As this election year is starting to culminate about, once again, the airwaves are being filled with promises of “Making Hawaii better.”  The phrase sounds really nice and stirs up emotions in people to aspire to do such a such a thing when running for office.  However, once in office, and seeing the kind of legislation being put on table, I start to think that these words are really meaningless.

The working class citizens are struggling and I feel like the leaders don’t see this at all.  Many like myself, are employed full time and making decent salaries but they sure aren’t going up any time soon.  Nor has it gone up more than a percent since moving back home in 2006.  What is going up is everything around here.

From basic goods like food, housing, and utilities as well as taxes and fees, everything is rising except our incomes.  I’m left with less money at the end of the month as a result.  I could choose to work a second job to supplement my income, but there is no time when you have a young family, care for a disabled grandmother, and already holding a 40 hour a week job.  I can only handle so much and want some semblance of a decent quality of life.

I am not the only one who feels the squeeze of what’s happening.  The elderly folks here are also feeling the same burden as working folks.  They are on limited incomes and when the cost of goods and services rise, they have to figure out how to make ends meet.  These folks are very much worried about how their incomes will sustain them as people are living longer too.

When I start to hear the campaign promises of “I’m working for you,” I really want that person to genuinely mean it and show it in their actions.  If you are making a promise, then you should actually keep that promise to fulfill your intent, if you really meant it.  I teach my children to stay true to their word as it reflects our integrity about what we say and do.  It is a duty to do so.

Politicians are great at having photo shots of themselves with the “people.”  Then they turn around and make laws that actually turn out to be bad for the people.  What’s the deal here?  Are you listening to us or only listening to the loudest of the activists with their demands and shortsighted thinking?  That kind of decisions will only lead to many unintended consequences, which we have seen over and over again with poorly thought out legislation.

The kinds of legislation being introduced this year are an interesting mishmash of interests to say the least.  I read some of these bills and I have to scratch my head as to how does this help the working class folks and those on limited incomes.

SB2944: Legalizing Anti-Everything Events

“The legislature finds that there exists educational retreat communities within Hawaii that provide instruction programs relating to nature, culture, wellness, and sustainable living in the spirit of ‘ohana and aloha; and that such retreats helps the community by providing agricultural food production, education, employment, energy, recreation, services, supplies, and safety.” 

My take on it is that it sounds like a legalization of anti-everything rallies.  When the word sustainable comes from something that Puna senator introduces, it only means one thing…  Anti-GMO.

SB1987: Legalization of Raw Milk Shares

“Permits the acquisition of raw milk and raw milk products by owners of cows, goats, and sheep and cow shares, goat shares, and sheep shares if certain conditions are met. Requires farms and dairies that produce raw milk or raw milk products to register with the department of health. Permits farms and dairies to set up a location near an improved road to distribute their products to owners of cow, sheep, or goat shares. Prohibits the sale and redistribution of raw milk and raw milk products.”

The evidence has shown that people have died or been severely disabled by the consumption of raw milk and its products.  We have a representative, who is aligned with groups that claim that GM foods are dangerous, but then wants to support raw milk.  GM food has not killed anyone but we are trying to legalize something that has killed and maimed? Some thing does not make sense here!

SB2521: Label GM foods and jail the food growers

“Requires labeling of foods, including raw agricultural commodities, processed food, and seed or seed stock, that have been genetically engineered or deems them misbranded. Provides a penalty for violations and authorizes private civil enforcement of the Act.”

Once again, our brilliant legislators have decided to take on the curious consumers’ “right to know” claims to label food and punish anyone who doesn’t do so with jail, fines, or a lawsuit.  That is a promising step forward to securing Hawaii’s affordable food supply indeed.

SB2571: Label Cell Phones and it’s untested dangers

“Requires all cellular telephones, including refurbished and remanufactured cellular telephones, sold or leased by a retailer in the State to bear a label that encourages consumers to follow the enclosed product safety guidelines to reduce exposure to radiation that may be hazardous to their health.”

Cell phones have been on the market for how many years without a single human test shown before it was released.  More safety testing has been done on GM foods then on a cell phone.  Now remind me why we need to label this?  We’d better ask the state to also put huge signs all over warning us of the dangers of the sun and it’s radiation on every single home.  That’s a proven danger that needs a label.

SB2366: Raise the Minimum Wage Raise Cost of Living for All

“Increases the amount of guaranteed monthly compensation required to exempt an individual from minimum wage, overtime, and record keeping requirements under the Hawaii wage and hour law. Establishes a formula for calculation of the guaranteed monthly compensation that pays guaranteed monthly compensation to the applicable minimum wage rate.”

