Put Hooser on strategy team
Mayor Kawakami’s Kaua‘i Economic Recovery Strategy Team is an excellent tool for planning the reopening of our beautiful island. However, unless I overlooked it, there seems to be missing a team whose charter is to seek a balance of the health, safety and quality of life of Kaua‘i’s citizens with that of the mostly-economy-oriented teams’ charters. Gary Hooser has presented some excellent ideas for seeking that balance in his April 29 TGI Forum column.
I haven’t always agreed with Gary’s politics, but this time he makes a strong, apolitical case for the health, safety and quality of life of all Kaua‘i residents. It would be very fitting for Mayor Kawakami to invite Gary to be a member of the Kaua‘i Economic Recovery Strategy Team, and of course for Gary to accept that invitation.
Peter Nilsen, Princeville
Mayor, governor, open up the state
• Editor’s note: This letter was sent to The Garden Island as well as county and state officials, and the author took part in the Friday “Walk For Our Rights” event on Kaua‘i.
Dear Mayor Kawakami and Governor Ige,
Many people will be sending in letters to your offices today. We are people from very different backgrounds, different professions, and different political ideals — but we all agree: the current lockdown regulations are non-essential.
With our very-low-infection rate, very-low hospitalization, and current non-active status here on Kaua‘i, we should be leading the country with a plan to revive our economy and begin to resume the wonderful quality of life we previously enjoyed.
This is the only time in history where our government has quarantined the healthy population. There is no precedent and no reason to continue to hold our island citizens indoors or in fear. History will show that the reaction to this virus was overplayed, and the resulting shutdown to our economy will cause far more damage than the virus ever could have.
You have the opportunity, if you act now, to show yourselves as true leaders. Look to the examples in progressive states such as Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah — all who have had more severe outbreaks than Hawai‘i — who already have started to re-open businesses, allow their citizens to go back to work and resume a more natural and healthy lifestyle outside their homes.
Sheltering indoors is not healthy. The healthiest thing we can do is spend more time outdoors — and in our lovely island state, we have the best environment and more opportunity to exercise and build our God-given immunity than many other places. The shelter indoor order was an ill-advised experiment to combat the virus. Up-to-date scientific reports have shown that less contagion is spread outdoors than in.
Please consider revising your current stay-at-home order and bringing our state in line with the other states that realize that delaying the re-opening of our economy and lifestyle has no current benefit. There are many intelligent actions that can be taken to ensure our island’s health safety, and still be able to resume our visitor and service-based economy.
Show the world that you are a creative, intelligent leader with the very best interests of your residents and visitors in mind. I pray for your wisdom as you make these important decisions.
With aloha.
Michele Dillberg
Now is the time our island’s leadership should be taking the lead among islands in identifying and procuring screening and testing protocols—first for inter-island travelers, then for mainland and finally international visitors. Although it would be premature to reopen the island at this stage, a careful, gradual time table should at least be in the planning stages, ready when the technology is there. PCR tests have recently been automated and refined to 80-85% specificity. Bosch has developed a point of care swab test that produces results in 2 1/2 hrs.; Abbott Labs has an antibody test with a 15 min. result turnaround. The mayor’s team should involve representatives from the airline industry, and also consultants versed in the latest epidemiological testing capabilities. We’ve seen how the flow of visitor arrivals can be controlled with quarantine requirements. These can always be redeployed if flare-ups occur. Kauai is ahead in curve-flattening now and is in a unique position to lead the transition back to a strong economy. Let’s not squander this opportunity.
Aloha Mayor Kawakami,
Gov Ige demonstrated less than intelligent aptness and UNDER REACTION and Failure in Response Time of his job in his handling of the INCOMING MISSILE FAKE CRISIS, allowing extended Fear and Hysteria to be less than intelligently prolonged in the minds of our citizens.
Perhaps this is when the Governor learned and firsthand experienced “Hiding in Place”, which in his now Over Reaction AND is backfiring and harming the mental and physical Health of the citizens.
The regular Seasonal Flu every year for at least a 100 years impacts, sickens, and kills way more people in the world than this new CoVid-19 virus has.
Mayor Derek can you get up in front of the cameras and instead of entertaining us about the updated rule, and what to do during boredom, can you instead, without reading a script, explain to us how the Human Immune System works in detail, because that explanation coming from you alone, whom we trust, would alay the fears and hysteria still going on in the minds of the citizens, of which is a disservice to the public along with keeping the citizens locked down with stay at home Mandates with businesses closed, and wearing for the most part useless masks in public.
I mean how ridiculous is it that some citizens feel compelled to wear a mask while driving alone In their car…?
Quarantining the sick and High Risk Seniors would demonstrate an intelligent mandate, but doing this to our entire population is uncalled for.
The restrictive mandates show not only inappropriateness for this situation but also are killing more businesses than lives.
On Kaua’i: Dead Businesses = 100’s, Dead People = ZERO.
