Dash of Calabash

The article in HawaiiReport on Wednesday December 7, 2005 proved prophetic.

Clark Foam’s founder and owner Gordon Clark noted that eventually a company will start up in China or some other third world nation that will make the foam blanks and prices will likely go back down one day.

Now comes this from the Honolulu Advertiser in today’s paper.

Wilmington, Calif.-based Walker Foam Inc., a small competitor of Clark’s, said it began producing foam cores at a Chinese plant two weeks ago and within
two months could be manufacturing about 1,000 a day, or close to the number Clark was making.

It good that a U.S. company is making the foam cores, known as blanks. But the jobs are gone and the former employees of Clark Foam are going to have to find other jobs, perhaps even retrain or get more education. All because of the actions of government.

Occasionally we run across comments about GRIH. The following is from State Senator Gary Hooser’s blog. Since we view ourselves as trying to point and move up, instead of right or left, we view his comments as a little silly and certainly uninformed. See our statement of Guiding Principle. Besides that we wonder about his vision. How does it integrate into human freedom, a key American value? Your comments are welcome:

Vision Statements

The Grass Root Institute, an organization that operates out of the far right field of public policy development has been requesting (for about two years now) that legislators and other elected officials provide them with “vision statements”.

I submitted my statement of vision to them yesterday and it is simple and succinct. The values and philosophy that drive my vision of the future are capsulized within the following three concepts;

1) Peace
2) Social Justice
3) Sustainability

Unfortunately, the Bush administration and the Republican controlled U.S. Congress continue moving forward aggressively ripping and shredding this vision, not only within our own community, but on a global scale.

Lake County Ohio is the only district in Ohio with free curbside recycling. The program is ending because it has become too expensive and the needed subsidies too large. The Reason Foundation’s blog Out of Control has some thoughts on the issue, some recommended solutions and links. Article here.

An aspect of devoting billions upon billions of dollars to rail is that it will reduce funds available for other forms of public transportation. This has already happened in many cities around the country to the extent that lawsuits are being brought to require full funding for other forms of public transportation, namely buses. The irony is that rail mostly services white, upper middle-class riders, while buses service the lower classes. Thus, rail is discriminatory. Is this what we want here in Hawaii? Isn’t there a better, more efficient way to spend our hard earned tax dollars? Background on this issue here and here.

Hat Tip: Out of Control

Robert W. Poole, Jr. at the Reason Foundation has an article the success of high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes. This far more effective than rail and much less expensive.

Nearly a decade of experience in San Diego and Orange County, Calif., has shown that you can keep traffic flowing smoothly, at the speed limit, even during the busiest rush hours. How? Charge a toll, varying by the density of traffic in the lane, for drivers to use the high-occupancy vehicle lanes (HOV). These high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes — on I-15 in San Diego and SR 91 in Orange County — have been a big hit with drivers in all income groups.

The next step is to apply this to mass transit. The idea is to reserve a portion of an HOV lane for buses and vanpools, while selling the remainder of the lane’s capacity to motorists at market prices. The result is a virtual exclusive busway — a VEB.

Honolulu should take note.

Article here.

The Pacific Legal Foundation has opened an office in Hawaii. Their page on the PLF website notes:

Pacific Legal Foundation has much experience with the land use issues concerning Hawaii. For about 20 years PLF has been involved in Hawaii on a case-by-case basis in a number of issues predominantly involving property rights. However, in those early years, PLF did not maintain an office in Hawaii and was unable to keep close, regular contact with persons directly involved in the pressing issues in this state. Consequently, opportunities for timely involvement by PLF in the top priority issues were missed.

But the Hawaii Center is now a reality, and through your consistent support PLF will be able to participate in key issues early enough and respond in a timely and appropriate way. For more information about the Hawaii Center, contact Hawaii Center’s Managing Attorney Robert H. Thomas at (808) 733-3373 or PLF Principal Attorney Robin L. Rivett at (916) 419-7111.

Claims of native populations, public trust arguments, extortionate development fees, regulatory takings, and condemnation activities are just a few of the components of a regulatory magma that presently threaten to envelop individual and economic freedom in Hawaii. PLF’s Hawaii Center is playing a crucial role in defending those liberties.