This law sounds appealing in that it may raise the incomes of those making minimum wage, but you have to ask where is this going to come from? Someone is going to have to fund this raise.  It’s going to come from the a rise in consumer prices as employers will have to reshift the burden of this.  The raise in prices will also translate into higher costs to provide benefits to the employee also.  If money grew on trees, this would be a great law but there is always a burden upon someone when only half of the issue is addressed in this case.

The rise in minimum wage is to address the cost of living for people making it.  Instead of tinkering with wages, why not look at ways to make the overall cost of living in Hawaii better for all?  Raising the minimum wage is one of those shortsighted laws that will have more unintended consequences that will materialize after the fact.

The Helpfulness Factor of Proposed Legislation: ZERO

As I keep hearing more and more about these proposed laws, I have to stop and ask, “How does this make my life any better?”  For the life of me, I can’t figure it out?  Is any of these laws going to make living here more affordable?  Is it going to truly improve my quality of life? Will it help those in need?  Will it end our month to month struggles to make ends meet?

Somehow it doesn’t even touch upon the key issues that the people Hawaii really could use about now.  Does the public deserve some consideration on laws that will actually help them and make an impact on our daily lives?  Yes, we all are expecting that right now.

Our leaders need to sit down and ask themselves, “Have I really done something to better the lives of all in my communities?”  Ask yourself if you’re work has actually solved a problem or added to the problem?  Have you take a consideration as to how your legislation will affect the entire system?  If you haven’t, now is a time to delve deeper as to how everything is connected and interdependent.

Please think about that and actually do what was promised during your campaigns.  So many want to look at the “bigger picture,” but can’t even fathom where or how to even start to consider it.  Everything affects everything is the bottom line.  That’s the big picture…  Look at the system you are trying to change.

By seeing how the world is interconnected, you can have a better view of the consequences of your proposed legislation.  We need that now.  Please step back at the laws you are trying to make now and truly figure out what it will take to make the peoples’ lives better overall.  That’s your duty to each and everyone of us!

I have a confession to make.  As much as I grew up on the farm, I really didn’t pay attention to the things my dad used to do while on the farm.  I was busy being the labor and didn’t care much about how or what he did to grow things.  I was too busy grumbling about having to work.

I now wish I had paid better attention to him now.  The last several years has been my own journey to learning how to grow things and what works the best.

I have read so many comments that think all of conventional farming techniques are bad.  I’ve heard things from activists stating that it is poisoning the land, too much pesticides, organic is the only way to go, and so on.  I had to test this out for myself to see what really works.  I also feel that it’s good for kids to learn about growing things also.

Two years ago, I decided to start an aquaponics system.  I’ll just say that it didn’t work out the way I planned it too and it isn’t that easy to do.  I learned that this is definitely not going to feed the world or us for that matter.  Not to mention that the cost to start one up is pretty steep, which is around $250 for just a small 26 quart set up.  I turned into a fish feeding pond for my kids.

After that failed to yield, I decided to switch to gardening the old fashion way, but on standing garden boxes.  I used the same box as the aquaponics system and designed my own wooden bases to prop them up on.  It cost about $100 to get a double garden box set up.  I was hoping that my grandmother would take interest, which is why I made it accessible.  She didn’t care so I went full swing into it.

I placed lots of potting soil in it and mixed some compost in it the first year.  We did get some vegetables like lettuce and beets that were decent in size but didn’t get too big.  It didn’t taste all to well either.  I asked my dad why the things were so stunted and tasteless, and he said that my compost wasn’t fully broken down and it was actually stealing nutrients from the plants because the bacteria was still present.  A stressed plant will not yield much or have good taste.  Aha!

I dug up the stuff in the boxes and decided to let it fallow a bit and started again.  I did some MiracleGro like my dad instructed and wow, the difference was totally noticeable.

Our second round of beets turned out totally amazing and was nearly 4 times the size of the first batch planted.  It also grew in half of the time as the first planting.  These were the size of softballs!  These were also much more sweeter and fleshier than the first crop.

The Japanese cucumbers we grew were amazing also.  Most of the cucumbers grew inches in a matter of a day and got to be about 2 feet long!  My dad told me to wrap the flowers in newspaper to keep the fruit flies from stinging it.  If I didn’t, I’d land up with worm infested cukes.  He was right because we did get a nice worm eaten one.  We got to enjoy about 4 before our dog decided that she wanted to enjoy before we could.

The vines were beautiful and really vigorous to start but after the cucumbers came out, I noticed that the ants and the aphids came along for the party too.  I only had 2 vines and still had to spray it.  Duocrops do get pests.  Lesson learned.

By the time my dad, the plant doctor, saw it, he said that I had missed the exponential curve of the bugs.  He said that I needed to time to spraying of soap water before the population exploded or it would be too late.  In no time at all, the vines were invested in pests and eventually destroyed by the bugs, no matter how I sprayed.  I missed the right opportunity.  Lesson learned.