‘This is proof that the Human Immune System Can Do it’s job more effectively than any mandate. No Symptoms, Mild Symptoms, a few days of Bedrest is not to much to ask if people each flu season and whichever flu.
So come on give our citizens an un-scripted Education on the Human Immune System showing us some of your competency in Health, the most important issue of 2020.
Right now you seem to be a follower of a proven inept governor, please step up and show us your leadership, the reason we elected you.
Kaua’i CoVid-19 Recovery Rate has been 100%., and nationwide higher than 99.9%. There are 7.5 Billion people on earth, those who die while sick and elderly already, and have evidence of flu still only amount to way way less Tha 1% coming in at 0.000005 %. No one asks the Question…are people dying while sick and elderly and just happen to have the flu, meaning dying while having the flu, or are people truly being killed by the flu. Statistics don’t tell us that.
Statistics also keep SECRET, the Age, Sex, existing illnesses and diseases people have, nor the Prescription Medicines people are on, while they are undergoing any type of flu.
Yes, and sadly, people have lost their lives as happens every flu season, and will again. The strength of each individual Immune System is the Ticket to Health and Survival, and not the Over the Counter, nor Prescription Drugs, or the insanity of having a form of the “deadly” virus injected into the arms of people and children by way of another unknown toxin filled VACCINE.
And some are crazy enough to allow this to be done to children, while allegations abound that just some Of the side effects of vaccines in children are at least in part due to the reason why 1 out of 100 children have Autism today, another epidemic ignored by the Medical Industry, along with Heart disease, stroke, cancer, prevention drug caused disease, Obesity, Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and so many more that sack kill more than this CoVid-19 virus, but nobody seems to care about those epidemics, perhaps because people are too busy making money off those diseases than getting people well and off drugs.
The strength of the Human Immune System does not come from the “PILL FOR EVERY ILL” medical theory, indeed many medications are carcinogenic Cancer causing in themselves being manufactured from Petrochemicals…I.e., petroleum from coal and oil.
The strength of the Human Immune System is an inborn self regulated, vía the Nervous System, 1 of many of the body’s physiological systems. The Human Immune System in order to function optimally and get rid of virus from the body, needs no Help, it does need No Interference.
Interference to the Human Immune System is caused by over-burdening the IMMUNE SYSTEM with truly unnecessary jobs like having to put up AND rid the body of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs of any king whether from the “street” or Pharmacy.
Other Immune System stressors are chemicals added to foods whether during packaging or still growing as crops on farms in the form of Ag Poisons.
Foods that are GMO’d may be recognized as non-Nutrient and be a burden to the Immune System.
Non nutritious foods burden the Immune System when nutrients are processed out of foods, when SUGAR is added in, like in candy, soda, pastries, and snacks, as well as fast food, junk food and low to non-nutritious foods. Stay away from these low quality to toxic things people eat In order order to have a more optimal Functioning Immune System.
Just like the Mayor who we hope will educate us as to the Human Immune System, we as a population Require education about maintaining and restoring our Health. For most people the Restoration needs to come first.
If you are part of the 80% of Americans who take 1 or more prescription drugs a day, you have already entered the Trap Door of a lifetime of taking 1 drug after another.
Turn your back and efforts away from drugs and open your life to the study of Health…may the Mayor Help Us…!
Thus when the flu or sickness continues to come around every year you will be in the majority who will be infected but have:
1.) NO SYMPTOMS
2.) MILD SYMPTOMS
3.) Or at worst a few days of Bedrest…
…but have developed IMMUNITY from what ailed you…like regular measles,:mumps and chicken pox, You have the potential for a LIFETIME of IMMUNITY from the flu you encountered with Health.
Best thing is do not take drugs of any kind casually, even Over the Counter or OFF THE SHELF at the grocery store, they are the path to prescription drugs.
Follow the Natural Path, since Mother Nature has Been around the longest when it comes to your HEALTH.
Mahalo to Mayor Derek Kawakami…!
The only “Strategy Team” Hooser should be asked to join is the “Empty the Trash” Program under Parks and Recreation.
Taken from an article written and researched by Joan Conrow-July, 2018
The same is pretty much true for “progressive” politics in Hawaii. Whatever nascent progressive movement was stirring a decade or two ago in Hawaii has been snuffed out by power-hungry politicians and activists who smelled votes — and money — in the progressive label.
A perfect example is Gary Hooser, who with Dame formed the Hawaii Alliance for Progressive Action. The Star-Advertiser article describes him (and Dame) as “local progressive leaders,” but the voters of Kauai feel differently. Though Hooser spent more on his 2016 campaign than any politician in Kauai history, voters chose not to re-elect him to the Kauai County Council because they saw that his self-serving grandstanding around the anti-GMO issue cost the county serious bucks and polarized the community. Despite his resounding defeat, Hooser still embraces the despicable tactics of lying, fear-mongering and deception to push his political agenda. That’s not progressive by any definition I can find.
