Personally, I don't understand the clamor. Hey, what do you expect? The basic premise of modern-day society is the adage: "If something bad happens, it's always somebody else's fault." In other words, "Sue the bastard." Which is why we have to be really, really careful when it comes to electing our government representatives.
May I illustrate with a hypothetical?
Let's say my competitor over at the Advertiser coveted my parking space in the News Building lot. (Don't even think about it, Jerry Burris. This is strictly hypothetical.) Can you imagine what would occur if his vehicle suddenly usurped my little rectangle of asphalt?
In the old days, when something terrible occurred, folks would bitch, moan and weep but eventually accept it as fate. Now, they call a lawyer.
Therefore, in this purely fictional example, I would file a lawsuit against the no-good parking space stealer and the company that employs him. Attorneys' fees on both sides would soar. Suppose I won a whopping settlement - in the millions of dollars!
Now, guess what would happen if the Advertiser tried to recoup that loss by raising the price of the morning paper by 25 cents.
Many readers would become former readers. They'd get their news from alternative sources such as the Star-Bulletin, television and radio. They would boycott the Advertiser in protest.
Actually, this doesn't sound too bad.
It's a different scenario, however, in the public sector. That's the REAL monopoly in town, gang.
Those who run our city, state and federal governments have no competition. If you don't like a law, tough tooties. There aren't any alternatives in the wide, wacky, wonderful world of public service.
Therefore, when DeSoto and Mirikitani got into a tiff, which imperfect human beings are disposed to do, there was only one alternative - the judicial system.
This involved a very serious matter. Mirikitani allegedly yelled at DeSoto's secretary. How awful for her. DeSoto then banished Mirikitani to the eighth floor of Honolulu Hale. How awful for him. Mirikitani refused to move. Now the whole cantankerous case is being mediated by retired Circuit Judge Patrick Yim.
Look on the bright side of this chaos: It would cost taxpayers way more than $175 an hour to resolve this situation in the courts. Count our blessings.
OF course, this is the reason to be extremely careful about which candidates are elected into office. After all, they are charged with the important business of making and enacting the rules of the land. Until they are booted out, we are stuck with them.
In the meantime, when a conflict arises, it likely will be dealt with in the same way everybody else in this town deals with problems, which is why the legal profession continues to flourish. There's no such thing as too much litigation in the United States of America, not when it's the first thing that people think of when you-know-what happens.
Why should DeSoto and Mirikitani behave any differently than the rest of us?