The lettuce box was much more successful the second time around after the compost had been completely broken down.  My dad reminded me that I’d better put some snail and slug bait around or risk rat lungworm disease.  Yet another lesson learned why we need substances with effective pest control chemicals in it for growing our food safely.

After growing a season of lettuce, cucumbers, and beets, I dug out and rotated the soil and to my surprise, I found earthworms!  So many people think that by growing conventionally, one is killing the soil.  Not so! These worms were huge, with some measuring over 5 inches long!  I didn’t use any manure and used MiracleGro and yet there were these beautiful worms.

Later on, I did attempt kale but that was a major fail because I discovered that the bugs love it.  It was covered in aphids and caterpillars constantly, as well as needing multiple spraying to keep it free of bugs.  My kids looked at it and said, “Gross!”  The guinea pig and dog got lucky and got most of the kale that we managed to save.

Yet another lesson learned was why every year there is new seed stock in the garden stores.  After our basil plant seeded and spread all over to the other boxes, I discovered that they subsequent generation of basil was not exactly like the first.  I asked my dad and he said basic genetics.  Light went on in my head.  Aha! If you want the best traits of the crop, you have to get new seed each year, if not, you won’t know the next time because of the genetics may or may not be the same.

After going through this experience, I’ve come to realize that growing food is not that easy.  It is easy to sit on the internet and read something that tells you what kind of farming is better.   Until you actually grow it, you’ll learn first hand what works and what doesn’t.  The pests are ever present and ready to destroy your small garden and if not controlled, you get nothing.  The same applies to farms big or small.

My garden has taught me that it takes a lot of skill to grow things and until you do it, you’ll know the truth.  A garden is just that, a garden.  To be successful at gardening, does not translate into expertise in farming.  Unless one grows all of their own food and enough food for others, respect the farmers because they have that magic touch to do what they do for us each day we sit to eat.

My grandfather, Thomas Kamiya, who started up the farm as his livelihood.

I decided to take some time off and enjoy myself.  I took my daughter to go and see the Lion King that is playing here in Honolulu.  I saw it 10 years ago in San Francisco and forgot about how wonderful that show really is.  From the intricate costumes, colors, music, artistry, and puppetry, it is one of the best shows around.

As I sat in wonder of all of this, I thought to myself more about it.  You know, if it weren’t for a farmer, things like this would be non-existent in our modern day living.  Let’s make a list of the things we enjoy today that a farmer had something to do with…

-The nice homes and buildings we live in.  Someone had to feed the architects, masons, steel workers, plumbers, contractors, lumber workers, carpenters, permitting people, electricians, cabinet makers, carpet layers, flooring specialists, window makers, painters, and truckers so that our homes could be built.

-The cars we drive to take us where we need to go.  Someone had to feed the engineers, steel workers, welders, mechanics, auto painters and workers, the glass makers, the upholstery crafters, rubber makers, safety inspectors, and oil workers to make our cars and keep them running.

-The wealth of communication options we have with computers and cellphones.  Someone had to feed the computer designers, chip makers, programmers, component parts makers, electrical engineers, patent specialists, graphic artists, plastic makers, alloy metal workers, and operators to keep our lines of communication open.

-The roads we drive on to and from our journeys everyday.  Someone had to to feed the asphalt makers, road workers, stripers, traffic light engineers, electricians, heavy machine operators, civil engineers, budget managers, and concrete workers who put that road together for us.

-The schools that our children go to.  Someone had to feed the people who built and maintain the school, the teachers, the janitors, the administrative staff, the cafeteria workers, and superintendents who run the schools to educate our children.

-The constant access to fresh running water and power.  Someone had to feed the people who built the infrastructure of pipes, engineers, scientists who know where the water comes from, the heavy machine operators who laid the pipes, the helicopter pilots who carried the lines over the mountains, the pole workers, and people who monitor the power and water to keep it on.

-The freedom from preventable illnesses.  Someone had to feed the scientists who had time to search for a cure, a chemist who studied solutions to hold the vaccine, nurses to give the vaccine, the biochemist who figured out how to make large quantities of it, doctors to educate people about the diseases, public health officials to monitor for outbreaks, and companies who made these vaccines available to the masses.

-Access to the culture and arts.  Someone had to feed people so that they could have the freedom to get off of the farms and develop their creative interests in making musicals, choreographing plays, singing, dancing, set making, story writing, and other forms of art and entertainment.

-Travel around the world.  Someone had to feed people so that Wright brothers had the ability to design the first plane, study aeronautic engineering, workers to build the planes, and pilots to get one to his or her desired destination.

