Just as the House Finance Committee ends its tour of the Big Island, getting some favorable press coverage along the way, the Governor has chosen this time to release $1.3 million for the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii and $79,000 for the installation of a septic tank in Kona.
5 comments:
Yes, the parallels between a visit by politicians and the installation of a septic tank are indeed momentous.
Seriously though, the folks at the Natural Energy Laboratory do good work, and it was great to hear the Finance committee got to go out and see what our tax money has been funding.
I just felt that this is yet another example of not releasing funds until there is a pr advantage for the administration to do so, and that's not in the best interest of the public. The legislature approves the money, but it gets held up until the opportune time. (And while it may seem small, my goodness, when you need a septic tank, you need a septic tank, so why aren't these funds automatically released right away?) In this case, the release of funds was used so that Finance doesn't get all the ink this week.
I just wish there had been some coverage of the Finance Committee's visit in ANY of the major papers. I hope there was at least something in the Big Island dailies.
I've enjoyed reading this blog. It's very well done and obviously a lot of work. So with all due respect, you complain about the administration's P.R., but isn't your blog also a public relations tool for the House Majority?
Like any blog, this one has a point of view, a bias if you will, and if readers don't challenge us, then it could easily become just a pr tool.
I hope that doesn't happen because it's the debate that makes blogs interesting. The post is just part of the story - it's the comments that make it come alive. This blog was set up to receive comments, and our policy is to accept all comments as long as they are civil. As such, we subject the House majority to criticism and attack, but that's all part of the democratic process. We believe that we should be able to stand up and respond to criticism, and the blog allows us to do so in a timely manner. So, to circle back to your question, the intent of the blog is not p.r. but communication -- more in-depth, more interactive, more personal, and just more of it.
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