Monday, October 26, 2009

Musings: A Bit of a Farce

When Koko and I went out into the night, the white half moon was high in the sky, and close to sparkling Jupiter, but by the time we got up, both had set and Venus was just a soft glow low on the eastern horizon.

The sky slowly turned a hazy pink, melting away the stars, and though the air had the coolness of dawn, it felt heavy, thick, languid, like it belonged somewhere other than windward Kauai in late October.

It seems that some folks are thinking the new county landfill belongs somewhere other than Kalaheo.

I hadn’t really paid much attention to the issue until farmer Jerry told me quite a while back that the acreage selected as the new repository of Kauai’s waste is part of the parcel that A&B designated as Important Ag Lands.

That’s right. Kauai was the very first place in the state to have acreage designated as IAL, and it just so happens to be Mayor Carvalho’s very first choice for the new landfill.

As Jerry and I discussed, if that’s indicative of the kind of value placed on the highly acclaimed IAL, what can we expect for the non-IAL? And what does this say about Kauai’s commitment to agriculture?

Even after Jerry shared that little nugget, I didn’t have time to dig into the issue. But it returned to the forefront of my consciousness when a friend called to alert me to a new blog, Protect & Preserve Kalaheo Umi, that appears to be primarily devoted to the landfill issue. It’s unclear just who is behind the blog, given the cryptic nature of the info in the profile, but I hear tell it’s Kauai Coffee, which is none too pleased at the prospect of having a landfill smack dab in the middle of its operations.

Anyway, I took advantage of a recent interview with Councilman Jay Furfaro to question him about the landfill. He brought up the topic when I asked what he found frustrating about his job. He replied, "clarifying misperceptions," and then used as an example the many emails he’s received from citizens irate that the Council had picked the Kalaheo site.

“We didn’t,” he said. “That’s an administrative process. We hold the purse strings.”

And that’s where the pick may run into problems. Jay said the question now is whether the land will turn out to be too expensive, seeing as how it will take 127 acres out of coffee production.

“Will the owners (A&B) want to pursue loss of revenue?” Jay wondered. “What about the infrastructure they put in? Will they want to recover those investments?”

Equally important, Jay said, is “it’s contrary to the point we’re trying to make about preserving good ag lands.”

It does seem to turn the whole IAL process into a bit of a farce.

Jay also mentioned he really wished the county had done a plan about water resources before jumping into the IAL study. “No water, no ag, no food,” he said, noting that a grower in Kilauea who ships out 1 million restaurant servings of lettuce a year is struggling for water since Kaloko dam was breached.

It seems to be a pattern here on Kauai to not quite think things through, and then the subsequent actions become a bit of a farce. I wonder if Bernard will end up taking some political hits on his landfill choice. A&B is a powerful enemy.

On another note, I’ve been disappointed to see Sen. Gary Hooser taking some political hits for his willingness to speak out against shortening the school year.

And as Ian Lind noted in his blog post yesterday, Honolulu Advertiser reporter Derrick DePledge is playing right into it.

In his front page coverage of the issue, which racked up a pile of comments, DePledge notes:

In private, some lawmakers are disappointed by what they see as political posturing by some of their colleagues, including some seeking higher office next year.

DePledge then goes on to identify only the higher office aspirations of Hooser and Congressman Neil Abercrombie, even though other politicians cited in the story have their own political agendas.

So does that mean that a person with an eye toward higher office shouldn’t take a stand on a controversial issue? Or that if he does, he’s insincere and only posturing?

Shoots, even the U.S. Secretary of Education has come out against the plan, making it clear that we are risking federal grants by doing so.

In addition, my department has $5 billion for competitive grants to advance school reform. The $4.35 billion Race to the Top Fund will reward states that are leading the way in reform and making education a priority. The $650 million Investing in Innovation Fund will go to districts that are advancing research-based programs to improve student achievement.

We might as well kiss that cash goodbye.

Secretary Duncan also outlined the federal contribution to Hawaii’s educational system:

My department has already made $105 million available to Hawaii from this stabilization fund. Hawaii is eligible for $52 million more when we release the rest of those funds later this year. In total, Hawaii's schools and students are scheduled to receive more than $500 million from the Recovery Act.

It costs just $85 million to restore the 17 days. Where has the money gone? Where is the rest of it going? Why are so many of our political leaders quiet on the issue?

And why is so little being said, in The Advertiser and elsewhere, about the whole issue of the stimulus money?

