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POSTED: Sunday, September 28, 2008

Nuclear Hawaii? Maybe

Perhaps it's time to consider nuclear energy for Hawaii. Technology has advanced the quality and safety of this unending source of power. They are now able to recycle the spent rods. Hawaii might need only a small plant to power the entire state. It has the potential to create a lot of high-paying jobs. Many countries use this technology to create enormous revenues, such as France and China. This might be the best answer to power the rail system and get off our dependency on foreign oil that will only rise in cost.

Homeless people need sleep just like we do

In the interest of homeless who are being swept away out of their tent homes for the crime of sleeping, I ask, where do they go to stay out of the rain while they sleep? If they are lucky, they get a space at a homeless shelter. Otherwise how are these people to get a good night's sleep? Last I heard, sleep is very important to health. Can that be denied to people? Sounds like a basic human right. How can sleeping be illegal?

Why can't we have designated campsites set aside for tent dwellers? After all, we have designated dog parks for dogs! Or are dogs more important than people without homes? Or maybe a tent city looks too much like a refugee camp, which is not a very pleasant, politically correct sight.

Where is the compassion and aloha for these very poor, vulnerable people? Are we not our brothers' keepers anymore? Or are we going to just keep trying to “;sweep”; the homeless away and hope they just disappear?

Elected leaders should train for their jobs

It is puzzling and troubling that in a country as great as ours we do not have a better system for selecting our potential leaders in government. Unlike all other professions, there is no credentialing process required to hold a political office.

If people want to run for a governing position, they should be required to take courses in and show mastery of information they will need to manage the job. The curriculum could include leadership and ethics, communication and diplomacy, economics and international relations, environmental policy, health care and education, conservation and infrastructure development, transportation and security issues.

It would be a relief to be more confident that politicians might know what they are doing rather than to have to guess if they are qualified when they step up to the plate. Let politicians train for their positions like surgeons, architects, Olympians and bus drivers all must. This would be a real change in politics as usual. Then we could vote with our heads instead of our hearts and have a win/win country.

New Tesla could give isle drivers a charge

An alternative to Hawaii's highest-in-the-nation gasoline prices might be coming soon from Silicon Valley, and it seems like a perfect fit.

Tesla Motors says it'll build a plant in San Jose and start in late 2010 producing a five-passenger, all-electric sedan getting an equivalent 130 miles per gallon, a range of more than 200 miles and with a three-hour full recharge.

The company, which already is producing and has a year-long waiting list for its sharp-looking, $109,000, all-electric roadster, says it could reach an annual production of 30,000 sedans. There's also been talk of a future compact version.

Even though the sedan is expected to cost about $60,000, a Hawaii commuter now spending $60 a week on gasoline would instead plug in at home and save $25,000 in “;fuel”; costs over 10 years, putting the net cost of the Tesla sedan at a more reasonable $35,000.

The state might consider a zero-emissions tax incentive and zipper and HOV lane use for electric car users, although the state would be losing the gasoline tax revenues.

A sales representative at Teslas' Santa Monica showroom told me recently that the only drawback for Tesla sales of its cars in Hawaii is the current lack of a qualified maintenance service here.

Maybe someone like Jiffy Lube should arrange to provide that service.

General Motors also plans an electric car, the Volt, in 2010 with a battery-only range of only 40 miles before a small 1.2 liter gasoline engine kicks in to recharge the battery to extend the range.

HTA director should be above reproach

I'm stunned to observe how people simply don't understand the clarity of the Rex Johnson dilemma. Yes, we probably have bigger fish to fry, the forwarded e-mails weren't vicious, and by all accounts Johnson, executive director of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, seems to be a decent guy and commendable employee.

What people seem to be missing is that he is a director of a major state-affiliated agency that represents Hawaii to the entire world. It says so on the letterhead of the forwarded e-mails!

There simply is no room for error.

Now that he has accepted responsibility, surely he can learn from his mistakes in a job where he doesn't represent the state.

The fact that a newspaper reporter had to dig up the racist e-mails and the board has yet to dismiss him makes this stinky situation smell much more foul.

Fire everyone, hire temps, save tax money

Of course we should fire Hawaii Tourism Authority CEO Rex Johnson - as well as every other employee who has used a government computer to view/transmit adult content material, forward sexist or racist humor, or transmit personal e-mails.

Gov. Linda Lingle should also fire every employee who has used a government telephone to conduct personal business, e.g., calling home, friends, relatives, lovers, children, making appointments, shopping and so on. They are, in fact, using our taxes for their own personal benefit.

After that, the Hawaii Government Employees Association will be depleted of members, so Lingle can then hire temps to accomplish four times the workload at one-third of the employment costs, thus negating the need for budget cuts.

Perhaps we should thank Johnson for his timely contribution!

Financial corruption began under Reagan

The Bush administration has proposed a $700 billion bailout of the corrupt enterprises whose criminal actions led to our current financial catastrophe. Their source began with President Ronald Reagan and were expanded by President George W. Bush.

Reagan cut the peak tax level in half, creating a rapid increase in billionaires and multimillionaires and higher taxes for everyone else. In the belief that “;government is the problem, not the solution,”; he began the deregulation policies expanded by Bush.

All of those policies have been wrongly attributed to Adam Smith. Yet, in “;The Wealth of Nations,”; Adam Smith wrote that “;the rich should contribute to the public expense, not only in proportion to their revenue, but something more than in that proportion.”;

Like many economists, these presidents seem unaware of Adam Smith's first and most important book, “;The Theory of Moral Sentiments.”;

To many critical readers, it is considered a forerunner of all the social sciences. Unlike economists who believe that human beings are naturally selfish, the first two chapters in that book focus on the centrality of sympathy in human nature. It is a dominant feature of this book.

There has been no sympathy in those presidents or in this $700 billion payoff to criminal offenders. Sympathy has been characteristic of our greatest presidents and should be for our next president.

Members of Congress have delicate task

The economic distress caused by the meltdown in the subprime lending market and its collateral damage is useful to illustrate certain truths. Congress controls the purse strings, as is illustrated by the bailout plan working its way through congressional committees. Therefore Congress cannot be absolved from its contribution to the present crisis for both its oversight role and legislative responsibilities.

Economics is global and interconnected. All investments are based on trust and perceived value. Damage the nature of such trust and values of all assets can rapidly and disastrously collapse. Dynamic economies inherently breed to a greater or lesser extent excess and corruption. The bundling and sales of mortgage back securities the aggressive use of short sales, the manipulation of mortgage lending for private or political gain all must be addressed and rectified - yet without tossing out the innovation that exemplifies free markets and its ability to elevate peoples and nations.

Obama stickers can sway election

We know Barack Obama is going to take Hawaii in the presidential race. Why bother with an Obama bumper sticker? Well, I do it because it feels good. But let's also remember that a large number of the cars on our roads are rental cars driven by tourists.

Imagine that you are a visitor from the mainland, maybe from a swing state. Clipping along happily in your rental car, you think to yourself, “;Sheesh, if Hawaii isn't just the greatest place on earth. This 'aloha' business is where it's at.”;

You notice a common characteristic on Hawaii bumpers: the Obama sticker. The gears begin to turn. People who live in Hawaii have the right idea about so much of life ... and they're voting for Obama ... hmmm, you should vote for Obama! You go home and share this great news with friends, family, coworkers. Minds are changed. Momentum builds.

So if you're thinking you might skip the sticker, think again. Display the message to thousands of visitors on the road with us every day. Go buy the sweetest accessory your car has ever worn, or get one free by sending an e-mail to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).