A Constitutional Convention can save Hawaii taxpayers millions of dollars over the next 10 years. In 1999 I was asked during my first term as Honolulu's prosecuting attorney to write an essay on how to make Hawaii a better place in the 21st century. I wrote the following about our Legislature:

“;Hawaii's Legislature seems only capable of moving at a snail's pace while accomplishing little. When nothing gets done the House points its finger at the Senate and the Senate blames the House. There are endless opportunities for duplication of effort when the House has one version of a bill and the Senate another. The goal of this laborious and repetitive process is not exemplary legislation but whether the House or Senate gets to put its label on the bill. We should: 1) move to a unicameral system; and 2) the Legislature should meet every other year.”;

  The cost of the 1978 Con Con was a little more than $2 million, about $6.5 million in today's dollars. Last year the Legislature cost taxpayers $38 million. That is before 36 percent pay raises for legislators go into effect in 2009. So a more realistic figure of the cost of future Legislatures is between $38 million and $40 million.

With a Con Con we could make the Legislature meet every other year. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, in six states - Arkansas, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon and Texas - the Legislature meets every other year. Over a 10-year period Hawaii taxpayers could save the cost of five legislative sessions. That would be a savings of $190 million to $200 million.

  In an Oct. 12 commentary published by the Star-Bulletin, Ira Rohter, a University of Hawaii professor of political science, writes:

“;Rather than wait for state leaders to 'take care of us,' a People's Con Con could restructure government in ways that will maximize local initiatives, allowing the creative skills and good will of thousands of island residents to be utilized to collectively solve long-standing problems, and weather a troubled future with good grace.”;

  There is no likelihood that a majority of Hawaii's legislators will allow citizens the chance to take away their paychecks every other year. However, this could be done through a Con Con and this is only one way a Con Con could save taxpayers enormous sums of money.

At the conclusion of my 1999 essay for a better 21st century I wrote, “;But without people willing to be a force for change, we will have to wait another millennium for the way things ought to be.”; This year we the people have the chance to be a force for change by voting “;yes”; for a Constitutional Convention.