Old Lahaina Town Utterly Destroyed - Recovery & Relief Efforts

[MyManao]

Why can’t the utilities just admit their culpability..

Why not mention the frickin' insurance companies attempts to double dip? I mean, sheesh it ain't just the lawyers trying to steal the victims blind.  

Lawyering is all well and good.. but the scale of payments on all sides of that profession are absurd. But then that's what is attractive to many lawyers.. who wouldn't practice the law if it was an honest profession.

Face it.. to be a lawyer is, in many cases, a declaration of one's unscrupulous character. It's just what it is. The use of the law to steal and rob the unknowing.. the innocent.. the victims.

[HiloJulie]

"Face it.. to be a lawyer is, in many cases, a declaration of one's unscrupulous character."

I understand today's need to denigrate people based upon some arbitrary grouping, such as race, gender, skin color, spoken language and here in this case, anyone who is a lawyer.

And yes, there are despicable lawyers. But not all lawyers are despicable. 

One could say the same about doctors. Time after time we hear of doctors found to be overbilling Medicaid/Medicare/Insurance Companies tens and hundreds of millions of dollars - heck some even billions while screwing over the very patients they are supposed to be caring for.

So, do we say that being a doctor "is, in many cases, a declaration of one's unscrupulous character?"

At any event, back to my Robert S Harrison commentary - and while I have not read every minutia of detail with respect to the Maui settlement funding, but eventually 4 billion plus dollars are going to be put into "liquid cash" for disbursement. If ANY of that 4 billion goes into First Hawaiian Bank, Mr. Harrison will get a significant increase in his annual pay - as "customer deposit growth" is one of his "targets" as to his overall "compensation agreement."

So, is it then fair to say that all Bank CEO's "is, in many cases, a declaration of one's unscrupulous character?"

[leilanidude]

doctors found to be overbilling Medicaid/Medicare/Insurance Companies tens and hundreds of millions of dollars - heck some even billions
---------------
Then some cuts aren't that bad?

[MarkD]

Clearly, you have a seemingly huge grudge against personal injury lawyers. But I don’t think you are really looking at the big picture objectively, but through the cloudy lens of your inherent bias.

Sorry for the earlier quote mix-up.  Moving on, I don't have the huge grudge you cited. I just want lawyer compensation better controlled.  

"....the cloudy lens of your inherent bias."

Everyone is biased in favor of their views, viewpoints being a subjective thing.  I'm biased in favor of tough law and order and reducing the power of environmentalists, so more coastal recreation projects can be done along the East Hawaii shoreline.  I heard an interesting comment from an environmentalist the other day, that the ridiculous situation of this rock outcropping obstructing the main entrance to Richardson's swimming -- see photo 5, https://thishawaiilife.com/richardson-beach-park/

...BEING FAILED TO BE CORRECTED is not just because of strict environmental regs, it is because of lawyers.  

Lifeguards  confirm there are 15 - 20 cut feet and sometimes broken toes at this entrance each year, almost all coming from seniors, but there is no basis to sue.  That is because the rock outcropping is a natural feature. Can't make a personal injury claim here. 

But if the county created a man-made entrance and then someone is hurt, then a PI lawyer can sue.  The rule in simplistic terms: Government can be  responsible for any injuries at public properties  on ramps, playgrounds, sidewalks, and other man-made amenities. Attorneys can make a claim of some imperfection in  engineering or construction.  As we know, there is seldom a trial.  Officials often find it easier to settle, to pay off the attorney to make the claim go away.

Upshot:  It is also EASIER for state and county officials to do as little as possible in terms of improving the ocean entrances of beach parks.   Hey, here's more on Bias.  This AI source is right:

>"To varying degrees, everyone is susceptible to biases that favor their own opinions or beliefs. Cognitive biases influence how information is processed and judgments are formed. "

[HiloJulie]

doctors found to be overbilling Medicaid/Medicare/Insurance Companies tens and hundreds of millions of dollars - heck some even billions
---------------
Then some cuts aren't that bad?

Obviously, cutting the waste, fraud and abuse of doctors overbilling Medicaid/Medicare is of paramount concern, but not apparently to our President.

He just pardons them. And then wants the poor and decrepit to maybe work on a Kona Coffee Bean Farm to earn their "handout."

[randomq]

I'd say a good start to ending wealth inequality is that any CEO of a publicly traded company be limited to a total compensation of no more that 10 times the lowest paid employee.

100% agree. A maximum wage and a maximum differential like that. Don't hate the player, hate the game, so we fix the game. It's perverse that, say, $300k/yr isn't enough for some people, while others can't afford food, healthcare, homes, opportunities for their children... And yet we have people raking in millions and billions per year while society and infrastructure crumbles and goes into debt. Beyond a certain point of material success and economic security, maybe other incentives should drive the wealthy: Helping the next generation learn to climb the ladder, improving education and childcare opportunities, ensuring our country has the best minds and innovation, improving our health and the environment, etc... Going from being a millionaire to a billionaire should be a pointless pursuit in a country everyone enjoys living in.

[ironyak]

Me - but I haven't seen any mention of a commitment/requirement to maintain/remove the invasive grasses on the fallow properties."
leilanidude - Fence it with goats and sheep inside. Provide a few stock/water tanks. Harvest stock as needed and sell the meat products. Solved.

Congrats - you've discovered grazing and animal husbandry - who else could have thought of that? (other than neolithic herdsmen 10,000+ years ago). The question isn't how to maintain the properties, as there are more options than ever, it's how to compel/require landowners (especially owners of large parcels with equally large political influence) to perform that work.

Looks like Maui County is working on such enforcement, although it will remain to be seen if this is equally applied (some conversations say the KSBE lands near Lahaina look much the same as they did before the fire).

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2025/07/19...jail-time/
"The wildfire disaster of 2023 has Maui County stepping up enforcement of recently updated fire codes.

The rules are in place to ensure buffer zones between brush and structures. The vegetation has to be cutback based on height.

Warning letters have been going out to violators, urging them to take action in a month or face fines up to $1,000 per day. Criminal prosecution is also possible with punishment up to six months in jail.

The Maui Fire Department has worked to educate the public about the changes.

A flyer illustrates the space needed. It shows grass taller than 18 inches but under 3 feet must be at least 30 feet away from a building.

Brush between 3 and 6 feet should be 50 feet away. It goes up from there to include trees." (more at link including the flyer)

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

leilanidude said:
Fence it with goats and sheep inside.

Maui electric fenced it with goats inside.  Photogenic goats with article:

“This is the first time in our company's 100-plus [year] history where we employed working goats,” said Hawaiian Electric spokesperson Shayna Decker.

“In doing this pilot, we were wanting to demonstrate to other landowners and community organizations that this is a viable land clearing option, and to possibly implement this and other methods to help reduce the wildfire risk throughout our islands,” she said.

https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-...am-on-maui

[Rob Tucker]

A mid-west sized tractor with a large disc harrow can get a lot of grassland laid down flat and chopped up fast too... I've done it.

[kalianna]

Goats are cheaper than tractors and human laborers.