It's coming down to the final stretch
of the campaign season — thankfully — and candidates are keen to get
their names and messages out there.
But sometimes they're too cryptic, like
this postcard, mailed first class from St. Paul, Minn. Who sent it?
Who is it for? KipuKai and Arryl? An overall pitch to get out the
vote for Council? Poor Eddie, the way his name is used
without his consent. And in this case, exactly where would Eddie go?
Plus what's up with the chicken, and
the “sistah” reference? Bizarre.
Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura, meanwhile,
chose to propose a tax increase to fund the Kauai Bus. As a friend
noted in an email:
Is Joann trying NOT to get reelected?
Don’t they teach you on the first day of class at Politician School
that you shouldn’t be talking about raising taxes – certainly not
the SALES tax – 2 weeks before an election? And especially not for
something as lame as the Kauai Bus which is really … lame …
speaking as someone who has actually ridden it. Bad enough their
tinkering with the property tax formula — not just in an election
year but in the DAYS before an election – but now JY jumps into the
act with more ideas on taking money away?
Ya gotta wonder....
Speaking of public transportation, I
see Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. has launched the North Shore shuttle,
something that's been talked about for how long now? It's just his
way of telling NS voters, hey, I still care about you guys, even
though you did call me the birth defects mayor for vetoing that illegal Bill 2491, and then compounded the insult by backing that kook who's running against
me.
Which leads us to Dustin Barca. If
you're still undecided about the guy, just check out his Facebook
pages. I mean, I can understand if you don't want Bernard. But to
actually support Dustin? Yikes. Here's a spooky sample of where that
guy's head is at, in all his CAP LOCK screaming glory:
THE GMO FIGHT IN
HAWAII-KAUA'I,OAHU,MOLOKA'I, MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND IS ABOUT POISON
NOT FOOD!! IT'S A HUMAN HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ISSUE!!! THIS
IS ABOUT OUR KEIKI AND AINA!! WE are the Root of a Worldwide Problem.
WE are THIS IS TERRORISM! Blocking US the Tax Paying People By Suing
Every County For Protecting OURselves From 6 Times More Poison Per
Acre than Anywhere in America!
Yes, Dustin, you and your fellow
“fistees” are indeed the root of a worldwide problem. It's called ignorance.
SORRY TO ALL THE DUSTIN BARCA SURF FANS
FOR NOT POSTING SURF STUFF! but IM ON A MISSION FROM GOD TO UNITE
KAUA'I and SAVE OUR HOME FROM THE LARGEST CHEMICAL corporations IN
THE WORLD!!!!!!
Ya know, Dustin, ya might just want to
stick to surf stuff, cause your unification (and punctuation) skills really suck.
TO ALL YOU CALIFORNIANS!!
In Kaua'i, Our Aquifers are
contaminated by Large Ag. Restricted use Pesticides like Atrazine and
TCP
Mmmm, really, Dustin? Like which ones,
exactly? And are you talking to the wealthy Californians who are
funding your campaign, or just Californians in general?
After the Ebola plane landed on Kauai
for a Navy mission, Dustin linked to an article that claims Monsanto
created the Ebola virus so it could make money on an Ebola vaccine it
developed with the Department of Defense. The article ended, aptly,
with this sentence: “There’s just something wrong with this whole
picture.”
Ya think? But Dustin swallowed it hook,
line and sinker, posting:
WHY ARE WE THE EXPERIMENTAL ISLAND?
TOO MUCH CRAZY CRAP GOES ON HERE!!!!
Airport is NOT shut down? Department of
health didn't even know about this when we called this morning? WTH
IS GOING ON?!?!!
Mahana Mari, one of his conspiracy
theorist followers, had the answer:
quite the "coincidence" that
the top Monsanto executives and the Ebola plane are on Kaua'i at the
same time...
Oh, yes, quite. This was my favorite,
though:
WAKE UP HAWAII !! WE ARE BEING PLAYED
FOR FOOLS AT ALL LEVELS!!
Well, he's certainly right about that
one....
Which leads me past Dustin and on to
Councilman Gary Hooser. Remember EPHIS, the Environment and Public
Health Impact Study that Nadine Nakamura and JoAnn actually authored?
