A.G. Roderick's Blog: The Idea Factory
August 22, 2015
Thieves and cowards
The State of Hawaii doesn't care about the poor. Perhaps I should qualify that statement. The government of the State of Hawaii doesn't care about the poor. Some may see this as divisive or outrageous language. It is not. It is a statement of fact. The state decided long ago that it would play the role of financial adversary to local people trying to provide for their families.
This is an unimpeachable truth, evidenced by one glaring bureaucratic "screw you" to the good people of this state. Hawaii's vehicle registration fees are an obscenely regressive tax on the poor, and constitute perennial larceny against nearly every local resident. Hawaii is not the only state with high annual vehicle registration costs. It is however the state where such high fees cause the greatest hardship for the poor.
Although not the most expensive car licensing in the nation, hawaii's costs are in the upper tiers. Based on weight, most residents can expect to pay well over $150 (often more than twice that) annually, just for the privilege of driving on Hawaii's sub-par roads. Taking into account all of the other extreme expenses associated with life in Hawaii, vehicle registration takes a much larger percentage of total non-housing expenditures per family here than it does in most other states.
What's worse is the fiduciary avalanche that befalls anyone who dares to challenge the state's implied birthright to your money. Should one decide that they don't have a spare few hundred dollars to throw down the state toilet every 12 months, they can be sure that they will pay the piper one way or another.
Once a driver's vehicle registration expires, they can look forward to a slew of tickets and tow bills that can rapidly accrue to totals exceeding a thousand dollars. It's one thing for a crooked politician to steal and misuse public funds as a criminal endeavor. It's a totally different thing for the state to sanction such theft. Rod Tam has nothing on the Division of Motor Vehicles and Licensing. As mentioned above, this system hurts the poor far more than any other segment of our population.
I formerly ran one of the largest homelessness prevention and rental assistance programs in the state. Most of my clients were were facing imminent homelessness. As such, I was expected to interview them about their financial problems and assess how we may be able to help them. Some of this help was monetary, and some involved budgeting and other life skills training. Many clients were in a tough spot because of their own bad decisions. Some were suffering from mental illness and/or substance abuse. A shocking number of them, however, were drowning under the financial demands put on them by the State of Hawaii. First and foremost among these state-driven pressures were often costs associated with vehicle registration.
On more than one occasion, I case-managed clients who were at risk of becoming homeless as a direct result of the ridiculous fees we are all expected to pay for vehicle registration. Clients who did not have the funds to spare would get tickets which they could also not pay. The vehicle would then be towed, making it more difficult for said client to get to their all-important job. This is not how the poor should be treated by their government.
The practice of stealing hundreds of dollars from every vehicle-driving citizen of the state has gone on for too long. The fact that no meaningful legislation is being proposed at the legislature to end this abusive practice is evidence of the pervasive cowardice at the capitol. Hawaii is an amazing place, with many amazing people. Unfortunately, those in elected office seem to be the unfortunate exception to this rule. Some may find this opinion harsh. Perhaps it is. But it is nowhere as near as harsh as the needless burden hurled upon Hawaii's driving poor by an uncaring and greedy state government.
To every member of the state legislature who continues to support this injustice and does nothing to change it, I have only one thing to say. With all due respect, it is your primary responsibility to solve problems. This is a problem. Do your damn job.
This is an unimpeachable truth, evidenced by one glaring bureaucratic "screw you" to the good people of this state. Hawaii's vehicle registration fees are an obscenely regressive tax on the poor, and constitute perennial larceny against nearly every local resident. Hawaii is not the only state with high annual vehicle registration costs. It is however the state where such high fees cause the greatest hardship for the poor.
Although not the most expensive car licensing in the nation, hawaii's costs are in the upper tiers. Based on weight, most residents can expect to pay well over $150 (often more than twice that) annually, just for the privilege of driving on Hawaii's sub-par roads. Taking into account all of the other extreme expenses associated with life in Hawaii, vehicle registration takes a much larger percentage of total non-housing expenditures per family here than it does in most other states.