HAPA, too, is progressive in name only. The group refuses to disclose its funding sources or expenditures — even as it demands full transparency from others — and engages in political activities that most certainly can be defined as lobbying, without the required legal disclosures.
And just look at the politicians HAPA has endorsed! People like Maui Councilman Alika Atay, who is being investigated for awarding a $100,000 country grant to his executive assistant Brian Bardellini (a guy so nasty he’s been barred from visiting Council Services offices and interacting with state Department of Ag officials) and using his own campaign-style photo to promote the taxpayer-funded event.
Then there’s state Rep. Kaniela Ing, the Congressional candidate whose website claims: “Kaniela is the candidate who has consistently fought for progressive values, secured record funding for his district, and does not accept donations from corporations.” What he does do is drive without auto insurance and miss court appearances, lie about his academic record, misuse campaign contributions to pay rent and credit card bills, and file false campaign reports, netting a $15,000 fine.
These groups and their leaders aren’t progressives. They’re demagogues who are trying to wrest political power from those who currently hold it, using a “brand” that they think will appeal to the young, disenfranchised new arrivals from the mainland who are desperately seeking to belong in Hawaii’s cliquish circles.
Peter,
That would make it a ‘tragedy’ team, not a ‘strategy’ team.
No.
-Everythingisawesome
MS. Dillberg. I must have missed your name on the voting ballad.
“Just listen to the Stat’s leaders!” After all we all voted for them. Unless you don’t vote.
You lost me at “progressive states like Alabama…”
No one ever said you had to stay indoors and not exercise. Shelter in place is a figure of speech.
It would be hard to consider most of the states Michelle listed as “progressive”. What they are doing is an experiment that may go horribly wrong. Hopefully not. The difference between Kauai and the mainland is that when those states open for business most of their economic activity comes from the people who live in those states. Kauai’s economy is based on people coming from all over the mainland and other countries. Hopefully our leaders take that into account when deciding to open our doors. I do think the residents of Kauai should now be allowed to move about freely and do business. Visitors should somehow be proven to be virus free before they can come here. Right now the only tool we have is the two week quarantine.
How do you quarantine people who are sick but show no symptoms? Anyone could be walking around and be infected; that’s why we all have to stay home.
Perhaps we could open up some of the restrictions but as soon as the floodgates of tourism are opened we have health concerns again. I trust our Mayor and our leaders to have a plan in place designed to minimize overwhelming our medical resources or putting our most vulnerable at risk.
If you have been following the increases in outbreaks in these “ progressive “ states you will see the large increases in new cases. Are you sure you want that? There are so many people I love very much on this beautiful island and I don’t see them as a “statistic” but as fellow human beings who have a right to live as healthy a life as possible. Incidentally I’ve had no problem being outdoors socially distancing during the lockdown.
Yes , let’s carefully create a plan and use caution in reopening. I trust our Mayor and leaders to do so.
I respectfully disagree Ms Dillberg. Most of the states you mention are not “progressive” states. And since we have no viable treatment for the corona virus and no vaccine, those states who are opening for business sadly, may end up with another waive of COVID-19. This is the only time in our lifetimes that we have had to quarantine the “healthy” population because infection comes from contact with others but be aware that we are able to exercise as much as we want outdoors. Be safe.
Doing fine, mayor K, but we should be able to social distance with no tourists here.
I disagree with your letter! I think the Gov and Mayors are doing the right thing! That’s why our State has been able to battle this virus and keep the stats low! The “progressive” States you mentioned haven’t proven anything yet because the numbers aren’t in yet. Georgia opened and looked what happened! Over a thousand new cases! I urge our State leaders to stay the course and keep us save! Thanks
Brilliant idea, Peter. Install Hooser a failed business owner and politician on a board to “plan” a reopening of Kauai’s economy. What utter nonsense this whole planning thing is. Reopening is as simple as government removing ALL barriers to business owners making their own decisions. In short government should get out of the way and let the REAL experts, business owners, make their own decisions.
Top down, centrally planned economies have left a 100+ year legacy of poverty, death and general failure.
RG DeSoto
What is the Soto’s plan then? Why are you running everything?!
And for that matter, which type of economies are you thinking of that have a 100+ year legacy without poverty, death, or general failure?
Michelle is right on. No new cases since April 5 and no current active cases yet the island is still mostly shut down with a curfew. What government is doing to its people is nothing short of shameful. An what will government do if a single new case is discovered 3 day, 3 weeks, or 3 months from now, place the island back on a full lock down for 28 days or longer. Come on folks get some common sense and follow the lead of the rest of the nation.
Peter, really think that the COK has had it’s fill of Hooser over the years, I am sure there are a lot of more akami people on Kauai.
Michele, “relax” we are almost there and Our Mayor and KEMA has done an outstanding job limiting our exposure, I really dont think we are ready to open the “flood gates” again soon with the “visitors” the limited amount coming in now do not take our restrictions seriously, you think the masses will? Our COVID numbers will explode..live are more important then cash.