Letters

Love and hot air

Friday, October 24th, 2008

Aside from reminding us that Connie Lau is a bit of a romantic and Henry Curtis a bit of a punster, the competing views frame the gist of the discussion that invariably arises when we try to make big changes.

The basic outlines of the agreement would support wind-power generators on Maui, Moloka‘i and Lana‘i, with an underwater cable linking those islands to Maui,O‘ahu and even the Big Island. HECO estimates that the system could provide up to a third of O‘ahu’s power requirements, saving billions of dollars in fuel costs and significantly reducing our state’s dependence on imported oil. That money would stay in the local economy, instead of being sent overseas.

I would also hope that Moloka‘i residents will able to fill many of the jobs that accompany the task of managing a wind farm on the island, whether those jobs are technical or supportive in nature. And, as I’ve pointed out before, while the presence of wind generators will have some visual impact, they are more environmentally friendly than high-density hotel or residential developments.

So the agreement could mean environmental preservation, an economic boost, jobs, and cheap electricity. What’s not to love?

Experience shows that for every action, there is an opposite and equal criticism. An alternative always exists. The media quotes Mr. Curtis as saying that, "consumers will be a lot happier if they put solar panels on their roofs." He may be right. While the wind power proposal shifts HECO from being an energy producer to an energy broker, it still leaves them in command of the means of distribution; we will still have an electric grid to deal with. Individual power generation eliminates our collective reliance on centralized generation and the potential for market leverage and distribution failures.

Still, the best is the enemy of the good. A plan based on individual generation capacity assumes that everyone who wants to install solar panels will be able to pay for them, or will live in a location suitable for solar power. Those who cannot afford solar panels or cannot use them would remain at the mercy of centrally generated, fossil fuel-based electricity. In other words, those with the least economic leverage would face the greatest financial burden. That is unacceptable.

Bob Jones Gets it Wrong on Molokai

Friday, October 17th, 2008

For those who have not encountered Jones’ Moloka‘i musings, he calls it "the Screwed Up Island," and says that residents should not try to preserve the island and its lifestyle "if you insist on welfare." He closes by claiming that, "Most people make something happen. Not on Moloka‘i."

Mr. Jones lives in the suburbs of Honolulu. I imagine he shops at Whole Foods, recycles, and keeps his property in a condition that prevents his neighbors from giving him dirty looks when he goes on his evening walks around the neighborhood. He orders the fresh catch in restaurants to keep his cholesterol down. He occasionally buys produce from the farmers’ market because it is closer to nature, and to support local agriculture.

None of those things are bad. They are simply lifestyle choices that he has made, a version of day-to-day life that makes him happy and comfortable, the way that all of us would like to be in our lives. If there is a negative aspect to the Jones lifestyle it is the assumption that his choices are superior to anyone else’s.

Moloka‘i residents—the people that Bob Jones has chosen to belittle—have made other choices. In his column, Jones criticizes the lack of fresh produce at the local market. He misses the vital fact that on Moloka‘i, home gardens are as common as two-car garages in Honolulu; fresh produce is still warm from the sun, with dirt clinging to its roots. When Moloka‘i talks about fresh fish, it is the fish we caught ourselves earlier that day.

Yes, life on Moloka‘i has its own unique challenges. Nobody wants to pay five dollars for a gallon of gas. More jobs would strengthen the local economy. We could use more medical care.

At the same time, living on Moloka‘i brings gifts you would not find if we became another suburb of Wailuku. The community has a bond and a sense of mutual support that has become too rare in modern society. Moloka‘i lives close to the land, and close to the heart.

Most importantly, Moloka‘i has stepped up to take control of its own destiny; Moloka‘i belongs to Moloka‘i. Large hotels and upscale housing developments do not fit into the vision that has grown naturally from what the island’s residents envision for themselves. Tourism may be part of that, along with responsible agriculture and appropriate energy industries. But it will be on the community’s own terms.

There are things in life that you can only sell once, because as soon as you do, you know you’ll never get it back. Moloka‘i’s heart, future, and destiny are among those things. If Bob Jones can’t see that, he should think about staying on his own lanai, enjoying the sounds of traffic going by.

Let’s Talk Story

Friday, October 10th, 2008

As a Senator representing a wonderfully complex district, I often wish I had more time to spend with every one of you. I learn great things in every conversation, feel your support and, sometimes, your disappointment or frustration. Talking with you is the best way I know to learn what is going on, and where your deepest concerns lie.

