LAWMAKER LAUNCHES NEW AWARDS PROGRAM TO POINT OUT GOVERNMENT INEFFICIENCIES

News Release from Office of Rep Gene Ward, April 9, 2021

HONOLULU, HI – Rep. Gene Ward today (R-Hawai’i Kai) launched a new government watchdog program entitled “What Were They Thinking?!” (WWTT)

A WWTT (pronounced “witty”) award will highlight how ideas (or a lack thereof) have consequences, particularly when made by government based on poor judgement or lack of correct information or due diligence.

The first WWTT Award will be presented to HART for its contract with Hitachi and the wrong sized wheels that do not fit the ‘frogs’ or rail intersections of two tracks.  (Please see the link to the video here: https://www.facebook.com/repgeneward/videos/384183679220806)

This lack of quality control will cost taxpayers millions of dollars and many more months of delays. As indicated in the video, even when as we Amazon customers who will inspect our goods before throwing away the Return Slip.

The intent of the WWTT Award is to make Hawaii a better place to live by acknowledging that the source of a problem is part of seeking and finding a solution to the problem. The purpose of the "What Were They Thinking?! Award” is thus to point out the contributing factors and decisions that have led to or have kept Hawaii as a leader in the nation for a number of indices that hurt the well-being of the people of Hawaii. For example, Hawaii leads the nation or is in the top ten of states for:

1-paying the highest taxes

2-having the highest cost of living

3-having the highest cost of housing

4-having the worst roads

5-having the worst traffic

6-having the worst drivers

7-being the least business-friendly to start a business

8-having the lowest test scores in reading and math

9-having the lowest home ownership rate

10-having the lowest paying jobs

11-having to pay the GET tax on groceries and medicine and health services

12-having highest shipping costs in the nation.

The list goes on and on, but we have become so used to these negative statistics that they have long been forgotten and are often accepted as unchangeable and are simply the "price of paradise" we pay for living in Hawaii.  This does not have to be the case because decisions made by individuals, organizations, or agencies, particularly government agencies, also including the private sector have consequences.

Making Hawaii a better and more affordable place to live is not an easy task and will take time to correct- but it is very doable.  We are collectively right where we should be given the bad decisions of the past, but it is now our responsibility to correct them by pointing out how contemporary decisions might add to the degradation or the elevation of our lives in Hawai’i.

The WWTT Award will be presented periodically to point out the missteps of government and what its decision makers failed to do; please stay tuned.

"There needs to be some form of accountability. As the loyal opposition to a party that has been in power for more than, I will continue standing for the voice.”

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