• Keep Kaua’i rural Keep Kaua’i rural Rural has quickly been overrun by a bustling economy, successful tourist related entrepreneurs, and still too many people whining about of all things, chickens and roosters…Kaua‘i needs another hurricane, so that the island
• Keep Kaua’i rural
Keep Kaua’i rural
Rural has quickly been overrun by a bustling economy, successful tourist related entrepreneurs, and still too many people whining about of all things, chickens and roosters…Kaua‘i needs another hurricane, so that the island might replenish the chicken population and rid ourselves of those who cannot handle rural to other far away places such as Siberia, Antartica, or Timbuktu.
Pohaku Kekaualua
8th grade student, home school
Kekaha
Disillusioned student
I am a 19 year old student at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. My home is on Kaua‘i. From my high school civics classes to my political science class at UH I have been told to get involved with my government and that my vote is one of the best gifts I will ever have to see that our government is truly representing the people.
I have followed the Ohana Kauai Charter amendment with a great deal of interest. There seems to be a huge disconnect between what I have been taught in school and what is happening in the real world.
It appears from the research I have done that our Kaua‘i elected officials don’t represent the people who put them in office but rather have an agenda of their own to oppose the tax relief measure that the Ohana Kauai group has offered. It seems to me that this agenda is simply an effort by them to retain their power to tax property as they see fit and to block the right of the people to choose a charter amendment for a change. Their reasoning that the amendment is unconstitutional rings hollow when they waited until only a week before the election to go to court to claim it.
And now, I make my case on why my vote is not the “best gift” it is supposed to be. Over 13,000 people (including my mom) voted to make this tax measure a law but all these votes have so far been negated by a judge at our circuit court.
If our elected officials ever expect the young people who will be the future stewards of our land to have any respect for the system or their right to vote, then the State Supreme Court had better rule in favor of the people.
Michael Parsells
UH Manoa
