From Apathy to Advocacy

Our Mission Statement: From Apathy to Advocacy.
For those not new to this, think: from Resignation to Richness.

If you take just a short time to learn about how things work on Maui, you’ll find out they don’t work very well. Or they leave us scratching our heads at the unsettling lunacy.  Ever wonder why? Let’s find out together and see what we can do to change it. Expect More, Maui.

The irony of our logo being a hand painted sign is intended. You should Expect More of us.

Scroll down to find out what’s on our mind.
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Malama Makena. ‘nuf already.

Why does County Council think it a good idea to take land that is currently zoned ‘agricultural’ in Makena and rezone it to ‘urban’ so more homes can be built?

There are already lots there that can be built on. This looks like a greedy landowner wanting to just put more homes on smaller lots in a very sacred and popular area that we should be striving to keep as undeveloped as possible. Why does County Council need to support someone’s greed? What is wrong with just the few homes that current zoning would already allow?

The matter of the much larger Makena Resort development is coming up for consideration, and this is a troubling sign of what is to come.

What is the compulsion on Maui to keep rezoning to allow more development? And it is troubling that some plans for rezoning don’t take into account the recommendations of the General Plan Advisory Committee that worked so hard to present intelligent ideas and with the feedback of the community involved in the entire process. 

I don’t understand what the County’s mandate is. They have proven that they don’t feel the need to respect the public testimony they get. Just where do they get the additional information outside of the testimony they hear that sways their votes? And always for more development.

Thanks to Maui Tomorrow & SaveMakena.org for paying attention to these matters so people like me can learn enough to make our feelings known.

Maury King

A great country?

Were we ever a great country? We look back on early America as the place people came for religious freedom and to have a new and better life.  All of us immigrants when we arrived. Of course we had our way with the Native American population, believing the place was ours for the taking. What’s so great about that? (sound familiar Hawaii?) Later, people were killed for trying to start unions. Or just for having a different skin color. Was that a great country? Oh yeah, we were able to grow and grow and make some people very rich. (while plundering the planet)

It has been said that democracy is the greatest political system. I suspect that it has just taken longer to show its true colors. It does look good on paper. Maybe if everyone involved in this system operated with integrity and with the greater good of all in mind it would be groovy. But look where we have ended up. Everything is so much about greed and power. Sensibility, health, safety and quality of life are out the window in the face of corporations.

And our stuck with gears forever grinding political system can’t even begin to tackle the large, systemic problems like Social Security and Medicare that need addressing. Oops. I just felt a little bile in my throat. Oh editor, pray tell the nastiest words thou wouldst allow me to defile the do nothing while still blood sucking leeches gaming the political system for less than honorable reason?

We are at the point where future generations won’t have it as good as their parents (the experts say). What does that even mean? What will it look like? We are failing to educate our children in a meaningful way. We are failing to feed the children and ourselves healthily. Congress is considering a bill that would put huge corporations in charge of food and practically ban using your own seeds, having a backyard garden and hamstringing organic food production in the name of safety. Just the opposite direction we should be going in.

And to get personal for a moment, Hawaii has been talking renewable energy – Hawaii brags about being the model for the planet – while we have egg on our face for talking it while other places are walking it. And we speak about the importance of sustainable agriculture for our health and to provide a measure of food security and keeping money local. But can we ever do that with the power structure in place that has to put corporate profit over what is best for all residents? And they do that by controlling the land and the water. Let’s face it. This is not a can do state. The system we have in place will further stratify the rich and poor, leave us an unhealthy population, cause incredible environmental degradation, and overdevelop profoundly in anticipation of more (mostly rich) people coming. It doesn’t have to be that way. We could have a vastly different future by making better choices now. Why don’t we?

I don’t think we are a great country. If we ever were. Sure, we’ve been able to get things done. And depending on how you define better, we’ve done it better than anyone. We’ve made amazing advances in a lifestyle of bigger and faster things in it. (did I mention that thing about while plundering the planet?) We’ve made amazing weapons and used them to kill lots of people. (in the name of what, actually?) We’ve created a Wall Street that not only extends to all a deliciously dangerous debit lifestyle but thinks the citizenry is simply theirs for finding the best way to suck money out of. (and the citizenry goes along) And those leeches I referred to above facilitate it all by being bribed into submission by our whole political system and the way it is financed with wastefully ginormous amounts of money and favors owed.

