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 GRASS IN REVIEW

GRASSROOT INSTITUTE OF HAWAII

Nurturing the rights and responsibilities of the individual in a civil society.

 

 WEEKLY GRASS IN REVIEW   -    January 16, 2008


We LUV Hawaii
A Message from Dick Rowland

Dick RowlandThe Akaka Bill would impose a "Native Hawaiian Governing Entity" (NHGE) on Hawaii in a major way and the rest of the USA in (perhaps) a minor way. What is to be formed is a new government that has nothing in it. Nothing. It is to be an empty government vessel inside of which is a sucking vacuum demanding people land, money, law, and power to fill it up.

Fuel for this vessel will be provided by lobbyists and government brokers anxious to influence and manage the creation of this new entity. Looming large among these power brokers will be the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Kamehameha Schools, Bishop Estate, Indian tribes and their casinos, and many other groups and organizations. Others, now unknown, will be crawling out of the woodwork chasing money and power.

Each Hawaii County will find it necessary to post full time monitors and lobbyists to watch over the committee which will be working out the details. So will Alexander & Bandwin, Castle & Cooke, Bank of Hawaii etc, etc. The Hawaii legislature will watch carefully and nervously. So will Moody's, Standard & Poor's, and the French owners of First Hawaiian Bank.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

It seems to us that our nation has no business whatsoever imposing this new government entity on our state without our expressed opinion by statewide vote of the people. That was done before we entered the US in 1959 and it should be done before the Akaka Bill becomes law.

Current proponents of the Akaka Bill cite the support of the Governor, State Senate and House and Hawaii's national delegation as overpowering evidence that the people of Hawaii favor this new NHGE. We do not think so. We could be wrong, but so could they. Let's find out for sure.

We request the Hawaii Senate and House pass a resolution proclaiming that they withdraw earlier support of the Akaka Bill until it is voted upon by the citizens of Hawaii in a statewide referendum or plebiscite.

We want you to Let Us Vote

We are LUV - Hawaii

SPECIAL REQUEST TO ALL MEMBERS
Let Us Vote Hawaii

There is a new website up on which you can register your belief that there should or should not be a vote of Hawaii's people before the Akaka Bill is passed. As presently written, it imposes a new and separate government on the state.

Click here to go to the site. Just scroll down, put in basic information and click submit. Then get your family to do the same.

Then, think of at least five friends and ask them to express their opinion. There is a place to register comments. Please do so.

As the number of participants grows, we will publish results and share the facts with policymakers to include occasionally some comments (without of course identifying the author).

Please ask your friends to enroll family and friends.

And, for all, please do promptly. One of the things we are going to do is measure our networking efficiency by tracking website activity for the next 10 days. After that we will take further actions.

Please:  DO IT NOW!

 

IN THE NEWS - HIGHLIGHTED COMMENTARIES
Grassroot Institute is regularly featured in news articles and broadcasts around the state. Here is a sample of some of our recent articles, research stories, and other articles of interest.

OHA on the Offensive

Stender’s Slanders, Part One
Oped in Office of Hawaiian Affairs Newsletter: Knowingly False, Disrespectful and Divisive

By Sam Slom

I have known and respected Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee Oz Stender for several decades, but his malicious December column in Ka Wai Ola, "Fight cultural annihilation," and his likening a public educational and informational meeting to the movie, Bury Me At Wounded Knee, is knowingly false, disrespectful, and serves to validate critics and skeptics of the Akaka Bill's perceived divisiveness. It begs a response.

(To read more, click here.)

Stender’s Slanders, Part Two
Setting the Record Straight on the Small Business Hawaii Debate Over the Akaka Bill

By Elaine Willman

Comments by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee Oz Stender in the recent Office of Hawaiian Affairs Ka Wai Ola newsletter regarding an October Small Business Hawaii breakfast meeting that I spoke at is factually inaccurate on so many levels it begs response...

(To read more, click here.)

HONOLULUTRAFFIC.COM

The mission of HonoluluTraffic.com is to seek cost effective ways to reduce traffic congestion on Oahu. Add your name to the list of supporters. Here are the most recent posts/additions to the site:

Council blasts City Administration on lack of transparency
Can this be the end of the war on the automobile?
Bob Lanier and Houston developers revolt against Smart Growth
Washington Post: Metro deteriorating

You can read these and more at HonoluluTraffic.com.

