Let's get to work and Fix Oahu. Now!

AIKEA FOR HONOLULU No. 14 – BBC Interview – Olelo Show – Bye bye rail Mufia. Hello rail MOFia?

Earlier today I was interviewed by BBC at the Hawaii Public Radio studio about the contribution of rail spending to the bankruptcy of Greece. I have reported to you both the Economist (2011) and the New York Times (2009) coverage.

Greece’s rail extravaganza was about $13 Billion for 11 million people. Hawaii’s rail extravaganza is $5.5 Billion for 1.4 million people. Math does not get any simpler for Senator Inouye and other pro-rail politicians.

Panos 2050, my program on sustainability solutions for Hawaii is now permanent on the TV guide. Please check it out on the public access channel VIEWS 54. If you like, set your cable box or TiVo to record the half hour program every 4^th Friday of the month at 6:00 PM.

May program: Hawaii’s challenges about food, energy and emergencies.

June program: Why rail was derailed.

July program: A discussion with Ben Cayetano about Honolulu’s problems.

Got wind of MOFia? No? Then read this … Move Oahu Forward?

Here is a slightly paraphrased quote about rail supporters from Houston's Mayor Lanier. It dates back to 1990 and it’s been adapted to the Honolulu rail timeline:

First they say, Rail is cheaper than buses.

When you show it costs way more than buses, they say, Rail is faster.

When you show it's slower, they say, Rail serves more riders.

When you show there are fewer riders, they say, Rail will solve the pollution problem.

When you reply that Honolulu has no pollution problem, they say, Rail provides jobs.

When you show that rail creates fewer jobs than the Hilton Hawaiian Village and most rail jobs are transient and outsider jobs, they say, Rail enables transit oriented development.

When you show no net economic gain from costly TODs, they say, finally, Rail will take time. You’ll see.

This joke has been going on for too long. It’s time to put a stop to it!

Have you contributed to the rail lawsuit?

Did you offer some support to Ben Cayetano for mayor?

Now let’s go one step further and consider the federal funding challenge of this multi billion dollar boondoggle if Hawaii’s 2013 Congressional delegation includes Linda Lingle, Tulsi Gabbard and Charles Djou! This is totally doable.

Among these fine candidates I’m helping my friend Charles Djou for U.S. Congress and many of you will receive a letter from me about Charles. Please read it.

Heads up for two upcoming events of Ben’s and Charles’ campaigns:

Ben Cayetano: Chili & rice get together, Thursday, May 17, 5:30-8 pm, Kaiser High School, Hawaii Kai.

Charles Djou: Campaign fundraiser, Wednesday, May 23, 2012, 6-7:30 pm, Japanese Cultural Center, Moiliili.

Hawaiian Island Sustainability: How can we tell if an island is sustainable or not? All islands are net importers, meaning residents depend on external resources to survive, so they tend to be less sustainable compared to a self-sufficient continent. Read full article in Honolulu Weekly.

Sustainable Development is an Oxymoron: On March 2, 1972, a team of experts from MIT presented a groundbreaking report called The Limits to Growth. It’s fascinating! Read more in the Smithsonian Magazine.

Questions on space exploration, genetically modified foods, educational methods and others have appeared on The Economist.

I'd like to compare their responses to Hawaii responses. What's your view?

Please take this simple five question survey at this SurveyMonkey link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RPNFKWT

All responses are anonymous. Summary results in about ten days on my Fix Oahu! Blog and in the next AIKEA newsletter.

Mahalo and Aloha,

Panos

Panos D. Prevedouros, PhD

Professor of Civil Engineering

Smart. Sensible. Solutions.

http://www.fixoahunow.com

http://fixoahu.blogspot.com