The one that was supposed to figure out just how poisoned all the
westsiders actually are? The one that was supposed to give them
answers, and then some relief?
Well, the resolution that authorized
that study was approved separately from Bill 2491, which meant it could have
stood on its own. But Gary, in his infinite wisdom, absolutely
insisted that it be wrapped into Bill 2491. And it was.
So when Bill 2491 was struck down,
EPHIS was, too. That's right, folks. If it weren't for Gary, the
EPHIS would already be under way, shepherded by the Council. Instead, it's dead, and the Administration and Department of Health are pursuing a much
narrower study.
Way to go, Gary! Kind of makes you
wonder, yet again, who he's really working for.
But it seems no matter how badly Gary
blows it, he just can't shake the faith of his “red shirt”
followers, as evidenced by the GMO-Free Kauai “voters guide.”
Seems they're back at it after a hard-earned “activist vacation.”
Cause it's just so exhausting to be in a constant state of agitated alarm, not to
mention the stress of flitting between islands and posting bullshit
on Facebook round the clock. Here's their slate:
Mayor: Dustin Barca. County Council:
Gary Hooser, Tim Bynum, Mason Chock, Felicia Cowden, Tiana Laranio.
A friend likened the current
polarization over GMOs to the conflict in the Middle East, and it
seems a reasonable comparison. Personally, I blame the "red-shirts" and "fistees" — I know some folks have complained about those labels,
but truly, you brought them upon yourselves — for launching a war
before they even tried diplomacy.
Still, it's possible that one day Kauai, and
the rest of Hawaii, may be able to heal the wounds, bridge the
divide. I'm not at all confident, though, in part because people like Gary — the original fistee fomenter — and Dustin — a fighter by trade — are just itching to keep the conflict alive:
Perhaps the place to start is by replacing — and rejecting — politicians who are an impediment to
peace.
Posts
28 comments:
Nicely said, Joan. I'm so sick of Barca's bullshit that I hadn't even looked at his Facebook page in quite a while. I will, however, come to JoAnn's defense. Maybe her measure's timing was not politically conventional,but she recognized an important reality: Everyone loves the bus and the bus is a great idea and provides an important unifying service to our island. I'm reminded of that every time I'm in Princeville between 6 and 7 am. and see all the people who might not otherwise be able to commute arriving for work on the bus. And people DO want the service expanded, but the more the system works well, the more its need to grow becomes clear and the greater the cost. Something has to give. JoAnn floated a way to pay for it, which, though regressive, at least spreads the coast among all of us and doesn't ram unaffordable fare increases down the throats of the people who need the service most. I've contributed to JoAnn's campaign and I'm glad I did.
Be prepared to be taxed out of your socks should the wrong politicians get in. We are already seeing the prelude in the .75 % GET bus tax introduction.
I believe would should pay politicians to do nothing. Just go home and sit and you will get paid. The more they legislate the more we suffer. More government is not the solution, it is the problem!
@8:08 am
You are right regarding the commute. The busses provide a valuable commodity when it comes to commuting. But when that Rush is over all you see are empty busses going around in circles trying to look busy. Proposing to raise the GET by .75% to buy more busses is ludicrous. We have at least 30 extra busses that's not being used that's parked in the Lihue bus Baseyard.
It is hard to understand why anyone would vote for a candidate who believes he's on a mission from God. That's a textbook symptom of mental illness.
I think that the chicken is saying vote for Kipukai because his open beak is lined up with Kipukai's name. At least, that's what I'm thinking. What a wasted of money if the voters can't even tell which candidate is being touted!
At the end of the day, JoAnn is one of the few voices of reason on the council. NO, I strongly disagree with her on another tax increase. But, she's one that stays the course and is not one of the braddahs (Mel and Russ, sorry braddahs - you too intent on sticking together for the sake of sticking together.) There should be healthy discussion and disagreement on the council. I said "healthy".
If Barca is ignorant, what does that make his followers? Chuckles.
11:03 how wrong you are! Joanne is a voice of Taylor Camp hippies. She is old, tired, and needs to go. 32 years of service? Nuff already, old ideas, not listening to the people, the majority, not vocal minority!
