See this poll on: https://poll.fm/9089544/embed
Give others the chance to vote.
Share this poll, because the more votes the better.
Create your own.
Opinions! We all have them. Find out what people really think with polls and surveys from Crowdsignal.
closed
Look at the marines as new neighbors; people moving their families and households to our island where they plan to live for a long time. This group of people happen to work for the same employer: the United States Marine Corps. This means they are trained and educated in a lot of disciplines we'd never want to get our hands dirty with. This means the head of each household is gainfully employed. Because they are marines, each member of this group is sworn to protect us with their lives.
Before our new neighbors arrive, they will do us the courtesy of building homes for themselves; hiring a whole bunch of us to do the construction. The new neighbors who do not wish to live in one of those new homes will rent one of our vacant homes or condos at a handsome monthly rate. Since most of them have never been here before, they'll buy lots of our handicrafts for themselves and far flung relatives. Since food on base can get kind of monotonous, they will spend money at our restaurants, snack stands, and mom & pop stores. Remember canvassing the island because you had to have pickled mango?
They will fall in love with the beach and the lancho. They will fall in love with our food. They will fall in love with our culture. They will fall in love with our men and women. How many Chamoale aunties, uncles, and cousins do you have?
We have many new neighbors arriving all the time. Lots of them are on welfare, populate the police blotter, and don't show much initiative. This is not the majority, but enough to be noticed.
So , if we had the opportunity to pick neighbors, could we have done any better? Expecting each new arrival to our island to be a stellar individual isn't realistic, but we face that situation now. Are we overwhelmed with love when we look at each person around our Thanksgiving table?
Whether you think it will be a good thing or a bad thing, you're right.
I don't know where you are getting your info on Okinawa @sonny , you should double check that better yet do what I did and talk to Okinawan's like I did.
I wonder why people are afraid of the buildup. Yes there are concerns about access to certain beaches, and yes there are questions on the social problems that may occur. But there will be a stronger population (with disposable income) that will spend in our stores and restaurants. New jobs will be created. People will have money to spend. We will see more rental income circulate. New tax revenues will be placed into our economic streams.
The government has not properly addresses the social ills from the Micronesian community, and with the military infusion, we may get the additional tax dollars to hire more police officers. The government has not done an effective job maintaining our current resources, so with the military presence you will get a new partner that has a stake in the improvement of resources such as marine/wildlife, our water system and of course our power generators. We are getting a partner and not a enemy.
The Okinawans wanted to take back their lands as they new developers would generate more revenues for them then the military, who with the large bases, didn't have to spend much money outside of the gates. Guam is different, and thus the dollars will be spent outside of the gate.
So long as you are alive...you will have problems. The only one who don't have problems anymore are the dead in the graves. Find solutions instead and stop complaining!!! Everywhere I go it is crowded. If you don't want crowdedness, go to another country with less people. Look at the migrants and refugees migrating into Europe, etc., that's crowdedness.
The mindset of a colonized mentality: YEP, MONEY TALKS, BULLSHIT WALKS...need I say more. Oh, one more thing which never became an issue during the public comment period. What happens when 20 Chinese nuclear missiles are coming with Guam's GPS on them. The illusion of U.S. defense for Guam is a joke. The best defense is Chamorus to leave the island, Guam's future is doom. Billions or no billions. We Chamorus are our own worst enemy. The U.S. made us Chamorus enemies against ourselves.
The most compelling reason for the buildup is geopolitical in nature. But the economic benefits spawned by this buildup infuses new tax revenue to a community that has long been starved for cash because of self aggrandizing political "leaders" who have promised, and continue to promise, many entitlements, without the means to pay for them. In effect, it is their failure to curb the appetite for entitlements, and the cash required to fund them, which make the buildup a dire necessity. These same leaders have no other option of similar magnitude that can support the expensive costs of legislated entitlements planted over many years.
Everyone here seems to just see $$$$ signs with their arrival . It's obvious money will flow with this relocation but their problems will be transferred here also . I'm just a worried father with a teenage daughter that's all . I pray I'm wrong .
If the marines conduct themselves here like they did in Okinawa there will be huge problems that will piss-off the public , the reason why the marines got kicked out / downsized in Okinawa is because of all the rape/ sexual assaults on the Japanese citizens including teens walking home from school , fights at bars and clubs etc... I can't make this stuff up , it's true and the Governor of Okinawa is refusing to let the Marines build their new base in a more secluded location away from the general public , the Okinawan's just want them gone from their island but the prime minister of Japan is forcing them to accept the marines regardless. It's pretty bad over there . I hope and pray they don't bring those same problems here.
The military buildup should bring much needed money/resources to improve the infrastructure and bring additional jobs. It will bring much need hospital facilities for the military and veterans. Overall, it is good for the people of Guam. More revenue for Government of Guam, when used wisely, will improve the financial conditions of the Government. More importantly, it is important for Guam and for our National Defense! The "Military" are good neighbors. They help the community after Typhoons, they have tutored out students in conjunction with DOE with the "Saturday Scholars" program, and they do community projects. Do I support the Military Buildup in Guam? A definite YES! Never forget, that Guam was liberated from the Japanese. Let us give them our support! God Bless Guam! God Bless America!
Good for our economy . security for the island, and much needed culture shock for the islanders.
How will it get crowded? Almost all the people coming to our island will be living on the each base that the U.S. Military owns. They built all their own resources long ago when the had the man power and it was cheaper. The only major concern is waste water which they will fix and have already paid for based on what Government of Guam told them and the cost can only go up so much from there. The Government Guam made the biggest mistake when those apartment buildings over by GMH were not allowed to get finished and it cost that company something like way over $300 million and then they had to stop, take a loss, and then let Core Tech buy it at discount. No one and I mean no one wants to business with the crooks that run the Guam Government! Even when you get an agreement in writing they always change their minds and the rules are never followed! 40% raise no public hearing, need to close a dump can do that even if you give us 20 years and we will just send it receivership where it costs tax payer ridiculous amounts of extra money and we will still give ourselves a 40% raise, Can't balance the books ever give us a 40%. The list goes on and is always followed by give ourselves a 40% and for what, I say elementary school Government IDOTS that continue to spend more of our money and have and I.Q. of less than 20 with all the Senators and Governors combined. What are we paying you for? Are paying so the rest of the world can all call us the obvious, YOU ARE STUPID? Give your raises back and get all your programs on the positive side and then stop asking for more money, work with what you have then maybe you might get a raise that you deserve, but you'll have to work for it which is something Guam Government has yet to prove than can ever do from year to year without leaving everyone else to hold their bag for them or without finger pointing. Good Luck!
It's going to get really crowded folks , better start practicing patience . Infrastructure and natural resource degradation is of a great concern .
Here on Guam, our infrastructure is bad enough as it already is. They should look into either Saipan or Tinian, who could really use their help.