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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0867.004 2008-2010Murashige, Laura From: Rodrik Thompson [rodrikthompson © yahoo.com] Sent: Monday, August 16, 2010 10:55 AM To: Council Testimony Subject: Repeat: Press Club on Res. 364 -10 Attachments: 364 -10 Sunshine.doc This testimony was originally submitted on Aug. 3. - Rod Thompson Forwarded Message - - -- From: Rodrik Thompson <rodrikthompson @yahoo.com> To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us Sent: Tue, August 3, 2010 6:14:22 PM Subject: Press Club on Res. 364 -10 Dear Council staff, (1 e& Big Island Press Club HCR3 Box 10075, Keaau, HI 96749 Contact (808) 982 -6631, RodrikThompson @yahoo.com }i'J RUG P3 H Please accept this communication from the Big Island Press Club, authorized by the unanimous approval of the Board of Directors and signed by the Club's president. The communication is pasted below and attached as a Word document. - Rodrik Thompson, treasurer, on behalf of the president and the board. August 3, 2010 To J Yoshimoto, chairman, and all fellow members of the Hawaii County Council Re Resolution 364 -10 Aloha to all, The Big Island Press Club is bemused by Resolution 364 -10, expressing a desire to increase the "efficiency" of Hawaii County Council decision- making. We ask you to reject the proposal for the following reasons. s a ( 9 1 • T Ref. Tot Ref. [)+ote Aur 1 nalL 8/16/2010 Page 1 of 3 P/Fc 3 Every American schoolchild has heard of "checks and balances." Page 2 of 3 Here is a rock bottom principle of American government: Legislation is not supposed to be easy. Legislation in America is deliberately designed to be difficult. The purpose for built -in difficulty when the nation was young was to thwart tyranny. The ongoing purpose is to thwart rash action. "Checks" means "stop, wait a minute, slow down." Such inefficiencies are consciously built into American government. When the Constitution was written, its framers had the opportunity to avoid the English model of a two -house parliament. But they kept the two -house model, partly so that one house would serve as a check on the other. In the British model, the prime minister is part of parliament. In America , the framers of the Constitution created a president independent of Congress to check and balance Congress. At the Hawaii County level, regarding the executive authority, the framers of the Hawaii County Charter during the 1960s might have created a "city manager" responsible to the Council. Instead, the framers of the Charter consciously created an independent mayor to check and balance the Council. While the framers of American government from the 18 century through the 20 century created checks and balances on government itself, they gradually increased the participation of citizens. Through this process, the people of the nation, and of Hawaii County , became another "check" on government. Originally, only white, male property owners could vote in America . - The "Jacksonian revolution" beginning in 1828 extended voting rights to all white males. - In 1870, the 15th Amendment to the Constitution extended voting rights to all races, including African - Americans, although another century passed before the promise became a reality. - Women received the right to vote in 1920 via the 19th Amendment. - Despite the 15 Amendment, American Indians were not given the right to vote until 1924. The Civil Rights movement of the 1960s coincided with a new realization in America - and in Hawaii County - that it was not enough to allow citizen to vote every few years. Citizens needed the right to monitor their government week by week, day by day. The Big Island Press Club was founded in 1967. Immediately, the Press Club pushed for inclusion of an "open meeting provision" in the Hawaii County Charter, which was then in the process of being written. The Charter was adopted by a vote of the people in 1968, and in it was included an open meeting and open records provision, Article XIII, Section 13 -20. That section is still in existence with the full force of law today. Consistent with the two- century-long widening of citizen participation in government, and consistent with a series of sunshine laws being passed across the nation, the Hawaii Legislature created this state's Sunshine Law in 1975. 8/16/2010 /signed/ Stephanie Salazar, president Big Island Press Club, with the unanimous approval of the Board of Directors 8/16/2010 Page 3 of 3 This process of expanding democracy has never been easy. The democratic legislative process is not supposed to be easy. The current County Council had difficulty with the Sunshine Law during its organizational process last year. That led to criticism of the Council and a court ruling against it. Criticism does not mean a lack of confidence in Council members individually. The Big Island Press Club retains confidence that the majority of Council members will stand firm in support of the two - hundred -year expansion of democracy and will give Resolution 364 -10 a quiet and deserved demise. Big Island Press Club HCR3 Box 10075, Keaau, HI 96749 Contact (808) 982 -6631, RodrikThompson(c�yahoo.com August 3, 2010 To J Yoshimoto, chairman, and all fellow members of the Hawaii County Council Re Resolution 364 -10 Aloha to all, The Big Island Press Club is bemused by Resolution 364 -10, expressing a desire to increase the "efficiency" of Hawaii County Council decision - making. We ask you to reject the proposal for the following reasons. Here is a rock bottom principle of American government: Legislation is not supposed to be easy. Legislation in America is deliberately designed to be difficult. The purpose for built -in difficulty when the nation was young was to thwart tyranny. The ongoing purpose is to thwart rash action. Every American schoolchild has heard of "checks and balances." "Checks" means "stop, wait a minute, slow down." Such inefficiencies are consciously built into American government. When the Constitution was written, its framers had the opportunity to avoid the English model of a two -house parliament. But they kept the two -house model, partly so that one house would serve as a check on the other. In the British model, the prime minister is part of parliament. In America, the framers of the Constitution created a president independent of Congress to check and balance Congress. At the Hawaii County level, regarding the executive authority, the framers of the Hawaii County Charter during the 1960s might have created a "city manager" responsible to the Council. Instead, the framers of the Charter consciously created an independent mayor to check and balance the Council. While the framers of American government from the 18 century through the 20 century created checks and balances on government itself, they gradually increased the participation of citizens. Through this process, the people of the nation, and of Hawaii County, became another "check" on government. Originally, only white, male property owners could vote in America. - The "Jacksonian revolution" beginning in 1828 extended voting rights to all white males. - In 1870, the 15th Amendment to the Constitution extended voting rights to all races, including African - Americans, although another century passed before the promise became a reality. - Women received the right to vote in 1920 via the 19th Amendment. - Despite the 15 Amendment, American Indians were not given the right to vote until 1924. The Civil Rights movement of the 1960s coincided with a new realization in America - and in Hawaii County - that it was not enough to allow citizen to vote every few years. Citizens needed the right to monitor their government week by week, day by day. The Big Island Press Club was founded in 1967. Immediately, the Press Club pushed for inclusion of an "open meeting provision" in the Hawaii County Charter, which was then in the process of being written. The Charter was adopted by a vote of the people in 1968, and in it was included an open meeting and open records provision, Article XIII, Section 13 -20. That section is still in existence with the full force of law today. Consistent with the two - century -long widening of citizen participation in government, and consistent with a series of sunshine laws being passed across the nation, the Hawaii Legislature created this state's Sunshine Law in 1975. This process of expanding democracy has never been easy. The democratic legislative process is not supposed to be easy. The current County Council had difficulty with the Sunshine Law during its organizational process last year. That led to criticism of the Council and a court ruling against it. Criticism does not mean a lack of confidence in Council members individually. The Big Island Press Club retains confidence that the majority of Council members will stand firm in support of the two - hundred -year expansion of democracy and will give Resolution 364 -10 a quiet and deserved demise. /signed/ Stephanie Salazar, president Big Island Press Club, with the unanimous approval of the Board of Directors