"You Betcha..!"

The other day I was filling out a coupon for a free item entree for Panda Express restaurant, basically if you fill out a survey online next time you go and buy a two entree platter you get a third entree for free. Since free is my favorite word, and free just stimulates my senses.

I was feeling great filling out this survey and reminiscing about the great kung pao chicken, Beijing beef, shrimp with walnuts, egg rolls and an array of sensually delicious dishes. Then for the last question it asks; What is your age? I just turned 55 and to my dismay 55 and older is the highest ranking on the age chart, from now on, I am in just one category. I guess it's good news I made it to the top, but in some ways I wish there were still more ladders to climb.

The great news is many restaurants now give me a senior discount! The young high school girls look at me like I am an old man, and ask, senior discount? I say with great pride, "You Betcha'!

Under 18

18 to 24

25 to 34

35 to 44

45 to 54

55 or over

Prefer not to answer

"Bring on da lotto..."

There are currently seven states without a lottery. Those states are Wyoming, Utah, Mississippi,, Alaska, Alabama, Hawaii and believe it or not Nevada.

With the "Aloha State" of Hawaii on the verge of financial collapse and the newly elected governor finding himself for a lack of funds for everything, why not start a lottery!?

The first recession may be over, but a new one is upon us. A lottery would solve quite a few financial problems. Of course there are pro's and con's to everything, but why not let the people dream of being rich? Every week someone will have the chance of financial freedom, many others will never win, however giving the people something to dream about while helping the states financial crisis seems better than cutting funds to medicaid, medicare and taxing everything from soda pop to bubble gum.

I believe everyone would buy lotto tickets, vsitors and kamaaina alike.

It's time to bring on da lotto!

"Sure beats dying..."

Facebook, we all use it, in fact that's most likely the way you accessed this blog.

I am 55 years old and like you have friends from many different times of my life. There are friends from elementary school, junior & senior high school, junior college, college and graduate school.

I have lived in New York, Florida, California, Canada, Japan, Alaska and currently reside in the "Aloha state" of Hawai'i.

It's like my life flashing before my eyes everytime I visit Facebook.

They say (whoever they are?) when you die your life flashes before you in slow motion, for me everytime I access 'Facebook' my life flashes before me in slow motion, sure beats dying! :D)

"A Foreigner as Governor..."

(Trivia; Governor Abercrombie was born and raised in a suburb of Buffalo N.Y, something I should be proud of because I was also raised in a suburb of Buffalo , N.Y.)

Hawaii's newly elected Governor is off to a delusional rein as Governor.

First he created a special election costing the state 670,000, which could had been avoided by quitting his congressional responsibilities a few months later.

Neil is now calling for major cuts for the poor through medicare and medicaid cuts and wants to initiate a soda pop tax. On top of all this he has negotiated for our incarcerated out of state prisoners to come back to Hawaii and finish their terms of sentence, which costs almost two times as much money as housing them on the mainland. The reason Gov Lingle sent them to the mainland was to save the state money, now Neil is looking for ways to balance the budget when the simplest start would had been to keep the prisoners were there at. Why treat the prisoners so special when the general population is in duress?

The Governor was in Washington many years as a congressman representing Hawaii, however right now with less than a month as Governor he is  acting as a foreigner and breaking  his campaign promise of no new taxes.

"Sabbath everyday..!"

The working class people need a day off, a day of rest, a sabbath so to speak. People need a day to put themselves into a different consciousness besides that of their daily grind.

Being retired I face a dilemma, a good dilemma if there can be such a thing. I enjoy my leisure lifestyle. I exercise, pray, garden, watch movies, eat well, blog and have a constant four legged companion best friend.

I used to go to weekly sabbath (shabbat services) when I was a working class person. Back then I needed a sabbath, to get away from the grind and put me into a relaxed consciousness.

Sabbath is great for the masses but for myself and few others sabbath is everyday! Hallelujah, Praise the lord!

"Why not lead by example.."

Hawaii's newly elected governor Abercrombie is off to a rough start.

Do you think our governor was thinking about the state budget when he quit his job as a Hawaii congressman? Quitting cost the taxpayers 670,000 since a special election was required. If Neil had waited until August, no special election would had been required since his replacement could had been on the ballot for the November election with everything else.

