More county incompetence - surf schools program

[Rob Tucker]

Officials mum on surf school pilot progress at Kahaluu

http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2018...t-kahaluu/

"The six-month pilot program is intended to regulate surf lessons taught at Kahaluu Bay by restricting the number of businesses allowed to operate to four. Concessionaires are to be selected through a bidding process with a minimum bid of $3,000 a month, and the deadline for bids was March 27."

"More than two weeks after a deadline to submit bids for a surf school pilot program at Kahaluu Bay, local surf schools said they haven’t heard anything from either the county or the nonprofit picked to manage the program.

“It just leaves us in limbo,” said Wesley Moore, who owns Kona Town Surf Adventures."

"Moore on Wednesday said he’s “just been given the runaround” from both the county and The Kohala Center when he’s asked for updates, saying each continuously refers him to the other."

[Chunkster]

These same county clowns want to raise the regressive GET tax to finance more incompetence. And why do I suspect that the "nonprofit picked to manage the program" has cushy jobs for some politically well-connected folks?

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

deadline for bids was March 27."

Classic county operating procedure. Require a deadline for applicants, then have no timeline by which their own office provides a response in a timely manner.

All the more galling when businesses, which presumably includes the surf schools that applied for a concession, had this submission deadline piled on top of already existing deadlines for federal tax returns, federal quarterly tax payments, state tax returns, quarterly state tax payment, and excise tax filing.

It's almost as if the county has no idea what else is going on in the regular day to day activities of a small business, before they pick a seemingly arbitrary bid date for their surf school pilot program, then put that small business on hold, unable to make plans for their near term operations. Do they hire? Buy vans or additional boards? Tents?

Where does the county think tax money comes from? If they recognized it's from small businesses wouldn't they make this process as easy as possible, and help businesses generate profits and future tax payments?

[geochem]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Chunkster

And why do I suspect that the "nonprofit picked to manage the program" has cushy jobs for some politically well-connected folks?

---

Because that, in fact, is the case. The Kohala Center is all about political connections. Former CEO - Kamana Beamer, of recent OHA audit notoriety...

[Rob Tucker]

Where does the county think tax money comes from?

They seem to treat it like tribute paid to them by subjugated conquered people.

[Kapoho Joe]

I wonder where they learned that?

[punaticbychoice]

I have told everyone who is thinking of coming to anywhere in Hawaii
thinking of perhaps doing a business here, STAY AWAY.
There are better places with reasonably good weather, lower cost of living and much
better attitudes towards, especially, small businesses than here.
Hawaii's local and State governments are just extractive, corrupt, incompetent leeches
that don't care about productive people, particularly if you aren't
local or connected.
I think this thing with Kai Kahale (SB 1585) was probably about the last straw for me,
and now this latest BS from the County of Hawai'i that Rob mentioned as subject for
this conversation.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

tribute paid to them by subjugated conquered people.
...
I wonder where they learned that?

We are the New Menehune. Taxpayers of small stature.

“Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

[Obie]

From Big Island now:

"In 2018’s Tax Burden by State analysis, Hawai‘i’s tax burden was measured at 11.57 percent, just behind New York in the top spot. The findings also reveal that Hawai‘i residents bear the highest sales and excise tax burden in the country at 6.52 percent."

http://bigislandnow.com/2018/04/14/repor...ax-burden/

And our mayors take on this:

Mayor renews push for GET after recalculation shows surcharge would generate $50 million, not $25 million

"I consider this a gift to the people of Hawaii Island,” Kim said during an interview. “It’s a tremendous gift to help us catch up.”"

[Chunkster]

"It's a tremendous gift . . . " Yeah, a tremendous gift to the public employees' unions and those politicians like Kim who get their block votes.