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I'm just amazed (well, not really) that County Council can't find any "more substantive" issues to address, such as "people want to go home" and "when will the emergency be over" or maybe "what about private roads damaged in the flooding".
http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2018...ommission/
"It is uncertain what the overall effect of this bill will have on the economy of the island, which relies heavily on tourism, but it is apparent that this bill may have beneficial economic impacts in some areas (primarily resort zoning) and adverse economic impacts in other areas like agricultural areas and Volcano Village."
Nice that they're recognizing the larger issue; sad that they're not doing anything about it. Any regulation will result in fewer vacation rentals, which means fewer places for tourists to stay, which means less revenue for the island. Seems like that could be a problem.
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"Seems like that could be a problem."
When did that ever stop them from doing something stupid even when they knew it was stupid all along?
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Something I learned working for a government entity was that when you become a supervisor, or higher up position they send you to a class titled "common sense lobotomy 101". I was quite happy just being a peon in my field.
Community begins with Aloha
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You would think it was official Hawaii County policy to destroy the tourist industry here. That's the only way I can make sense of so many of their actions. I hope they have a replacement industry in mind.
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official Hawaii County policy to destroy the tourist industry
More to the point: to destroy the only things that make this a unique destination for tourists -- they can stay in a "resort" anywhere, probably with nicer amenities.
hope they have a replacement industry in mind
Not necessary when you can simply raise taxes on a captive audience. What are people going to do, move?
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simply raise taxes on a captive audience. What are people going to do
At some point, pushing to reinstate the Hawaiian Kingdom might even look like a better option. If enough people start asking, what’s in it for me? A second class Haole Worker designation might look like a decent alternative to the County of Hawaii.
At a White House meeting in June, President Trump reportedly told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that “I remember Pearl Harbor.”
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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Jennifer Ruggles not only supported bill 108, she literally suggested putting a lien on rentals that did not succumb to the new regulations on top of a $20K fine.
We need to do better research on our political candidates is all I can say at the moment.
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Jennifer Ruggles not only supported bill 108, she literally suggested putting a lien on rentals that did not succumb to the new regulations on top of a $20K fine.
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I did not know that. If true, she was literally going to decimate the economy in her own district, where maybe 1 in 6 adults work in some fashion or manner with vacation rentals.
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I don't get this hostility to having vacation rentals on Ag land. How does that harm anyone (besides hotels).
There is some milking involved.
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I found the lien suggestion from the council meeting.....
http://hawaiicounty.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=1137
edit to add: starting around 33:00