Isn’t it about time we started paying attention to the fact that greed isn’t good, but ruinous? To our quality of life and quality of a possible future? Is there a chance for US to become a truly great country that looks as good in reality as it does on paper? Where to begin?

Maury King

Founder, ExpectMoreMaui.org

 

Two Angry Moms

I just watched Two Angry Moms. It’s a film about mothers that got angry when they found out about the unhealthy school food served to their children. And how it adversely affects their attention span and learning ability. Though I have no children I’m sad and angry.

Feeding our children healthily at school, and teaching them about healthy eating is one of the most important things we can do for our country’s future. Do we want them to be the best and most alert learners possible? Have you heard the figures about how many of today’s children are going to become tomorrow’s diabetics? Wouldn’t it be better to have them become the first generation of healthy eaters? And the next generation of better students?

The beginning is disturbingly informative about the poor food choices, and also discusses the big corporations that provide the food and related services and the huge influence they have. Needless to say these companies would like to keep things as they are.

Nonetheless, action is being taken. The rest of the film is mostly about things that are being done around the country to impact this system. There are examples of schools with food gardening as curriculum and food brought right into the school kitchen. Of healthy meals being served to the kids. And though it takes a few weeks, the kids started liking the new, healthy food they were being served.

That part was very heartening.

Can we please get with the program, Hawaii?

 

Businesses, county should be involved in Watershed process and decisions

I have attended three meetings of the Southwest Maui Watershed Project Advisory Group. This is a two-year project funded by the federal government and the state Department of Health through the Clean Water Act. The stated purpose of this process is to plan for protection of water quality by reducing land-based pollution.The project will estimate pollutant loads, set reduction goals and identify best management practices for each land use in the watershed.

There is a lot to learn, many great questions are being asked and we are helping map out Maui’s future with regard to protecting our watershed.

I’ve noticed something in these meetings that is troubling to me. I’ve noticed the people that aren’t in the room. There are a lot of citizen volunteers but there is hardly any representation from the business community or the county. We get the occasional representative from Water and Wastewater, but what about Planning, Public Works, Parks and Recreation, County Council? I have been assured these people are being notified about the meetings.

It occurs to me that if these people aren’t at the table during this process, they won’t be very likely to buy into any recommendations this group has for taking care of the watershed.

Please come to our meetings, give us your input and feedback and be our partner in protecting this most important natural resource. If you want to receive meeting notices, contact Robin Knox at wqcinc@hawaii.rr.com.

Maury King

Could water ‘offsets’ solve a couple of problems?

Maui has two problems with water that might have a symbiotic solution. One problem is that construction is affected by the “Show Me the Water” law, which requires developers to prove a new source of water to develop new projects. That is difficult to do. The other problem is the millions of gallons of wastewater (treated sewage) going down injection wells every day.

Injection wells are deep holes in the ground, near shoreline areas like Kahului Harbor, and there is no doubt that the water in the wells seeps its way into the ocean. Reefs near the wells are more damaged than elsewhere and swimmers report high levels of MRSA (staph infections). Our wastewater is treated before putting it down the wells, but not to the highest levels possible. Besides, even having something called “wastewater” on an island with a water shortage is contradictory.

If we could purify the water better and lay some new pipe, we could get this precious resource to where we could put it to good use. The idea is being discussed that if developers would foot the bill to help us make better use of our “wastedwater,” they would have essentially “shown new water” and they could be entitled to an equivalent quantity of potable water to develop new projects.

Mayor Charmaine Tavares has stated her intent to phase out injection wells. Unlike many seeming tree-hugger issues, there really isn’t an opposing side here.

Nobody really believes that if money were no object there aren’t better ways to make use of “wastedwater.”

Many details would need to be worked out. This would require community support, political will and county departments working together creatively on how they would debit and credit each other for these “water offsets.”

I don’t mean to imply that these are the only two problems Maui has with water. Just that these two problems might help solve each other.

Maury King

What’s up with US?

