by Gary Hooser
The words of former State Representative Roy Takumi have been keeping me awake at night.
It was 2003, and I was a brand-new Senator, preparing to vote on my first state budget. That’s when Roy told me, “Never forget, Gary, the budget we’re voting on is a moral document.”
The budget recently approved by the U.S. House of Representatives saves money by taking food and healthcare from children, the elderly, and the very poor.
The proposed budget also decimates funding for public education, parks, environmental protection, international humanitarian aid, and countless other valuable services and programs.
These savings will then be transferred to the wealthy, the privileged, the powerful, and, of course, the defense industry.
The budget of the United States of America, now before the U.S. Senate, represents a new era of amoral depravity.
It’s worse than gross and disgusting, and we cannot remain complacent and silent on the sidelines.
We are each responsible for this. After all, we let it happen.
We all should be ashamed of it, and we must fight back and stop it from being implemented.
Our voices must be loud, our actions swift, and our resolve unshakable.
We must stand united and tell the Trump Administration – and our own local government leaders – NO, loudly and clearly.
“No, we don’t want your tax cuts for the rich to be paid for on the backs of our less fortunate brothers and sisters, living in our own neighborhoods and around the world. And don’t try to appease us by offering us money – military money, blood money – that will fund even MORE guns, bombs, missiles, and bodies buried in trenches in foreign lands.”
I use the words “we” and “our” above and below, very intentionally. We are each responsible for the actions of our government.
Our State Legislature must immediately prepare to increase taxes, dollar for dollar, on the very wealthy, to offset the federal tax cut benefits that will soon be flowing to those who need it the least.
These funds must be used to support and, if possible, expand Hawaii’s Medicaid program and Supplemental Nutritional Aid Program (SNAP).
Ditto to the weakening of federal environmental protections. Our State AND County governments must pass new local laws to offset federal actions that will impact environmental protections, climate change, and even nuclear development safeguards.
And we cannot truly clean our hands and look our moʻopuna in the eyes until we confront the elephant in the room. The United States spends more money on “defense” than any other country on the planet, approximately $895 billion per year. For context, Russia spends $126 billion, and China’s $267 billion.
The budget recently approved by the U.S. House proposes increasing military spending to $1 trillion in fiscal year 2026. That increase will be funded by cuts to programs that now help our poor, sick, old, and hungry.
We are, by far, already the largest exporter of weapons worldwide, and we have more military bases in more countries than any other.
It’s time we say NO to the renewal of land leases at Pohakuloa, Kahuku, Kawailoa-Poamoho, and Makua. We must also refuse expansion at Barking Sands and the bombing of Kaʻula Island.
Support for American troops, belief in the importance of national security, and rejection of the endless expansion of the U.S. war machine: these are values that can, and MUST, co-exist.
At ALL levels, our elected officials must lead on this – or get out of the way.
If they fail to do so, we must challenge them, primary them, run against them ourselves, help others run against them, and – whether Democrat or Republican – we MUST defeat them at the polls in 2026.
GARY HOOSER is a former Hawaiʻi State Senator and Majority Leader.
About Author
+ There are no comments
Add yours