Coco Palms: Time for permit revocation and demolition

Posted on September 9, 2021 by garyhooser

29 years ago on September 11th 1992, hurricane ʻIniki, the most powerful storm to strike Hawaiʻi in recorded history demolished much of Kauaʻi, including that property formerly known as the Coco Palms Hotel.

While the rest of us have rebuilt and moved on, the various and continuously changing amorphous owners of this property unfortunately have not. They have instead continued to offer hollow promises, waste the time of our County government, disrespect our community goodwill, and desecrate what is arguably one of the most culturally significant lands on our island.

On Tuesday, September 28th, the owners/developers are scheduled to continue the charade and present a “status update” to the Kauaʻi Planning Commission. Written testimony may be submitted to: planningdepartment@kauai.gov

It’s a shame that our volunteer Planning Commissioners, our paid professional planning staffers, and the general public, must waste our valuable time yet once again on this.

The “auction on the court-house steps” occurred less than two months ago on July 26th with TGI reporting that Private Capital Group, “a Utah-based short-term, loan-servicing company” was the successful bidder at $22.231 million.

It will be interesting to see who shows up purporting to speak for the owner/developer. They will no doubt utilize their by now well-polished double-speak to reassure the Planning Commission that everything is on track.

Perhaps they will claim the proverbial new buyer is waiting in the wings to step forward to purchase and develop the property, if only the existing permits can remain in place. They will of course play lip service to the cultural and historical importance of the place, and make still more promises to honor and preserve the same.

While hurricane ʻIniki occurred in 1992, the original Coco Palms Hotel which the developers are attempting to utilize as their “footprint” was built in 1953. This means the developers are attempting to utilize not just pre-hurricane ʻIniki permit standards from 29 years ago, but actually those standards in place when the hotel was first constructed nearly 70 years ago.

This makes no sense at all.

So many factors have changed over the past 29 – 70 years (pick your number). The coastline has changed, our population has grown, and of course, the highway and traffic flow has dramatically increased.

The hope of many in the community is that the Planning Commission and the County will soon begin the process to revoke their permits and pull the plug. Enough is enough. At the minimum, the new owners should be forced to demolish the existing structures first, before even asking for new permits based on today’s planning and building standards.

The lands we are discussing are literally the birthplace of Hawaiian royalty. There are ancient fishponds and uncountable iwi kūpuna buried beneath the sands now covered by broken-down buildings. Though my ancestors are not from these lands, my blood boils when I think of how they have been treated over the past decades.

Please email your thoughts, hopes, and dreams to our Planning Commission today. They, I am sure share our frustration and want very much to do the right thing. planningdepartment@kauai.gov *Attention Planning Commission – Coco Palms

For an alternative viewpoint opposing the development of a hotel and instead focused on community ownership based on a community vision, please visit: https://www.wailuanui.org Full Disclosure: I am a member of the I Ola Wailuanui Working Group. If you share this vision and want to help, please join us.

Yes, I have a bias. Kauaʻi is my home and I am oh so tired of watching the desecration and feeling the disrespect.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Need help with translation – techno/academic types need apply

Posted on September 7, 2021 by garyhooser

Readers – I need some help.

When you get a moment…are you able to read and translate the below? 😉

It’s not urgent at all…but I honestly don’t know what this guy is trying to tell me or sell me…it may be important but I just cannot decipher the message.

Again…no rush at all. And if you are not interested, don’t have the time or find this a waste of time…no worries…I understand completely!

I have blocked out his name and contact info…and it is not my intent to mock or denigrate this person at all…But I really don’t understand and am trying to find someone to translate his message into bullet points or a few paragraphs.

Best, gary

Begin forwarded message:
From: xxxx
Subject: Re: Cheers from xxxx| Responding to your call…
Date: August 30, 2021 at 6:54:31 AM HST
To: G Hooser

Hello, Mr. Hooser.

Thank you for your thoughtful note and the constructive criticism it delivered. I apologize for the high saturation of academese in my previous message. If we can meet virtually, I will explain why we deliberately resort to this style of communication.

