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| Malia Zimmerman |
Is it Mars or Makiki?
From an aerial view, the streets of Oahu resemble the surface of Mars -- bumpy, dirty, and full of potholes.
In fact, Oahu’s streets are in such poor condition, the state was rated in 1993 as having the worst roads in the nation.
Visitors are immediately shocked by the condition of the roadways, while residents grumble as they continue to crash into potholes that clearly resembling mini craters.
Who is responsible for the conditions of these terrible roads? Politicians in the county and state blame the recent torrential downpours. But a report by the Department of Transportation shows there is much more to the supposed mystery.
Over the last decade, state lawmakers in the majority party have been raiding
the state transportation fund that sets aside money for road repairs and
maintenance.
The transportation fund comes from the taxes Hawaii drivers pay on gasoline
and matching federal funds. Currently, Hawaii drivers pay the highest taxes on
gasoline in the nation, so the roads should be in close to perfect condition.
But they are not. Here is one major reason why, according to a report obtained
from the Department of Transportation.
- In 1996, Democrats raided $10 million from the transportation fund because there were "excess funds."
- In 1997, Democrats raided $19 million from the transportation fund "in lieu of raising other taxes," and then raided another $22.5 million from that fund with no explanation in the DOT report.
- In 1998, Democrats raided $23.4 million from the transportation fund.
- In 1999, Democrats raided $24.3 million.
- In 2000 and again in 2001, they raided $11 million annually for a total of $22 million.
- In 2002 and 2003, Democrats raided another $22 million from the transportation fund.
This year, the raid pulled from the transportation fund by Senate Democrats will be $12.5 million, which will transfer into the general fund to balance the state budget.
The total from 1996 to 2003 raided from the general fund is around $143 million, according to the DOT figures.
Gov. Linda Lingle and Republican lawmakers opposed to the raid said that $143 million was desperately needed for road repairs and maintenance. Lingle says Hawaii’s piggy bank was hit doubly hard by the raid, because Hawaii citizens lost money they’d paid from gasoline taxes and then saw gas taxes raised to cover the shortfall; and Hawaii lost matching federal funds when the special fund was drained.
Those fighting to lower Hawaii’s gasoline prices without the proposed
gasoline caps set to go into place in July 2004, say prices can be lowered considerably if taxes on gasoline are cut. Hawaii’s gasoline differs by county, but on average is around 56 to 58 cents per gallon. Hawaii lawmakers also should stop raiding the transportation fund, leading to more tax increases, critics say.
Yesterday, Florida’s Republican administration, run by Gov. Jed Bush, acted on the suggestion to lower gasoline taxes, reducing them by 10 cents.
Slow Down, You Move Too Fast, Gotta Make That Morning Traffic Last
Would government in favor of mass transit and supposed "rapid transit"
intentionally construct barriers in the road and put the traffic lights out of sync
to make the traffic slower so drivers eventually support expensive transit
projects?
That is a likely scenario, according to traffic expert, engineer and
professor at the University of Hawaii, Dr. Panos D. Prevedouros, who spoke to the
Honolulu-based HI Success group yesterday morning. Prevedouros has studied Hawaii traffic
patterns for years, even teaching classes on the subject and says there are many
people who believe the lights are intentionally kept from being in sync to
frustrate drivers. City officials also have admitted on several occasions to
installing "traffic calming" measures to slow traffic on busy streets.
Prevedouros suggests rather than spending $2.6 billion on a heavy rail system
that goes above or below Hawaii roadways as the state proposed last year, the
state and City and County of Honolulu should spend around $2 million to
synchronize the traffic lights so traffic flows smoother. He proposes a number of
other common sense and considerably cheaper solutions, including improving
traffic flow in the afternoon by implementing some of the same measures used in
the morning traffic such as zipper lanes and contraflow lanes.
Opponents of "traffic calming measures," which have popped up all around Oahu under Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris’ rule, "calm" traffic to the point of traffic jams. Such measures include concrete devices to narrow lanes, roundabouts, and even trees in the middle of major thoroughfares that narrow lanes as well.
Emergency personnel also complain about the traffic calming devices saying
they can no longer fit their fire trucks or ambulances down many of the roadways
where these calming measures have been installed.