It will be good to see Dustin go down in flames. Hope he takes Gary, Bynum and Mason with him.
Joan, why haven't you looked into the criminal charges against Arthur Brun? I was honestly giving you a chance to make your way through all 14 candidates but we seem to be getting repeat reports only on the ones you dislike.
I did, and I will be writing about them, though I doubt you'll be pleased with the result.
As for making my way through all 14 candidates, it appears your expectations are not at all attuned with my interests and desires.
Please! Let's not bring more people down! Yes, some council members and those running for council (as many of the locals know-- families, friends, neighbors, teachers, coaches, etc.) don't have clean histories and records. Let people find out for themselves, not here on this or any blog. There has been enough negativity on this island. I won't be voting for some of these candidates cuz of what i know, but enough already!
12:12 I have a strong feeling your prediction is correct, but we just gotta wait a little while more to pop the champagne.
ANONYMOUS AT 12:22 as Arthur has stated he learned from his mistakes and has done so much good for the community and helped with local youth and it is people like you that have seperated this island i am almost 100% percent sure you are a haole from the mainland and please do us locals a favor and go back. and by the way why anonymous i've known Arthur for a long time and yes we all make mistakes and you will not i repeat not find another person that is running for office that does more for the kids and the community then he does and has a bigger heart
The "chicken picture" is of the Kauai Taxpayer and regular citizen.
We gotta hang on.
The future holds: giant expense for a landfill, big time sewer plant overhaul, road repair, renegotiating our County Bonds (because the Council violated the terms), water transmission line retrofit, paying for whatever is left of the Anti-Ag law, future lawsuits inspired by the Bynum jackpot that has given permission for every Tom, Dick and Harry to sue...etc.
These situations are real. The County is BROKE. The County spends more than it has, just to maintain the poor conditions we have today.
No matter what happens. The County will have to spend less or tax more.
The difference is this--If JoAnn, Hooser, Bynum, Chock get elected, they will tax the teeth out of us all. They have agendas that go far beyond the basic needs of County government.
Jay gets a pass, he might wake up and remember the working folks. He was the boss of so many good workers for so many years and he has abandoned them. Maybe he is mesmerized by the glitz of the fistees and will wake up. Jay is a big fat disappointment, but I'll give him another chance.
Kauai's tax payer and citizen is doomed if the Fistee Four of JoAnn, Hooser, Bynum and Hooser's apprentice, Chock get elected. Doomed.
Hard for beleeb, JoAnn has been in office for longer than most Kauai residents have been alive! 30 plus, odd, odd years. Yikes. No wonder there are no houses for the locals.
wesai mike - with supporters like you, Brun doesn't need enemies. Btw, I fully support Brun but not your tactics of calling someone a haole simply because they are doing their homework before they vote. Are you too 'brown' to get it? (And that is tongue-in-cheek. Just want you to hear how stupid it sounds in the opposite direction.)
14 Candidates-
MEL- Good man, looks out for the people. Honest.
ROSS- Good man, looks out for the people. Honest.
ARRYL Kaneshiro- Good young man, looks out for the people. Honest.
DARRYL Perry- Proven leader, fair and a good man. Honest.
JOANN- Decades of baloney studies. Results, no housing for the people, Mt Yukimura as a tribute. We need a study to determine what is "honest"
JAY- A real disappointment.
KUALII- What does he really believe?
ARTHUR- A good man, who cares for the kids and the people. Upfront and no BS
TIM- Arrogant, hypocrite. Crybaby tantrum thrower. Know-it-all. Dishonest and all BS.
GARY- I am in the National Headlines. I am smart and I am a Power Broker with Mainland lobbyists. Honesty? Who cares, I am a big shot.
MASON- Gary? What should I do now?
What is honesty?
FELICIA- The Smart Meter upsets my unicorn. I will pass laws and have rainbows mandatory. Honesty is concept.
BILLY- Don't be silly.
Absent Wahine- No Show
Anonymous 12:57 PM said:
Please! Let's not bring more people down! Yes, some council members and those running for council (as many of the locals know-- families, friends, neighbors, teachers, coaches, etc.) don't have clean histories and records. Let people find out for themselves, not here on this or any blog. There has been enough negativity on this island. I won't be voting for some of these candidates cuz of what i know, but enough already!
