Jones Act ensures US jobs
Here we go again with Mr. Akina and his republican-leaning Grassroots Institute’s claims that the Jones Act is responsible for higher-priced goods in Hawai‘i compared to mainland prices. This claim is based on their selective study that is one of zero others.
Besides ignoring the loss of U.S. jobs, I wonder exactly what is in it for Akina and his institute? Money to be made investing in foreign rust bucket container ships? Or starting up his own shipping company?
Most of the pricing difference we see is not due to the cost of shipping, it is due to our isolation. In other words, we are captive consumers paying what the traffic will bear. However, our prices for almost everything have come down over the decades due to competition from retailers we once did not have, such has Walmart and Costco.
The Jones Act provides U.S. jobs for U.S. workers, from shipbuilding to crew workers. Once it’s gone those jobs will go out to the lowest bidders from foreign-flagged countries like China or others paying substandard wages, while more U.S. workers are left without jobs.
Let’s be sure to keep U.S. jobs in US hands.
Paulo Tambolo, Wailua Homesteads
Give the Lt. Gov. some respect
I am not a Democrat, however, I am appalled by the way a good portion of the general public and many of those that are ‘Democrats’ are now eating their own.
Hawai‘i Lt. Governor Dr. Josh Green has been working tirelessly around the clock to help the people of Hawai‘i fight the pandemic.
The woke police and cancel culture are after the wrong guy again. When was the last time you spent weekends as an ER doctor? The Lt. Governor does. When was the last time you volunteered your time to fly to Samoa and go door-to-door to give the measles vaccines to the Samoan people back in December of 2019 when they had a Measles outbreak that was killing many, including keiki? The Lt. Governor did!
The measles vaccine was welcomed as a Godsend back then.
When was the last time any politician volunteered to give the COVID vaccine to his constituents? Dr. Green did, and still does!
Protesters a few days back protested in front of the Lt. Governor’s personal residence because they don’t like the way he’s handling the COVID crisis. The Lt. Governor has a wife and young children living there. That was callous and heartless. Dr. Green mentioned he has no problem with protesters going to his office but his personal residence, really?
To all the community leaders and social media junkies busting the Lt. Governors chops about his handling of COVID and his endless work ethic of trying to keep us safe, I say where and when did you get your medical license?
When was the last time any of you volunteered to administer vaccines, or fly to a foreign country during a medical crisis and volunteer your Kokua while holding down two full-time jobs? The Lt. Governor did.
God bless Dr. Green!
James “Kimo” Rosen, Kapa‘a
I saw the website Grassroots Hawai’i. It gives a lot of interesting economic factors dealing with shipping things to Hawai’i. I liked the articles there.
James, when did you ever do anything but run your mouth?
Good letter, Kimo, totally agree!
Joe , the irony is that there are doers and then there are all the rest….
I’m tired of being in the trenches and have survived 68 years on this planet giving my best to all the endeavors I have been involved with worldwide…
Kimo has heart, I see him with his companion animal walking and talking, caring for others that have fallen through the cracks of being healthy and/or loved…
Dr Green is also a rare and caring person who has done more to help the severely disabled and homeless people in the last few years than anyone…. we don’t need to brag about it but if you run us all out on your rail….
Perhaps the time has come to move to friendlier shores.
You get what you wish for….
“I wonder exactly what is in it for Akina and his institute? Money to be made investing in foreign rust bucket container ships? Or starting up his own shipping company?”
Perfect Paul! So typical of your socialist ilk. Attack the messenger vs. the message. this is done when one looses on the logic of the message and must attack the person who said it.
Paulo:
Great, your nonsense = mercantilism at its finest.
RG DeSoto
Our Lt Gov needs to resign. He is incapable of protecting the residents of Hawaii by ignoring 30,000 tourists that enter our state daily and putting the blame solely on us. This is utter ridiculousness.
Travelers whether they are returning residents or tourists are bringing Covid to Hawaii. Travelers whether they are vaccinated or unvaccinated are bringing Covid to Hawaii.
Josh Green is only blaming residents and it will cost him his political aspiration of becoming governor.
All travelers local or tourist, vaccinated or unvaccinated need to be tested, quarantined, and re-tested before they are set free to infect our island. They pay for the service, it is just the price of traveling during a pandemic. Do it or STAY HOME.
KM…. he wouldn’t make a pimple on a good governors okole….
Initially I respected LG Green for the way he was handling the pandemic. He was all about testing, making sure residents were safe, procedures were in place, etc. Then he got COVID. Once recovered he did a 180 – as soon as Gov. Ige appointed him in charge of the COVID team his tune changed. He’s even contradicted some of Ige’s restrictions – like maintaining the mandatory mask rule indoors. Can you imagine where we’d be at now had our Gov. listened to Green? Ige said he’d lighten up on restrictions once we reached 70% vaccination rate. Green pushed for 60% which IMO was disrespectful to publicly override the Gov.
You’re welcome to praise him all you like James, but many of us see through him now as he tries to appease the money people to garner support for Gov. Rather than behaving like a concerned Dr. he’s acting like a politician; catering to the tourists and consistently blaming residents for the spread of COVID. I refuse to believe that more tourists aren’t positive. One pre-test, or vaccine card isn’t enough right now because as you know those that are vaccinated ARE testing positive and ARE shedding this virus too.
A wise Dr. would be pushing for pre + post testing for EVERY traveler in an effort to contain this current situation! His consistent rap of “we’re monitoring the situation” is getting old. Apparently as of yesterday Queen’s ICU is full. Something needs to be done and “monitoring” isn’t it!
If people would get off their computers, couches and high horses and join a community organization to do ANYTHING THAT HELPS KIDS, THE ENVIRONMENT OR BEAUTIFY A PUBLIC PLACE…. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO OUR HUMAN RACE????
Thanks Kimo for sticking up for the Good Guys
No sense of irony?