Honor the Individual

GRASS IN REVIEW

GRASSROOT INSTITUTE OF HAWAII

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

WEEKLY GRASS IN REVIEW - August 8, 2007

Honor the Individual
A Message from Dick Rowland

Dick Rowland It is endlessly surprising to me how otherwise alert and knowledgeable persons make wild assumptions about Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. Here is an example, forwarded to us recently:

Aloha,

In reality the Grassroots Institute and OHA have a lot in common.

They both claim that their survey is the one, that they speak for the people of Hawai'i and that they are the Americans that can make Hawai'i a part of the U.S. by hook and crook... where one has the money/lands and the other has staying power and media to back it up...can only be measured by time. Can you imagine if they both united? They would be dangerous.

Thank God, they are blinded by two different ideology's and too greedy to concede one to the other. Grassroots institute claims to speak for big business and American corporations while OHA claims as "Hawaiians" to speak to the western way of life...looks like both will cancel other out.

Meanwhile the real and true Hawaiians continue down the independence road of Aloha praying that God will come and destroy these greedy ones and free Hawai'i of the evil that exists today and make Hawai'i pono again.

The writer was a lady in Waimanalo.

Let’s take her remarks apart one piece at at time. First, the name of the Institute is singular, not plural. There is a purpose behind this. Everything we stand for honors the individual just as the founders of the USA did. Individuals, working together, formed government to serve their needs for “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. Notably, government did not form society so that it had something to govern.

Just to emphasize the point about the individual and his or her importance (including the author of the message above) try to imagine any entity other than an individual “pursuing happiness” as our founders wanted us to do. Corporations cannot do it, nor can governments, labor unions or even families. Only individuals.

Regarding the 2006 survey: we called roughly 300,000 households in Hawaii with around 20,000 fully responding. We do not claim that the 66% opposed to the Akaka bill is some perfect number. But we do believe it substantiates our point that the Federal government has absolutely no business imposing a new separate government in Hawaii without the permission of Hawaiian people. We are talking about a new nation that takes people, land and resources out of the existing state making it significantly poorer. Further, new competing laws and procedures throughout the state would likely create unforeseeable major problems. And this is to be imposed from above on a state that voted to join the USA in 1959 by 94%.

What a handy, meaningless word is “greedy.” OHA gets and expends government money. We do not. If our Waimanalo lady asks her boss for a raise is she being greedy?

If Native Hawaiians formed a new nation and became ultra poor, would they ask for help from the USA or Hawaii or both? Would that be greedy?

Lastly, Hawaii is a place. A “pono” Hawaii without resident people is pretty meaningless.

The treasure of life is the people: civil, creative, productive individuals operating in community. Racial preferences have no constructive role there, despite the views of the lady from Waimanalo.

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.

Hawaii and the Quest for Universal Health Insurance
By Diana Ernst

The concept of "universal" health insurance has overcome political barriers, persuading liberals and conservatives of an urgent obligation to insure all Americans. Increasingly, individuals and businesses won't purchase health insurance because it is too costly, and many proposed reforms would force them to do so anyway, punishing those who will not comply and expanding state programs to facilitate greater government dependence for those who cannot comply. Policy makers and consumers in Hawaii should understand that such mandates threaten to ruin health care rather than improve it for the long term.

(To read more, click here.)

Using Mainland Landfills
By Donald Newman

Recently the administration and council members of the City & County of Honolulu began considering shipping part of Oahu’s waste to the mainland rather than overloading the landfill on here. Predictably there are many who are decrying this measure but there is a great deal these critics are overlooking.

(To read more, click here.)

FRESH PERSPECTIVE

Happy Birthday, Milton Friedman!
By Reid Ginoza

On July 31st, we celebrated Milton Friedman’s 95th birthday. The Friedman Legacy for Freedom event was sponsored by in part by the Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation, Americans for Tax Reform, and the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. I attended the event as an intern with the Grassroot Institute.

(To read more, click here.)

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: roz@grassrootinstitute.org for more info.

TRY OUR BLOGS
Use these links to access various topics.

The Mystery of Hawaiian History>>>Blog Archives>>>Hawaiian Apartheid: Ken Conklin radio interview

The Mystery of Hawaiian History>>>Blog Archives>>>OHA Racist Kau Inoa TV Commercials

Dash of Calabash>>>Blog Archives>>>The Misuse of Taxpayer Money

Read what others have written or add your own thoughts. Click here for more blogs.

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.

Dick Rowland spoke to the Lanikai Rotary Club at noon on Thursday August 2. His talk was on the Grassroot Institute and how it relates directly to the vision of the U.S. founding. There were about 30 Rotarians in attendance, including Immediate Past District Governor Jim Varner. This is a great group!
On September 6, Representative Rida Cabanilla-Arakawa (District 42, Lower Waipahu, Ewa Villages, West Loch Estates, Ewa Beach, Honouliuli) will present the concept of utilizing Public Private Partnerships (PPP) to construct freeway lane miles that may not be financially feasible for the state to construct utilizing current funding mechanisms. Rep.Cabanilla-Arakawa will also compare two possible uses to employ a PPP: an elevated road, known as reversible express lanes (REL), and an underwater tunnel through Pearl Harbor. This event will tale place at 6:30 p.m., Asing Park, 91-1450 Renton Road, Ewa Beach. Click here to learn more.

UPCOMING EVENTS

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

SAVE THE DATE!!! Saturday, November 3, 2007
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii Annual Meeting and Dinner
5:00 - 9:00 PM
Hale Koa Hotel, Waikiki

The keynote speaker for the evening will be Paul Jacob, a member of the GRIH Board of Advisors and Senior Advisor at the Sam Adams Alliance and Foundation. An acclaimed multi-media commentator, Paul hosts an online, radio, and print opinion program, Common Sense, which reaches a growing list of over 15,000 e-mail subscribers and is aired daily by more than 150 stations in 48 states. For more information about Paul Jacob, click here.

Paul Jacob's article "Hide the Debt!" was featured in the May 2nd edition of Grass in Review. Click here for links to all of Paul Jacob’s Grassroot Perspective articles.

More information regarding the annual meeting and dinner will be available on the website shortly.

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 roz@grassrootinstitute.org.

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

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