-Have a hobby garden.  You don’t have to grow most of your food because a farmer grew it for you.    Nor do you have to raise and kill animals to eat.  You have some time to work a real job and make more money to start up a hobby garden that brings some fresh produce to your table.

If it weren’t for the ingenuity, efficiency, and sustainability of our farmers, we would not be lucky enough to have the kind of lives that we do.  We never have to worry about whether our crops are going to be able to feed us or be decimated by disease.  We have constant access to food and just have to walk in the store to pick it.  We don’t even spend the majority of our lives growing food because we don’t have to.

We have so much time on our hands to do other bigger and greater things.  It’s all thanks to those creative and hardworking folks called our farmers.  It’s really sad that some folks, who benefit from the farmer’s hard work, have decided to protest and disrespect this very work with false information.  That’s simply not right.

If you feel the need to protest, remove all of the modern technology in your life because it was all started with the work of a farmer.  If you long to go back into the “good old days,” you should live in it and see for yourself how life really was.  Get off the computer, turn off your power, stop driving a car, stop using running water or any of the modern conveniences of life.  Stop shopping at the grocery store and produce all your own food, if you can’t appreciate what the farmer has done for you.

For lawmakers who want to turn back the hands of time on farmers, they should live the way they propose to legislate and then see if that is the right path to take.  Then ask your activists to get out of their Waikiki apartments and live the life that you propose.  The experience will be a true wake up call for most, who have never spent a day on the farm.  There won’t be any time for marches because you’d be working on the land and preventing the pests from attacking your food.  A real farmer knows all of that too well.

Just remember, that you would not have that nice life you do today if it weren’t for all the people that were fed by that farmer.

I happened to be perusing some of the bills that are coming into play this session and came upon this very interesting one, SB1987/HD1.  This bill pertains to the acquisition of raw milk.  

Permits the acquisition of raw milk and raw milk products by owners of cows, goats, and sheep and cow shares, goat shares, and sheep shares if certain conditions are met. Requires farms and dairies that produce raw milk or raw milk products to register with the department of health. Permits farms and dairies to set up a location near an improved road to distribute their products to owners of cow, sheep, or goat shares. Prohibits the sale and redistribution of raw milk and raw milk products. 

The sponsors of the bill include:  WOOLEY, BELATTI, CACHOLA, CARROLL, CREAGAN, HANOHANO, C. LEE, LOWEN, MCKELVEY, MIZUNO, MORIKAWA, THIELEN

It is also interesting to note that while we are trying to legalize raw milk, there are others also trying to label genetically modified organism labeling.  They include:  ENGLISH, CHUN OAKLAND, GABBARD, GREEN, RUDERMAN, SHIMABUKURO, Ihara, Keith-Agaran, L. Thielen

That bill reads as such:

Establishes, beginning January 1, 2015, labeling requirements for any food or raw agricultural commodity sold in the State that contains a genetically engineered material, or was produced with a genetically engineered material; establishes exceptions; establishes violations; requires director of health to adopt rules.

(Note that it does not include any prepared food either to be labeled and establish any reasons for this law to begin with.)

I find it really odd that Representative Wooley, who championed the failed “right to know” and label it campaign last year, is supporting a bill to allow people to consume raw milk.  Raw milk as we know it has caused many deaths and disability due to contamination issues.  The chances of getting ill on raw milk is 150 times greater than consuming pasteurized products according to a CDC report.  (That is very scary to me that I would never want to expose my family to ever.)

So what do some of the health organizations of our country state regarding this policy about raw milk?

The American Academy of Pediatrics have issued a new policy statement urging pregnant women, infants and young children to consume only pasteurized dairy products as opposed to raw milk and milk products.

 

The CDC state that the risk of becoming ill from raw milk or milk products is significantly greater for people with weakened immune systems, the elderly, pregnant women, infants and young children.

There are even documented stories of many children, who have been harmed by raw milk and it is terribly sad for the entire family affected by this.  It’s not just one family but many already.  The costs to life and health are just not worth it.

Of course, the advocates for drinking raw milk will tout all the so called benefits of it, however the data does not corroborate this claim.  (Note that the word, “believe” is used frequently in the video below, which indicates that this is an ideology not backed with data.)

So where is Representative Wooley getting this information from about this bill?  It isn’t hard to find since her alliances with the Organic Consumer Associations are hard backers for people asking for the “right to drink” raw milk.  Really, a right to drink something that has a high risk for contamination and proven deadly or harmful?  These are the same people asking for the “right to know,” when we really know that it is far from the truth.

Nary a biotech papaya, that she so wanted labeled, has ever caused anyone harm compared to raw milk.  A papaya is pretty much guaranteed to help keep you living longer, as my grandmother lived to the ripe old age of 96.  Raw milk would have likely killed her.  Where’s the logic in these lawmakers?