The Hawaii State Capitol has been closed to the public since March 2020 due to the COVID19 pandemic. Residents are not happy that special guests and lobbyists have been allowed entry.

This is one of the most ventilated buildings in Hawaii.

The offices may be like any offices but there is no reason why the legislators could not hold conversations in the open air areas. There are also wide and ventilated balconies. There is even an open air dome in the middle of the capitol.

It’s unfortunate that there are inequitable practices of entry to the State Capitol. An open and transparent government must be expected from the legislators and open to all.

It’s also unfortunate that the public cannot bring protest signs into the meeting areas. This is a public building conducting the public business for the public good and purposes. The State Legislature needs to recognize First Amendment Rights.

Since Hawaii is an island chain, it must be noted that residents from neighbor islands have to fly in to participate at the State Capitol. These travels add to the costs and time for civic participation. Those in Oahu who do not live in downtown Honolulu also have to expend time and expenses. It generally takes me about 1.5 hours to drive from Kahuku/Laie to Honolulu. Then, there are also very limited parking spaces.

Of course, some aggravations of civic participation are not being heard or recognized in the decision-making outcome.

Sometimes, legislators postpone bills during the meeting there and then; they fail to understand that such actions undercut residents who have made sacrifices to participate and be present.

For obvious reasons, we have been asking for remote testimony for many years with no success.

One bright lining of COVID19 is that the government is forced to provide digital meetings such as ZOOM and residents are also allowed to testify online.

We hope online testifying during these meetings will continue to be provided and maintained. It’s been proven possible.

There is no right or wrong answer to the above question. I like memes that tickle thoughts.

Do most people really want huge mansions and fancy cars?

Do some people want to a farmer?

To add the the thought, isn’t it interesting that there are enough people who work and lead very hectic lives in the cities with the dream that they will get a chance to live in a small farm when they retire.

The Honolulu Rail Project began in 2006 at the estimated cost of $2.7 BILLION. It has been delayed for over a decade and the estimated costs is now hovering around $12.4 BILLION.

The price will surely escalate as the conventional wisdom and warnings are that the last leg of the project will be the most costly and most complicated.

One huge elephant in the room is the fact that the route from Middle Street to Ala Moana Center is in the Honolulu Sea Level Rise Inundation Zone. But this climate change issue has been ignored and set aside by the Honolulu Rail Project decision-makers.

It’s extremely contradictory as Hawaii became the first state in the U.S. to declare climate change as a crisis. Additionally, the City and County of Honolulu also create the Office of Climate Change and Resiliency to promote climate change planning.

Facebook memes are not always accurate but this one caught my attention. There is food for thought for this meme.

Senator Kalani English, Majority Floor leader had announced his retirement on May, 2021 citing after-effects from COVID19. The FBI was already investigating him then.

House Representative Ty Cullen resigned on February 8, 2021 upon public announcement of his bribery charges.

The charges brought against them can be read from the horse’s mouth here, relating to collecting bribes in the bills decision-making process. It’s worth the read.

It appears like a sting operation. But there have been persistent rumours of “horse-trading” at the capitol. These incidents help explain why some good public purpose Bills die while other problematic ones are approved.

An antidote to all these shenanigans is term limits. It’s one way to put a damper on corruption and arrogance.

Both legislators have impressive resume.

Here is House Representative Ty Cullen’s.

EDUCATION
• St. Joseph’s School
• Damien Memorial High School
• University of Hawaii at Manoa
• Bachelor of Arts, Sociology
• Bachelor of Arts, Political Science
• Master of Public Administration, Public Administration Program
• Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) Certified
• Response Ability Pathways (RAP) Certified
• PCF Pacific Century Fellows Class of 2012
• FYLPRO Class 2015
• APAICS National Leadership Academy 2012
• CSG West Western Legislative Academy 2013

WORK EXPERIENCE
• Hale Kipa Inc.
• Program Coordinator
• Youth Advocate
• Case Manager
• Aloha Airlines
• Lead Ramp Agent
• Teaching Assistant, St. Michael’s School
• Intern, Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation

CIVIC SERVICE
• Knights of Rizal, Inductee Aloha Chapter, 2019
• 2018 Hawaii Farm Bureau Legislator of the Year
• Director, Village Park Community
• Association Board of Directors
• Precinct Chair, Democratic Party
• District 41 Precinct 5

PUBLIC OFFICE
• Waipahu Neighborhood Board

COMMUNITY SERVICE
• Filipino Community Center, Public Service, 2016
• Legislator of the Special Session, 2013
• Guide Dogs of Hawaii, Appreciation of Support, 2016
• HIV / AIDS Prevention Instructor
• Juvenile Justice Compliance Committee
• Kahana Valley Strategic Planning
• Society for Pidgin and Creole
• Linguistics (SPCL)
• Waipahu Cane Haul Run
• Waikele Taking Action Against Graffiti (TAAG) Team

YOUTH ACTIVITIES
• Assistant Coach, Waikele Wildcats
• Youth Football
• Assistant Coach, PONY League
• Youth Baseball
• Kayak Instructor, YMCA
• Counselor, Kama’aina Kids
• Tutor, St. Joseph’s School

I’m not sure what’s going on with my program. But throughout the entire Tuesday, I could not get into my domain site.

It said I had the wrong password. Even though, it told me to use my email to reset a new password, I could not get back into the site. The link to reset my password did not appear in my designated email. I tried several times. I checked the “Social” and “Promotions” side, the link was not there either. Anyhow, that was what happened.