Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - Government & Politics Self Determination of Guam Self Determination of Guam Government is the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies. Throughout the relatively brief history of Guam, the indigenous people have never had the opportunity to determine their political status or decide democratically which type of governmental system to implement. Since the island’s earliest days the original inhabitants always had to endure whatever political system the current local leadership put into place. This meant the island’s political status was in what seemed to be a never-ending carousel of change. Weather it was the caste system of ancient Guam, Spanish, Japanese, or American rule, the people have never had the right to choose. The chamorros of the past have never had say in the way the island they call home would be run. Although, as the years passed some powers and essential rights were gained. The people of Guam still lacked the power to determine their own political and governmental standing. The United Nations has finally recognized this age-old injustice, and on July 1, 2000 the people of Guam will finally have what past generations of chamorros could only dream of. A chance for Self –Determination. This opportunity is news to many, and unfortunately some think that this is the island’s first attempt to achieve self-determination. Though, there are those locals who are aware of the long struggle that began with the earliest attempts by the local people to limit the powers of government. Then came the first Guam legislature, followed by the long hard struggle to gain American citizenship. This was achieved by the passing of the Organic Act, a document that serves as the island’s constitution. The historic passing of this document brought various rights to the people of the island. Although, the local people and the political leaders always thirsted for something more. The Organic act did bring about great change on the island with the lifting of military clearance to come to the island, and then the right of an elected governor being granted to the people. The people of the island were though still greatly subject to the rule of Washington. This was rather disturbing to many of the locals because although the organic made many provisions for the rights of the people of Guam. The document failed to provide suffrage rights for the people of Guam. Throughout the later years of the 20th century a movement was beginning to strengthen on the island. This was one in favor of self –determination. There was a run-off vote in 1982 between statehood and commonwealth, though no majority could be decided. Due to the fact that no political ideological consensus could be reached, the issue was put on the “back burner” until the drafting of the commonwealth act of 1987. Though the act never became reality due to numerous factors. After the act essentially fizzled out, the Guam commission on decolonization was formed to once again give the power back to the people and let them choose. The hopes and dreams of many local leaders and visionaries past and present will be realized in a couple months when the people are finally given a choice. Though many people don’t realize it the vote on July 1st will be a thing a beauty is the right to choose is the very essence of a democratic society. When the people of Guam go to the polls in July, they will have three choices. They can choose (a) Statehood, (b) Independence, or (c) Freely Associated State. To make a sound choice is the purpose of the duty of the people of Guam. To make a sound analysis and voice the opinion and silent vote of group is our purpose. To be or not to be, that is the question facing the all knowing people of Guam. The definition of Statehood may be the simplest one to explain of all the three choices. If the people of Guam choose Statehood, then they will be choosing to join the strongest, most respected, and most feared union in the “free world”. The choice of statehood would bring about some mild economic change in regards to industry, though there will an overhaul of our taxation system. The implementation of the United States taxation system will be a rather “taxing” process. These systems of taxation which include a state as well as federal taxes, not to mention the whole slew of taxes that fall under the aforementioned classifications. Things such as excise taxes and other fees to that nature may have will surely have a negative effect on the island’s economy. Though there are some benefits to this taxation, they will be seen in an increased amount of federal aid. The benefits will in the form of numerous entitlement programs that were previously unavailable, such as the advantages of federal unemployment insurance. Though the private vendors and small businesses will truly feel the burn of these taxes as few of the benefits are aimed towards them. Though there is an upside to the economic system that will be put in place if Guam becomes the 51st state. The whole attraction of the island of Guam is that it is dubbed as “Little America” along the east –Asian seaboard. That is why the island is so attractive because it is cheaper and closer taste of America. Guam will attract more visitors due to its new stable governmental and economical system. The fact that Guam is a state will surely boost the amount of visitors the island attracts annually. So although taxation is a downfall, the economic boost that statehood will provide will provide a market for many new establishments and businesses on the island. These businesses will create business and put money in the pockets of the people of Guam. The political system that will be put into place is one of the major upsides to being a state. Plain and simple the most respected document on earth will become the law of the land on Guam. That is the Constitution of the United States of America. The entire constitution will put into effect locally, and this may fix some of the problems of our current governmental system. We are in no implying that the implementation of the constitution will be a “cure-all”, though it will help in some areas. The choice of Statehood will also provide for representation in both houses of congress, and our voice will finally be heard in Washington. The implementation of Statehood has many advantages and its fair share of downfalls. The upside to this choice has greatly to do with finance, and representation. Although the downfalls have also to with financial matters, and more importantly the fact that a chamorro will be very difficult to distinguish from any other U.S. citizen on the island and this fact presents a problem to many. People of all ages, races, and faces have at one time or another in their life has longed to be independent and free. It is no different for the island of Guam who in the eyes of many older nations, is an upstart rebellious teen-ager. Though some local residents feel that it is in the best interest of the island, to become an independent nation. Regardless of how unpopular this may sound to some of the more educated citizens, we must have a respect for majority rule and an insistence upon minority rights. Regardless of what decision is made a local constitution will surely be drafted and passed. This new constitution will lay the guidelines for our social, cultural, political, and economical future. The