Posted on: Sunday, January 9, 2005
EDITORIAL
More funding for Hawaiians no solution
The Hawaiian recognition bill before Congress has gained a powerful new opponent in Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain.
McCain, who has tangled with Hawai'i's representatives in Congress before, argues that it would make more sense to increase money for existing Native Hawaiian programs rather than go forward with some kind of "nation-within-a-nation" concept envisioned by the so-called Akaka bill.
On the surface, McCain's remarks appear to be a reasonable compromise. But they miss the fundamental point of the recognition bill: The measure is designed to forestall constitutional challenges to any and all Hawaiians-only programs on grounds they are racially biased.
The fact that no lawsuits have yet been filed against specific Native Hawaiian health or education programs does not mean they won't be in the future.
It won't do any good to pour new money into these programs if they are vulnerable to constitutional challenge.
McCain's remarks are important because he currently serves as chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, a post once held by Hawai'i Sen. Dan Inouye. Any recognition measure must go through McCain's committee.
McCain, who counts a substantial number of Native American Indians among his constituents, may be concerned that formal federal recognition of Native Hawaiians would lead to a diversion of funds that now go to Indian tribes.
Hawai'i Sens. Inouye and Daniel Akaka have repeatedly assured that any funding for Native Hawaiians would come from new sources, not from the pot that now goes to help Indian tribes.
Gov. Linda Lingle, who campaigned in part on her promise to advance the cause of the Akaka bill with Republicans, says she hopes to meet with McCain when she travels to Washington next month.
Her first task should be to convince the Arizona senator that while his support for increased Native Hawaiian funding is welcome, it does nothing to resolve the legal and constitutional problems the Akaka bill hopes to resolve.