Neil is now asking state workers to take a pay cut and has said he is going to cut Medicare and medicaid benefits to the poor. He spoke of a soda pop tax during his recent state of the state address. What's next taxing every food item separately depending on it's nutritional value?

While campaigning Neil made everything sound simple, he said he'd been in Washington many years and knows how to get federal monies, no worries about anything was his attitude.

Mr. Governor, as the head of state why not lead by example, be the example for all politicians that are already financially set for life and be the ultimate public servant and either take a major pay cut or work for free yourself. A state lottery wouldn't be a bad idea either.

"Everyone hates everyone..."

I live in a retirement community with 38 units, mostly adults over 55. Everyone is always calling management to report something on their neighbor, they may report you planted a flower an inch to close to your unit, or that you sneezed to loud while someone was sleeping, or even that your car door closes to loud.

Just watch out if you ever have bad gas, neighbors will probably call the police.

Calling the police is another problem, I have one neighbor who looks like hell washed over and always thinks someone is peeping in on her? The cops come and ask questions. She makes stories up about every guy in the neighborhood. The cops asked me what the story was, I said do you think if any one of us guys were going to take a chance on being arrested as a peeping Tom, we would peep on her?

After-all when most men look at this women their private part acts as if it is a frightened turtle.

Where I live everyone hates everyone equal and there is no such word as aloha, unless of course aloha means hate?

"Monster trucks..."

How many people driving pick-up trucks actually need pick-up trucks? The island of Kauai sports many monster pickup trucks, you know the ones with the big wheels like on the old TV show, "Dukes of hazard."

The younger generation seems to find more to live for in driving a $40,000 truck than spending that money as a down payment on a home.

Many young people in their 20's, 30's and 40's still live with their parents, they drive brand new pickup trucks even though they live in 4 -plex apartments with three generations.

These trucks are used to go surfing, to church and to the supermarket. These trucks have too much power on an island where the average speed limit is 25mph.

I own a Hyundai economy sedan and dread driving since most vehicles are these monster trucks that have a need to tailgate even if one gets up to 40mph there is a monster truck one car length behind.

May I suggest to the younger generation quit tailgating and go to therapy, it's cheaper than your truck payments and gas.

Remember big trucks are a substitute for something else.

"World Champs..?"

How can the "Superbowl be the "World championship? There are 32 teams in the NFL. There are no foreign countries invited to compete and only 22 states have NFL franchises, 28 states do not have a franchise.

You have to either love it, or pull your hair out. Overpaid jocks playing for what they believe is a worlds championship...

For the land of the free and the home of the Superbowl.

"Plastic more polluting than paper..."

(Editors note, The island of Kauai voted against Ferry service to neighboring islands in 2008. Now in 2011 our county council decides to outlaw plastic bags and bring back paper bags in lieu of)

There where those who believed the Super-ferry needed an EIS, myself and many others feel that an EIS would had been in order before the county council adopted and voted into the law, the new current plastic
bag ban. This ban was decided by seven people who won a popularity contest and should had been put out for the people of Kaua'i to vote on.

If proper research had been employed, we could had learned from a  Los Angeles county EIR In 2009 that paper is actually more polluting than plastic, best thing to had done would had been to outlaw plastic and paper and require everyone to bring cloth bags.

I am publicly asking for the new members of county council to study Los Angeles counties EIS and what was discovered and to do what is pono(righteous) and reverse this totally ridiculous plastic ban.

Enclosed is a link to the studies confirming paper is far worse for the environment.

http://www.savetheplasticbag.com/

Environmentally yours,

"The Best job for a Bachelor..!"

I have been contemplating running for Kauai county council in 2012.

Many people have encouraged me, but in lieu of running for county council I have decided to make a run as Mayor of the cosmic garden island.

This decision was an easy one. My bucket list includes a run for mayor somewhere in the United States and on Kauai there is not a better job for a bachelor since the mayor of Kauai gets lei'd almost everyday and some-days he is lei'd multiple times.

See you in 2012!

"Kaua'i Poetry..."

A coach who uses profanity, an electric company that charges extraordinary prices, a local council that is over paid, drugs and murders.

