But come November, all is forgotten and the incumbents continue their same old ways.
Here is a solution that will change all that and give the voters a chance to reward or penalize the politicians. Move the session so it ends 30 days before the election. This will give those running for re-election a month to defend their actions and those running to unseat them 30 days to point out their failings.
If the session has to be extended, it should be done so after the election and the unfinished business handled by the new body.
Voters would have the opportunity to better judge the work of their public servants and be spared the long summer of campaigning. With a shorter campaign, the need for fund-raising would be lessened and therefore financial influencing would also be diminished.
Norm Blackburn
The governor worked hard to get the Legislature to agree to the Hawaiian Home Lands settlement to spend $600 million over 20 years to make right past injustices.
With cash scarce, he is working with Hawaiian Home Lands Director Kali Watson to use land with roads, sewers and electricity already in place so building can be speeded up and people who have waited for decades will have homes.
When the state's budget crisis made it necessary to cut funding for the King Kamehameha celebration, the governor recruited prominent citizens of Hawaiian ancestry and committed his own support to raising private sector funds to keep parades and public events on all the islands going.
The governor did not fund the native Hawaiian vote. He believes it would be cruel to raise hopes and expectations without money for a sovereignty convention to follow the vote.
Governor Cayetano believes that the process for sovereignty must begin with Hawaiians reaching a consensus among themselves about what form it would take. Then others can understand and react to how it might affect all who call Hawaii home.
Randy Obata
Director for Communications
Office of the Governor
They should stop wasting Michigan taxpayers' money and their judicial system's time.
California and New York courts already have ruled that physician-assisted suicide is a constitutional right. Leave the decision to those directly involved such as terminally ill individuals, their legal representatives and their physicians.
Prolonging death in such cases is not only illegal, it increases unnecessary suffering and pain. It also results in extremely high medical costs in such cases.
How Tim Chang
No wonder I was attacked so viciously for daring to criticize SCBM; you did not want to be exposed for being intellectual frauds; and nearly all politicians in this state would have been exposed for heinous financial irresponsibility tantamount to taking candy from babies.
You lied to cover up the fact that SCBM could not have become corrupt. Legislative Auditor Marion Higa has already accused parents involved in handling SCBM funds of passing out $2 million without ever being held legally accountable for who received the money and how it was spent.
How dare you try to cite the Berman Report in your defense. I read that report, and it specifically recommends adopting SCBM only after a trial period involving only a limited number of schools - instead of your "going hog wild" advocacy.
John Masa Miriki