• Open government update • Not all liberals are communists • Dear county officials Open government update On June 3 we started to address publicly our concerns regarding the governmental process at the County Council. We have remained focused on
• Open government update
• Not all liberals are communists
• Dear county officials
Open government update
On June 3 we started to address publicly our concerns regarding the governmental process at the County Council. We have remained focused on three issues and have attempted to avoid personalities.
There is good news. Chair Asing has now initiated new policies at Council Services that allow for all council members to see all the correspondence addressed to them in a timely manner. New e-mail addresses have been established that forward e-mail electronically to all council members without being screened or delayed. Council meeting minutes are beginning to be posted on the county’s Web site.
We are pleased at this turn of events and appreciate Chair Asing allowing these changes to occur.
This Wednesday there is an opportunity for the progress to continue on perhaps the most critical issue to be addressed — that all your elected officials have the ability to represent you by placing issues of importance on the public agenda. We find this principle a fundamental aspect of a properly functioning democracy and are gratified that our proposal for a resolution to clarify council rule 10 (c), related to placement on the agenda, will be on the agenda.
There will also be a proposal to bring fresh and independent eyes to council rules and processes. We applaud Council members Furfaro and Chang for their sincere, proactive proposal to address council issues using a tool specifically called for in council rules. We have suggested an amendment to their proposal that would have the special committee examine information flow and council rules, and expand the committee’s membership. If accepted, the amendment would create a wonderfully diverse committee of outstanding individuals consisting of Teofilo (Phil) Tacbian, Diane Zachary, Ron Kouchi, Andrea Brower, the Honorable Judge George Masuoka (ret.) and Dr. Neil Clendeninn.
As Councilman Furfaro has pointed out, a comprehensive review of council rules has not been conducted for over 20 years. At our largely ceremonial inaugural meeting on Dec. 1, 2008, several community members asked that we consider changes to the council rules. At that meeting, Councilman Furfaro made the motion to approve the rules referencing the public testimony and the possibility that the rules be reevaluated stating “We can do that in a future meeting.”
Our hope is that the council successfully address the issue of council members’ access to the agenda and the proposal for a special committee this week and that additional public documents find their way onto the county Web site soon.
The council does indeed have a number of important public policy matters to address. An improved democratic process with informed public participation will enhance the outcome of the decisions that are reached. We feel confident that we can come to agreements regarding process and policy in a respectful and fair manner incorporating equal input from all council members.
Lani Kawahara, Tim Bynum, Kaua‘i County Council
Not all liberals are communists
Mr. Antonson asserts Mr. Chaquette’s ad hominem attack on conservatives and Ada Koene’s rebuttal are equally objectionable. Really?
Chaquette equates conservatives with history’s worst psychopaths, whereas Ada presented facts.
Antonson is obviously misinformed on charitable giving habits. According to IRS data, of the top 25 states for charitable donations, all but two or three are “red states.”
The bottom 25, with a couple of exceptions, voted for Obama. The number one state for charitable generosity? Mississippi — one of the poorest in the nation. And always a favorite target of liberal elitists. Don’t expect to hear this from Bill Moyers or the newsreaders at Big Media. While some of the biggest skinflints as revealed by their 1040s are millionaires Obama, Biden and Al Gore.
While not all liberals are communists, it’s a fact that members of FDR’s “braintrust” visited the Soviet Union and reported they had “seen the future and it works.”
To this day many liberals still swoon over jailers and murders such as Castro and Ho Chi Minh. And any linkage between conservatives and fascists such as Hitler and Mussolini are completely bogus. Fascists are by definition strong government autocrats and could hardly be thought of as low-tax and pro-decentralized government.
John Burns, Princeville
Dear county officials
Unemployment is around 11 percent on Kaua‘i, getting worse, and you are in charge. Folks are barely getting by and you are worried about vacation rentals?
Your policy makes sense in booming times, but not right now. As oil prices rise over the next five to 10 years, TVRs will be the least of your worries.
You should be welcoming anyone who wants to come to your island, regardless of where they stay. Especially visitors who will spend money and support local business.
David Kundysek, Dallas, Texas