Kauai is my kine of place! Paradise!

"Please remember this in 2 years... "

(Editor's note, Coach Borrero was recently fired from Kauai High school for using swear words during football practice, this will help you understand the statement i injected about the coach.)

The county of Kauai never had to implement furloughs, "the county budget soared 31 percent to $43.1 million in 2010.

"Kauai county had surplus money, all the other Hawaii county's were broke.

Instead our politicians played poker with our taxpaying dollars, pretended to be broke because we could possibly lose approximately 12 million dollars in hotel taxes the state wanted. The Mayor gambled with our money, and last time I checked all forms of gambling are illegal on Kaua'i.

The furloughs effected everyone with the simple concept of trickle down economics. Everyone on Kauai suffered, many business's shut their doors. If we had evaded the furloughs who knows how many business might had survived and how many people might had avoided bad credit or even bankruptcy?

I think coach Borrero might say "WTF?" I know I did!

Please remember this in 2 years at the next local election and re-elect nobody.

"People in glass houses should not throw stones..."

(Editors note, Kaua'i High school recently fired a good coach because he was reported swearing.)

Another hypocrisy, in the cyber world, we use "lol," "wtf," all the time and it is acceptable, but G-d forbid in the moment of passion when testosterone and emotions run high, no I'm not talking about marital relations, I am talking football! ;D)

Coaches swear because they care. What are the coaches suppose to say, "oh gee little Kaipo, run fast OK, can you do that without hurting yourself?"

Or do you get them motivated and say, "move your you know what," in a different dialect of course.

Who cares if the coach swears, he's swearing out of commitment and love of team to make the kids try harder and become better, no drill sergeant was ever easy on a recruit.

Do you think coaches in the NFL swear? Could you imagine firing an NFL coach for swearing? Emotions and testosterone run wild on the football field, I am not condoning this in the classroom but give me a break...

Give coach Borrero another chance, he did something we are all guilty of, which brings to mind all the people portraying themselves as holier than thou. Remember people in glass houses should not throw stones...

"Expand Da Bus..!"

(Editors note, for those who do not live on Kauai there is talk of expanding a much needed bus service which only runs until 6:00 p.m. on weekdays, a limited schedule on Saturdays and holidays and closed on Sunday...)

I believe expanding the Bus service is long overdue. It's a no brainer, people go places after 6:00 p.m and on holidays.

I believe there should not be a downsized schedule on Saturday and holidays, ironically those are the days more people need the bus, weekends and holidays. Keep the schedule the same every day of the week.

Please consider making room for more bikes and having a course in people skills for the many drivers whom may be good drivers but have no people skills. Just a nice good morning or Aloha can make a person's day.

Please consider as in Honolulu a special disability bus pass . Honolulu offers $25.00 a year for physically and mental ailments after a signed documentation by the persons doctor. Seniors also have the option of a $25.00 a year bus pass, guaranteed more people riding da bus!

May I suggest the drivers as in Honolulu and many other cities must display their name tags when driving, this makes it so a passenger doesn't have to say, "hey driver"(drivers hate being addressed as 'hey driver') when there is a question, it also makes the driver behave more pono when his name is out there.

" Now that's what I call letter writing..."

Reading the local editor to editor column gives one insight into the personality of any given community that publishes an open editorial system of letting the residents submit their opinions.

I enjoy this section most since these are opinions and are not fact ridden news-stories.

Sometimes I wish people would write letters to the editor like a good fiction thriller. Imagine seeing in the editorial section of your local paper, a serial killer who kills people while they eat  cereal , this person would be the ultimate serial killer.

I guess I am getting board with all the, 'I would like to thank this organization,' or 'kudos to the boy scouts for helping senior citizens.' I am especially bored with the letter's that start out with 'in response to someone elses letter,' or 'in response to a story that appeared previously in the said periodicals.' These are the worst letters, the people without any imagination who can only respond to someone else's original thoughts and never have an original thought of their own

To the people who only write in response to, how about trying to be creative,with something like;

Once upon a time on the cosmic island of Kauai there lived a very uncreative letters to editor writer who decided to make a flying surfboard with a bread machine attached to it! Now that's what I call letter writing!

"Why do we need a county council..?"