Shifting gears to a “simply-put” register, our research suggests that Hawaiʻi, in its aggregate of community and productive forces, is extremely poorly prepared for the challenges of inescapable socioecological transformation and energy transition associated with the highest levels of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), and poised to upend much of what the community has considered normal in the past 50 years. Naturally, beyond diagnostics, we have also dedicated thousands of volunteer hours to figuring out what to do to remedy the suboptimal state of the community’s collective intelligence. The barrier to understanding why this is crucial appears to be high vis-a-vis the baseline of public and policy discourse in present-day Hawaiʻi.

If you agree to continue this virtual consultation process, I would include the following on the discussion bulleted list that you requested me to provide.

>> Allow me to deliver a 50-minute know-why/know-what/know-how presentation summarizing our findings about the collective cognitive condition of our community and to present a set of customized community-advancement solutions.

>> Invite you and your colleagues in the progressive wing of the DP to watch a 90-minute documentary detailing the work of MIT’s system dynamics group for the Club of Rome. It’s an absolute “dot-connecting” must-see without which it is impossible to cope with the local establishment’s energy and socioecological complexity blindness. (The documentary is not available via any commercial streaming services; but we have a copy of it on our website.)

>> Discuss with you three specific digital intersectoral collaborative learning tools designed to be run as joint endeavors with community partners from civil society: the monthly Hawaiʻi Bounce Forward Guide (aka Civitas Solis bulletin), Research Intelligence Briefings (aka RIBs; described in the March copy of Consilience Notes referenced below), and the Citizen-Science Hour podcast (work in progress…).

>> Share with you the blueprint of a regional-science governance solution that can discipline the misaligned knowledge-production activity of Hawaiʻi’s academia and can be spearheaded by the progressives in Hawaiʻi’s legislature.

We humbly believe that if you open your mind to our suggestions, your cause may benefit from our insights generated during a five-year solution-seeking investigation into the state of Hawaiʻi’s intellectual well-being, an interdisciplinary inquiry cross-pollinated by almost a dozen academics across all essential disciplinary domains.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Respectfully,
~xxxxxx

On Fri, Aug 27, 2021 at 12:18 PM G Hooser wrote:

Hello XXX and thank you for reaching out and for your acknowledgment of the work that I do.

Honestly, the language you are speaking is not something easy for me to decipher. I have been out of the academic world for many years now and have never been deep into the science or technology sectors.

If you could restate in a paragraph or two, perhaps with bullet points – What exactly you would like to share with me and how does it relate to the work I am involved in? And I suppose – How may I help you or what do you seek from me?

Please know that I don’t mean to be facetious, but am honestly having a hard time understanding your message.

Generally, I meet and speak with anyone who makes a request, and I am always open and willing to learn more…but I am totally unclear as to what would be the purpose of our future conversation. Help me out, please!

My focus at the moment is totally on policy and politics…with a heavy lean toward the politics side and the upcoming local elections of 2022.

Sincerely,

Gary Hooser

On Aug 26, 2021, at 3:03 PM, xxxx wrote:

Aloha, Mr. Hooser.

My name is xxxx and I admire your political commentaries that seek to educate the community on Hawaiʻi’s political-economic tectonics and cultivate awareness of the unrealized collective-agency potential. I would like to request a virtual meeting with you to share ideas on how this work can be amplified and expanded.

I am former economic-intelligence and energy-systems analyst who dedicated the last 7 years of his life to designing and implementing an ad-hoc action-research framework for knowledge-intermediation, collaborative learning and collective-intelligence building, all aimed at supporting and advancing the widest range of the Hawaiʻi society’s emancipatory aspirations. These self-introductions are never easy because the body of scholarly and practitioner knowledge is largely unfamiliar and frightening to local academics, thus mischaracterization of our intentions and methods abound. In lieu of actual third-party introductions, I’ll just mention the names of some the people with whom I collaborated “on the ground” and who you may be familiar with: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As an applied epistemologist and knowledge architect, aided by a handful of like-minded scholars and graduate students, I am behind several community-wide knowledge ventures (known as “xxxx”) that were created to operationalize the above mission. There are several instruments, intellectual spaces and media channels we prototyped that focus on cultivating the community’s intellectual capacity to productively engage in the deep democratization and diversification of Hawaiʻi’s political sphere and a currently captured economic system of our island bioregion.

