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+--- Thread: Big Island Organizations & Programs Losing Funding (/showthread.php?tid=23577)
Big Island Organizations & Programs Losing Funding - HereOnThePrimalEdge - 02-18-2025
Research gardens, fire ant eradication, food production and more have lost federal funding over the last few weeks.
The Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden’s $2 million grant from the USDA Forestry Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program is among the funding casualties.
There are almost 7,500 nonprofits in the state, employing approximately 56,000 people, according to the Independent Sector, a national collective of nonprofits.
Federal money represents a significant funding line for Hawaiʻi’s $700 million agricultural industry, which lawmakers continue to promote as important for the islands’ self-sufficiency and sustainability.
https://www.civilbeat.org/2025/02/hawai%CA%BBi-agricultural-projects-at-risk-amid-federal-funding-freeze/
RE: Big Island Organizations & Programs Losing Funding - HiloJulie - 02-18-2025
More clipped from Civil Beat article as linked above from HOTPE: (Bolding by me)
When (NON PUNA GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL NAME REDACTED) administration officials “say, ‘We’re cutting government funding,’ that has real-world impacts that are going to affect small communities throughout Hawaiʻi,” Congresswoman Jill Tokuda said in an interview.
The (NON PUNA AGENCY NAME REDACTED) told the Big Island garden that the agency would not reimburse about $150,000 currently owed under the grant program, despite the federal contract.
“To not reimburse them, to me, is a crime,” Tokuda said.
What a perfect way to not only decimate the small communities in the end benefits these programs bring, but also financially decimate the ones helping the small communities at the same time.
If you’re still not seeing what the real end goal here is, my guess is eyeglasses won’t help either.
RE: Big Island Organizations & Programs Losing Funding - Durian Fiend - 02-19-2025
(02-18-2025, 11:14 PM)HiloJulie Wrote: The (NON PUNA AGENCY NAME REDACTED) told the Big Island garden that the agency would not reimburse about $150,000 currently owed under the grant program, despite the federal contract.
“To not reimburse them, to me, is a crime,” Tokuda said.
Criminal? Well, you know what Napoleon supposedly said.
I'd say it was incompetency or cruelty at play. Strange days indeed.
RE: Big Island Organizations & Programs Losing Funding - HiloJulie - 02-19-2025
(02-19-2025, 12:45 AM)Durian Fiend Wrote: I'd say it was incompetency or cruelty at play. Strange days indeed.
Definitely incompetency AND cruelty - its foundations tilted more towards the cruelty side however, while being implemented by the incompetent side.
And its only just beginning.
I'm waiting for the shoe to drop at the USGS and what the impacts will be for Volcano National Park any day now.
Strange days indeed. Even stranger if anyone is surprised.
RE: Big Island Organizations & Programs Losing Funding - HereOnThePrimalEdge - 02-19-2025
impacts will be for Volcano National Park any day now.
The Visitor Center closed last night for remodeling & repairs that will take 18-24 months.
Not sure how ironclad their contract with the Feds is.
The replacement for the Jagger Museum is still under construction at the KMC.
Again, funding contracts?
RE: Big Island Organizations & Programs Losing Funding - Punatang - 02-19-2025
It is cruel and incompetent to elect and support people that criminally saddle our children with trillions of debt for things we think we need today but don't want to pay for.
If any of these things are really so important to anyone here complaining, I am sure you are going to volunteer and donate to continue to fund and staff these things that are more important to you than our children.
The entitlement generation blows my mind. No shame whatsoever. Just wow.
RE: Big Island Organizations & Programs Losing Funding - Obie - 02-19-2025
I assume this is going to be a pause and not a complete cut in funding.
Maybe it will be a good thing. Our county council just approved 10 million to fight homelessness but 90 percent went to pay salaries. Maybe they need to spend more on the homeless.
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2025/02/04/hawaii-news/council-members-question-effectiveness-of-homeless-related-grants/
RE: Big Island Organizations & Programs Losing Funding - HereOnThePrimalEdge - 02-19-2025
Maybe it will be a good thing.
I’ll get in any line forming to complain about government workers. And government money funneled to fat contracts. Etc.
But throwing people out of work with no warning? People with children, Punatang? Driving up the unemployment rate, paying a fortune for unemployment benefits? For NOT working? More EBT Cards until jobs are found. More using the Emergency Room instead of health insurance because they lost benefits, costing taxpayers 10x more in the long run.
It seems, as I pointed out in another thread that there is a process that could be put in place that is better than this. Give workers had an opportunity to find another job in the short term, not fight with thousands? Millions? of others for limited available positions.
Then, maybe it could be a good thing.
RE: Big Island Organizations & Programs Losing Funding - HiloJulie - 02-19-2025
"Maybe it will be a good thing"
I'm sure you can find 10,000 ways to justify all of this, I mean, you have too, I understand, but, when the equivalent of HECO shutting off of the power to all of Hilo because a few Punatics may be stealing some electricity is not the way to effectively audit or understand the use of money in ANY governmental program whatsoever.
Further, the funding cut off in question being discussed in this thread is NOT about the funding the County has appropriated for homeless, thus its irrelevant to this thread.
Now, as it relates to the subject matter of this thread, a lot of these funding cut off issues have been cut off AFTER these programs already spent the money they were owed.
Like working all week and when its payday, boss says "sorry, funding's been cut off." And all put under the guise of rooting out fraud and corruption so it looks like "Maybe it will be a good thing."
Yeah, no cruelty in that!
And then, just how far are we from seeing that being done to Social Security?
"The entitlement generation blows my mind. No shame whatsoever. Just wow."
So, not drawing Social Security? On Medicare? Getting any "retired" benefits in the form of discounts on Internet, CVS Drugs? Never had a government backed mortgage? VA Loan? Maybe a few deductions on the tax returns not really entitled too but hey it bumped your refund up a few hundred bucks? Never needed the Police? Fire? Paramedics?
NEVER EVER?
All entitlement generation funded!
RE: Big Island Organizations & Programs Losing Funding - Durian Fiend - 02-19-2025
(02-19-2025, 01:51 AM)Punatang Wrote: It is cruel and incompetent to elect and support people that criminally saddle our children with trillions of debt for things we think we need today but don't want to pay for.
If any of these things are really so important to anyone here complaining, I am sure you are going to volunteer and donate to continue to fund and staff these things that are more important to you than our children.
The entitlement generation blows my mind. No shame whatsoever. Just wow.
I was specifically referring to the situation mentioned in the article, where people who have done work will NOT be paid for it. That is simply wrong, their labor should be compensated as agreed upon.
Regarding your digression, I have no idea who comprises the "entitlement generation" and what they have no shame about.
Everyone has a right to complain and petition for how tax revenues are collected and spent.