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Welina mai `oukou Mr. Chairman and members of the Hawaii County Council, <br /> 'O Chuck Flaherty ko'u inoa. I'd tike to start with a quote from former President Herbert Hoover: <br /> "You know, the only trouble with capitalism is capitalists. They're too damn greedy." <br /> For over a decade now, local citizens have pleaded with our County govemment to "Keep Kona <br /> Country". A survey by the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce in 1996 found that 92% of our <br /> community's residents wanted West Hawaii to keep its rural lifestyle and quality of life. <br /> Did our County government listen to its citizens? Or did it listen to wealthy, often out-of-state <br /> developers? A drive from Captain Cook to Hawi speaks louder than any words. <br /> Your citizens never asked for luxury, gated subdivisions and condos for out-of-state residents, but <br /> that's what we got. We didn't ask for commercial and industrial development, but that's what we <br /> got. We didn't ask for thousands of hours of work and family time to be stolen from us by traffic, <br /> but that's what we got. We got it because our govemment didn't listen to We the People. <br /> So it's no surprise that the County is now facing the possibility of financial bankruptcy for its past <br /> actions. Our brilliant American democratic system of checks and balances does indeed work. <br /> The current affordable housing crisis has more than proven that an unregulated housing market is <br /> unhealthy and immoral. Allowing speculative investment in basic human needs, such as housing, <br /> goes against the values and principals upon which this nation was founded. <br /> And so this County Council has an historic opportunity placed before it. You can be different. <br /> This Council can ho'oponopono your citizens' problems if it has have the will, fortitude, character, <br /> and intelligence to do so. <br /> Please enact a conditional moratorium on all County rezonings, subdivision approvals, and <br /> building permits. Keep the moratorium in place until Regional Plans are created by local <br /> communities and enacted by you, the Council, as provided by the new General Plan. <br /> In the interim, only allow construction of roads, water supply, and homes affordable to those at or <br /> below 100°~ of median income, because, despite a huge demand for these homes, none exist. <br /> Some may fear a slowdown in construction if you enact a moratorium. But affordable housing <br /> projects will come online before the current backlog of building permits is exhausted. <br /> Even if there was a temporary construction slowdown, Hawaii has the lowest unemployment rate <br /> in the nation. The job market can handle it. <br /> Regardless of what you choose to do, we cannot build our way out of this mess with the current <br /> lack of comprehensive and enforceable planning. If we do so, our quality of life and <br /> constitutionally-protected environmental and cultural resources wilt be destroyed forever. <br /> Our local communities need time to gather their wits and work with County government to <br /> develop regional plans. <br /> Until that is arxomplished, we must have an immediate conditional moratorium in place allowing <br /> construction of truly affordable housing, roads, and water supply only. <br /> Mahalo a ke Akua, <br /> , f l <br /> <br /> Charles R. Flahe J . l ~ ~(p. <br /> Comm. No. <br /> Ref. To: L <br /> Ref. Dote„ AP~ ~ `1 <br /> ~~~1 <br /> <br />