Paka’aina
Dibbs - 2032 Hawai’i Governor Speech: Final Draft
Aloha, Kakou! Mahalo and thank you for considering me to be
your next governor of Hawai’i.
I would like to begin by saying that it is a
great honor to be standing up here; not only in front of the beautiful
community of Hawai’i, but also in front of my fellow native Hawaiians. I am
genuinely honored to be given this opportunity to represent my home and to
bring the great state of Hawai’i one step closer to becoming completely
self-sustainable.
It has been a very long time since the people of
Hawai’i has been presented with such an opportunity for self-sustainability and
decreased reliance on the mainland for our necessary resources. Today, in this
very moment, we are bond together as the people of Hawai’i and seize this
precious opportunity. We can restore balance and power to our noble
lands.
In the year 2014, Hawai’i has become heavily dependent on imports
from the U.S. and other foreign countries. Residents of this State depend
on these imports to provide for themselves and their family. However,
when natural disaster strikes, it is difficult for imports to reach our lands
obviously being detrimental to the residents of Hawai’i. It has been
reported in the year 2009, 85 to 95 percent of Hawaii’s food has been imported.
The people began to see that if the trends continue to happen, Hawaii’s
agriculture would eventually diminish by the year 2040. We certainly did
not want this happening. And I am here to let you know that in the year
2033 we are on a pathway to being self-sustainable.
The legislators of the past have made attempts to tackle foreign
food imports and to support food security and local food products. The
Legislators of 2014 had passed the “Increased Food Security and Food
Self-Sufficiency Strategy” bill, which enabled Hawaii residents to consume more
locally grown foods. Replacing Hawaii’s heavy dependency on foreign food
imports would prove to be beneficial. Replacing just 10 percent of food
imports would save up to $313 million dollars that would stay in Hawaii and not
leak out to other countries.
The objective to increase food security and food self-sufficiency
also calls for the ousting of biotech companies such as Monsanto, Dupont, and
Pioneer, whom all oversee the GMO farming operations. To support local
foods, food products are properly labeled to ensure that the food is GMO free.
Rather than investing in GMOs, I believe that it is important to build
partnerships with organizations that are involved in food self-sustainability
and food security.
I am speaking to you not as a politician, but as
a citizen of Hawai’i. As a man who has spent all 45 years of his life on
these islands; seeking to make a difference, and most importantly as a native
Hawaiian who honors the sacred Hawaiian culture and realizes the infinite
potential that our islands withhold. It was only 20 years ago when our state
had 85 to 95 percent of our food imported. Since then our dependency on imports
have been reduced to 45 percent.
Five years ago, the Great Flood crippled not only
our state, but also the entire world leaving 2 billion people as refugees and
many lives being lost. I would like to take a moment of silence in
remembrance of all who have been affected by the Great Flood.
The advancements and developments that have been
made since then have been remarkable. From this point on, we as a community can
only move forward.
We have advanced so much as a community but it is
imperative that we are still facing enormous challenges. The extreme rise
of the sea level has decreased the amount of land that is habitable; it has
destroyed our industrial sectors resulting in contamination in astronomical
proportions. The world was once 75 percent water. Now it is 95
percent water and most of the world is in a free-for-all to grasp the remaining
resources. Many loved ones have passed, but the global population
continues to rise dramatically despite the limited amount of land and dwindling
resources. At this rate, the world will eat itself apart within the
ending of the century.
Every corner of our world is plagued with tyrants
that want to take freedom away due to their ideologies and beliefs. Civilizations,
as we know it, has collapsed all around the world. Our reliance on imports has
now resulted in our starvation because there are no more foreign imports such
as food, gasoline, or even medical supplies. However we as a
self-sustaining state of Hawai‘i will be the example to the world and lead it
out of this so called, “Dark Age.”
With the limited land that still exists, we must
invent new technologies to accommodate a self-sustaining Hawai‘i. That is why I
dedicate full subsidies requested to the Imua project. This project has
taken us to new paths of development that we would have never imagined before.
There will be endless amounts of food produced from our vertical farms, our
cities will be expanded into floating cities to accommodate our rising
populations and our economy will be based on amount resources available instead
of traditional capitalism.
My dream, as well as everybody else’s dream is
that our nation of Hawai‘i will be not only self-sustaining, but will also become
a world leader in innovating new technologies and social ideas to write a new
chapter for humanity. Ladies and Gentleman, what we are accomplishing now
and in the future, will be written in history books for all eternity.
Today we are all a part of history.
During my graduating semester in working on my master’s degree in
Political Science, I would often hike Kawailoa Trail. At the summit of that
hike I was able to admire the beauty of our ‘aina. Both the work of our
Creator, and the work of his subordinates. From that point on you can see the
wind farms have been established that will continue to provide for our
islands with constant renewable energy. If this great state is going to thrive,
we will need more advances in self-sustainability like these.
The question is, how are we going to make more advancements
regarding self-sustainability in the future? In 2030, I have worked with
Democrats, Freedomites, and Republicans to pass legislation for the creation of
new farm lands. The Imua Project.
I would like to take a moment to talk about our nation as a whole.
Our citizens are addicted to the liquid gold that is gasoline. Like a drug, our
country continues to buy as much of this product as it can without taking steps
to cure itself. But junkies live short, ugly lives. Our state is no exception
and we need a cure.
If elected to be governor, I will introduce legislation that will
put a tax on gasoline spending, a tax that will be recycled back into our
education systems and infrastructure. My plan will reward those looking to
invest in electric vehicles and by so doing, invest in the future.
The year 2048 calls for a new bill allowing a new budget for
self-sustainability. Hawaii’s congress cannot continue to create cuts in
military budget to increase spending in self-sustainability. Hawaii’s congress
cannot continue to make subsides on education for the sake of
self-sustainability. Hawaii’s congress should listen to the ‘aina and
Kanaka Maoli. I know it will be difficult but we need to create a budget
that would help cater self-sustainability. We cannot take the ‘aina for granted
any longer. If don't treat these lands with the RESPECT that it
deserves, we might one day not be able to reach our intended goal. We need to
grasp our future by the horns and take charge of it.
I see a glorious future for Hawai'i. A future with no foreign or
domestic imports of products. Hawai’i will be completely self-sufficient,
and self-sustainable like the indigenous people of the islands before Captain
Cook’s arrival. We have witnessed the strength of these people in the
wall that we build. This tri-partisan effort was managed swiftly and safely for
the benefit of the people. Above all, the optimism of my plans while in office,
none take priority over the creation of a ventilated levy. This project will be
the capstone of my time in office, a project I might not see completed during
my lifetime, but a project that our descendants will accomplish. My
fellow ohana, even though the earthworms may eat the flesh of our bones at the
end of the project, Our ‘aina will have full renewable energy and to be
completely independent from foreign oil.
I will not leave you all with two powerful historical quotes from
two very influential individuals. “Change is the law of life. And
those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future” from
John F. Kennedy. Also from Hannah Arendt, “Speech is meaningless without
Action… and Without speech and Action, we are essentially dead to the world.”
Aloha Kakou, Gracias, Salamat, Domo Arigato, Gamsah habneda, Xie
xie, Shukran, Thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment