•Republicans should take notes •Let the dreamers dream Republicans should take notes The most recent effort by Lenny Klompus to make Gov. Lingle look good and her critics look bad took the form of a hit piece on me May
•Republicans should take notes
•Let the dreamers dream
Republicans should take notes
The most recent effort by Lenny Klompus to make Gov. Lingle look good and her critics look bad took the form of a hit piece on me May 23 in The Garden Island.
If nothing else, Mr. Klompus is to be commended for consistency: he is so thoroughly in step with the tone and modus operandi of other Republican voices like Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney.
If Mr. Klompus really wants to know what my platform is or what I have accomplished in the Legislature, he should simply visit www.garyhooser.com. Or, he could ask any of the good people around our state who are actively involved in public policy development and advocacy in the areas of education, energy, environment, health and human services, agriculture and/or water/land issues.
They will tell him that not only am I a staunch and effective advocate, but that I have been the primary sponsor of numerous pieces of original legislation in each of these areas. These same hard-working people engaged in constructive efforts on multiple fronts critical to Hawai‘i’s future might also remind him that I was the primary sponsor of a recently passed “first in the nation” law requiring the installation of energy-efficient hot water systems on all new residential construction.
It is apparently my critique of the governor’s style which got Mr. Klompus going on his tirade. His language does her and her high office no service.
Unlike the governor, I learned long ago that to be effective one must be inclusive and one must learn to give credit to others.
“My” accomplishments would not have been possible without the help and participation of many others. The ideas came mostly from members of the community and the success of the legislation came about because of support from my colleagues in the House and Senate.
My style is to bring in partners, build a collaborative effort, do the hard work and achieve the desired goal first, then host the press conference afterwards to celebrate and give credit where it is due.
The governor’s style is to first host the press conference to celebrate her idea and initiative, then attempt to push her plan/program through the process, and should the initiative falter, blame those who were not part of her cheerleading team from the start.
I truly believe our state has the potential to dramatically increase its energy and food independence which would have immediate dramatic and positive economic development impacts. With more qualified teachers in the classroom and a reduced central state bureaucracy we can significantly improve public education. I also believe that no student should be denied a college education because of his or her inability to afford the tuition.
Protecting and nurturing our natural environment, increasing our energy and food independence and improving and expanding opportunities in education will result in a strong, vibrant and diversified economy. This is my platform, and it is not rocket science. The ideas and program models are there and the underlying principles have been tested and proven.
Success is achievable but it will take leadership, a new and genuinely collaborative way of conducting business and an unwavering commitment to core principles. Nationally and locally, the Republican rant, unmoored from reality, is getting old.
Mr. Klompus may not have noticed, but there is a new president in the White House, one whose commitment to civility in discourse and making words matter is worth emulating. If Mr. Klompus is serious about his career in communications and about serving the office of governor with the dignity it deserves, he should take notes.
Gary Hooser, Senate Majority Leader
Let the dreamers dream
Thank you, Walter Lewis, for your outstanding letter “A path to nowhere” on May 16 in The Garden Island. You have written so many fine articles about “A Better Kaua‘i” but this one, ironically, was published on the same day that the “Sun shines on bike-to-work” article by Dennis Fujimoto came out.
Your words of wisdom, “This whole project is a shameful blot on our county government. Our county officials basically failed to observe the guidelines that should control their actions” were right on target.
And, not only a “blot” on our county government but on our federal government as well. They are footing 80 percent of the bill for this project without having oversight to see that all federal guidelines are being followed. When millions of tax dollars are being spent on an extremely low priority project like this shouldn’t every possible measure be taken to ensure that rules and regulations are followed?
And, to add even more truth to Walter’s column, we see factual evidence that supposedly a total of 26 people left their cars to bike to work — out of the thousands of commuters using their vehicles. And many of those were for show only and went a few miles and took the bus to their final destination like the mayor, Tim Bynum and others.
Did this facade and display of a one-day event show how many people will really abandon their vehicles for a bike to commute to work? By any stretch of the imagination it was a dismal failure and nothing but a show to justify the millions being spent.
Citizens of Kaua‘i, basically none of you will ever give up your vehicle as a means of transportation. Had our vehicle MPG law been strictly enforced in the ’70s, we would be off of using foreign oil today. Had our auto companies been giving us the hybrid vehicles they produce today we would have been able to stretch our oil reserves far into the out years.
Basically I believe the message Walter Lewis has tried to convey is that if it is a bike path or any other project that this county undertakes then the citizens should not “accept the disgraceful missteps that have occurred” with this path. And, “A comprehensive audit of the project should be commissioned to make public findings about its characteristics and recommendations to avoid in the future the multiplicity of failures that have arisen.”
Who but a dreamer could argue with this logic?
Glenn Mickens, Kapa‘a