Banning the thin plastic bags with handles in favor of paper makes no sense. Stores have told me they will be going back to paper. Paper bags are made from trees, so now we are going back to destroying trees? This all commences on January 11Th 2011.

This law was initiated as a green bill, how about walking and riding a bike in lieu of your big SUVs/

Everyone I knows recycles those bags numerous times, for harvesting, they hang well off of handlebars when biking with groceries.

People need to be educated on the many uses of recycling the plastic bags.

There are many more harmful things to the environment than plastic bags, what about all the fast food containers and wrappers.Has anyone ever bought a salad at Costco? Those containers can be re-used hundreds of times and are disposed of after one salad.

If our council wants a greener environment try riding a bike or taking the bus to your next scheduled meeting where they make in access of $1000 for sitting on their behinds & thinking they make a difference.

The only ones benefiting from this ban are the companies that sell the heavier plastic garbage bags that are even more polluting, since we will need to buy them.

Why do we even need a county council?Why can't the people vote on what's needed instead of 7 people who won a popularity contest?

"How to shop in a recessed economy..."

Hawaii has some of the most outrageous grocery prices in the country. One loaf of white bread can run five dollars or more, a half gallon of ice cream can run $9.00 and imagine paying $7.50 for a small package of 8 Oscar Meyer wieners.

Here's what I do, I visit at least one local grocery store everyday and search for red tag items, items that are almost ready to expire.

I have bought, cream cheese for fifty cents, yogurts for fifteen cents, Kosher Hebrew national hot dogs package of 8 for one dollar, pies, breads, Pillsbury biscuits, bricks of cheese, salad dressings, salsa, almost any item you can think of from fresh baked goods to national canned products. I have bought almost everything at one time or another for one dollar or less.

Plan your meals around around red tag prices, freeze foods when you see them on sale and save for a later time. I can walk out of the local grocery with three bags of groceries for under ten dollars, the savings is tenfold if not more. The savings are remarkable and I always feel proud of getting such great deals. It's a game for me, I will by items I have never tasted if they are red tagged and have found many new likes and dislikes. Call it a game, call it a sickness or just call it survival in a recessed economy.

Gasoline, that's another story with gas prices in Hawaii at close to $4.00 a gallon I ride a bike...

"Living in a bubble.."

The thing President Obama dislikes most about being president is the fact he has no personal space or privacy.

Every-time he goes for a walk there are secret service people all around him, if he walks in a residential neighborhood they block off the neighborhood.

Imagine not being able to take  a quiet walk on the beach with your wife, girlfriend or dog without a major entourage and making sure the beach is blocked from the normal activities.

The president when asked what he misses most about civilian life, he answered, "just being able to take a walk in open space."

In contrast a familiarity to many of us living in a small town atmosphere. Every-time we go to the supermarket, post office or take a leisurely stroll we run into people we know and the common courtesy is to make small talk and talk story. Many times we just want to be anonymous but can't. I totally understand the presidents dilemma, however living in a bubble sounds better than running into acquaintances who just don't shut up!

"A pill for everything and for everything there is a pill...."‏

There is a pill for everything and for everything there is a pill. There is now a pill you add to your pill for depression to make less depression. There are type one narcotics for pain management, there are pills to make men aroused,there's pills for restless leg syndrome and so many pills for any ailment the brain can think of.

Every-time i go to my doctor he prescribes another pill. I am currently on twelve different meds and told my doctor I am hoping to reduce my pharmaceutical intake. Without a blink my doctor said I can prescribe a pill for that.

"Hau'oli la hanau- Happy New year..!"

New years day I received an email from Facebook titled 'Birthday calendar.' It tells you all your friends who have birthdays in the coming week. In bold print it says, "Nathan Eagle is 109 years old today!" I know Nathan, he is a young man maybe late twenties early thirties and for those who do not know Nathan he is the editor "n" chief of TGI. (The Garden Island newspaper)

This was obviously a misprint, and should had read The Garden Island Newspaper turned 109 years old January 1,2011!

Happy Birthday Garden island newspaper and Mr Eagle please give us your secret on reaching 109 with such a youthful appearance in such a stressful job. May you keep publishing another 109 years and beyond, Hau'oli la hanau.