Pick your poison, Kaua‘i How timely. In his article, “The Tax Man: Securing Hawai‘i’s economic future” (TGI, Sept. 4, 2011), Mr. Lowell Kalapa reiterates how a new technology in the fine art of garbage collection helped the County of Honolulu
Pick your poison, Kaua‘i
How timely. In his article, “The Tax Man: Securing Hawai‘i’s economic future” (TGI, Sept. 4, 2011), Mr. Lowell Kalapa reiterates how a new technology in the fine art of garbage collection helped the County of Honolulu as I earlier declared it should on Kaua‘i. Honolulu initiated the same technology well in advance of Kaua‘i County.
Although Kaua‘i officials probably studied and modeled their new system after Honolulu’s, Mr. Kalapa probably didn’t realize how unique our government truly is.
Mr. Kalapa was making the argument that the use of advanced technology, if used correctly, often enables recipients of routine services to enjoy the same level of service given fewer resources. As an example, he specifically mentioned Honolulu’s new automated garbage collection system.
The same system I lamented over in a letter I wrote to the TGI Forum earlier now in service on Kaua‘i. He said, “An example of the use of technology which maintained workforce numbers but served even more consumers is Honolulu’s automated trash collection service”.
“What it does mean is that there will be a lesser demand to raise taxes because how those services are being delivered is more efficient”.
As a huge fan of Star Trek’s Vulcan, Mr. Spock, I totally agree with Mr. Kalapa’s logic on this one. But what happened to us here on Kaua‘i?
Speculation No. 1: Here, the local government has reduced its costs for providing a routine service to the majority of its citizens, charged them additional fees for it anyway, then will probably spend its windfall revenues on someone’s recreational dream only a small minority can enjoy.
Yes, that’s right. That new fee is going to pay for that new multi-use path and million dollar spurs! Mayor Bryan Baptiste’s “dream project” is going to get built no matter who gets in the way or what it costs because an ally is sitting in the driver’s seat he left behind due to his untimely death.
What else do you think it’s for? And what happens when a new Mayor gets elected? Will it continue to progress at its current rate or trickle down to a standstill due to political indifference?
I hold nothing against our new Mayor Bernard Carvalho. He’s definitely been a positive force on Kaua‘i since his election. The man is a larger than life, but has an even bigger heart to match.
However, since no one has responded to my request for answers on this topic in the TGI Forum, I’m going to provide yet another speculation on what county officials might say if water boarded by Dick Cheney.
Speculation No. 2: “We created those new garbage collection fees over and above what you’re already paying as a direct result of an impending population explosion.
When all those Transient Accommodation Units (TAUs) we approved get built out, it will become necessary for us to increase our solid waste facilities, our fleet of automated garbage trucks and the drivers required to put them on the road.
This means those two garbage collectors you thought lost their jobs actually didn’t. They’re learning how to drive shiny new trucks of their own. But, we’re sorry our sister recycling bin system didn’t pan out.
We were counting on it to further justify our new toys and the men that drive them. Who knew the private recycling contractor we hired would increase his processing fees by 700 percent? Do you know of anyone else who could handle that one for us? We’ve got all this money now. It just wasn’t enough for this guy.”
Pick your poison from mine above or have some fun speculating your own.
Vince Cosner, Lihu‘e
Statism
Thank you, Rick Goding, for responding to my Letter to the Editor on Democracy. It was interesting, informative and, I’m sure, accurate. Your observation of having a fascist influence in our society was astute.
Few observers have recognized that our financial system and industries are so strongly influenced and, in essence, controlled by our government.
I would like to go beyond current “wisdom” with this response. Regardless of what you choose to call it, our system is still a state and as such will eventually self destruct — based on historical evidence.
It is true that we don’t know of anything better but that doesn’t say we should accept what we have and not try to categorize a state’s weaknesses and invent something better.
Side Bar: The destruction of our state started many years ago.
In 1913 the Income Tax Amendment was passed and they told us the tax would never be more than 2 percent of one’s income.
In 1971 the Gold Standard was abolished which led to our bureaucrats reckless pattern of spending showing little regard for our financial health. These two points are just the tip of the iceberg.
Ralph Tamm, Lihu‘e
