GIVE OBAMA CHANCE BEFORE WHINING

Ah the smoke, the mirrors, the hypocrisy — the whining. After running up one of the largest deficits in our country's history and aiding and abetting in our nation's financial meltdown, Republicans are now organizing so-called spontaneous, grass-roots "tea parties" to protest attempts to straighten out the mess. Well, as George W. once famously said, "You can fool me once, you can fool me ... um ... but you can't fool me again." The main difference between the Republicans and the Democrats seems to be that the former want to spend and borrow, and the latter want to spend and pay as they go. It's the spending that's the problem, but neither party gives more than lip service to addressing it. But if spending is needed, it is irresponsible to pass the burden on to our children. That means taxes.

I think we need to give Obama a chance to straighten out the mess before dressing up in silly costumes and parading for the benefit of Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity, and Fox News.

PROTESTS WERE REALLY AGAINST BUSH CODES

I wonder if those that participated in the "tea parties" nationwide understood that the tax codes for the past eight years, including that for which the filing deadline was that day of the protest, are those of the Bush administration? I wonder if they understood that the proposed "tax increase" by the Obama administration is for the wealthiest Americans, those that file for earnings of more than $250K? Simply put, if you joined in any of those "tea parties," you were protesting the Bush administration's tax code while advocating for the rich.

And many displayed signs or spoke of "socialism" as if it were a dirty word. Do they understand that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid programs are "socialism" by its strict definition? Loosely applied, housing assistance, food stamps and unemployment benefits can be considered socialistic programs too. It's important to note, given the many Americans who have just lost jobs and are in dire need of unemployment benefits.

I'm convinced that many of these "protesters" didn't really know what they were protesting. I guess it was fun however, getting dressed up in costumes.

HAWAII SUPERFERRY

AUWE, SUPREME COURT AND SIERRA CLUB

Hawai'i courts manini thinking again:

Status quo for Hawai'i, yup, you did it again, we kept out number one ranking for businesses to fail in Hawai'i.

What is the Supreme Court thinking, environmental impact, what impact? Navy ships and civilian ships and boats travel all the time in the ocean, do they need an EIS? What was the whining Sierra Club thinking? This Superferry was very good for contractors, vendors, fresh goods and people like me. That is how courts think very manini. This was a very stupid decision, it will impact a lot of businesses. The Superferry did no damage to the ocean, I mean, not like the recent Navy ship did to the ocean floor. Also, where is the governor on this matter and all our politicians? Silent is agreeing with the courts. I will not forget this; wait until election time comes around. Auwe to the Supreme Court and the Sierra Club, you kept us number one again.

STREETS POLICY

CONSIDER ALL USERS IN NEW DEVELOPMENT

It is clear that Hawai'i's roads are primarily designed for cars. As a non-driver, living on Maui, I ride the MEO bus and walk to places.

Unfortunately, there are very few sidewalks on Maui and walking can be dangerous. Hawai'i needs a Complete Streets Policy like the one proposed in SB 718, which would require the Department of Transportation to take all users of all ages and abilities into account when designing new roads or retrofitting old ones.

Our population in Hawai'i is getting older and we need to plan now for measures that will keep people healthy and independent for as long as possible. With all the new development happening or being planned, especially for the Neighbor Islands, now is the perfect time to adopt such a policy.

CLIMATE CRISIS

CHANGE TO CLEANER ENERGY NEEDED NOW

Here in Hawai'i where the climate is so diverse in such a small area, we should know better than most that capping carbon pollution will ignite the transition to clean energy, end our dependence on dirty fossil fuels, and put America on a path toward economic recovery. The climate crisis is going to be unavoidable if we don't act now to change to cleaner energy faster than we are now. We can already see many of the resulting changes along our shorelines. As our sand disappears, I can't help but think about all the things we could be working toward. It begins with clean energy!