06-30-2008, 02:48 PM
A stronger, well-prioritized police presence is what is needed in Puna. Puna is a pretty good example of the problem with the country at large. Policing has gotten away from maintaining the public order and has gravitated to where the money is: helicopters, ropes, and dope. The number one problem in Puna, above all, is larceny. When you can't keep boards on a job site, that area has problems. I don't think it is much of an excuse to say we came to the problem. Problems are made for solving, and people who live in Puna or have a stake there have a right to direct its future. Instead of sniffing us to see how deeply we breathe, our representatives (including district representatives in HPP although their powers are circumscribed) need to make this our number one priority.
What shocks me is not the crimes I read about, but the "whaddya gonna do?" non-reaction from the police to those crimes. I think Jerry is right. This needs to be expressed --and often-- through our representatives.
Ultimately, I think it will also be important to permit districts to retain more of their tax revenues and to have some say over how those revenues are used. I think crime would be high on the list in Puna.
What shocks me is not the crimes I read about, but the "whaddya gonna do?" non-reaction from the police to those crimes. I think Jerry is right. This needs to be expressed --and often-- through our representatives.
Ultimately, I think it will also be important to permit districts to retain more of their tax revenues and to have some say over how those revenues are used. I think crime would be high on the list in Puna.