May Day is Lei Day In Hawaii

In 1893, the Hawaiian Kingdom came to an end. It was little more than 100 years earlier that King Kamehameha united the eight major islands under one ruler. It did not take long for Christian Missionaries to arrive on the shores of paradise with the goal of converting the savages. Little did they know the disaster they would bring to the native people.

For many generations, the Hawaiian Islands, were isolated from the world. Before the arrival of Captain Cook in 1774, no one in the chain had ever seen a white man. The Hawaiian's thought Cook to be a God and treated him as such. Unfortunately for Cook, he overstayed his visit. This was the first foreigner, however, he would not be the last.

As more and more foreigners arrived, the native population was devastated. Having no anti-bodies to combat many common ailments, hundreds of thousands died. The extinction of a race of humans had begun. Today it is a fact that we will see the last pure Hawaiians die off in the next generation, if not sooner. A human extinction that took less that two hundred years.

While environmentalist were worried about the spotted owl, hump back whale, and the condor, they failed to see the end of an entire race of people. Where were the environmentalist when the humans needed them? I know the spotted owls, the hump back whales, and condors still live, what about the Hawaiians?

I write this article because today in Hawaii there are celebrations going on all over the State. I have been missing the festivities for almost eight years now because of moving my family to Oregon. Last night my wife made carnation leis for my little one and herself. The stringing of flowers reminded me of home. My ancestral home, Hawaii.

I have spent most of the day trying to think of something to write about. For the past few days I've been suffering from writers block. So around 11 PM, I thought I would write a story about May Day in Hawaii. I sat down and did a bad thing I read the Local News. Illegal immigrant rights activist march on Portland. Foreign workers, flown in to replace laid off Americans. Union to own fifty percent of Chrysler. And so on. May day became not a celebration for me but an emergency call "May Day, May Day".

Why choose the plight of Native Hawaiians to discuss the problems in America? So history does not repeat it's self. Will Americans become extinct like the Hawaiians? Are we allowing a Government to dictate our lives or as Obama puts it "real change you can believe in". It was not change that Americans wanted, they wanted leadership, but what they got in Obama was Bush on steroids. We are being distracted by one issue after another. The Government using slight of hand just like an illusionist.

The change that we need now is:
Government needs to collect all its bail out money now
No more bail outs
Close the boarders
Enforce Immigration Laws
No more foreign worker visas
Cut all social program budgets with plans to end them
No more death tax
No Cap and Trade
Flat Tax

This is the start. We need to move closer to no government control, not to total government control like we are doing. Let us push forward to make the Government afraid of its people. For if we do not take heed, we may end up like the Hawaiians, extinct.

Harry

Why Carbon Tax or Cap and Trade Won't Work

Congress is still trying to decide how to tax the very air we breath. That's right I said it, the very air we breath. The carbon tax and cap and trade are just another way for the government to tax Americans. They will tell us that the tax will be on companies, however, I don't know a company that does not pass its cost on to its buyers. It is just good business sense.

Now you probably think I don't care about the environment because I don't want this new tax program and you would be wrong. I do want clean air just as much as the next person. What I don't want is another stupid government program that will not work. What won't work? It will not.

A company that creates a lot of pollution just needs to have enough money to pay for more polluting credits to be within their limits. This means instead of the company using their cash to buy or use less polluting methods of production, they just keep on polluting. Now that is something I want.

Here is the solution. If we want these companies to stop polluting or to adopt cleaner modes of production, we need to set standards. These standards need to have severe fines if not met as well as reasonable time-lines for completion. These standards need to be set by scientist not law makers. We can leave the fines to the legislators and use the EPA to determine if and when the companies have complied.

Everyone wins. The environmentalist get their CO2 reduction, lawmakers feel good that they made the scary corporation comply, and all Americans avoid a new tax. I do realize for some Americans the price for some of their products may go up during the transition, however, if you don't like paying a higher price you can move. That's right, don't call yourself a victim, do something, take action.

Harry.