Welcome! Finally! After many years of brewing this passion project of mine, I am excited to officially welcome you to my blog. If you saw on my FB page the obscure countdown I did, that was my subtle way of introducing what I hope will be a meaningful space to have insightful conversations about public policy issues that affect our lives in American Samoa. I have served as the American Samoa Medicaid Director for the past 10 years and my passion is in public policy issues; healthcare and education being at the top of the list.
I have been discussing this blog project of mine for several years because I wanted to write about issues that I care about. But there were always other work priorities including COVID that pushed my project to the back burner. On this special day, however, on the anniversary of my late mother Avaoniua Rowena Johnson King’s death, I want to acknowledge her today by launching this blog in honor of her life as an entrepreneur, newspaper publisher and a loving mother. She was a sharp and funny writer of Samoan prose. I can never be as witty as she was when she wrote her “Ta’ilo” column. I also want to recognize my late father, the one who adopted me and raised me, JP “Jake” King, who taught me that society needs three things—the government, the people and the media. I will always be an advocate for an independent free press and the people’s right to the freedom of expression.
I do feel that we as a people—living in American Samoa—we can do a better job at having meaningful conversations about important public policy issues. Public policy issues usually get lost in translation due to the cynicism and mistrust of our people against government that are often times a result of disinformation, misinformation or lack of information. We need to have conversations that are constructive, transparent and if need be, brutally honest.
I will write about health care and Medicaid, education, climate change, technology, indigenous rights, culture and all other public policy issues that impact our lives. I will also write about the failures of our democratic system that has failed the veto override every single time. And yes, I will write about the Talofapass project and people behind the noise and those darn TVs. Current issues are fair game for a constructive conversation.
This is a journey and a process. It is developing content that I hope can elevate our collective conscientious as a community. I’m excited to share this space with the people of American Samoa who care about our community. Thank you for visiting my blog.
“I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.” William Ernest Henley