If you'd like to take action, visit the petition site or kanuhawaii.org.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Speaking of kissing cash goodbye.
Or better, watching it fly out the window. It will cost 12 mil to underground 1.5 miles of electric line through Wailua in order to protect the shearwaters.

But a boardwalk across the beach for the people, forbidden!

Anonymous said...

My message to Secretary Duncan is: We need an FBI investigation of the Lingle Administration.

Anonymous said...

The Gov and Leg blew about $60 million on the Superferry and defending illegal Act 2. I believe AG Mark Bennett said Maui Tomorrow's successful Hawaii Supreme court case "lacked merit". He is saying the same thing about two pending lawsuits challenging furloughs. Hawaii has the greatest number of millionaires in the USA per capita yet the fewest number of educational days of any state in K-12. Seems the children are the victims and elected and appointed governmental officials are unaccountable lawbreakers stealing their future.

Welcome to Dumbf*ckastan.

Anonymous said...

Yep a bunch of future uneducated dumbos will have their revenge. Lucky we have the take-no-cuts-or furloughs courts and police to lock these future unemployable criminals up. The smart money is on the privatized prison industrial complex a projected growth industry.

Anonymous said...

"Hawaii has the greatest number of millionaires in the USA"

-- who mostly made their money outside the state, for the record. tho yes, seems fair to tax them some, with a good part re next generation civic "goods," like local education


dwps

Anonymous said...

One for the GMO's or at least a fork in the road. No need to make it all about food.

"Toyota has created two flower species that absorb nitrogen oxides and take heat out of the atmosphere.

The flowers, derivatives of the cherry sage plant and the gardenia, were specially developed for the grounds of Toyota’s Prius plant in Toyota City, Japan.

The sage derivative’s leaves have unique characteristics that absorb harmful gases, while the gardenia’s leaves create water vapour in the air, reducing the surface temperature of the factory surrounds and, therefore, reducing the energy needed for cooling, in turn producing less carbon dioxide (CO2).

Anonymous said...

But a boardwalk across the beach for the people, forbidden

Development on the beach is nonsense, and a waste of money if the ocean washs it away. Build the bikepath where it can last, build it away fom the ocean.Now the county has to pay for the seawall at PonoKai to protect the bike path from the ocean. You think it is a good idea to harden Kauai's shoreline with seawalls, or have common sense, and don't put public infrastructure at risk?We want a beach and a bikepath too, not just "the path'

Anonymous said...

If sea level rises as predicted the Kekaha trash mountain will have to be moved because the waves will be washing all of the garbage into the ocean. So they better not consider "expanding" that one and come up with a plan for the not to far future for recycling all of that garbage.

On another note, windmills were rejected for some of that coffee land because of long-term housing development plans. Not sure exactly where the dump is going, but it definitely won't be going where land owners have plans for housing.

Anonymous said...

What a menagerie of off-topic comments!

Anonymous said...

" they be protecting more the the path. How about Pono Kai and its revenues and taxes.
But the ocean will take what's in the way...

Anonymous said...

Wrong, dwps

October 26, 2009 8:43 PM

Many made their millions here buying and selling Hawaiians lands (stolen property) and yes many in the states doing rather disgusting things, like 24 hour cam in house.

Anonymous said...

"Toyota has created two flower species that absorb nitrogen oxides and take heat out of the atmosphere."

Thatʻs a great example of progressiveness.
Leave it to Toyota. Right on.

Anonymous said...

" they be protecting more the the path. How about Pono Kai and its revenues and taxes.
But the ocean will take what's in the way... dollars on it
agreed,
without the path, it would be Pono Kai's responsibility to protect their investment, ie, the seawall may still have gone up, but the county would not be spending our tax dollars on it.

Anonymous said...

" and yes many in the states doing rather disgusting things, like 24 hour cam in house"

Please elaborate - what do you mean by this?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

" and yes many in the states doing rather disgusting things, like 24 hour cam in house"

Please elaborate - what do you mean by this?

Yes elaborate instead of making vague accusations this is the second post on this blog alluding to What/ Some online reality show of some sort?

Anonymous said...

"24 hour cam in house" Most likely just a security system. Look around and they are in most stores as well.

Anonymous said...

"24 hour cam in house" Most likely just a security system. Look around and they are in most stores as well"

That's all that is? Darn, I was hoping that I had become a surprise p**n star after our latest vacation in a house-rental !!!!

Anonymous said...

Nah...people don't pay much for short subjects.