For my friends and ‘ohana on Moloka‘i, I know that there are day-to-day concerns that sometimes do not make it across the channel to the media on Maui or in Honolulu. Anyone with a deep understanding of Moloka‘i appreciates that the conversations in your homes and in the community are where the grassroots issues first come up.

I would like to make this column—which I hope will be the first in a long weekly series—a regular way for us to carry on this conversation. Serving our district means facing some simple geographical facts. We cover four islands, so it is not likely that everyone will gather in the same place. And while technology may make it seem that your neighbors on Lana‘i and in Hana are closer than ever, there are still challenges in seeing where your interests are the same, and where they may differ.

Frankly, we just won’t have as many chances to sit and talk story in the traditional ways. But rather than give up on that time-honored tradition, we will simply have to find new ways to keep the conversation going.

At the same time, I don’t want to be the person who comes to your house and won’t stop talking long enough for you to let you share your mana‘o too. Instead, I hope that this will be a place where we can share ideas. You can look forward to not only a report of what issues are at the top of the Senate’s agenda, but also what I am hearing in my community meetings with your neighbors. I will share my opinions, and I hope you will free to share your as well.

Of course, for this to work as a new version of an old-fashioned talk story session, it is up to you to speak up and join in. I know that sometimes community members feel that their representatives stop caring as soon as they get elected, or that we lose sight of their concerns once we land in Honolulu. Join me in overcoming those old ideas and artificial barriers. Call me at my Senate office, email me, or come to a community meeting and tell me what concerns you.
So let’s talk story.

Fake Funny Farms – Maui County redefines agriculture to include vacation rentals.

Sunday, October 5th, 2008

It seems like we’re constantly changing the definition to words to suit our lifestyle changes and our response to money.  Once upon a time, agriculture meant the production of food, fiber, and timber. All of a sudden, this definition is being turned on its head with the recent enactment of a law that allows transient vacation rentals on agricultural lands. Has the County gone over the edge or do they know something that we don’t? 

Just like the song of the late 60’s by Cat Stevens, “Where do the children play”, my question now is “where do the farmers farm if they farm at all”. With some farm land in Maui County exceeding $500,000 an acre, probably the highest in the nation, who in their right mind will want to farm when they’ll be spending the rest of their life paying for the land. Farm land has shifted from a resource, as envisioned in our state constitution, to a commodity sold to the highest bidder and the County is taking the lead in making this happen.

Fake and funny farms dot the island from east to west, along with a new generation of pseudo-farmers all trying to find a way to get out of farming, yet still benefit from the zoning and tax breaks. Now, there’s a new crutch to lean on and make big bucks with transient vacation rentals, and bed and breakfasts.

I attended a Sustainable Agriculture Conference in Kona last week and the first question asked of everyone was, “What will be needed to create stronger local and regional food systems that are less reliant on imports from elsewhere?” Expecting responses such as farmers market and community-supported agriculture, my response was ‘a catastrophe’. The only way we will change in Maui County is when a disaster forces us to change. By that time, we’ll be eating each other.

Still, the question begs to be answered, “Who will grow our food when the farms are surrounded by houses with residents screaming about the tractor noise, dust, and funny smells and the farmers give up. This is already happening. But who really cares anyway! I still remember a farmer in Colorado I visited who used to spread manure on his fields from nearby feedlots each spring, and would receive a barrage of calls from irate neighbors. When asked, “What is that smell? He replied, “It’s the smell of money.”

Well, not anymore. Now with the New Wave Maui farming, you don’t even have to add manure or fertilizer to your fields. You can create a farm without even farming. All you have to do is construct transient vacation rentals on your farm land, and paste farm pictures on all the windows so your visitors think they’re staying on a farm. You can change the pictures by the seasons, such as classic Tuscany in the spring, or Napa Valley in the late summer.

You can create the ultimate in local cuisine by heading down to Safeway or Costco, buying all kinds of fruits, vegetables, fish and shrimp from Chile, Mexico, China, and who knows where, head back home, and whip up a luscious brunch for your unknowing visitors. No one would be the wiser, and visitors would have a once in a lifetime experience as a result. If you want to get fancy, you can spice things up and add a little more ambiance at the same time by tying a Holstein cow near the entrance to your rental units.

I would never have come up with this great idea on my own, and have to thank the county council and the mayor for thinking ‘outside the box’ and being on the cusp of regional land use planning. I hope they keep their thinking caps on, because I know this is only the beginning of some great ideas to come. If they run out of more ideas, I have some smart pills on hand that I can donate to them, but they have to move fast because it’s only good until my rabbit gets the runs.

Governor Approves Condemning of Oahu Lands

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008