying so heavily on the military buildup for our economic prosperity. Senator Guthertz puts it best when she says we shouldn't place all our eggs into one basket. 

Our community has so much potential outside the buildup. Yes, the buildup certainly will help. It will bring billions of dollars in activity. But no, we should not be content with just that. What happens after the buildup? What are we doing for ourselves before it heats up? What is our plan as an island, and not just a feeder off Defense spending? 

We looked to the fastest-growing region of the world to promote our island. We showed Asian companies confidence in what we have, where we are, and how our unique position between Asia and America makes Guam a perfect investment destination. Sure, we talked about the military buildup a little bit. But, our focus was on so much more.

We told these companies and government officials about our efforts in improving transportation, affordable housing, education tourism, green technology, healthcare facilities and government operations. We lobbied hard for tourism, chain retailers, agriculture development, telecommunications and information technology. And we were successful.

Just to give you a glimpse into the success of our trade missions, one company alone is ready to invest $10 million into one project on the island. Another will be building 100 affordable homes. Another is bringing six retail stores. Another sees no end to expanding telecommunications services. And another is working on charter flights. That's just a fraction of what came out of our trade missions.

Over the next few weeks and months, you're going to hear about new investments into the island. You may also hear about other companies coming to Guam to see the opportunities for themselves. Along the way, my team will be helping. We had a message for these companies and we want to guide them to turn this into a reality. We want their investments to turn into job opportunities for you. We want their expertise in the industries they are part of, so they can train Guamanians and make you captains of industry here.

You can see the logical flow of our efforts in the administration. Ray and I started our term by opening public discussion on poverty. We began tackling government services and finances to make government more efficient, customer-friendly, and open for investment. Now we're setting our eyes on short-term and mid-term economic development. When the private sector is growing, there are more jobs. When there are more jobs, there is less poverty. It's a simple formula for change and success.

We're moving quickly to change things on our island. We've gone through years of decline in government service. We've gone through years of excess in government spending. We've gone through years of people slowly losing their income and falling deeper into poverty. It's a topic that rings louder in the minds of parents who are struggling as the Christmas season approaches. People have a hard enough time paying the power bill and the rent, let alone food for a Thanksgiving dinner, or gifts for the kids.

Earlier this year, some of my staff advised that we were moving too quickly, tackling too many issues at one time. Some suggested that I break up my trade missions... or not push for the tax refunds bond by the end of this year considering all the political push back we got from the Legislature. I told them privately that there was no way Christmas would come this year without some improvement that Guamanians will feel to their quality of life. If tax refunds could come out before Christmas... if foreign companies can begin setting up shop and hiring people this year...if government service can get better and more efficient by the end of 2011... then our community will be better for it.

It's good to be home. I love working for you. I pray every day for a better life for you and your family... and, believe me, we're working hard to see those prayers through. God bless you and remember, drive safely tonight through our neighborhoods... and don't forget to fill your pumpkins with candy for the kids.