Mark Twain warned us, “No man’s life, liberty or property are safe while the Legislature is in session.” Who does our Legislature actually work for?
One of the obvious problems statewide is the cost of housing. The Legislature could relax some rules to increase the supply but instead they keep adding specifications and requirements that make building any new residence difficult and expensive. The latest is a requirement for massive concrete foundations that can add half a million to the cost of a simple home before there is one stick in the air.
The construction of houses that have been standing for over 80 years on 4×4 post-and-pier construction are somehow no longer adequate. Some are 4 stories on one side. Dual pane, aka, thermos-pane glass is required in windows that hardly ever close, with e-glass for the blazing Arizona sun. R19 insulation to reduce energy bills in a climate with no need for heat or AC.
Why must tropical houses be built to an international standard? No one takes his house with him when he moves hundreds of miles, or thousands.
I asked my Senator about it and instead of an answer, I got a research assignment, pro bono, I guess. The manufacturers of building components (windows, bathtubs, fixtures) and materials (cement, copper, insulation, lumber) are large corporations with lots of money for lobbyists to influence codes. It’s easy for an anonymous staffer to add a requirement to a standard, but it takes a conscientious public outcry to get it removed. The code agency will argue, without evidence, that they are saving lives, or at least that you can’t be too safe.
However too much safety can impair a wholesome life. Sure, there would be hardly any head injuries if we all wore motorcycle helmets all the time, but is that any way to live?
Gambling, gaming if you prefer, was deeply embedded in the original culture of Hawaii nui. The Legislature has opposed even the slightest most carefully regulated effort to introduce any taxable form of gaming, even limited to international travelers as they exit, with slot machines located only in the international departure lounge.
Billions of Hawaii dollars go the ninth island of Las Vegas. Who benefits? Las Vegas casinos, restaurants, hotels and airlines. That money could stay here. Who loses? Local businesses small and large, Hawaii’s taxpayers. Who else loses? Employees at local half-empty hotels and people who use VRBO or Airbnb to help pay the mortgage.
A lot of power in Hawaii rests in the missionary heirs. The missionaries came to do good and as everyone knows they did right well. Is their Calvinist attitude blocking gambling even though some limited regulated gaming could fatten the tax coffers? It has done so for so many Native American tribes and their communities. Illegal untaxed gambling is common, it’s addictive and unregulated.
Kona coffee commands a high price and the Legislature has finally implemented a labeling rule requiring a minimum 51% Kona content to use the Kona name. What do you get when you mix 51% Kona coffee and 49% cheap unregulated mystery coffee? One hundred percent mystery coffee. The worst cup of coffee I have had in the last 20 years was Kona-Blend served at a Chamber of Commerce governor’s luncheon! Yes, I complained to the Chamber president and got a blank stare.
Who is the Legislature supporting? Hard working local small farmers or international commodity marketing corporations, with lots of political influence, and lobbyists in Honolulu?
The public overwhelmingly supports legalized regulated cannabis, practically everyone has tried it, but the Calvinist influenced Legislature resists every effort to liberalize the rules. The reefer madness claims have been totally debunked. Cannabis is safer than Tylenol. Who benefits? Illegal drug sellers who suck up the taxable profits and use marijuana as a marketing strategy to meet new customers who may be persuaded to try something addictive and profitable. Doctors who write unnecessary prescriptions for a fee, but provide little health care.
Why did popular roadside vendors and food trucks disappear?
Sometimes it looks like the Legislature thinks there is only one county. That county has a majority in both houses, but even they have less input than lobbyists.
Ken Obenski is a forensic engineer, now safety and freedom advocate in South Kona. He writes a biweekly columnfor West Hawaii Today. Send feedback to obenskik@gmail.com.