The whole world is watching America bicker and argue its way to a politically partisan future where the rest of the First World will overtake us in many ways. While we also make bad decisions and financially bankrupt our future and that of our children. There are big issues we need to tackle and solve, otherwise we will fade from glory as every once great empire has before us.

Why don’t we put the energy we use criticizing into solving problems? The politicians are surely serving other masters than the constituents they represent. What’s up with that? I guess power does corrupt. Too bad, because our nation just can’t afford that at this time. Or ever. And thank you Rush and Glenn for adding fuel to the fire. (doesn’t it just make your skin crawl watching politicians kowtow to those guys and apologize to them?)

Is anyone paying attention while other countries move to a renewable energy future and we continue to talk about it? Other countries are way ahead of us on manufacturing solar panels and wind turbines. So, someday we won’t have to import oil, but will have to import the tools of creating the new energy instead of being the manufacturer of the tools.

Why do so many politicians end up as whiners and fear mongers, clearly afraid themselves? And why, when some of us say we’re not proud of this America, we get lambasted?

Are you proud of this America? Please help to improve it.

Yay Water!

Even though you come in tiny drops, you have big rights.

Picking up the pace

This excerpt from a recent Rob Report by Rob Parsons seems fitting:

Any way you look at it, the concept of inertia is tricky. When things are in motion, they invariably are kept in check by other forces, notably gravity and friction. In the big world around us, government red tape, corporate interests and political bickering are among the factors that inhibit forward motion.

But the greater part of inertia is what might be called giddyup, gumption or initiative. Enthusiasm and teamwork are vital, whether the objective is moving a boulder out of the road or making the switch to renewable energy sources. Sometimes it’s worth checking the roadmap—the obstacle might be there for a reason, and perhaps an alternate route is preferable.

Thanks, Rob, for letting Expect More, Maui share your words. The whole article is about ‘inertiatives’. Did you coin that one?

Rob has other expectations to share as well:

I expect more from Maui Electric than the 10.5% raise they are asking for.

I expect more from A&B and HC&S than the same old, same old.

I expect more from Mayor Tavares than photo opportunities with Sparky the Fire Dog.

And I expect more from voters (and non-voters) in Maui County.

Rob Parsons

Feets don’t fail me now

160 feet connected to people of all ages and ethnicities and all committed to getting water restored to the streams walked together 3 miles from the parking lot at top of Iao Valley right into Wailuku and took First Friday by storm with 80 “Hui o Na Wai Eha  – No Be Lolo -  www.RestoreStreamFlow.org” black tshirts and singin’ songs and a carryin’ signs. And when we arrived, we had a jolly good time supporting the First Friday vendors and musicians. I had some great chow fun with crisp bacon. Yum.

We were fortunate to have Earthjustice attorneys from Oahu that have been working for years to restore stream flows with us. Isaac Moriwake and Kapua Sproat were joined by another attorney. They will all be back on October 15^th for the State Water Commission Meeting on this historic issue. A lot is riding on how the law that calls water a “public trust” is interpreted. We can all come to support their effort as there are 2 meetings on Maui on October 15^th. Find out more at RestoreStreamFlow.org

 It was perfect that John Duey, the President of Hui o Na Wai Eha, was able to lead the charge, even if from a motorized steed. He took great care of our hydration and inspiration needs. Thanks for caring so much about what’s right John. And thanks  to David Ivyfor coming up with the idea for the walk.

If you’re wondering how this sweet little tale fits in with the mission of Expect More, Maui then you should ask the 80 people on the walk if they expect more about the way our water is stewarded, but that is way too kind a word for what is happening to it, though exactly the word for what should be happening to it.

And yes, you’re correct if you got the Little Feat musical reference in the title. Love those guys. Did you get the Buffalo Springfield reference as well?

Maury King
(but, your name and words could go here. Just submit something)

Role Model to the World?

I am embarrassed, ashamed and sad for myself and my beloved America. The appalling behavior exhibited by several of my/our highest-level elected officials during President Obama’s Health Care Reform Speech to the Joint Session of Congress is unacceptable and has reduced them to the status of bullies and gang members.. I expect more America.

Teri Leonard