PLAYED! Hawaii’s slickest con man, DoBOR’s Ed Underwood, plays legislators like a master . . . legislators bought it like it was gospel

Hawaii's statewide public recreational harbor system was just thrown under the bus

After observing the WAL hearing for SB795, one better understands how easily our legislature can be waylaid, misled and played by inept managers wishing to turn their pet agenda into law.

As a token gesture, during the hearing held today, and one perhaps designed to make the public think that Rep Tarnas had properly researched the topic issues behind SB795, Tarnas had Section 3 of the measure deleted from the bill while allowing the rest of it to slide by like a greased monkey on a water slide.  Section 3 was the least contentious part of SB795, and had little weight in the broader scope of this legislation.  The rest of the bill, if passed, would trigger further budget deficits, fly in the face of a pending law suit challenging the core premise of the bill, and create still more homelessness.

The dangerous reality of our lawmaking system

And this, in fact, is how our lawmaking system works here in Hawaii.   In any legislative session, legislators find themselves with a large number of bills to consider.   Aside from the fact that it is not humanly possible to properly research each piece of legislation, it appears that some legislators are not even fundamentally prepared to effectively do any of the background investigative and research work needed to make an informed voting decision.  It seemed to us that some of our legislators appeared to be functionally illiterate, preventing them from fully understanding important informational input regarding any given proposed legislation.

The huge workload and literate deficiencies noticed in some lawmakers result in legislators having to rely on information ― usually oral testimony ― from the very same agency managers whose pet agendas they are being asked to pass.

Managers like con man, Ed Underwood, thrive in this environment.

Because the system is so seriously flawed, legislation passed “in the interest of the public” often has the opposite effect, causing severe harm to the quality of life of the very same public.  Because of this, it’s not surprising that the public finds itself with no other option but to seek urgent damage control through civil disobedience in order to protect itself from the hostile environment that is perpetuated as a result of the State’s dysfunctional governance. 

Hawaii’s government produces legislation that, in some cases, spurs an illegal response

In short, Hawaii’s government produces legislation that, in some cases, spurs illegal activity which then begs that still more legislation be enacted to control the negative outcome from the last piece of misguided legislation . . . ad infinitum. 

Ours is a system that patently does not work, is nothing short of injurious to the public in some cases, and serves only those who have insider access to the system ― and that’s not the public.

In light of our first-hand observation, over the years, of how Hawaii’s government is (a) incapable of policing itself ― the inherent corruption, its penchant for dubious selective enforcement, and its condoning of its vast pool of inept management, (b) is, by default, incapable of properly vetting proposed new legislation, and (c) how lawmaking is so easily steered by inept agency management that is wholly incapable of discharging their duties to the public and must, for survival, initiate rulemaking designed to cover for their costly ongoing mistakes . . .

We at Hawaii Ocean News can find no reason to vilify those who choose civil disobedience as a last resort to ensure their own survival in Hawaii's dysfunctional governing environment.