Unlocking these instruments’ full outreach and rapid-learning potential is predicated on collaboration between public intellectuals and community researchers. Would you be interested in exploring these ideas in a video conference in the next couple of weeks?

Thank you for your consideration, and please let us know what works best for you to continue this conversation. I took the liberty of attaching some links to provide a glimpse into our recent work.

Respectfully,
********************************************

Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Title: Hating on each other is not helpful

Posted on September 1, 2021 by garyhooser

It’s time to take a deep breath I think. Perhaps a second, and a third are also in order. I would suggest taking a “chill pill” but unfortunately too many are probably already headed down this path of self-medication. And the situation is not the least bit funny.

The stress is palpable. We have friends hating on friends. We have people standing outside of buildings, holding signs spewing the venom of hate, fear, and divisiveness. The keyboard warriors are going 24/7 slinging arrows and throwing mud.

Please stop. It’s stressful I know. Believe me, I know. Like everyone else, I feel it too. Our hospitals are at or nearing capacity. We see headlines telling us the threat of running out of oxygen in our emergency rooms is a real one. Our infection and our death rates from COVID are higher than they’ve ever been, and the victims are increasingly the young.

But turning on each other is not the answer, and only makes things worse – much worse.

We are all in this together. Remember that is who we are. In our community, we have civil conversations, even when we disagree. We take care of each other, and we look out for and do our best to support our neighbors and friends.

A high standard? An unrealistic pollyannaish dream? Perhaps, but it’s one that in my opinion, we should strive for.

We are not a community of “every man for himself”. That’s not who we are. This is not a place where “survival of the fittest and the law of the jungle” prevails.

And hating on each other has no place here. No place at all. We can be disappointed, sad, frustrated, and perhaps even angry – but hateful words and actions have no place here.

So let’s try a reboot. Let’s all take a deep breath or three and start our conversations over again, or maybe even not have some conversations that we know full well will trigger tension, stress, and anger.

While we cannot and should not hide from tough decisions and hard conversations, I’m thinking we have had enough of them for today. By now, the vetting and venting of the pro-vaccination and anti-vaccination topics have pretty well been covered. Don’t ya think?

For myself and my family, we have been fully vaccinated and we are staying home for now – a voluntary lockdown of sorts with a very limited bubble of outside contacts. Many in our community of course do not have this option and cannot stay home due to work or other unavoidable commitments. To those that must go out, wearing a mask and social distancing is an essential way to protect yourself and others.

Let’s focus today for a few moments at least, on the beauty of the place and the people around us. Let’s remember how lucky we are to live here. Let’s remember to be nice to each other. And then, let’s shift to a proactive mindset focused on how we are going to beat this thing – together.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Afghanistan – One thing you can do now to help

Posted on August 27, 2021 by garyhooser

Urgent Call To Action: Please consider helping my daughter Kelli-Rose Hooser Simmons as she mobilizes community support to help Afghan refugee families currently arriving in Philadelphia en-route to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst where my son-in-law Justin, a Major in the U.S. Air Force, is now stationed.
“Afghan evacuees expected at Philly airport as soon as Friday”
https://www.inquirer.com/news/afghan-refugees-philadelphia-airport-20210826.html

Kelli-Rose has set up an Amazon Gift Account that lists the items most needed at the moment (diapers, toiletries, etc). Please consider visiting this account, helping out by purchasing some of these much-needed items – and instructing they be shipped directly to the “Kelli-Rose Simmons, Gift Registry Address COLLINGSWOOD, NJ” which will be a “shipping option” listed.

Please go here to help: https://www.amazon.com/registries/custom/2JP0V63YIVI1Y/guest-view

Thank you to all. Given the tragedy now unfolding, I encourage all who are able to chip in and help with this. As the situation unfolds – I will keep you posted in the future.