Other items of interest:

FRESH PERSPECTIVE

Opportunity for Young Adults:
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii created the Fresh Perspective column exclusively to publish the work of high school and college students. In addition to work appearing on GRIH’s website, their work is also submitted to Hawaii Reporter.  Submissions are welcome from any interested young adult, and we will publish work that is clearly written and grammatically sound. For earlier Fresh Perspectives please click here.

Contact:  wendy@grassrootinstitute.org for more info.

 

TRY OUR BLOGS
Use these links to access various topics.

The Mystery of Hawaiian History>>>Blog Archives>>>The Most Important Issue Facing the Hawaii Legislature for 2008

Dash of Calabash>>>Blog Archives>>>Decline in roads to population ratio

Dash of Calabash>>>Blog Archives>>>Ken Schoolland - Finalist in Economic Communicators Contest

Dash of Calabash>>>Blog Archives>>>September milk production plummets 50% from last year

Dash of Calabash>>>Blog Archives>>>Playing the credit card benefits game

Dash of Calabash>>>Blog Archives>>>N. Korea in stunning spurt of diplomacy

Dash of Calabash>>>Blog Archives>>>Sopogy Wins Venture Capital Award

Dash of Calabash>>>Blog Archives>>>Hawaii Slips in Economic Index

Dash of Calabash>>>Blog Archives>>>Hawaii ranks last in filing IRS returns electronically

Dash of Calabash>>>Blog Archives>>>Will Global Warming Generate America’s Fourth Great Awakening?

Dash of Calabash>>>Blog Archives>>>Request to the President

Dash of Calabash>>>Blog Archives>>>Hawaii Small Business Bill of Rights

Read what others have written or add your own thoughts by clicking here.

LIBERTY NETWORK

Grassroot Institute of Hawaii is a member of an extensive international liberty network of organizations that promote more individual autonomy and less governmental involvement in human affairs.

  • GRIH Board Member Dale Evans had an article published in Hawaii Reporter on 1/14/08: "Traffic Is Getting Worse in Hawaii - Here's Why."

  • GRIH seeks one or more individuals willing to endure up to six months of clerical work (to learn the center-right think tank business) who could then be promoted to handle some amount of program work. Funding for program work in the youth program and government/tax areas is available now.  Funds for programs in other areas forthcoming. We seek college graduates or individuals with an equivalent amount of work experience.  Applicants must be able to type and format Word documents; send, reply to and forward Outlook e-mail with various attachments; enter data in Excel work sheets; and have fair understanding of Windows XP file management and experience with standard office equipment.  We are looking for individuals who have something to show from their life experience that they can bring to the job, good writing skills, and knowledge of current events or American government. If this sounds like you or someone you know, call Wendy at the GRIH office -- (808)591-9193 -- or email resume to wendy@grassrootinstitute.org.

UPCOMING EVENTS

All of the Institute’s events, research publication dates and speaking engagements are available on our website.

Chuck MuthChuck Muth, president of Citizen Outreach, a limited-government public policy organization dedicated to putting the "public" back in public policy, will be in Honolulu during January.  We have scheduled Chuck for a luncheon speaking engagement in the Cleghorn Room at the Pacific Club on Friday, January 18th from 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM.  Lunch is a buffet which will be ready at 11:00 AM, so feel free to come early. Tickets are $25.  If you do not regularly receive invitations to the Honolulu Calabash or have not already received an e-mail invitation and would like to be invited, please e-mail dick@grassrootinstitute.org or call him at (808)591-9193.


How fast does the state spend your money?

State spending is out of control.  Watch the dollars fly out the window.....

Have an Institute speaker at your next meeting!
From taxation to education, from health care to transportation, the Institute’s staff is ready to address your group regarding the important policy issues facing all citizens of Hawaii. Call (808) 591-9193 to check availability and make arrangements, or e-mail us at wendy@grassrootinstitute.org.

 

Grassroot Institute is a proud member of the State Policy Network and Townhall.


SUPPORT GOOD PUBLIC POLICY

The Institute operates only through the generous donations of friends and benefactors from around Hawaii and the United States, and even the smallest of donations can be used to accomplish great things for the future of our beloved state.

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CRABGRASS

The inflation rate in Zimbabwe is about 15,000 percent, the highest in the world.
(Source: London Daily Telegraph)

Federal officials estimate that 75 percent of all farm workers in the U.S. are in the country illegally.
(Source: Los Angeles Times)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

“Bad ideas don’t die. Nor do they fade away. They just translate themselves into different forms, in different places, in different times.”
--- Journalist Matthew Continetti

“Our ignorance of history causes us to slander our own times.”
--- Novelist Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880)

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