URGENT! Hearings set for Hawaii Clean Elections bill, submit testimony NOW

[mahina]

ALERT: 4:00 PM Tuesday, February 8th
HEARINGS NOW SET IN BOTH HOUSE & SENATE!
House: Thursday 2:00 PM, Hearing Room 325
Senate: 9:00 AM Friday, Hearing Room 229

Please! Submit! Testimony! Now! Go to the Take Action tab, find your legislators, and send in your testimony. Please!!!


http://www.cleanelectionshawaii.org/

Aloha,

I am writing to urge you to support the Comprehensive Public Funding Bill,
also known as Hawaii Clean Elections bill.

By providing an alternative way of campaign financing, this bill will allow
our representatives and senators to spend their time and attention on their
constituents concerns without having to spend so much time raising money.
They will be freed from the obligations that go along with all that
fundraising.

This bill will help set our ship of state, now listing badly, back upright
again. People can have confidence that things are being done based on
reason rather than on who pays who.

Other reforms that Hawaii desperately needs have been held back as recently
as the last legislative session, with the economic interests of the whole
state at odds with the financial interests of big donors. Guess who won?
Let's change that.

In Arizona and Maine this program has been a great sucess.

When people ask how we will pay for it, I say that we are paying now, with
inflated costs that are passed on to the taxpayers.

Among many obvious benefits to society that come along with this bill, it
will also reach into communities that have previously felt that democracy
was a pay as you go proposition. It could bring confidence
and respectability back into politics.

I am reminded by critics that money will still work to influence elections. These comments remind me of the saying 'the perfect is the enemy of the good"; we could wait for perfection forever and never achieve it. This is the best tangible start on an almost universally agreed upon objective.

This tool will allow for fair and clean elections, so deperately needed and not a moment too soon!

Thank you for your courage in supporting this bill and doing everything you
can to see it pass.

Mahalo nui loa!

[oasis]

1. I called Rep Luke's office on hb 1740 (safe elections). Her aide thanked

me and said that they recieved a lot of calls on hb 1740.She refered me to www.capitol.hawaii.gov for and update on the bill's status but the page isn't up yet.

I couldn't make the meeting at Abercrombie's Tuesday Feb 8 because or our owner's association meeting was at he same time. How did that go?

[mahina]

2. Mahalo Oasis!

I got a funny response from Souki's office- "didn't you just call me a second ago?"
nooooo, that was a different person.
Not really used to hearing a lot of feedback, how great will it be if we are able to get both passed Oasis?
I didn't go to the Feb 8 meeting...I know everyone else is busy too. But it's a rare night meeting I can justify, family has to be squared away first. I did make the FA meetup and it was great.
Aloha no, aloha to Mrs. O

[oasis]

6. Mahalo right back to you for your efforts on this issue.

[mahina]

8. Didn't do beans, sorry,

did what I could and will continue, but that's it.
Jason Forrester did paila paila work and Ann Oshiro is helping tons.
All I did was give e testimony and tell....some friends.
Cross fingers!

[mahina]

3. clean elections is a different bill ya?

hb 1740 is great, I did what I could....called , gave testimony, asked friends to do the same.
This bill, clean elections, is a campaign finance reform bill. It is also really desperately needed. If you are not familiar I'll be glad to summarize. The site is good too. Please give testimony! Mahalo...

[tommcintyre]

4. The hearing went very well.

There were over 30 testimonies given or submitted. Groups like the League of women voters gave strong supporting testimony. The principles of Safevotehawaii gave excellent expert testimony, and were called back as a group to answer questions. (At a meeting later last night, they were very encouraged by what happened at the hearing.)

There were some relatively minor changes to the bill suggested by the lawmakers. The questions were generally positive and supportive. A good proportion of the room was filled with people there for HB1740. The next step in the House will be the Finance committee. A lot of support and preparation will be necessary, but it is very do-able.

[oasis]

5. Mahalo for your report.

[mahina]

7. Mahalo Tommy!!

I hope my testimony made it in, I submitted it by email 24 hours prior.
Will you be able to go to the Clean Elections hearing tomorrow?
I'll be there...take care, mahalo no!

[tommcintyre]

9. Campaign Finance Reform is very important...

but unfortunately I will be busy preparing testimony for the Senate election reform bill. Also, unfortunately, since Bush stole another election on 11/2 I have not been able to focus on what I consider the other two most important issues - Campaign Finance Reform and "Corportization" (of course both issues are closely linked). Once/if we handle the election issue adequately, both me and my web site will focus very sharply on these two issues.

If you are at the Senate hearing on Friday, I look forward to meeting you.

malama pono

EDIT: Also, please submit your announcements to me here:
[e-mail]

I will post them here:
http://www.independentmediasource.com/hawaii_happenings.htm

<I am posting the one from this thread now.>