Mahalo,

Gary

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Effort by Congressman Case and conservative faction in House fails – for now

Posted on August 25, 2021 by garyhooser

Update on the current attempt by conservative members of Congress (including Hawaii Congressman Ed Case) to derail/slow/stop the expansion of affordable housing, health care, child and family support, and climate change mitigation.

Recap:
President Biden and the Democratic Majority in Congress are proposing to invest $3.5 trillion in social, human, and environmental infrastructure. The proposal would significantly increase investment in healthcare, affordable housing, environmental protection, education, children and family support, and climate change.

Hawaii Congressman Ed Case, together with 8 (now 9) other Democrats in Congress have joined with the Republican Minority to block its passage.

Bottom line: At the end of the day, the effort by Congressman Case and his conservative friends in the House to block this effort failed. Mahalo plenty to all of you who took the time to call and email the Congressman to express your concern and encourage him to change his position.

Of course, this is politics and Case will claim he won and accomplished his goal of ensuring the separation of two very important measures.

The truth is that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi agreed to what she had already agreed to, which was the passage of the “bricks and mortar” infrastructure bill by October 1st which is the day it needs to be passed anyway to maintain the continuity of prior funding.

After all the drama she appeased Case and the conservatives and “agreed to hold a vote on the infrastructure bill by September 27” which she was planning on doing anyway in order to meet her own October 1 deadline.

Please read the below and make up your own mind.
Civil Beat – After holding out, Case backs $3.5 trillion budget deal https://www.civilbeat.org/beat/after-holding-out-case-backs-3-5t-budget-spending-deal/

I encourage readers to also take the time to review the comment section and offer comments of their own.

Here is a particularly insightful and incitable comment from one Civil Beat reader – “Bart 808”.
.
“Please stop calling him and his centrist clique “moderate”. That is a biased word that implies he is the sober voice of reason while the others are immoderate. Just call him a conservative Democrat.

Ed tried to portray his effort as though he was standing up to Pelosi. This story repeats his framework when he talks about him opposing “Pelosi’s plan.” The plan to hold off on voting for the $1T infrastructure bill was worked out in an agreement between Biden, Pelosi, Schumer, and Senate budget chair Bernie Sanders. It had the support of almost all Democrats in the Senate, except Manchin and Sienna, as well as of the vast majority of Ed Case’s Democratic colleagues in the House.

As Case and the “Sabotage Caucus” soon found out. They were isolated from their colleagues who did not appreciate the grandstanding that put at risk two massive and much-needed infusions of money into infrastructure. Objectively, Ed was aligning with Mitch McConnell and in opposition the almost all the other Democrats. Not just Pelosi. He overplayed his hand. Not for the first time.”

More reading on the topic:

The Hill – Pelosi frames deal with centrists on infrastructure as a clarification – https://thehill.com/homenews/house/569350-pelosi-frames-deal-with-centrists-on-infrastructure-as-a-clarification

The Hill – Progressives dig in for fall fight with centrists – https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/569425-progressives-dig-in-for-fall-fight-with-centrists

The Capital Gazette – Moderates bring House to a standstill
https://www.capitalgazette.com/news/nation-world/ct-aud-nw-congress-infrastructure-20210824-x3wbrsotefcxtp7e6vyrf6a2ve-story.html

I want to reiterate one point, one more time: These 10 members of Congress are not “moderates”. Rather they are conservative corporatists, masquerading as moderates while cloaking themselves as Democrats.

What keeps them awake at night is not the man or woman living under the bridge, and it’s not the existential threat of climate change, nor is it the millions of innocent civilians that die in endless wars. What keeps them awake at night is worrying about the health and welfare of corporations and making sure the 1% is treated “fairly”.

Mahalo to all for helping to spread the word and for taking the time to call and email Congressman Ed Case on this incredibly important issue.

Gary Hooser
Executive Director – Pono Hawaii Initiative
Board President – Hawaii Alliance for Progressive Action
Former Vice-Chair Democratic Party of Hawaii, former Hawaii State Senator, formerly younger than I am now.