No worries. With Kauai's miles of sparkling beaches, I'm sure you'll have no problem finding a patch of sand to stick your head in.
That list above is missing the GMO quivering but tax maniac Joanne. She should be voted out just for her willingness to tax us off the island for dubious gain. The Bus? $15 M loss every year for little public benefit. pladtic bags. Thanks. The paper is useless, unsanitary and uses up ten times more waste space. And her useless, bs poliitically correct nonsense goes on decade after decade.
We need the bus sheesh what an ass you people are that post how we don't need the bus. Obviously you have the scrub to stuff your hummer with gas and pay for all those speeding tickets but the rest of us regular rubbah slippah folks don't.
But don't think we got any love for this proposal. We don't. because the tax will affect us.
Bus service is something we did without on this island. We hitchhiked, walked and rode horses to get round.
Sadly those days are gone. Things we need to get to like oh say food and jobs are far away from our homes, and the roads are dangerous.
The bike path certainly is no commuter bike path, and to get around on it for work or hauling groceries...um, nope. Doesn't work.
There are only nice bus stops in the rich people or tourist areas. They are dark, unlighted and unsafe.
The bus doesn't go to where most people work, or live for that matter nor run at times people really need it too. First bus into kapaa'a is around 7 am in the morning. Most working peeps in the visitor industry need to be at work at between 5 am and 7 am for most jobs. But we love the bus we really do, and we absolutely need it.
Kauai bus drivers are the best.
It's just we should be funding things like the bus first in the budget, it is an essential service, yeah yeah I don't care what you guys say. It is an essential service.
To think about it last, and then go woops we don't got money to pay for it and everyone is screaming for it, cuz we invited all these people to move here and vacation here and we gave them Starbucks but we forgot a nice bus system, that is sheer lunacy.
And to make it a sales tax! Whacked to da max.
Put someone in who gets it, gets the little people,and the plight of the "commoner", and for the rest of you that thinks we shouldn't fund the bus, I hope, the day that you actually need one, there isn't one for you.
Like when you are a Kupuna, and too old to drive, and your kids are too busy to take you to walmartt. Yeap.
I'll stick around just to see that.
Joann wasn't on the council when the plastic bag ban was passed. My family and many other working families use the bus. Dumbass.
12:57 p.m.
Your right, let's not bring any more people down. Kauai has been rated in the top 10 for vacation destination, top 10 for best beaches, Hawaii is #1 in how long our seniors live (or we live), we rank # 8 for the most sociological state (which means government supports the people with services) and that’s the goods. We’ve got an eco - tourism industry here thriving. Boats, helicopters, horses, ATV’s, zip lines, bicycles, and hiking all promoting our open space that includes going through our agricultural lands. We’ve got rating on the bad side also. What’s my point? Even with what people’s perception that Kauai is poisoned, we really have paradise in our back yard, and that’s not a LIE!
If you drive around this island (economy), this is still the most beautiful island with a lot of great things to experience.
Remember, this blog (in my opinion) has proven to basically expose 2 people for their lies and dishonesty. This blog has consistently called them out, and exposed them with logical reasoning to show the public, they are bad people for Kauai’s government and economy .
Vote for 8 and 9.
Or include 10 & 11 if you want, plus your first 5 whoever you believe in, if you don’t Kauai government will still remain status quo (divided) with the liars still serving themselves. Remember to vote only for 7 candidates.
If we don’t vote for the lower ones, we won’t gain ground on the ones that this blog has exposed.
I'm just echoing the writer of this blog. She's just being as honest as she can. I'm hoping the worst is about the 2. :-)
Good luck all!
Check and see how many Bruns are working in the county system. Might be enough to swing an iffy vote his way...
It's not a chicken it's a rooster. Big difference !!!
It's a rooster saying, "No GMO! Let me eat nacheral things!"
If you right wing anti-Island morans would just shut up and let me and Gary and Chockmeister take of you, then you will all be better.
Jeez, some of you really need a therapist. Luckaly for you, I am one.
