State boards need Kauai residents
Kauai is not adequately represented in the state of Hawaii. The state website lists 25 vacancies on state boards and commissions from Kauai and Niihau which includes the Hawaiian Homes Commission, Elderly Affairs, Mental Health, Medical Board, Human Services, Tax Review Board, etc.
The list does not include vacancies in the State Land Use Commission, Public Housing Agency, and the University of Hawaii Board of Regents, all very important boards.
Think about it.
Dennis Esaki, Lihue
The future is at stake, so vote
Well, primary season is beginning and I have had several people ask me, “Why should I vote, my vote doesn’t matter” or say “The people who I vote for never win” or other things along that same line. All I can say is your vote is about the only thing that does matters when it comes to who is going to represent us.
If you think your vote doesn’t mean anything, why do you think the fat cats and the corporation are working so hard to suppress your vote?
We are going to have at least three new council members in our county, and that is true whether you vote or not. You have a lot more power than you think when it comes to the new make-up of our County Council as well as who is going to be our mayor.
The best explanation for why we should vote came from Samuel Gompers, the founder and first president of the American Federation of Labor (AFL). In 1893 Mr. Gompers said: “We need to create more opportunities to cultivate our better natures.”
I find it helpful to remember this quote when I go in to the polling booth. Our future depends on all of us.
Allan White, Hanapepe
Does Kaua’i plan to expand land use any where in the future, to about added 15,000 residents? 87,029 residents in 2020.
Aloha Kakou,
It is important to vote, of the several cultures on Kauai and in the state of Hawaii, just one of those cultures emphasizes to their citizens the importance of voting to get their candidates into office, and it works every time, as we do see a preponderance of elected candidates from just one singular culture.
When they win with majority of office holders being from their culture their opinions hold sway on general voting by county councils and the Hawaii State Senate and Representatives; and as well on those committee’s voting.
The result is that one culture here on Kaua’i and in the state of Hawaii has a majority control over what happens in Hawai, even though they are not the majority of our citizens.
And this is done all fair and square, just by all their citizens voting , young, old, no matter, they all vote.
The secret is they all vote for their own people, and why not, they all have the same interests.
And the thing is, you can vote too and have your kids 18 and above vote too, and be sure to get Tutu to vote, drive them on Election Day, and your friends too.
Or get Absentee Ballots for early voting.
In some countries it is the law for all citizens to vote or be punished even if you are traveling or living out of the country.
Mahalo,
Charles
…and did we read that 50%of the voters vote early by Absentee Ballot?
Something to think about.
Mahalo,
Charlie
Well Alan, you lost me at “why do you think the fat cats and the corporations are working so hard to suppress your vote?”. One example of either please! Of course we should all vote, and It would be good if our vote is the result of personal research done on each of the candidates to pick the best representative using common sense and thought out reasoning keeping in mind the future of our Island etc. Simply choosing to put your x on the prettiest well sounding name is also a form of voter suppression against those who have done the research. Shall we add that any “illegal” voting by non-US citizens is also “suppressing your qualified votes” by watering down the process for legal voters?