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Honolulu Star-Bulletin columnist Charlie Memminger and former Governor John Waihee joined host Randy Roth for an open-ended conversation nominally on the role of government in people's lives. Memminger, whose columns blend humor with political commentary, argued that Hawaii's legislature habitually attended to trivial matters while leaving structural problems unresolved, and suggested government generally worked best when it did less. Waihee, making what he described as his first public radio appearance since leaving office, agreed that government needed to be more efficient, but maintained that collective action remained essential for security, justice, and services the market would not supply. Both guests discussed federal budget cuts from the Republican Congress, the limited legislative record of the Contract with America, and the fiscal pressure those cuts placed on Hawaii. A caller raised whether Waihee intended to challenge former Governor John Ariyoshi for a seat on the Democratic National Committee; Waihee said he would not. Hawaiian sovereignty came up as a topic that could either divide or clarify community identity. Waihee also criticised local media as selective, tending to follow rather than lead on major issues.
Transcript
Read or download the full transcript (.txt). Speaker labels were assigned automatically and may contain errors.
Companion newspaper commentaries
Commentaries by the guests, published in The Honolulu Advertiser around the broadcast.
