Make OHA Pay for Mauna Kea Protest Expenses
Dear Editor, January 15, 2020
To watch DLNR DOCARE and Hawaii State Attorney General‘s office Claire Connors ask for more money from the Hawaii State legislature is almost as pathetic and uncomfortable as watching them all scramble for answers. Everyone is looking to the other to explain to the Legislator exactly why they are there with their hands wide open wanting more money.
A few problems in requesting for this new funding. Hawaii state residents haven’t even seen the breakdown of the last $15 million the state gave them for the Mauna Kea reimbursements. We first were told that the money was allocated for the Hawaii Fire Department and Hawaii Police Department. Then we were told it was just to reimburse HPD. Then there was a point where city council refused to take the money. Then later Ige making a public announcement that we have spent $15 million in Mauna Kea expenditures.
Secondly, if law enforcement has already been pulled by Governor Ige, and all our state and county equipment has been pulled, and DLNR as well as DHHL doesn’t have a problem with the illegal camping by the protestors that is completely destroying our eco system, then what’s the problem? Where is the need for all this extra money?
Try going to OHA and ask for some of that fraudulent money they stole from all of us. That should cover more than what DLNR and the AG need for their “so-called” upcoming Mauna Kea protesting expenditures.
Has the state of Hawaii completely lost its mind? We know that none of our government, state and county reps have any ethical morals left, but seriously? And your citizens are scrapping for a dollar raise annually towards a higher minimum wage while others are pillaging and living out in the streets while you all intentionally ignore what’s going on in hopes it will just all go away?
The legislature shouldn’t give a dime more to any of these individuals until they first find all that stolen money. In the meantime ask yourselves, how does it feel to want?
Lisa Malakaua
Hilo, Hawai’i
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Time For The Taxpayers to PROTEST
Dear Editor, January 15, 2020
What is it going to take for our government, state and local representatives to do their jobs that we pay them for? The state of Hawaii is paying and supporting organizations that benefit a small group of people, but it doesn't benefit us all equally or fairly.
Who is representing the rest of the community on how are tax dollars are being spent? Who is looking after our constitutional and civil rights? Who is implementing and enforcing the laws in Hawaii? Who exactly is running this show? Well I say it's the people. This is not the wild-wild west where anything goes. We do have laws and we are supposed to have civil and obedient order. Even King Kamehameha I knew this was necessary when he made the first laws of the land. He was very strict about those laws. You broke those laws, it resulted in death. There was no ho`oponopono or a trial in court. You died if you didn't follow those laws and that was it.
If our state representatives don't want to comply to our U.S. Constitution, then they need to change the constitution. This is the United States of America even if they are in denial of this. We are a free nation. Wake up and get your head out of the sand and do something about it. I served. I did my time in the military. To secure all your freedom, including the protesting, but the rule of law must be followed.
We could look at this another way. We could be a communist country like Russia, China or North Korea where we don't have a say in anything.
Taxpayers take a stand. Take this injustice to your local representatives. If you want your message to remain anonymous, then write the US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division in Washington D.C.. Express to them how you feel on what is happening here in Hawaii. And call them out on their corruption. How are our tax dollars really being spent? Why do they ask for more money when it's not managed properly? Why is it so easy to throw away our money away and not account for it? They forget who they represent. And that is all of us because we pay them their salaries. No more arm-chair activism should be tolerated. We do have a say in this--believe it or not. Native Hawaiians are not exempt from the U.S. laws. We need to let them and our representatives know that we are paying attention and we are watching them. No more milking the system. Milking is for cows.
Mike Nathaniel
Mountain View, Hawai’i
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Hawaii’s aging inter-island submarine fiber-optic cables
Dear Editor, January 8, 2020
I have a solution that may help resolve Hawaii’s aging inter-island submarine fiber-optic cables issue -- special purpose revenue bonds.
The state could float these bonds using their sterling credit at a low interest rate. This would be used to pay for part, or all, of the construction of a new submarine fiber-optic cable that would connect the neighbor islands with Oahu.
The owner(s) of this fiber-optic cable, which would be Hawaiian Telcom (and other possible partners, such as CenturyLink), would be responsible for paying off the low interest revenue bonds, not the taxpayers of this state. The state’s involvement would be limited to financially expediting this critical public infrastructure project that Hawaiian Telcom doesn’t seem to want to tackle alone.
There has been at least two major outages involving at least one of the three submarine fiber-optic cables over the last ten years. These outages, which occurred in 2010 and 2019, affected Maui, Big Island, and Kauai. In both of the cases, it was fortunate that Paniolo Cable Company’s cable was available for emergency restoration, but I strongly believe it would be unwise to depend solely on this cable in the future. Both Hawaiian Telcom’s existing infrastructure (HICS and HIFN) has, or will, reached the end of their life.
The residents of the neighbor islands depend on reliable Internet access. As the two main cables enter obsolescence, it raises the possibility of more damaging outages in the future.
Aaron Stene
Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i