What's worse is the fiduciary avalanche that befalls anyone who dares to challenge the state's implied birthright to your money. Should one decide that they don't have a spare few hundred dollars to throw down the state toilet every 12 months, they can be sure that they will pay the piper one way or another.
Once a driver's vehicle registration expires, they can look forward to a slew of tickets and tow bills that can rapidly accrue to totals exceeding a thousand dollars. It's one thing for a crooked politician to steal and misuse public funds as a criminal endeavor. It's a totally different thing for the state to sanction such theft. Rod Tam has nothing on the Division of Motor Vehicles and Licensing. As mentioned above, this system hurts the poor far more than any other segment of our population.
I formerly ran one of the largest homelessness prevention and rental assistance programs in the state. Most of my clients were were facing imminent homelessness. As such, I was expected to interview them about their financial problems and assess how we may be able to help them. Some of this help was monetary, and some involved budgeting and other life skills training. Many clients were in a tough spot because of their own bad decisions. Some were suffering from mental illness and/or substance abuse. A shocking number of them, however, were drowning under the financial demands put on them by the State of Hawaii. First and foremost among these state-driven pressures were often costs associated with vehicle registration.
On more than one occasion, I case-managed clients who were at risk of becoming homeless as a direct result of the ridiculous fees we are all expected to pay for vehicle registration. Clients who did not have the funds to spare would get tickets which they could also not pay. The vehicle would then be towed, making it more difficult for said client to get to their all-important job. This is not how the poor should be treated by their government.
The practice of stealing hundreds of dollars from every vehicle-driving citizen of the state has gone on for too long. The fact that no meaningful legislation is being proposed at the legislature to end this abusive practice is evidence of the pervasive cowardice at the capitol. Hawaii is an amazing place, with many amazing people. Unfortunately, those in elected office seem to be the unfortunate exception to this rule. Some may find this opinion harsh. Perhaps it is. But it is nowhere as near as harsh as the needless burden hurled upon Hawaii's driving poor by an uncaring and greedy state government.
To every member of the state legislature who continues to support this injustice and does nothing to change it, I have only one thing to say. With all due respect, it is your primary responsibility to solve problems. This is a problem. Do your damn job.
July 2, 2015
Back from Nyc
I just returned from doing a radio interview with The Takeaway at WNYC. I haven't been to New York in quite a few years, and it felt great to be back in the mix. What stood out to me more than anything was the crushing density of humanity. I don't mean this in a negative way, but when one has been living within the breezy confines of suburban sprawl for many years, the lively fervor of millions of other people in close proximity can be a shock to the system.
Humans are pack animals. That's why the vast majority of us choose to live our lives in close proximity to family and friends. Large and densly populated cities are just an extension of this maxim. Spending time in a large city after a long time away got my brain doing some calistenics regarding the benefits of urban density. Living in close quarters seems to breed culture, innovation, and local flavor with more intensity than in less densely populated areas. Perhaps more trips to "the big city" is just what anyone needs when in the throws of a creative drought. I think this short trip gave me just such a boost, to move on to my next exciting project.
Humans are pack animals. That's why the vast majority of us choose to live our lives in close proximity to family and friends. Large and densly populated cities are just an extension of this maxim. Spending time in a large city after a long time away got my brain doing some calistenics regarding the benefits of urban density. Living in close quarters seems to breed culture, innovation, and local flavor with more intensity than in less densely populated areas. Perhaps more trips to "the big city" is just what anyone needs when in the throws of a creative drought. I think this short trip gave me just such a boost, to move on to my next exciting project.
Back From NYC
I just returned from doing a radio interview with The Takeaway at WNYC. I haven't been to New York in quite a few years, and it felt great to be back in the mix. What stood out to me more than anything was the crushing density of humanity. I don't mean this in a negative way, but when one has been living within the breezy confines of suburban sprawl for many years, the lively fervor of millions of other people in close proximity can be a shock to the system.
