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I hope that you and the other members of the Charter Commission will keep this paternalistic <br />nonsense squarely in front of you at all times during your deliberations. Hawaii is a state dominated <br />by an entrenched elite political class. The Charter Commission is the only means available for <br />Hawaiians to directly determine issues without paternalistic 'guidance' from this dominant class. The <br />lack of a means of Citizen -initiated Direct Democracy is a fundamental weakness of Hawaii <br />government. A Charter Commission (ironically, appointed by the same elite political class !!) mitigates <br />this structural weakness to some extent, but it is ultimately a limited substitute. <br />It is also important to understand the consequences of this structural weakness. Most Hawaiians do <br />not participate in the democratic process. Only about 42% voted in the 2016 General Election. Every <br />other state had at least 50% participation. And 2016 was not an anomaly. Hawaii - since statehood - <br />has consistently + significantly trailed all other states in voter participation. <br />There are many factors which impact voter participation, but it is not unreasonable to conclude that <br />some Hawaiian apathy is the result of the dominance of the elite political class. Essentially, the <br />political class has said: 'we don't trust the Hawaii electorate with a Direct Democracy franchise'. And <br />the electorate has responded by not exercising the franchise. <br />During the coming weeks and months, I will send you proposals and discussions concerning <br />important Charter Amendments urgently needed to make Hawaii County government operate in a <br />more efficient, effective and rational manner. <br />Hawaii County government is a shambles. It is inefficient, not effective and generally serves the <br />interests of the entrenched political class and the Civil Service bureaucracy. Nowhere is there an <br />example of Excellence, and there are many cases of gross incompetence. <br />Detailed below is a discussion of The Department of Water Supply (DWS) and a proposal for an <br />amendment to its Charter + Governance: <br />2 <br />