Yes, I’m guilty! I’m guilty of eavesdropping and listening in on conversations at the local McDonalds, Starbucks, convenience stores, grocery stores, big box stores, shopping centers, mall, gas stations, bus rides, bank queues, etc. Of what? What everyone is
Yes, I’m guilty!
I’m guilty of eavesdropping and listening in on conversations at the local McDonalds, Starbucks, convenience stores, grocery stores, big box stores, shopping centers, mall, gas stations, bus rides, bank queues, etc.
Of what?
What everyone is talking about. Not necessarily about the impact and “unintended” (actually “intended”) consequences of the fiscal cliff, but about what is the everyday main discussion — da economy!
People are most especially talking about having jobs and keeping them, health care and medical benefits — lucky if employees still qualify due to number of hours needed to get medical coverage, doing better to stay ahead, and living with less stuff while maintaining our “current” quality of life.
Yet, still affording to give a little to our nuclear and extended community ‘ohana of Kaua‘i.
Glad I still can recall and understand some of the Ilocano from my childhood days.
I try hard to listen to the local talk since it is always good to listen, learn and understand our community’s immediate priorities.
Lately, it has been about survival.
Don’t want to be myopic in my view about what I only hear/learn from my counterparts in the many organizations that we all serve and advocate for our members on Kaua‘i as well as those in government (elected and non-elected).
So, in ending this year and imua into 2013, I’ll keep these voices close to heart as we all begin 2013 anew with a renewed sense of commitment, openness, kuleana and kulia I kanu‘u, especially, at the state government level during the 2013 legislative session. If you haven’t already, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and dig in.
Congratulations and best wishes to the newly appointed U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui, State Senate President Sen. Donna Mercado Kim, State Senate Vice President Sen. Ron Kouchi, and the rest of the elected/re-elected politicians at the state and county levels.
In reviewing my column from earlier this summer, I wonder what additional laws will be forthcoming needing testimony and finally being enacted into law in July 2013.
New laws by the numbers include 345 bills sent from the legislature to Gov. Neil Abercrombie and 329 of those became law.
Then, 14 bills were vetoed, leaving 323 laws signed into law by Abercrombie.
With the final step in the legislative and governor’s actions complete, there are another 329 more laws to know and perhaps, remember.
For the business community, one of our collective efforts was keeping the unemployment insurance rate law at its current schedule to save businesses at least $400 to $500 per employee.
Go do the math.
The final budget figures for the fiscal year just ended with about $300 million in surplus.
Message to the governor:
• Stay focused and strategic on the existing and crafted budget plan just signed into law.
• Put money back into the hurricane fund (money that was borrowed!), and save the rest for a rainy day.
• The temptation to restore funding for programs should be strategic and encourage a pro-business perspective.
See the next column for a possible revision of the above under same headline “New Laws 2013.”
At the chamber’s annual membership meeting — which began with the “Gangnam Style Korean Dance” with a challenge replay to the Kaua‘i Filipino Chamber of Commerce at their upcoming annual meeting on Jan. 26 — I asked those in attendance to stand up and be recognized for their voluntary service serving on various boards and commissions at non-profit and government levels.
Approximately 60 people stood up.
Like many, we serve on at least three or more boards and commissions.
At my final police commission meeting, as I did at the chamber meeting, I wanted to communicate and recognize the unpaid and voluntary contributions of our many leaders, community-minded and other volunteers who contribute our most important asset — our time, skills, knowledge, experience and talent.
At a time when our economy is still recovering from the Great Recession of 2008, even though economists say it “officially” ended in 2009 — as always, Hawai‘i is at least a year or two behind — it’s even more important to recognize that our community continues to stand up and take time off to serve and add to the knowledge-base of the various organizations that need our kokua, all, with the same goal of making Kaua‘i a better place to live, work, contribute and enjoy the quality of life we have always enjoyed and sometimes take for granted.
Let’s continue to be good stewards, work on living aloha and, most of all, breathe and share the “HA” that Hawaiians have taught us throughout 2013 as our collective new years’ resolution.
Mahalo for volunteering.
• • •
“Aloha” was the final word from Sen. Daniel Ken Inouye.
Nearly 40 years ago, Inouye gave the commencement address at my high school graduation.
I was one of the privileged, soon-to-be alumni who was unfamiliar of the importance of this young senator approaching his first decade as a senator.
We were unfamiliar with this man of Japanese-American descent who, as a member of the Greatest Generation, served in the U.S. Army’s 442nd Regimental Combat Team from 1943-1947, along with his contemporaries.
Aside from looking forward to an evening of pomp and circumstance and getting settled in the gymnasium, I listened and later understood the senator’s simple message: Get out into the world, learn about it, become a productive person in our community and take advantage of what education has to offer.
It wasn’t until a couple of decades later when I eventually advanced in my career in education that I truly began to understand Inouye’s footprint — throughout the state, especially, at the community college and university levels.
In a visit to the internationally recognized MA‘O Organic Farms on the Wai‘anae coast of O‘ahu, I met Sen. Inouye as he was demonstrating his deep and abiding interest in taking care of Native Hawaiians through set aside funds to support Hawaiians in higher education.
At last year’s 2012 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, MA‘O Organic Farms gained additional national attention when First Lady Michelle Obama visited and joined student-farmers in a conversation about agriculture as a way of a sustainable livelihood and lifestyle for communities.
Another program Inouye was involved in was the renowned Wai‘anae High School digital, media and technology academy-program which provided students an opportunity to learn curricula across the technology spectrum using it to combine English, communication, speech and other science-technology skill sets in new careers in this growing field.
And, the list goes on and on across, health, Pacific Missile Range Facility, etc.
Mahalo, senator.
As the Japanese would say: Kodomo no tame ni (for the sake of the children).
Aloha.
• Randy Francisco is president of the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce. He can be reached at info@kauaichamber.org
