Danny De Gracia: What We Need In Hawaii Is Discipline, Not New Laws
Refuse to tolerate any corruption and stop kowtowing to bad people.
April 3, 2023 · 6 min read
About the Author
Danny de Gracia is a resident of Waipahu, a political scientist and an ordained minister. Opinions are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Civil Beat’s views. You can reach him by email at dgracia@civilbeat.org or follow him on Twitter at .
Refuse to tolerate any corruption and stop kowtowing to bad people.
Hawaii has a novel approach to fighting injustice, evil and everything wrong with the world. When people don鈥檛 do the right thing because they don鈥檛 have the moral fiber in them to do the right thing in the first place, we respond by making that thing they鈥檙e doing illegal, because that fixes everything.
I鈥檓 rolling my eyes of course, because Hawaii Gov. Josh Green signs a couple of token anti-corruption and reform measures last week, and it鈥檚 as if prior to this we were all living in the Wild West with anarchy and no sheriff to protect us from rough, evil men lurking in the shadows.
My lawyer and lobbyist friends alike will undoubtedly be familiar with the proverb coined by Sol Wachtler,聽聽that one could get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich. Where there is a will, there is always a way, and in Hawaii, we have such an entrenched excess of corrupt, political baloney in local government that the only reason we aren鈥檛 sending more politicians to prison is those in charge are looking the other way.
Now don鈥檛 get me wrong, I don鈥檛 think that we should have a Baathist-style Iraqi police state where everyone is under surveillance and everyone is in a competition to report someone鈥檚 suspicious behavior, before someone else reports them for not reporting what they saw or heard. What we do need, however, are people with the clarity and the conviction to draw lines in the sand and hold others accountable within our existing framework.
If we can鈥檛 be trusted to enforce the existing laws, why would we be able to enforce new laws stacked on top of those?
Correct Inputs Over Incorrect Emotions
I like to tell people that the definition of discipline is doing the right thing because it鈥檚 the right thing. Said in a more technical way, discipline is correct inputs in spite of incorrect emotions. Look at our campaign spending laws, as an example.
On paper, Hawaii has some of the most stringent campaign spending laws you can find anywhere. But local candidates routinely break the campaign laws again and again because we let people off the hook, with just three lawmakers being taken to court over violations since 2015. What is the point of having a law if you don鈥檛 enforce the law?
Some may say to themselves, 鈥淲ell, we don鈥檛 want to ruin someone鈥檚 otherwise bright career over a technicality.鈥 Tell that to everyone 鈥 especially poor minorities 鈥 who鈥檚 ever been caught in possession of an illegal drug. We selectively wreck the lives of some and spare the lives of others with our enforcement of laws. Why? Because when it comes to 鈥渦pholding the law鈥 our legal system feels more self-righteous persecuting nobodies than holding public personalities accountable.
What we need in Hawaii is discipline, not new laws. Correct inputs over incorrect emotions will fix Hawaii faster than 鈥渟troke of the pen, law of the land, kinda cool鈥澛.
In Hawaii, we have laws for the same reason that we have no shortage of state training PowerPoints 鈥 not to actually make you do the right thing in practice, but so that everyone pretending not to see you committing corrupt deeds can excuse themselves from taking action because 鈥測ou should have known better, the policy was published you signed off on it.鈥
Puh-leeze. You can all make Hawaii worthy of its state motto that the life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness right now without Green signing another 鈥渞eform鈥 bill this session. What would that entail?
First, refuse to tolerate any corruption. We need a 鈥淚 will not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do鈥 mindset in local government. If you know someone is doing the wrong thing, rebuke them sharply, on the record, in writing, and get others to do the same. Don鈥檛 tell other people behind the scenes to primary them or run for office against them, you need to file an ethics complaint or contact the attorney general and report what you鈥檝e observed.
Second, stop kowtowing to bad people. You know what Hawaii does when we positively know someone is corrupt and abusing power? No, guess again, we don鈥檛 resist them. Instead? We write them max donation campaign contributions, because we can鈥檛 afford at a time like this when people are fighting for scraps to be left behind when it鈥檚 time to seek favorable political appointments or exemptions from various regulations or taxes. That鈥檚 called empowering evil.
The minute you stop cutting checks to bad people, the minute you stop taking selfies with bad people at political events, the minute you treat bad people like bad people, that is the moment that Hawaii starts to change for the better.
If it鈥檚 a lobbyist or a businessperson or organization that鈥檚 evil, then stop doing business with them, and get others to do the same. Is there no shortage of people we can work with? Cancel evil and evil won鈥檛 have a chance to do evil. Let me say that again: Cancel evil.
Personally? I love cancel culture. We need to start canceling corrupt people here in Hawaii, along with the people who support them. On the mainland, one of the most dynamic tactics employed by agents of cancel culture is to expose the corporate and large individual donors supporting bad politicians. First they politely encourage them to pull their donations, then, when that doesn鈥檛 work, they cancel them too if they continue to empower evil.聽
Don鈥檛 tell me that we can鈥檛 have reform because we don鈥檛 have enough laws. No, we don鈥檛 have enough guts, that鈥檚 our problem. There are enough laws, but is there enough enforcement? And even in the absence of a hard law saying 鈥渢hou shalt not鈥 there still is community and organizational outrage that can drive a corrupt person from our midst.
Want real reform? Act like it, and reform will follow.
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ContributeAbout the Author
Danny de Gracia is a resident of Waipahu, a political scientist and an ordained minister. Opinions are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Civil Beat’s views. You can reach him by email at dgracia@civilbeat.org or follow him on Twitter at .
Latest Comments (0)
Well said Danny!
wailani1961 · 1 year ago
The system - legislature- is dysfunctional -gives too much power and tempatation to a few, who can kill legislation or steer funds to their old boy network of cronies etc.,Thomas Jefferson - Mankind soon learn to make interested uses of every right and power which they possess, or may assume. The public money and public liberty, intended to have been deposited with three branches of magistracy, but found inadvertently to be in the hands of one only, will soon be discovered to be sources of wealth and dominion to those who hold them芒聙娄 They [the assembly] should look forward to a time, and that not a distant one, when a corruption in this, as in the country from which we derive our origin, will have seized the heads of government, and be spread by them through the body of the people; when they will purchase the voices of the people, and make them pay the price. Human nature is the same on every side of the Atlantic, and will be alike influenced by the same causes. The time to guard against corruption and tyranny, is before they shall have gotten hold of us. It is better to keep the wolf out of the fold, than to trust to drawing his teeth and talons after he shall have entered.
Chris · 1 year ago
"What is the point of having a law if you don芒聙聶t enforce the law?"You nailed it. From illegal vacation rentals, to illegal camping, to auto thefts, there is very little enforcement of existing laws. Seems that both County Boards, and State Legislature, think their job is to make as many new laws as possible, without having any responsibility to see they are enforced.
davewil3 · 1 year ago
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