BY JEFF CHURCHILL – We received your “it’s all about me” email the other day regarding your first 100 days in office, and find it interesting right off the bat with your first sentence on “we have seen the first glimpses of what cooperation and a functioning government can do for the people of Hawaii.”
Yes you have, you’ve created the perfect storm. The only cooperating government is your overwhelmingly dominate Democrat filled State Legislature and State Senate, who for the most part are tripping over themselves to please you, the Democrat Governor. Of course you are going to have cooperating government, however, its functionality isn’t doing very well at all.
Many of us warned our Legislators back in 2008 to cut back their spending and taxation, however, they continued slamming us with tax increases and endless spending. Their continued failures in the ’08 budget became evident during their 2010 session, when again they increased spending and brutalized us with more tax increases because of the $800 Million shortfall.
And, yet we the people of Hawaii continued to cut back on personal discretionary spending.
Recently, the Legislature and your office have realized that the current over rated forecasted economic growth of 3% is actually 0.5%; and I even challenge the accuracy of that number. Since the recent devastating earthquake and tsunami, Hawaii enjoyed having 4,000 Japanese per day visit our shores. Well the revenue is now gone for a while; so, now what? Are you going to punish us with more taxes?
Now the State Legislature is in a panic, and this was before the 9.0 Japanese earthquake, over our States deficit, which is nearly $1 Billion now after you have increased spending, over $700 Million; even after attacking us with the ever increasing taxes for the 2012 budget. Furthermore, you stooped to a new level of caring for our Kupuna, a campaign promise. So, you are caring for our Kupuna by redistributing their measly pensions by taxing them? Forrest Gump said it best, “Stupid is as stupid does.”
And to add insult to injury, you and the Legislature haven’t even addressed the nearly $12 Billion dollars in unfunded State pension liabilities.
You stated Governor Abercrombie that most of the people in Hawaii have been struggling for the last 100 days? We’ve been struggling for years because of prior and current tax increases in a maddening attempt to pay for the ever increasing discretionary government spending. And, it looks like we will continue to work multiple jobs to pay for your never ending budgetary deficits because you folks haven’t figured it out yet. When economic times are tough we cut back on our spending. So, it doesn’t take an economics genius to figure out why Hawaii’s deficit keeps growing, even with your tax hikes!
The problem with your socialistic utopian ideology is you believe more government intrusion is the economic answer, when in fact it’s not. Your sentence, “For years the governing philosophy in Hawaii has been, ‘you’re on your own.’” This is where the famous quote by Karl Marx comes in “accuse others of what you do.” Hawaii government has, and continues to keep its hands in everything we do. Hawaii is one of the toughest States in the Union for small businesses to succeed, because of your continued taxation and regulations. It’s your iron grip that refuses to let us grow.
We as well as many others across this Nation really want to be left on their own so we can make a difference. By getting government out of the way our economy will grow. It’s called a “Free Market Economy.”
“The war of each against all, which has an iron grip on our country, is coming to an end in Hawaii.” Governor Abercrombie, really, my challenge to you as a citizen of Hawaii is for you to release your iron grip against us all. Cut government spending and cut taxes. It’s worked in the past to increase government revenues in other states and our Nation; history never lies. However, Progressives really don’t like history, do they Governor Abercrombie?
Oh by the way, our Pacific Tsunami preparedness plans were already in place prior to you being elected to Governor of Hawaii. So, I don’t think you should be taking credit where credit is not due, when you stated that you worked seamlessly to prepare State and local agencies for this tragic day.
Albert Einstein said it best, “Insanity is repeating the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.” This spend and tax method of government is exactly that, insane. The fault of our past and current government philosophies are the reasons why we are suffering the current economic woes; prove me wrong.