IMPORTANT NOTE: IF you would like to receive my occasional email updates, missives, and messages, please subscribe here: https://policy-and-politics.mailchimpsites.com

In an effort to reduce email costs which are based on volume, AND minimize the number of email messages ending up in spam folders, I need you to formally subscribe (even if you have been getting the emails for years already). It’s easy, secure, and free for you. https://policy-and-politics.mailchimpsites.com


Favorite grandson Rixon Lee Hooser

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Urgent – Call Hawaii Congressman Ed Case today!

Posted on August 23, 2021 by garyhooser

While many of us here in Hawaii are working hard to increase support and protections for working people and families, one of our only two members of the U.S. House of Representatives is fighting for the other side.

Note to regular subscribers: This is a slightly edited repost of a similar blog item posted a few days ago. I apologize for the confusion…but because of the timeliness of the voting occurring tonight or tomorrow…I decided to rewrite slightly and repost.

President Biden and the Democratic Majority in Congress are proposing to invest $3.5 trillion in social, human, and environmental infrastructure. The proposal would significantly increase investment in healthcare, affordable housing, environmental protection, education, children and family support, and climate change.

Hawaii Congressman Ed Case, together with 8 other Democrats in Congress have joined with the Republican Minority to block its passage.

We are presented with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make systemic change and the saboteurs come from within our own ranks.

Congressman Ed Case and his gang of 8 – need to be primaried. But first, please call his office in Washington DC at (202) 225-2726 or his Honolulu Office, 808-650-6688, and directly but politely request that he change his position and support this critically important measure. If you prefer email, his complete contact info is at https://case.house.gov/contact/
Please call today August 23 or at the latest, tomorrow August 24 by 6pm.

Who needs Republicans when you have Democrats like this? There, I said it. We need to elect Democrats who believe in and support the values and goals of the Democratic Party. Because of the very slim majority held by Democrats in the House, it is possible that Case’s maneuvering could indeed actually prevent the possibility of this critically important measure becoming a reality.

While characterized as “moderates” over and over again by national media, Congressman Case and the 8 other members of Congress he has joined with are not moderates at all. https://www.npr.org/2021/08/13/1027371749/moderate-house-democrats-infrastructure-budget-vote-pelosi

Recent national polling indicates that 58% of voters support passing the American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan together using the reconciliation process. 82% of Democrats feel this way. Normal everyday people recognize that those who have more should pay more and that we are all in this together. These are not radical leftwing concepts.

Most people believe that workers deserve an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work. Most also support free college tuition, paid sick leave, health care, and increased affordable housing. Recent studies also show that a majority of the population favor reduced military spending and believe that climate change is real and deserves immediate attention.

These 9 members of Congress are not “moderates”. Rather they are conservative corporatists, masquerading as moderates while cloaking themselves as Democrats.
What keeps them awake at night is not the man or woman living under the bridge, and it’s not the existential threat of climate change, nor is it the millions of innocent civilians that die in endless wars. What keeps them awake at night is worrying about the health and welfare of corporations and making sure the 1% is treated “fairly”.

82% of Democrats support passing this desperately needed package via the reconciliation process. Nearly every elected figure at every level of government in Hawaii is a member of the Democratic Party and is in support of passing this measure. U.S. Senators Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono, and Representative Kai Kahele have all expressed strong support for passage. There is a sufficient majority of Democrats in Congress to pass this IF Case and his gang of 9 don’t mess it all up.

Congressman Case is clearly out of touch with his Hawaii constituents and with his Party. Voters in Hawaii might consider giving him a call at his Washington DC Office at (202) 225-2726 and encourage him to reconsider his position.

Gary Hooser
http://www.garyhooser.com
Former Vice-Chair Democratic Party of Hawaii, former Hawaii State Senator

IMPORTANT NOTE: IF you want to continue receiving my email updates and messages, please subscribe here: https://policy-and-politics.mailchimpsites.com
In an effort to reduce email costs which are based on volume, AND minimize the number of email messages ending up in spam folders, I need you to formally subscribe. It’s easy, secure, and free for you. https://policy-and-politics.mailchimpsites.com

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Learning from Afghanistan – pushing back against an expanding military presence in Hawaii and everywhere

Posted on August 18, 2021 by garyhooser

The U.S. war in Afghanistan began on Oct. 7, 2001, with airstrikes against the terror group Al Qaida in retaliation for the Sept. 11 attacks on the twin towers in New York City. That attack killed 2,976 American civilians. 

