Killing A Perfectly Good Bill
Wednesday - May 14, 2008
Please, someone help explain the inexplicable. Why did Democratic Sens. Russell Kokubun and Jill Tokuda spear-head the drive to kill a bill allowing the Bureau of Conveyances to conduct business online?
All the directly affected parties were supportive of the effort, yet Kokubun and Tokuda were incredibly vague in their opposition. Claiming the transference of manual paperwork to an online service required the issue to be “studied” is akin to going to the beach to check if the water is wet. The hyper-boorish treatment of former DNLR director Peter Young last year by the Senate was a tragic circus that focused on the shortcomings of the BOC. So, this year, new director Laura Thielen presented a proposal that would have led to the much-demanded reform of the BOC, yet it was squashed by the senators’ obstructionist actions. If their intent was to cast the Lingle administration in a bad light, they failed. The ones who will be hurt are those on the Neighbor Islands, coincidentally enough represented by Sen. Kokubun.
Where is the local GOP?
I traffic in the world of conversation, and there isn’t even a tummy rumble emanating from the local Republican Party. I scan for press releases every day, and the Organization for the Cross Breeding of Schnauzers and Shetland Ponies has more visibility than the local elephant party. You wouldn’t know we were in an election year if it weren’t for Clinton and Obama. There are 51 House seats up for grabs and about half of the Senate. We are in the middle of May, and the primaries are in September. I have had more people in my car than the GOP contingent in the House and Senate today. It’s not as though the Democrats haven’t made some boneheaded moves. I would think an opposition party truly interested in winning in November would be more aggressive than just trying to sell seats to the Lincoln Day Dinner. Kudos to the elected GOP officials in office today, but they must be feeling like Mel Gibson in Braveheart. When the GOP tells them it’s behind them all the way, that’s where it is - way, way behind.
What’s up with the obsession with all things Britney Spears? I can’t turn the tube on without seeing some special or documentary on the life of a mildly talented Pop-Tart. There is even one television program featuring a daily segment on the latest with BS. “This just in ... Britney just burped after a visit to an In-N-Out Burger. We’ll have team coverage starting with K-Fed claiming this wasn’t the first time this has happened!” Jeesh. I wish there were as many column inches and network airtime dedicated to that kid who donated all his paper route money to a homeless family.
And while we’re at it, what happened to American Idol? I used to love that show. Now I’d rather listen to a lecture about the benefits of heating rubs while having a root canal. Randy Jackson? Ryan Seacrest? Paula Abdul? Their images would be perfect for a Mount Rushmore-esque tribute at Waimanalo Gulch. Simon is the only decent part of the show. It’s too bad he was born in England, he would make a good U.S. president.
PRESIDENT AHMADINEJAD OF IRAN: “We are going to produce nuclear weapons whether you like it or not. What do you think of that?”
PRESIDENT SIMON COWELL OF THE U.S.: “I think your performance was dreadful. You sound like something from a bad karaoke bar or some pathetic theme park, if I’m being honest. You should be very worried this week.”
If only geo-political nuclear disarmament were that simple.
Rick Hamada is the host of “The Rick Hamada Program” on KHVH AM 830Clear Channel Hawaii
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS Comments (0) |
Most Recent Comment(s):
