10-02-2014, 04:14 AM
After much thought, I've realized I'm probably wrong about everything, maybe even enough to owe an apology or two.
Free and fair elections in a democratic society have brought us the PCDP. If "the People" didn't want to drive to Hilo for everything, they had their chance to voice this opinion during the planning stages.
Similarly, if groups of "concerned citizens" want to leverage the existing rules and laws to adjust their local situation, then it becomes the responsibility of other citizens to participate in the process that drives those outcomes.
Nobody seems to object to either of the above situations, therefore it can be argued that these are the legitimate "will of the People", democracy at its finest.
Yes, the PCDP basically amounts to "everything will stay the way it is", and it's not likely to be implemented in my lifetime, but these are the rules we have until/unless the people demand changes.
Maybe the County has been breaking the law for decades, starting with the grant of illegal subdivisions and continuing onward with "selective" enforcement ... creating a gray area in which "morally right", "best for the community", and "technically legal" no longer overlap as they should. In theory, these matters need to be addressed in a court of law; in practice, this won't happen, nor will it have any effect if it does.
This place is a beautiful as it is corrupt, and each of us must choose which is more important of our attention. It's all about choices, right?
Free and fair elections in a democratic society have brought us the PCDP. If "the People" didn't want to drive to Hilo for everything, they had their chance to voice this opinion during the planning stages.
Similarly, if groups of "concerned citizens" want to leverage the existing rules and laws to adjust their local situation, then it becomes the responsibility of other citizens to participate in the process that drives those outcomes.
Nobody seems to object to either of the above situations, therefore it can be argued that these are the legitimate "will of the People", democracy at its finest.
Yes, the PCDP basically amounts to "everything will stay the way it is", and it's not likely to be implemented in my lifetime, but these are the rules we have until/unless the people demand changes.
Maybe the County has been breaking the law for decades, starting with the grant of illegal subdivisions and continuing onward with "selective" enforcement ... creating a gray area in which "morally right", "best for the community", and "technically legal" no longer overlap as they should. In theory, these matters need to be addressed in a court of law; in practice, this won't happen, nor will it have any effect if it does.
This place is a beautiful as it is corrupt, and each of us must choose which is more important of our attention. It's all about choices, right?