The weak-kneed politicians
Politicians wouldn’t stand their (our) ground as to the past ferry fiasco. What makes one think it would be any different now?
After allowing untold millions of dollars to be flushed down the drain in 2009, today’s politicians want to go through the whole process again and shovel another $100 million down that same old drain (puka)? This when the (our) politicians do not even have a handle on the rail system on Oahu, much less the TMT (Mauna Kea) scandal whose protesters are no more than the surfers and Nimby minorities who demolished that ferry system that was up and running. All at the expense of us guys (da taxpayers). Let’s get serious, in this era minorities carry the big stick and rule. Majority is a lost word!
By the way, I am an advocate for both the TMT and ferry.
A side note to the above: Politicians seem to think their duty to their constituents is to create more rules and laws to govern them. What if, (and it is a very big if), we could get these elected officials to pass just one law that makes it mandatory that they must erase, say, 50 laws and rules from the books each year before they start to enact new ones.
There has got to be hundreds of just plain silly and antiquated laws on the books that are either unenforceable or duplicates of others. An example as seen in WHT the other day is a proposed law to fine those who abandon a pet. Was any thought given to how hopeless this law would be to enforce and to the ongoing cost of having to hire someone to monitor such a law? I call this “gross silliness” on the part of supposedly mature individuals.
Hugo von Platen Luder
Holualoa
Little history on the helmet law
I was the policy analyst for the Transportation Committee of the Washington State Senate the year the state’s mandatory motorcycle helmet law was passed.
Despite overwhelming research showing a failure to wear a helmet contributed to a much higher accident fatality rate and permanent disabilities the motorcycle lobbying groups aggressively opposed any mandatory requirement.
“Individual freedom” and riders “can’t hear traffic” all proved to be bogus arguments. A lobbyist testifying against a helmet law was told by the state senator who sponsored the legislation, “I will drop my support of this bill if your group will support legislation that insures the taxpayers of Washington state will have no responsibility to provide any public medical assistance to any non-helmet wearing motorcycle rider who receives any injuries as a result of an accident while riding.”
“Well, that not fair,” the lobbyist replied.
The senator pointed out it was not fair to the taxpayers to burden them with medical expenses brought about by a motorcycle rider’s own irresponsible behavior. The bill passed. This was in 1991 and there has been no serious discussion of changing it because it has saved countless lives at this point. Shame on the Hawaii State Legislature for failing this year to pass even a stronger law beyond mopeds!
Bill Johnston
Kailua-Kona
More pro sports, please
Please print more mainland sports news in the daily sports section of West Hawaii Today. I like to read stories and scores of NBA, major league baseball, golf, etc., with my morning coffee.
I realize I can go online for this information, but I prefer to have these stories with my breakfast.
Roger Farnsworth
Kailua-Kona