Per the Associated Press (AP) the resulting 20-year war in Afghanistan has to date killed 172,390 people: 47,245 Afghan civilians, 2,448 American soldiers, 3,846 U.S. contractors, 66,000 Afghan national military and police, 1,144 NATO allies, 51,191 Taliban and other opposition fighters, 444 aid-workers, and 72 journalists. 

In 2011 Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in neighboring Pakistan. 

The financial cost of the Afghan war ranges from an $824.9 billion estimate provided by the pentagon, to over $5 trillion estimated by Harvard and Brown University researchers. 

The current situation, the threats to personal safety, and the emotional trauma unfolding today in Afghanistan are beyond our comprehension. While continuing occupation of the country is not an option, we must somehow fulfill our promise to those of assistance to those who were made that pledge.

Each of us who claim America as our home is responsible to some extent for this 20-year tragedy. We let it happen.  

While some stood up and spoke out in opposition, most were cowed into silence by the pervasive outrage and calls for retribution following the tragedy of 9/11. 

Just days after the Sept.11, 2001, terror attacks, California U.S. Representative Barbara Lee cast the lone “no” vote on a resolution to authorize military force in Afghanistan against those responsible for 9/11. The vote was 420 to 1. In the Senate the vote was unanimous. 

We cannot avoid this historic stain on our legacy, but we can say never again.  

And we can start here at home by pushing back against ongoing attempts to expand the military’s presence in Hawai’i. At some point, and that point is now – we must say enough already. No more military expansion in Hawaii. We need to reduce the military’s footprint in our islands, not expand it.

Here on Kauai, there is a push to grow the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) even larger via the construction of a multi-billion dollar radar facility. The Pentagon itself says they don’t want it and it isn’t needed. Unfortunately, our Congressional delegation has found it necessary to force the item into the defense budget.

The Kauai system is being heavily promoted by the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA) a 501c4 nonprofit whose mission is to “make the world safer by advocating for the development and deployment of missile defense systems to defend the United States, its armed forces and its allies against missile threats.”

You can be sure that defense contractors General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, BAE, Raytheon, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin to name just a few are big supporters of MDAA as they were undoubtedly also major profiteers from the 20-year Afghan war. You can also be sure that these same entities are generous contributors to the political campaigns of those with decision-making authority over this project, and the technology and machinery of war in general.

“In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex…” 1961, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th president – farewell address. Think about the wisdom in these words.

In addition to expanding its war machine on the Garden Island, the U.S. military is seeking to renew its activities on the Big Island and on Oahu.

In Hawaii County, the Pohakuloa Training Area covers nearly 36 square miles and is the largest contiguous live-fire range and maneuver training area in Hawaii. The Army paid $1 for the original 65-year lease which is set to expire in 2029.

On Oahu, the Army leases 4,370 acres at Poamoho Training Area in the Ko’olau Mountains in north-central Oahu and 1,170 acres of state land called the Kahuku Training Area.

Makua Military Reservation in northwest Oahu has been used for military training for almost a century, and the Army has leased 760 acres from the state for the past 57 years. These leases also are set to expire in 2029. The Army is soliciting oral or written public comments on the proposed renewal of leases for three sites at bit.ly/armyoahu through Sept. 1.

My father was a career Navy man, a chief boatswain’s mate who served honorably for over 30 years. I have friends and relatives who are veterans and who have served in the Middle East. I am proud and thankful for their service, and I believe the United States must maintain a strong defense.

However, enough is enough.

America has the largest military presence on the planet with 800 bases located in 70 different countries, on all 7 continents. US special forces operations have been active recently in over 138 nations. For context Russia has 8 bases located in former Russian republics and China is now considering its first overseas base. (The Nation)

We must learn from Afghanistan and reverse the path we have been on for far too many years that has destroyed far too many lives.