Humans are pack animals. That's why the vast majority of us choose to live our lives in close proximity to family and friends. Large and densly populated cities are just an extension of this maxim. Spending time in a large city after a long time away got my brain doing some calistenics regarding the benefits of urban density. Living in close quarters seems to breed culture, innovation, and local flavor with more intensity than in less densely populated areas. Perhaps more trips to "the big city" is just what anyone needs when in the throws of a creative drought. I think this short trip gave me just such a boost, to move on to my next exciting project.
Humans are pack animals. That's why the vast majority of us choose to live our lives in close proximity to family and friends. Large and densly populated cities are just an extension of this maxim. Spending time in a large city after a long time away got my brain doing some calistenics regarding the benefits of urban density. Living in close quarters seems to breed culture, innovation, and local flavor with more intensity than in less densely populated areas. Perhaps more trips to "the big city" is just what anyone needs when in the throws of a creative drought. I think this short trip gave me just such a boost, to move on to my next exciting project.
June 23, 2015
Thoughts on mass shootings
In the wake of every mass shooting in America, we seem to have the same debate. The discussion centers around whether we should have more gun control or less gun control. Though this is a relevant discussion, it may not get to the real crux of what we're facing as a people.
Unfortunately, these types of shootings committed mostly by dissafected American males are not slowing down. What we probably need to be doing as a society is looking for the common threads in most of these young men's lives. There are a number of cultural mile-markers that seem to bind many of these men together, and that should be our starting point.
Human connection in all its forms is probably the most important thing missing in the lives of these sad souls. But what leads to this lack of connection? The answer to this question likely holds the solution to the problem. We need to be looking into what we can do as a culture to stop churning out sociopaths, instead of only looking to legislation to solve the problem on a bureaucratic level.
Unfortunately, these types of shootings committed mostly by dissafected American males are not slowing down. What we probably need to be doing as a society is looking for the common threads in most of these young men's lives. There are a number of cultural mile-markers that seem to bind many of these men together, and that should be our starting point.
Human connection in all its forms is probably the most important thing missing in the lives of these sad souls. But what leads to this lack of connection? The answer to this question likely holds the solution to the problem. We need to be looking into what we can do as a culture to stop churning out sociopaths, instead of only looking to legislation to solve the problem on a bureaucratic level.
June 17, 2015
Talking with voters
I recently had a great opportunity to be a guest for a full hour on The Kathleen Dunn Show of Wisconsin Public Radio. It was a great experience for a number of reasons. First of all, Kathleen and everyone involved in the production of her show are wonderful people, and I loved the open discussion format of the program. I think that such a free exchange of ideas is how great solutions are born.
Secondly, it was the first radio interview I've done so far where I had the opportunity to speak with callers and hear their thoughts on my book. More importantly, I got to listen to their concerns about the state of our democracy. The discussions with callers were very positive, and just reinforced what I already knew to be true: Voters are disgusted with the Republicans, the Democrats and the Two Party System. They are begging for a paradigm shift.
Much of my inspiriation for writing comes primarily from wanting to help my fellow man and woman to live a happier life. That's why I do what I do. The experience of speaking with the public about their political concerns gave me a renewed sense of urgency and a reassurance that I am in fact doing what I was meant to do.
Two Tyrants
A.G. Roderick
http://www.wpr.org/shows/two-tyrants
Secondly, it was the first radio interview I've done so far where I had the opportunity to speak with callers and hear their thoughts on my book. More importantly, I got to listen to their concerns about the state of our democracy. The discussions with callers were very positive, and just reinforced what I already knew to be true: Voters are disgusted with the Republicans, the Democrats and the Two Party System. They are begging for a paradigm shift.
Much of my inspiriation for writing comes primarily from wanting to help my fellow man and woman to live a happier life. That's why I do what I do. The experience of speaking with the public about their political concerns gave me a renewed sense of urgency and a reassurance that I am in fact doing what I was meant to do.
Two Tyrants
A.G. Roderick
http://www.wpr.org/shows/two-tyrants
The Idea Factory
Rather than simply giving a basic answer to any reader questions regarding my book, Two Tyrants, I'll be having an open discussion with you setting the topics. Politics, writing, music. Anything you w
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