It really shouldn’t be this hard. My intent today was to write something positive and uplifting. But I’m struggling to do so.

Yes, I am blessed, many would say entitled. My health is good, and I have a beautiful and growing family (a new granddaughter is due next month). I have a solid roof over my head, fruit trees in the back, and a family of Shama Thrush in the front. I’ve got my friend Max.

What’s there not to like? Why is it so hard today to be positive and uplifting?

Well, for starters there are those folks living under the bridge. Today I got an email from a friend attempting to find a home for a woman who is 9 months pregnant and living on the beach.

What kind of community do we live in that allows this to even be an issue?

We are surrounded by enormous wealth yet our government leaders refuse to spend the money needed to provide that young pregnant woman, and others in similar straits, the safety of a dry safe place to sleep?

We have plantation-era land barons, international chemical companies, corporate heavy hitters, real estate developers, hotel resort owners, and the billionaire part-timers whose mansions dot our coastlines.

If government budgets are lacking the funds needed to care for the most vulnerable among us, why not increase taxes on those at the very top in order to help those at the very bottom?

But of course, that’s not going to happen. It’s called the golden rule. Those who have the gold rule.

Hawaii’s oligarchs, both wealthy individuals and corporate power-brokers support the political elite with money, and with networks that connect the politicians to more money. The money is legally contributed to campaigns and SuperPacs. Some give their cash directly to politicians via consulting and legal fees. The clumsy and the arrogant stuff cash into envelopes, pass it in the shadows and wind up in jail.

Our current system requires increasing amounts of money to win elections and climb the political ladder. The wealthy and the corporate offer politicians access to money, the fuel needed to achieve their ambitions.

That pregnant woman desperately in search of a house? She offers them nothing.

The 23% of residents that work more than one job just to survive? They likewise add no value to the political elite. No value at all.

Kūpuna on fixed incomes in need of vision, hearing, or dental care? Nope, keep moving, nothing to see here.

I’m hoping you are starting to get it, why it’s a bit hard today to be positive and uplifting.

But it really doesn’t have to be this way. I’ve said it before and I will say it again. We have many good people serving in public office. We just need more of them.

There is no shortage of wealth; financial, intellectual, and cultural. The issues before us are not insurmountable.

We just need to do it. The climate is right, the stage is set. We just need to jump on it and put our pedal to the metal over the next 4 months.

On August 13th we will have the opportunity to elect some incredibly strong individuals at all levels, County, State, and Federal.

Kim Coco Iwamoto is without a doubt one of the strongest. She is smart, value-centered, and fearless. She is running to unseat Speaker of the House, Scott Saiki (McCully, Kakaako, Downtown), and came within 167 votes of winning in 2020.

She has a proven track record of community service and is eminently qualified by experience, education, and demeanor.

Without exaggeration, Kim Coco’s election to the State House will change the conversation in the entire state legislature – and not just small kine. Her voice, her intellect, and her unwavering commitment will by itself move the needle toward people and the planet.

Let’s make this happen. Visit https://www.kimcoco.com today, and offer to help.

There’s lots to do.

We need to help Kim Coco win, and we need to find that young woman and her newborn that’s on the way a home.

Then, on August 14th we can go to work on getting money out of politics, campaign finance reform, and publicly funded elections.

There, I feel better now.

Sincerely,
Gary Hooser
*Action/Testimony Needed Before 04-04-22 10:15AM In Strong Support Of HB2510 SD1 increasing the minimum wage to $18 per hour by 2026 – Fortunately, Senator Brian Taniguchi has amended this measure to now be worthy of strong support. Go online, Register, Sign-in, and testify in support of HB2510 Here!