What can we, just simple citizens living simple lives actually do to stop this madness?

Emulating California Representative Barbara Lee would be a good place to start. Have the courage of your convictions and reach out and share your concerns with those members of Congress that you elected to serve you in Washington DC. Tell them to please learn from Afghanistan, reverse the path of endless war and destruction, and starting beating our swords into plowshares.

Yes, it’s complicated and no it’s not really that complicated. I get it that the path forward is not simple, nor easy but it starts with simply saying no more.

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Breaking: Census releases 2020 numbers by County – Potential impacts on legislative redistricting reviewed

Posted on August 13, 2021 by garyhooser

Early speculation by most was predicting that Oahu would lose population and State House seats, and the neighbor-islands would gain them – however that may not be the case.

The below are raw numbers that reflect zero shift of any state legislative seats from Oahu to the Neighbor Island – I’m not sure how adjusting the population counts with regards to military and university students will impact this, but it would seem the adjustment would need to be significant to result in any change or shift in House seats.

Basic unadjusted estimates – Additional eyeballs and analysis of these numbers is welcome, but below is my “first take”.

2020 Census State of Hawaii as per August 12, 2021 report
Raw numbers not adjusted for full-time residents versus military and out of state students

Doing the basic math to determine the legislative district allocation per County –

Total State of Hawaii 2020 Population 1,455,271

25 State Senators = 58,210 people per S District
51 State House = 28,535 people per H District

Note: Number in parenthesis represents the status quo number of legislative districts allocated to the particular County. The preceding number with a decimal point is the estimated number of legislative districts for 2022 based on the census numbers but not including any adjustments for military residents or out-of-state student population.

Honolulu 2021 Population 1,016,508
State Senators 17.5 (17)
State House 35.6 (35)

Hawaii Population 200,629
State Senators 3.45 (4)
State House 7.03 (7)

Maui Population 164,754
State Senators 2.83 (3)
State House 5.77 (6)

Kauai Population 73,298
State Senators 1.258 (1)
State House 2.568 (3)

Read today’s breaking news on the new census numbers released: Civil Beat https://www.civilbeat.org/2021/08/2020-census-oahus-population-tops-1-million-for-the-first-time/

For a primer on the “re-districting” process read: https://garyhooser.blog/2021/07/17/unpacking-the-2022-hawaii-reapportionment-redistricting-discussion/

Drill down further into the 2020 census numbers and compare to 2010:
https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/2020-population-and-housing-state-data.html

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Maui Money Report – Senate, House, Mayor, Council

Posted on August 13, 2021 by garyhooser

All of the below Maui seats are up for election in 2022. Below information is from the August 2, 2021 Campaign Spending Reports and indicates the “surplus” of funds each incumbent had in their campaign bank account.

Extensive additional detail is available by reviewing the actual reports available here:
https://csc.hawaii.gov/CFSPublic/ReportList.php

State Senate

Gilbert Keith-Agaran (D) District 5 Wailuku, Waihe‘e, Kahului
$133,328

Lynn DeCoite (D) District 7 Hana, East and Upcountry Maui, Moloka‘i, Lana‘i, Kaho’olawe
$65,919

Rosalyn H Baker (D) District 6 South and West Maui
$44,202

State House of Representatives

Troy Hashimoto (D) District 8 Kahakuloa, Waihee, Waiehu, Puuohala, Wailuku, Waikapu
$56,915

Justin Woodson (D) District 9 Kahului, Puunene, Old Sand Hills, Maui Lani
$41,960

Kyle Yamashita (D) District 12 Spreckelsville, Pukalani, Makawao, Kula, Keokea, Ulupalakua, Kahului
$24,768
*** Raised $3,650 during June 2021

Tina Wildberger (D) District 11 Kihei, Wailea, Makena
$7,414

Angus McKelvey (D) District 10 West Maui, Maalaea, North Kihei
$1,264

Linda Clark (D) (newly appointed) District 13 Haiku, Hana, Kaupo, Kipahulu, Nahiku, Paia, Kahoolawe, Lanai, Molokai, Molokini
($0)

Maui County Mayor
Non-Partisan

Michael Victorino – $85,736

Maui County Council
Non-Partisan – voting is County-wide but each represents a specific district.

