The Office of Hawaiian Affairs still sucks in my book.
I posted this some place else and am reposting it here since I have alot of people who lurk here. This shows people that I am not smart. I just read annual reports. Of course Mr. Leroy Bass of Mississippi then of Hawaii taught me to do this while I was a student in his Economics class at the Kamehameha Schools. Sorry this post is so long but I have many people who read this little old Livejournal. Here it is:
In today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs said it will give $2.2 million to 14 public charter schools that operate with a Hawaiian cultural focus.
That is a very small percentage. In 2004 OHA's funding amounted to $382,651, 518:
See http://www.oha.org/pdf/AnnualReport04.pdf
Scroll to page 49.
That is 382 million, 651 thousand, 518 dollars. $2.2 million accounts for about .0522669 or... 5.2269% of their 2004 budget.
What about doing more. Doing better. What they are doing is NOT enough as it is.
However I am not saying that because I want OHA to be dissolved since that entity is part of the law. However they should be doing even more. Right now they are not doing enough for Hawaiians.
Also for the record I have never ever gotten any money from OHA nor do I want any money. However there are Hawaiians who do live below the poverty level. I know many. OHA is supposed to be bettering their lives. It's the law.
Anyway that's a very small portion of their 2004 budget. Very very small. They need to be doing MORE. Much more.
[This] is their total fund for the year 2004. If you look at page 46 there is a breakdown of expenses. Note the following in administration costs:
Support services: $9,163,087
Beneficiary advocacy: $5,285,651
Board of Trustees: $1,699,567
versus
$2,200,000 for Hawaiian charter schools
If you add these together they compose $16,148,305 which is about EIGHT times what they gave towards education. So for these three administration figures... they exceed the $2.2 million and the $2.2 million accounts for only about 13.62372% of these three administration costs. Not good in my book. It should be the other way around. Then again I am Hawaiian so that may be why I'm biased. To me... that's still too little but again... I'm Hawaiian so I am a bit biased as it concerns people to whom I am related.
[sic] "Encouragement" doesn't feed Hawaiians (i.e. poi shortage) nor educate them nor does it provide shelter (i.e. housing.) I guess I think about it differently and more hardcore because I was on welfare as a child and they did not help me. They still don't but nowadays I expect them to help Hawaiians... not just themselves... and we as beneficiaries have a right to demand that they do their job, criticize them, etc.
Okay... pau.