Thursday, July 3, 2008

Got Pro-Rail Views? Join Others Today @ 3 pm; Plus, the Governor’s Curious Stand on Rail

The anti-rail groups trotted out their candidate for mayor at Honolulu Hale earlier this week, and now it’s time for pro-rail residents to wave the flag at the same location.

Support Rail Transit is the organizer and invites Oahu residents who back the Honolulu fixed-guideway project to rally from 3 to 5 today. The group’s website has details.

The timing couldn’t be better – Independence Day eve. We’ll let you think on that and freedom, independence, traffic and transit. Happy July 4th.

NOW She Wants the Public?

Governor Lingle’s declaration that she’d “likely sign” the anti-rail petition comes with a curious declaration in today’s Honolulu Star-Bulletin: “I’m not for or against rail. I’m pro-people. Let the people decide, that’s my mantra.”

She has no opinion on rail, after all this time and turmoil? That has to be one of the strangest things to come out of the Governor’s office. Let public opinion rule, she says.

It was just two weeks ago that her office signed off on a lease of a 12-mpg luxury sport Infiniti SUV, ignoring the overwhelming negative reaction in public opinion that she missed an opportunity to set a positive example to conserve.

And when she created the Comprehensive Communications Review Committee to investigate why the public was so poorly served by her emergency communicators after the October 2006 earthquakes, she didn’t appoint any members to represent the public and refused to do so for the panel’s lengthy existence.

In other words, being “pro-people” is a sometimes thing. Curious.

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