Ka‘ū News Briefs, Sunday, May 29, 2022

Barbara Dalton, a Kaʻū resident, chairs Hawai'i County's  Democratic Party.

    The platform states, "The abiding values of the Democratic Party are integrity, honesty, and transparency for all. At the heart of our party lies a fundamental conviction that Americans must not only be free, but they must live in a fair society. These values compel us to integrate democratic ideals in all aspects of economic, social, educational, and cultural life in our communities, our state and our nation. These principles must always be protected. As the party of the people, we Democrats commit ourselves to these values. 

    "We believe that our democracy cannot properly function so long as political power can be bought. The Democratic Party will work against corruption in all forms, including extortion and bribery, and do everything in its power to ensure a government that serves the people. We are facing increased global challenges economically, ecologically, and socioculturally. We therefore adopt a worldview that is sensitive to and ,addresses these challenges that is not based on short-term economic gains."

    The Agriculture Plank of the Platform states: "We believe that a key part of a sustainable and self-sufficient future for Hawaiʻi lies in a robust agricultural sector in our state that is capable of providing Hawaiʻi’s people with sufficient, healthy and affordable food in perpetuity. We support the preservation and cultivation of sufficient land and marine agricultural resources to achieve this goal. We support responsible development of these resources to achieve food security and self-sufficiency, while ensuring the sustainability of these resources for future generations to come. We support regulations that ensure the ethical and safe production and consumption of all agricultural products. We support funding efforts to fight invasive species that threaten agricultural production in Hawaiʻi."

Register to vote at https://olvr.hawaii.gov/Default.aspx?redir=1

    The Housing Plank of the Platform states: "We believe housing is a human right. We believe that each and every person should have access to safe, stable and adequate housing regardless of ability to pay. We support policies that deliver housing that is affordable to people at the bottom of the income scale where the need is greatest. We support policies that reduce barriers to the development of this housing, so long as these policies do not conflict with the tenets laid out in the Environment and Energy plank. We support policies that reduce barriers to homeownership for residents. We support policies that preserve housing for residents and discourage real estate speculation. We believe that houselessness is the symptom of an inequitable economic system that creates generational poverty and hardship. We believe this system must be changed. We support policy that gets people experiencing houselessness re-housed quickly and efficiently, and we support policy that delivers wrap-around services to recently rehoused individuals and families. We support adequate public funding for these initiatives."    The Environment & Energy Plank of the Platform states: "We believe that all people have the right to live in a clean, healthy and safe environment. We believe that the preservation of our natural environment and its ecological well being is essential to ensuring a safe, healthy, bountiful life for future generations in Hawaiʻi. We support policies that create a more sustainable society. 

    "We support the restoration, preservation, and protection of native ecosystems. We believe in the resource management principles outlined in the Public Trust doctrine of the Hawaiʻi State Constitution. We support policy that incorporates indigenous resource-management practices and technologies such as the Ahupuaʻa System in modern urban planning and development to create an ecologically sustainable balance between the needs of the people and the rights of nature. We believe that a key part of a sustainable and self-sufficient future for Hawaiʻi lies in achieving energy independence through a transition to clean renewable energy sources. We support policy that eliminates our dependence on fossil fuels and other dirty energy sources. We support policies that expand access to public transportation and encourage transit-oriented development and walkable communities."

    See the entire Hawai'i Democratic Party 2022 Platform at https://2115469a-d860-4271-9a80-ca120f004284.filesusr.com/ugd/b37582_3d55392a8b7249349855e20518bbd0fc.pdf.

    The Republican Party of Hawai'i state Convention was held May 14. See its platform and more at www.gophawaii.com.

    Register to vote at https://olvr.hawaii.gov/Default.aspx?redir=1