Big Island Organizations & Programs Losing Funding

[HiloJulie]

"I can't make heads nor tails of this thread."

Well, Tom, all I've been trying to do is discuss the federal funding cuts and its impact to the Big Island and Hawaii, but seemingly that's an impossibility.

And while not patting myself on the back while at the same time thanking Ironyak for their post as shown below, but Ironyak's post kind of hits the nail on the head that clearly spells out the issues this thread has incurred.

I'm going to do the somewhat odd (and apparently unpopular thing) and defend HiloJulie on this thread as she is actually providing useful information and discussing the thread's topic. She also appears to have a grasp of basic math, science, and economics, unlike the MAGA/libertarian/ancap simpletons cheering on the destruction, pain, and suffering (which they seem to mistakenly believe will spare them).

Now, anyone desire to discuss the federal funding cuts and the impacts on the Big Island?

[ironyak]

"This aerial view shows the location of the kiawe trees on land owned by the Waikōloa Village Association."
...
There was a guy selling kiawe wood yesterday on Orchidland Dr. Maybe ask him and he would cut them down for free.

You understand that some of the trees are entangled with the live power lines? That the lines are in HECO's easement and are their property? That the lines sit immediately adjacent to billions of dollars of real estate and several thousand residents and are the power lines with the highest risk of wildfire on island? Anyone who thinks this is a job for Uncle Kimo to do for free is dumber than average, and given the lack of basic reading skills around here that's saying a lot!

Here's their website. I suspect the association can afford it. It's $75,000 . https://www.waikoloa.org/home/

Oh, so no acknowledgement that you were wrong, just off to the next inane statement? Fragile ego, admitting mistakes hard, gotcha.

Waikoloa Villages actually has like 11 HOA's so who's going to pay how much, to work on the lines that aren't theirs? It's almost like you need a working group to coordinate this effort and seek funding sources - oh wait, they already did that and it was just cut in the name of non-nonsensical ideological stupidity. Without the federal grant, HECO may be willing/able to get the work done in time and and then just add the costs to everyone's bill. As these federal funds continue to be reduced, HECO customers are going to get a real taste for what rural electricity can fully cost.

But it's all so simple in your head when you understand so little. Do you have to work hard at being this obtuse or does it come naturally after a lifetime of daily practice?

P.S. - Hi PrimalEdge! Still trying to make a go of it here? And keep your sanity? What's your secret?

[Obie]

"You understand that some of the trees are entangled with the live power lines?"

No they're not. Helco would never allow trees to grow up into those 3 high voltage lines at the top of the poles. The trees could be touching a telephone line lower down.
The biggest worry is that high winds will break their 19th century poles and the wires will drop onto the trees.
Look at the freaking picture!
They should be worried more about all of vegetation growing to the left of the firebreak in the picture.

[HiloJulie]

I'd suggest reading the linked news article, in its entirety, perhaps maybe grasping the spoken words of that news article and less time looking at a picture.

Just saying.

But I have the utmost confidence that HECO and all of the other involved parties will ultimately do the projects with or without federal funding and if the federal funding is never restored, think of how much fun it will be on PunaWeb then when everybody's electric rate goes up to 75 cent plus per KWH and everyone can bitch and complain about that!

Oh well, carry on!

[ironyak]

HiloJulie - I'd suggest reading the linked news article, in its entirety, perhaps maybe grasping the spoken words of that news article and less time looking at a picture.

Or maybe listening to those directly involved in the project? The last I heard about them and this effort, I know they said the trees were entangled with the lines - maybe they meant lower telephone/internet lines and I misunderstood that to mean the power lines? Sure, that's possible (see Obie, it's not that hard) - hopefully we'll find out more tomorrow on HPR.

[HiloJulie]

You raise a good point Ironyak about listening to ALL those involved in the project.

Further, as I understand it, and this may be incorrect, so if it can be found out otherwise, I will proudly stand corrected, but as I understand it, HECO "leases" their poles to Hawaiian Telcom (and others) to hang their communication/internet/cable TV cables from. But HECO is still responsible for the maintenance of the pole as well as the surrounding easements.