Aloha - I agree with first comment from Allan as it relates to JoAnn; I'm a supporter, even though I don't agree w/her on everything (just as I'm A supporter if Jaon's even though I don't agree w/her on everything). I appreciate that JoAnn does her HW, and then some, to frame her opinions which guide her voting - I don't gave the time to do as much HW as she does, although I do HW, too. Many people on this blog have erroneously grumbled that JoAnn has not created enough "affordable housing". JoAnn has championed this issue FOREVER! I believe Joan had a column on "affordable housing" - or perhaps there was a letter to the Editor - reminding us about the definitions of "affordable housing". There are many - Federal, State, and County. Each with different income levels designating if one qualifies for "affordable housing". JoAnn has championed developers providing employee housing. She is also one of the Councilmembers to always know about and remember agreements made w/developers and the County as part of the developers' permitting application and approvals - specifically what public benefit the people of Kaua'i would get as a result of the approved development. That's ANOTHER reason to vote for her! She brings a vast knowledge of history to the table - having lived it as a Councilmember and former Mayor. That's important -,especially when records are "lost" - as they have been - Joan can attest to that! Especially re: her "Abuse Chronicles" of NS vacation rentals! The Kaua'i Bus is ONE important component to address traffic issues - NOW - while a comprehensive study is done to figure out how to address in the long- term (at an astronomical cost) instead of doing piecemeal addressing - which has been done in the past.
Re: Dustin Barca's run for Mayor - on the one hand, I congratulate anyone willing to run for an elected office; on the other hand, it seems to me that he should have run for Council. The Council can override the Mayor; the Council passes the laws. I wonder if Barca has a clear understanding of the structure of Government.
Finally, I, too, got the rooster post card and even shared it w/ friends asking if they knew who it was from and who it was trying to advocate for - it should be used as the standard for what NOT to do! Many if me neighbors did not receive it at the time I had.
I voted already and I "plunked"; only voting for 4 for Council.
Pat Hunter-Williams
And, if I may (feel free to delete if inappropriate, Joan; I recognize this is your blog and not a political forum)...please vote NO on #4 of State Constitution which would allow our public funds to pay for tuition at private pre-schools. I ask as a former DOE teacher on Kaua'i.
Instead, support the return of Jr. Kindergarten to the DOE!
Children can currently attend Head Start - for free - due to Federal $; Children, who are Hawaiian, can currently get Pauahi Scholar $ to pay for tuition at various designated preschools; Children, regardless of ethnicity, can attend - for free - preschool in Anahola due to Kamehameha Schools having their preschool on DOE property; Children can currently attend pre-schools with Open Doors funding due to State $ (which I'm not sure is actually Federal money provided to the State). I could give more examples.
The point is that we used to have Jr. Kindergarten - in the DOE - which ALL children were eligible to attend - which dovetailed the standards for Grade K, so acted as a stepping stone. In addition, the teachers are Certified (holding, at least, a 4-year degree and passing the National Teacher Exam (since renamed Praxis). That's not always the case for private preschool teachers as they are not held to the same standard as DOE teachers.
The DOE Jr. Kindergarten was supported by your tax dollars - just as DOE grades K-12 are. The HI State Legislature did not continue funding; Governor Abercrombie brought back Jr. K in a few select DOE schools. There was insufficient funding to return Jr. K to ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
That's what we should all, IMHO, be supporting - public DOE preschool - for ALL; NOT supporting our tax payer $ going to private preschools.
For what it's worth, in full disclosure, I'm a former private school preschool teacher; I'm a former DOE teacher of close to 20 years; I'm a former HSTA Kaua'i Board Member and I'm still an HSTA-supporter, though I'm no longer teaching in the public schools.
Pat Hunter-Williams
To add on to an earlier comment re: the bus - funding was just secured,and consistent plans were approved to build bus stops/shelters in towns across the island. Taken into consideration of design was addressing possible graffiti and other considerations. I was impressed with the thought that went into this island-wide community issue. Anahola, for instance, secured funding for two stops, yet we have 4. The community is working w/the head of the bus,and the County of Kaua'i, to see if we can, as we have in the past, build ourselves, using County materials and under County supervision. This will save County labor costs and should result in more bus stop/shelters.
More people might want to try and do the same w/in their immediate communities. Doing so results in our tax-paying $ going further.
Pat Hunter-Williams
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