Summit shibai:
Dems know what’s
wrong with economy

Holding Con Con is first step
on path to economic recovery, but
Democrats are in the way

Governor Cayetano and the Democrats are aware and also informed about Hawaii's economic collapse since 1991. They decided to ignore the collapse. Out of sight, out of mind.

Surprise! This is 1997, six years later, and Hawaii's economy is still in the outhouse. Hawaii's people are hurting and the governor and the Democrats know it.

The problem is, they are in a panic because they have only one solution, increase taxes. The Democrats can blame the economic summit for recommending tax increases.

The governor's call this week for an economic summit is just plain politics. The Democrats are preparing for the 1998 elections.

Try figure: A meeting of Democrats (maybe a token Republican or two who really are Democrats), behind closed doors so "they can let their hair down," including the public sector union leadership (with Gary Rodrigues present), and business community Democrats brainstorming Hawaii's economic recovery.

Look out, people of Hawaii, we going get 'um on the okole again.

Hawaii's people are akamai enough to know the solution to the economic collapse. It is leadership, and today the Democrats refuse to lead in addressing Hawaii's economy.

First, we must have a constitutional convention to restructure Hawaii's legal foundation, because many economic recovery decisions will be directly related to our Constitution.

Question: How come the Democrats are opposed to having a constitutional convention? Answer: Because the changes will take power away from them.

For example, we must:

Repeal Article XIII, Section 2, relating to public employees.

Find a way to consolidate Article XII, that will take the best from the Hawaiian Homes Commission and Office of Hawaiian Affairs to make one group that will address the rights of the Hawaiian people. The Democrats want to keep them apart to create pilikia. That has gone on too long.

Repeal Article XI, Section 7, relating to water resources, giving the counties the power to make their own decisions.

Amend Article X, Section 2, relating to the Board of Education, to address accountability.

Amend the Constitution by adding a provision to protect marriage as between a man and a woman.

Second, we must reduce public employment to the 1985 level of 47,500, when Hawaii's operating revenue for the fiscal year was $2.5 billion. The tax revenue for fiscal year 1996-97) is $2.7 billion and we have some 69,000 public employees.

Third, we must create incentives for economic development on the neighbor islands. For example, on the Big Island, we should make Hilo a Free (Foreign) Trade Zone, and develop a satellite-launching site at South Point. We must support the rocket-testing site at Barking Sands on Kauai. Also, we must develop water sports for Maui and the Big Island.

Fourth, we must create incentives for economic development in the area of tropical medicine research and treatment for the islands of Maui and Kauai, with UH-Manoa being the tropical medicine research center of the world.

Fifth, we must privatize our prison system by planning, constructing and operating 1,500-bed facilities on Kauai and the Big Island.

Sixth, we must modify our public educational system to move the control of the schools away from the public unions and into the hands of responsible citizens. We are in dire need of an educated work force to make Hawaii competitive in the international market.

Seventh, we must develop tax and other incentives to have individuals and financial organizations invest in elderly care facilities through established churches as nonprofit operations.

Eighth, we must reduce the transient accommodation tax to 4 percent from the present 6 percent, and have all funds generated from this tax go directly to the counties for their control. This incentive may reduce the business property tax for hotels that is passed on in the hotel room rates.

Ninth, we must repeal the reciprocal benefits law, to eliminate any potential consequence of additional costs for businesses and individuals.

Tenth, we must reduce and eliminate many of the fees being charged to residents and visitors, bringing Hawaii into a cost-benefit economic balance.

Enough shibai already. People of Hawaii, please wake up and "chance 'um" by voting Republican.

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James I. Kuroiwa Jr. is Honolulu County
chairman of the Republican Party of Hawaii. The opinions
in Other Views columns are the authors' and are not
necessarily shared by the Star-Bulletin.