Cliff Slater, one of the nation’s leading transportation experts based in
Hawaii, also spoke at the HI Success event. He agrees the state can and should
spend considerably less than $2.6 billion to improve traffic conditions,
starting with the reversible transitway proposed by the state that brings
automobiles into the city in the morning and out of the city in the afternoon. Heavy
rail ridership around the country is decreasing, says Slater, who just returned
from the American Dream conference, which focuses in part on smart traffic
solutions.
Both Slater and Prevedouros have their studies and reports as required
reading in universities across the nation.
Bills to Break Pay to Play System Moving Through Legislature, Council
A bill to break up Hawaii’s prevalent "pay to play" system is moving through
the state Legislature and into conference committee where lawmakers in the
House and Senate will decide on a final version.
The governor, who ran for office in 2002 on the promise to restore trust in
government, is expected to sign the legislation, which would prevent companies from
giving political contributions to elected officials involved in procurement, for
at least one year before and after receiving local government contracts.
That is a relief to Bob Watada, executive director of the state Campaign
Spending Commission, who has been trying for a number of years to break the system
where companies seeking contracts from county or state government give
campaign contributions to local officials to secure the contracts.
Watada has strong evidence such a system he deemed "pay to play" exists -- the
state Campaign Spending Commission has fined more than 70 companies over the
last three years for illegal campaign contributions to local elected officials
and some have been prosecuted criminally by the city prosecutor for money
laundering. So far nearly all of the companies fined have given excess
contributions or false name contributions to Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris.
Some of the money laundering cases to Harris reached amounts between $80,000
and $200,000.
Honolulu City Council Member Mike Gabbard, who represents district 1
including Ewa to Waianae, and is typically supportive of Harris’ programs and plans,
also is working to break the cycle of "pay to play."
Gabbard introduced Bill 32 in the Honolulu City Council yesterday to ban
people and companies who have violated the state Campaign Spending laws from
receiving city contracts.
The state procurement code established last year contains an interim
administrative rule requiring initiation of debarment procedures for people who
violate the state’s campaign financing laws and are fined at least $5,000 or are
convicted of a related crime under the campaign financing laws.
Harris will have to sign the bill if it passes the council on third reading
with a majority of the 9-member vote.
Gabbard recently announced he is running for U.S. Congress as a Republican
against U.S. Rep. Ed Case, D-Manoa in the 2004 election.
Charter Schools Rally for Funding, Future, On Threat of Being Shut Down
Democrats in the House and Senate money committees rushed to put the state
budget together for political reasons -- they wanted to get the budget to Gov.
Linda Lingle early so if she vetoed it, lawmakers would not have to call a
special session to override her veto. This is just one of the many political
shenanigans Democrats in leadership in the Legislature are using to attempt to
unnerve Hawaii’s first Republican governor and to ensure she does not accomplish
much in her first term in office, which began in 2002.
But that strategy is already backfiring -- apparently in the rush to finish
the budget, Democrat leadership forgot to fund a number of measures that will as
a result hurt Hawaii’s children, disabled, blind and poor -- all groups
Democrats brag they protect.
Lingle said yesterday on KHVH’s Rick Hamada Show that charter schools were not funded in this bill and so are in jeopardy of shutting down. In addition, several federally funded positions also were cut within the Department of Human Services, which will cause the department to cut services to the blind, poor and disabled. Lingle and Department Director Lillian Koller say they were surprised federally funded positions – funded 100 percent by the federal government --were cut by Democrats in the money committees.
To protest the lack of funding to charter schools, Rep. Lynn Finnegan, R-Stadium, is coordinating a rally at the Hawaii State Capitol on Friday, April 23, beginning at 9 a.m. The public is welcome to attend. For more information, call Finnegan at 586-9470.
For more information, see: "Early Budget Passage Means Another Vehicle Needed for Charter School Funding"
Super Sisters Launch New Show With Governor As First Guest
The Baraquio sisters including Bernadette Baraquio, former star reporter and anchor on Channel 2 News, are launching another new show on OC 16 called "Living Local," at 9 p.m. beginning this Sunday, April 25, 2004.
According to Gov. Linda Lingle's staff, Lingle will be one of the first guests on the show, airing this week. Be sure to tune in.
Reach Malia Zimmerman, president and editor of Hawaii Reporter, via email at: mailto:Malia@hawaiireporter.com