provisions and guidelines laid out by this constitution will determine the type of political and governmental system that will be implemented. A far as the economic aspect goes; you can expect a decline in tourism during the early days of independence. This is because of the uncertainty of the political status, and safety of the island that is now a new nation. One advantage is that we will control our own trade, and we will be able to set our immigration, and taxation standards. We will still most likely use American currency, though we will not be subject to their tax laws. Though with local control of nearly every aspect our existence it is foreseeable that corruption will be ever present on Guam. Our group feels that this is just too much power and responsibility for our current local officials. Like our economic system, the provisions laid out in the constitution will determine the political system on Guam. It can be expected that there will be certain provisions made for everything from civil rights to the electoral process. Though the question is how will these programs be effectively implemented. The social status of the island will also be one of the major concerns with independence. This is because we will lose federal programs that take care of things such as healthcare, and education, not to mention all the federal entitlement programs that we will lose in the process of gaining independence. The one major advantage that many locals see in independence, are the focus it will have on the “chamorro” people and the attempts that will be made to preserve our dying culture. The use of the chamorro language may be required in certain situations or ceremonies, and the “Biba chamorro “ spirit will be alive and well in the country of guhuan. This also will bring discrimination to an all time high, with the chamorros having many advantages over other groups of people. Which eventually lead to an equal rights movement and revolution. Quite frankly independence seems to be a step backwards rather than forwards. The middle ground between the two aforementioned choices seems to be the status of Freely Associated State or FAS. As previously stated, regardless of what type of status is chosen Guam will be forced to draft a constitution that sets the political and economic guidelines and provisions. The advantage of being a FAS is that we can keep both strong political, and economical ties to the United States, while have an increased amount of power in certain areas such as immigration and taxation. As far as the economy goes, we will most likely keep U.S. currency, though labor and tax laws will be set up by our constitution. The danger in this is that Guam may turn into to “sweat shop” central if labor laws aren’t strictly enforced. The tourism front will surely take a hit during the early stages of being FAS; this is due to questionable political status and security. In affect breaking away from the United States will cause the island to lose some of its luster. Due to the fact that we will still have close ties to the U.S., the island’s political system will somewhat mirror that of the U.S. Guam will also be able to handle its own foreign affairs, create its own policy concerning other nations. Through expected negotiations, the role of defending the island will still be the responsibility of the United States. The legal and judicial standards on the island will most likely be laid out in the constitution. Being FAS will also allow the government to make the preservation of the chamorro language, and culture a major point of emphasis. The constitution will almost surely set forth provisions that make it easier for a chamorro to succeed in society, as well as government. Though this discrimination will almost certainly lead to later problems. The free association will force us to break away from our big brother the U.S., but it will also allow us to strengthen our international ties. The main advantage is the flexibility being FAS presents; though the political and economic uncertainty is the downfall of this political distinction. Our group has painstakingly examined and broken down the three choices that voters will have on the July 1st and if we were able to vote our choice would be for statehood. We would like to see Guam enter into the “Union” that has through the years evolved into the United States of America. We feel this is the best choice for numerous reasons the first being that this distinction provides for the most stable economic and political system of the three choices on the board. The U.S. constitution, which is the law of the “supreme law of the land” in the United States, is one the greatest documents ever written in regards to laws and guidelines. This is because its short and broad form allows it to be adaptable to the changing times. This done through the amendment process. The United States also has an effective system concerning the separation of powers. The three branches of government that include the executive, legislative, and judicial branches all work together through a system of checks and balances to ensure that government is working properly and effectively. Power is also distributed geographically between a strong federal government, and several local or state governments. Furthermore the United States of America is a representative democracy. Being a State would allow the island to gain a voice in both houses of congress, as well as give the people of Guam the power to vote for the President of the United States. Some of the downfalls that people often associate with statehood are increased federal control and taxation and the ever popular subject the poor efforts to preserve our dying chamorro culture. In regards to complaint of the increased federal control, what people must understand is that in order to be an effective state, citizens must give up some rights in order for the good of all people. These ideas were first presented in the writings of John Locke who along with other philosophers devised the social contract theory on origin of the state. Though the people will feel the stigma of increased taxation, in the long run the increased number of federal aid and entitlement programs will help the island and somewhat settle the score with taxation. In regards to our culture it is our responsibility as Chamorros to keep our culture alive. It is not the purpose of any government to preserve a single culture rather it is the purpose of government to promote the general welfare of the people. The whole point of the uprising against our island’s political status was that we wanted to limit the powers of government. Entering into the Union and becoming the 51st effectively limits the power that government has over us. This is done by gaining the right of popular sovereignty, and exercising the principal of limited government. Both of which are characteristics of a new state. This limiting of government is done by finally giving us representation in Washington, and the right to elect the president. What our leaders and the people in general have wanted all along is to be heard and respected by our figurative big brother the U.S. . By choosing statehood we become a full-fledged member of the strongest world power. We also gain a voice and the respect of our 50 peers, who will be forced to see us as equal. Bibliography: Word Count: 2530
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