Yuki Lei Sugimura $56,088
(Upcountry)

Alice Lee $28,787
(Wailuku-Waihee-Waikapu)
Chair

Mike Molina $21,199
(Makawao-Haiku-Paia)

Tamara Paltin $19,585
(West Maui)

Keani Rawlins-Fernandez $14,594
(Molokai)
Vice-Chair

Tasha Kama $9,874
(Kahului)

Kelly Takaya King $6,209
(South Maui)

Shane Sinenci $5,154
(East Maui)

Gabe Johnson $1,606
(Lanai)

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Vaccination, Politics, Health & Individual Choice

Posted on August 11, 2021 by garyhooser

We must keep our eye on the prize. The COVID pandemic is real and will not end until we are united in our action to end it. We must beat this thing and we must pull together to make that happen.

My plan is to live to be 100, to see my grandchildren have children of their own, and to dance at their children’s wedding.

I’m 67 years old, take no regular medication whatsoever, and maintain a fairly healthy diet. While I could use more regular exercise, I’m in generally good health.

My birth father Marvin Lee Hooser, passed away at the young age of 57 from respiratory problems associated with emphysema. During the course of my life, when I have occasionally fallen ill with a cold or flu, respiratory issues sometimes debilitating in nature including bronchitis and walking pneumonia, too often followed.

Given my history, it’s clear that any respiratory illness exacerbated or precipitated by a COVID infection…is not something my body would likely handle well.

So, let’s move back to Zoom for now. And please, if you have not already done so, get vaccinated. I have been vaccinated and will get a booster whenever it’s available and recommended by my primary care physician.

While I believe in personal choice when it comes to health matters, if you choose not to get vaccinated please wear your mask and limit your social interactions. On a personal note – I prefer not meeting in person with anyone who has not yet been vaccinated.

There, I said it. I’m trying to respect those who feel differently on this issue, but the bottom line is the protection of my own life, my family’s personal health, and the health of our community.

If you have religious or medical reasons for not being vaccinated, I respect your choice and wish you well.

But please don’t base this critical decision on YouTube videos, politics, or the advice of people who claim a global conspiracy.

The current hysteria over vaccines and vaccine mandates is based on fear and driven by a seemingly endless wave of misinformation. And of course, all good conspiracy theories are grounded in the premise that “it could be true”. Yes, it could be true – but it’s not. Most misinformation starts as a kernel of truth taken out of context and quickly strays into speculation and hyperbole.

Modern vaccine history began in the late 18th century with the discovery of smallpox immunization by Edward Jenner. Vaccines have been used since then to eliminate smallpox, fight the polio virus and prevent infectious diseases like measles, diphtheria, and whooping cough.

Though the current angst reverberating around the state surrounds “vaccine mandates,” all 50 states have for years mandated the vaccination of students. Vaccine mandates are not new. Hawaii currently requires all those attending public/private school grades kindergarten – 12 to be vaccinated against Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Polio, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis A, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Chickenpox. Hawaii Revised Statutes: §302A-1154 states:

“(a) No child shall attend any school in the State unless the child presents to the appropriate school official documentation satisfactory to the department of health that the child has received immunizations against communicable diseases as required by the department of health.”

Similar to school admission policies, employers, both public and private, have the right and many would say the obligation to require their employees to be vaccinated in order to protect all employees and customers.

Unfortunately, the escalating rhetoric has resulted in people claiming they are being “forced” to vaccinate. Actually, no one is forcing anyone to do anything. Parents are free to homeschool their children if they object to vaccinations for religious, or health reasons. And of course, individuals have the right to quit their job and find another one if they so choose. Apparently, the job market is hot at the moment and so that should not be a problem.

To all who have so far refrained from choosing to take the shot, I encourage you to review the credible data, speak to those in the medical community whom you trust – and make a decision that best protects your own life, and health of your family.

Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments