It’s time for full public financing in Hawaii elections

The influence of money in our elections has been a longstanding issue in Hawaii, with government corruption a top concern for voters. It is now time for lawmakers to take decisive action to address it. Establishing a fully publicly financed election program is a critical step in this process, and Hawaii has a great opportunity to make this program a reality now.

Under a fully publicly financed election program, candidates who can gather the necessary number of $5 donations from their district’s constituents become eligible for state funds to finance their campaign. Candidates who choose to participate in this program are prohibited from accepting any additional private donations. This feature helps sever the link between donors and elected officials and reduces the likelihood of conflicts of interest and corruption.

Senate Bill 1543 seeks to introduce this program statewide in Hawaii. The bill received almost unanimous backing from the state Senate. It’s now up to the House to pass it and send it on to the governor’s desk.

In addition to addressing corruption, fully publicly financed elections can promote diversity and representation in the political system. By ensuring equal opportunities for candidates to run a successful campaign, candidates can compete and win without access to wealthy donors. This can lead to a more diverse group of elected officials and better representation of the people.

The Hawaii County Council implemented this program in the 2010 and 2012 races, leading to a significant number of first-time candidates participating and winning. As a result, these newly elected council members were not influenced by wealthy donors but were accountable to their constituents, who had played a crucial role in their victory. Former County Council member and current state Rep. Greggor Ilagan of Puna used this program in 2012 and won.

Despite considerable success of the program, insufficient funding from the state led to the program’s discontinuation. Today, we have the opportunity to fully fund and expand it statewide. Although the program lacks funding, the cost to implement it across all state races is relatively low, estimated at less than $10 million annually, a tiny fraction of the state budget. When it comes to protecting our democracy, investing $10 million is a small price to pay. Public financing can ultimately generate cost savings by reducing the requirement for politicians to constantly solicit donations from private interests, allowing them to instead focus their time and behavior on the needs of their constituents. Connecticut has had fully publicly financed elections for over a decade and has saved money as a result. They have closed corporate loopholes that are worth far more than the program’s expense since its implementation.

Big Island Rep. David Tarnas acknowledges the importance of ending corrupt practices, as evidenced by his successful passage of several governmental reform bills out of his Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs committee this year. However, these bills are not enough. Without the passage of SB 1543, wealthy donors will continue to wield significant political power that can be at odds with the will of Hawaii’s people. It is crucial that Rep. Tarnas passes SB 1543 out of his committee before the March 23 deadline, for the program to have any chance of being enacted. It is time for Hawaii to join the other states that have successfully implemented fully publicly financed election programs and to work towards a more just and democratic society.

We cannot afford to wait any longer. Let’s support Rep. Tarnas and urge him to take action to establish a fully publicly financed election program in Hawaii. Together, we can make Hawaii a model for democracy and assure our citizens that our political system serves all people, not just wealthy individuals and businesses.

Donna Oba, President, League of Women Voters of Hawaii Beppie Shapiro, President, League of Women Voters of Honolulu

Why Fox News lies

I have been writing letters to the editor for years warning people not to watch Fox News because they are liars. Lying about COVID-10, lying about immigrants, lying about taxes, and most recently, lying about the 2020 elections.

Now we know why they lie. Under oath in a lawsuit, Fox owner Rupert Murdoch, and all of Fox’s leading hosts, have admitted that they never for a minute believed the lies about the 2020 election. But nevertheless, they repeated those lies on their shows over and over again, month after month and year after year.

Court documents show that they did it because they were worried that their audience would leave them for another right-wing network if Fox did not give them the pro-Trump “news” that they craved. And if their ratings went down, their salaries would go down too.

Fox has been doing this since it was started by Murdoch and Roger Ailes 25 years ago as a way to bolster Ailes’ right wing ideas and feed Murdoch’s greed. After all those years of listening to Fox’s lies, their audience now lives in a parallel universe where America is anointed by God to be a Christian evangelical nation with guns for everyone and no regulations on businesses (like Murdoch’s).

It’s no surprise that an authoritarian racist like Trump would come along and take advantage of this audience of misinformed rage and racism.

What Murdoch has done to our country is disgusting. This Australian corporate globalist found a way to make money off of lies, and he could not care less if he creates a smoldering political hellscape in the United States.

As he put it in his deposition, “It’s all about the green.”

Matt Binder

Waimea

Bloody good response

Words cannot express our gratitude for the community response to the Dave Yamagata Lifesaver Blood Drive in February this year. According to the Blood Bank of Hawaii they registered 519 donors, 132 of which were first-time donors!

There has rarely, if ever, been such a response in Kona. They filled all the available appointments over the three-day event. This is a huge help to Dave and others like him who depend on blood transfusions to survive.

Our blood supply in the islands is critically low, and you all made a difference.

The Hawaii Blood Bank comes to Kona only four times a year. The next blood drive will be June 20-22. The appointment schedule will be available on line at bbh.org by end of March, or you can call them now to make an appointment at (808) 848-4700.

Some of you did not get a chance to donate in February, so please make an appointment for the June event. Tell them you are supporting the Dave Yamagata Lifesaver Club No. 3307.

Again, mahalo nui loa for making a difference and literally saving lives!

Louise Morris

Dave Yamagata

Kailua-Kona