As for trees becoming entangled in powerlines, in as much as I cannot speak for this Waikoloa issue, several months ago the County was clearing all the vegetation on Highway 11 (northbound) coming into Hilo from Keaau and in several areas, they left 2 to 3 foot long, 6 plus inch diameter "stubs" hanging right on the power lines that had actually grown around the entire power line cable.

I don't know if they are still hanging there today as the last time I really noticed or paid attention to that was when they were doing the actual work several months ago and further, I would assume that to remove those remaining encroached stubs they would have to cut off the main power line for several hours to do so.

[ironyak]

Cuts at Hawaii national parks and wildlife refuges starting to be tallied, however groups are having to file FOIA requests to get the full count and details.

For those who think that government should run like a business, remember that 90% of new start-ups fail, so don't be surprised when using the same mentality and methods yields the same result for government services everyone relies on daily (e.g. safe food, medicine, travel, social security, medicare/medicaid, public lands, etc, etc)

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/202...eral-cuts/
"The Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on Kauai, with its historic lighthouse, attracts more than 500,000 visitors a year.
...
The national refuge, one of three on Kauai, lost all four field staff members Feb. 14 as part of the Trump administration’s mass firings of federal employees.
...
U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said the across-the-board firing of probationary employees was done in haste, without foresight and will cause lasting damage to communities in a letter urging Interior Department Secretary Douglas Burgum to reinstate the positions.
...
Eric Hamren, plant restoration lead at the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge on Hawaii island, remembers well the day he and other field staff received an email notice that their positions would be terminated, effective immediately.
...
Hamren, who was just two months shy of finishing his probationary period, took the new position after working two years at the National Park Service.
...
The OPM and DOGE have also cut an undisclosed number of probationary employees from the National Park Service."
(more at link)

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

"The Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on Kauai, with its historic lighthouse, attracts more than 500,000 visitors a year.
...
The national refuge, one of three on Kauai, lost all four field staff members

Perhaps DOGE could include suggestions from their vast contacts in the service industry and private sector management on how to manage a facility with 0 field staff. Perhaps I should say properly manage although it doesn’t appear details matter much to those handing out the pink slips.

[HiloJulie]

Also, from the HTH linked article:

Hirono also said an employee responsible for preventing the introduction of brown tree snakes to Hawaii from Guam was fired. If introduced, the snakes could cause an estimated $1.7 billion worth of damage to the state annually.

“The termination of this position jeopardizes the millions of taxpayer dollars that have been invested over decades to keep the brown tree snake out of Hawaii,” she wrote.

So much for the "return on investment" theory of financial management.

Ironyak: Cuts at Hawaii national parks and wildlife refuges starting to be tallied, however groups are having to file FOIA requests to get the full count and details.

This issue seems to be occurring quite regularly now. As was reported in a CNN story about the NOAA terminations:

"CNN previously reported the terminations seemed to have been done in a way to minimize a paper trail, leaving it difficult for employee organizations and even direct supervisors to know who was fired and when."

First, one has to wonder what the reasons for doing this.

Outside of it being just a sheer vindictive "payback" mentality. 

Imagine being the manager of a large division of a huge corporation and being told that "Corporate" fired some of your staff, but you aren't told who, nor can you even find out who.

Good thing is, for that still employed federal worker manager who can't find out who on his staff got fired, could come up with a few of the 5 required bullet points they are now required to submit weekly, or else be fired. Or maybe "semi-fired."

If one didn't know any better, you would think all these federal working firings were being carried out by a gaggle of high school graduates in-between playing Mine Craft on their now government issued laptops. 

Oh, wait...

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

First, one has to wonder what the reasons for doing this.

Think about how many rockets Musk has blown up on the launch pad, then slightly above the pad, then over the Gulf, Caribbean islands, etc before he had some success.

Good for him if they’re his rockets and so far hasn’t hit anyone in the head.
Right now his chainsaw government firings are in the “blow up on the pad phase.” And the workers don’t work for him. Bad for him? He doesn’t care. Bad for Americans.