Any hope to change the situation?

[StillHope]

I don't know what I am doing at this forum...
A person who believes that politics is a muppet show for the general public with no access to those pulling the strings...

I guess,I desperately want to hear from those with the faith

what can be done about this horribly wrong system -

people who actually want to work are getting 20 - 30 hours

a week,forced to get food stamps (someone is paying for that!),

that going with extra "cash" jobs (and some one is not paying taxes).

May be it's true that historically locale people just like it this way - part time+ cash jobs + EBT ?

May be it's the mainland "transplants" only want to work?

In his case the situation is hopeless...

[Del Pranke]

One place to start would be to really fix the County Charter. There are two places that the charter is really broke.

First is the impeachment item. The first amendment to the U.S. Constitution allows us to petition the government for a redress of grievances. The County Charter says that in order for anyone to impeach an elected official, he or she must gather a large number of signatures on a petition.

Let's be clear, impeachment is the process by which a person is charged with misfeasance, etc. A judge sits in judgement to hear evidence as to whether the person charged has committed an offense of sufficient magnatude to be removed from office.

Impeachment is just a report to the judge as to whether such an offense has occurred. We don't have to get a petition of our neighbors to report a violation of the law. The requirement in the chgarter is just a way to discourage people from exercising their 1st amendment rights. This is not arcane, it is fundmental. The County Charter violates your constitutional rights in this case.

secondly, the Charter requires thatr the Corporation counsel shall be the chief legal counsel for all officers and employees and all boards and commissions in the county. This means that the corporation counsel gives secret advice to the Mayor, the County Council, The Police Commission, the Board of Ethics, etc. It is advice that is confidential between attorney and client. we can never know what advice was given because of that privelege. The current Corp Counsel, Lincoln Ashida has been in his position for nine years. he has succeeded in turning the Board of ethics, into a virtual star chamber. under Lincoln's tutelege they no longer list the name of the person charged, who is doing the charging, they accept secret testimony and they don't allow rebuttal to false testimony. That's just one way the process is flawed.

The bottom line is that everyone eho works for or volunteers for the county on boards are the clients of the corp counsel. if you or I make a complaint about anyone they are repres4ented by corp counsel. It is the corp counsels job to defend them to the best of his ability. That means no matter what might be in the best interest of the county taxpayers as a whole, corporation counsel will defend them even against the best interests of the county.He must, by the tenets of his profession. That needs to change.

The argument that we can't afford a lwyer for each section of government is BS. there are 24 lawyers working in th Office of the Corporation Counsel, yet they are constantly meeing in secret to hire others for special jobs. Recently they asked the County Council to authorize them to hire a lawyer experienced in bonds for some reason. This is peobably another way of pushing our tax dollars out the back door to their lawyer buddies. Stan Rorhig's firm has certainly been sucking at the county teat for as long as I have lived here or longer.

When they say "you can't fight city hall", they mean that the rules a4re stacked against fair and open government. One pundit has said " Politics attracts the worst, and corrupts the best." Thats probably true because they always put on their invisibility cloak and think they can get away with anything. Corporation Counsel sure is.

[Rob Tucker]

Aloha Del,

I broke up your post into paragraphs... too hard to read otherwise.

There are proposals before the Charter Commission to relax the requirements for Recall & Impeachment.

Not sure when the next opportunity for testimony is.

[Del Pranke]

Thanks Rob. I was under time constraint and didn't do a good job. I think the proposal for impeachment will actually make it more difficult.

[StillHope]

Any practical approach?

[Rob Tucker]

There are dozens of issues that could command your interest and attention. Each of which I am confident could use an active citizen to press forward with.

Children, elders, families, animals, home and housing, education, feeding the hungry, war and peace, save the earth, save the whales, save the plastic bags, protect the helpless, protect yourself, open government, social equity, taxes... and many, many more.

First practical approach is to find an interest that you are interested in.

Good way to start a New year in a New Home.

Have a Happy 2010.

Assume the best and ask questions.

Punaweb moderator

[Loren Baker]

StillHope,

Your questions seem valid to me, as you bring up a lot of good points. This is why I am throwing my hat in the ring, and campaigning for County Council, District 5.

With the help of the local Punatics, we can all make a difference, or at least a dent, in the system. Let's all keep good thoughts as we move forward.

Happy New Year.

Loren Baker

[StillHope]

Rob,I wish you happy New Year too.Thank you for the forum.

I am interested in any practical solution that enables people

who want to work to get at least survival minimum (in most low pay jobs

here it should be at least 40 hours).

Second job? Sure! Tell the employer that you are available on certain days only.Good luck with that...

May be small businesses has to do 20 hours to survive themselves,

but big mainland based companies is another story.

Talked to a Home Depot employee who got transferred from the main land.

40 hours reduced to 24.

Not everyone is capable of creating own business or working 16 hours a day for the different employers.

Creating food stamps applicants from people who wants to work is crazy!


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Mr. Baker,apart from the fact that my question is "valid" and I brought "good point",can you comment,please,on possible solutions to the situation?

I'd like to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Or to see the tunnel itself.

Or at lest get the directions to the tunnel.

[james weatherford]

StillHope,

You have made a great start by deciding what it is that you want:
“...practical solution that enables people who want to work to get at least survival minimum...”

From my viewpoint, you have focused on the right place to start: work. Sometimes this means getting paid and sometimes it doesn’t.

I’d not offer you any magic solution, but a few ways and means I have found that do keep me and mine surviving, with or without paid employment:

Believe that what you do matters.

Start simple and learn how to do more.

Eat from the land. Grow food from seeds and plants. Forage for food where it grows wild.

Re-use and re-use some more.

Make what you can. I am not much of a builder or mechanic. However, I find that builders and mechanics do like to eat the food I grow.

Have a community of people who share and share alike – share information about job openings, share food, share ideas, share good times and bad, and share things even though the best things in life are not things. ‘Neighbors’ are more than just people who live next door.

When you buy, Buy Local. The math is that spending a dollar at a locally-owned business puts about 45 cents back into the local economy and spending a dollar at a non-local chain/big-box puts about 15 cents back into the local economy. The philosophical way to put it is, “what comes around goes around.”

Never, ever give up.


James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park

[StillHope]

Thank you,Dr. Weatherford ,for the kind and sincere words.
That was a good advice how to deal with the consequences.
Taking pain medication helps,but doesn't cure the decease.