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As the legislative session enters its last month, I offer a few observations from a safe distance. Let’s start with the good.

The shaka may be designated the state gesture. I’m so glad the serious legislators are addressing the urgent, important issues of our day. Congratulations to the brave warriors for this great progress.

A bill to lower the blood alcohol content level seems to still be alive. If it helps reduce drunken driving, I’m all for it. I just wonder if this new limit applies to legislators who are stopped for impaired driving, or are they still essentially immune from prosecution, as we’ve seen recently with two of our state representatives?

Some are finally questioning the wisdom of spending $400 million on a new stadium at Halawa. Of course, $400 million today will become $1 billion before it’s done. A billion here, a billion there, and soon we’re talking real money. Money that could be used for housing.

I hope it is reconsidered. The first priority of state resources along the rail line is housing. Build housing there; it will help everyone.

We can improve the stadium on the Manoa campus for a small fraction of the cost, and keep it part of the university. The University of Hawaii cannot fill a major stadium for its football games. This is a glamour project for Sen. Glenn Wakai and a windfall for major contractors, and it will be a boondoggle for the rest of us, like rail. 

Now, the bad.

Rep. David Tarnas killed publicly funded elections, for the second year in a row. This time he said the “bill was flawed,” even though it had passed the Senate.

This handy excuse hides the fact that Tarnas failed to do his job. As chair, if he sees a flaw in a worthy bill he needs to simply fix it, and fight for that fix if he believes it’s legitimate.

That’s called an amendment and is exactly what his committee’s job is. Somehow several Senate committees and their attorneys saw this bill as workable, but only Tarnas knows what’s best for us.

I’m sure he’s only doing what he’s told, but that does not excuse his actions.

This was the only one of the three biggest reforms recommended by the special Commission on Standards of Conduct last year that had a chance. Some of us were hoping for real progress in the face of the kind of corruption that we’d seen. Or as Charlie Brown would say, “Will you hold the football for me again, Lucy?”

Apparently the Department of Education may be losing up to 15% of its funding this year. If the public were asked where should we spend less money, 0% will say “Education.”

There seems to be plenty of money, and our teachers and schools deserve more support, not less. If there’s not enough money, further tax the extremely wealthy, don’t cut education.

Once again, for the 30th year in a row, no meaningful action was taken to control illegal fireworks. It’s Groundhog Day at the Capitol, again.

We could empower police to issue citations after the fact, allow the use of photographic evidence and make the penalties real enough to change behavior. But not this year, again.

And finally, the ugly.

The Senate voted 13-12 against keeping University of Hawaii Regent Alapaki Nahale-a on the job. This unusually close vote provided an insight into the workings of the Senate.

Nahele-a was blamed for allowing a dorm to remain in disuse, and for too much aloha in his manner. Apparently this one regent was supposed to fix the university’s problems and was blamed for them, while others were confirmed.

The fight was led by Sen. Donna Mercado Kim, who has her reasons for tussling with the university. Many of her concerns come from a fiscal oversight concern, and for that she deserves credit. She alone seems to be willing to fight wasteful use of our revenues.

Her committee supported her position, most with much cloudier reasons. For most it seemed to be a way to punish the university for various, unclear sins, mainly being an independent agency. 

But the vote went to the full Senate anyway, due to Nahale-a’s brave decision to force a showdown and the surprisingly strong showings of public support.

I can get some indication which is the pono side of an issue simply by observing who is standing where. In this case, I see Sens. Michelle Kidani, Glenn Wakai, Donovan Dela Cruz and Ron Kouchi opposing the nomination, and it’s clear that the other side is in the right. I was disappointed to see Sens. Stanley Chang and Chris Lee among this crowd.

Those 12 who voted for Nahale-a despite pressure from the bully faction are to be commended. It takes some guts. Along with many other observers, I’m proud of you, Sens. Brenton Awa, Brandon Elefante, Carol Fukunaga, Mike Gabbard, Les Ihara, Lorraine Inouye, Dru Kanuha, Jarrett Keohokalole, Karl Rhoads, Tim Richards, Joy San Buenaventura and Maile Shimabukuro.

I’m happy to see that all four of my Big Island senators voted in favor of this well-respected, capable, Hawaiian from the Big Island. Thank you.

Maybe one day there will be a majority of senators willing to buck the heavy-handed leadership.

As the public watched the pressure from the 13 to defeat this nomination, accusations of bullying were common. So much so that Senate President Ron Kouchi felt compelled to speechify: “We are not bullies.” This brought to mind Nixon’s “I am not a crook,” profound for the same reasons.

Last year I wrote about Kouchi on this subject, including his own words boasting about being a schoolyard bully.

And on some other measures still swirling in the Legislature, we’ll see what happens.

Will cannabis be legalized this year? The magic ball says “It’s unclear.” At least we’ll have the shaka.