Since 1974, Hawaii has required employers to provide health care to employees who work 20 hours or more. Here are the startling results:

• Only North Dakota has lower health insurance premiums than Hawaii.
• Hawaiians live longer than any other Americans.
• While Hawaii has the highest rate of breast cancer in the United States, it has the lowest death rate from it.
• In 2007, visits to Hawaiian hospital emergency rooms were 34% lower than the national average.
• 89.3% of adults are insured. Only Massachusetts has a higher percentage of insured. The national average is 79.6%.
• Administrative costs are 6%, one of the lowest in the U.S.

Staff members of Iolani Palace were locked into a room during the takeover. Kippen de Alba Chu, executive director of the Friends of Iolani Palace, said, “They’ve got a king, and the king wants to sit on the throne.”

James Kimo Akahi, declared himself that king and prepared to chain himself to the throne. Akahi had a problem, however. The “king” had never been to his palace so he did not know where the throne was. Akahi searched wildly through the palace before police finally arrested the frustrated monarch-to-be.

Several pro-sovereignty Hawaiian groups are actively seeking Hawaiian secession from the United States. What is a serious matter for these groups is quickly breaking down into theatrics, intra-group squabbling and some comic relief.

“That’s atrocious, for him trying to sit on the throne at Iolani Palace. James Akahi is not the king of Hawaii,” said Charles Kauluwehi Maxwell Sr., another Hawaiian activist.

Basically, these groups claim that the United States control of the Islands is invalid because Queen Liliuokalani, the last Hawaiian monarch, was deposed forcefully and illegally.

Since April 30, the Hawaiian Kingdom Government has also occupied Iolani Palace. The Hawaiian Kingdom Government claims to have reestablished a functioning government. Their website declares, “The primary objective of the Hawaiian Kingdom Government is to expose the occupation of our nation … and to provide a foundation for transition and the ultimate end of the occupation of the Hawaiian Kingdom.” However, the boisterous claim has a weak bite. Representatives of the Hawaiian Kingdom Government have been dutifully going to get weekly permits from Hawaiian officials so they can continue to maintain their headquarters at Iolani Palace.

It was bad enough that Kevin Cronin, Hawaii’s Chief Election Official, failed to register to vote for five months. It was part of the job qualification, but more importantly, he is supposed to set an example. By neglecting to register, he dismisses this important act as less important than his other duties. His excuse? Essentially, it is the time-old and worn-out, “I was too busy.” 

Cronin claims to have worked six to seven days a week putting in a new voting system, preparing for the upcoming election and performing his other office duties. That is commendable. Yet that is no excuse for failing to perform the primary responsibility of every citizen–registering to vote. Cronin should have registered to vote once he moved from Wisconsin and before he assumed any responsibility at his new position. 

Cronin only registered after the media picked up the possibility he was not registered. When that happened, Cronin immediately found the five minutes to register. 

Here is Cronin’s explanation in his own words:

Until I registered to vote, I served as what the law calls a “de facto” official. A “de facto” official is one who in good faith may perform the duties of office without jeopardy to any decisions made. No one informed me otherwise. There is no question I was a citizen of the United States, older than 18 and a resident of Hawaii. All of that paperwork had been completed.

What remained to remove the “de facto” status was to complete an application to become a registered voter in Hawaii. Unfortunately, this was one of several personal items which remained on my to-do list and that working 6-7 days a week kept getting moved to the next day as I worried about getting a voting machine system secured for the state and to begin election preparations in what is expected to bring to the polls an unusually large number of voters. When the caller/reporter asked about my status, I left the office immediately to go to Honolulu Hale to register to vote.

To experience the attention and anger among many people over my voter registration status surprised me, especially when our beautiful state has so many more compelling issues like education, health care, and transportation, among others.

Instead of seeking excuses, Cronin would better serve his predicament by apologizing. A hard-working public servant is what everyone wants. However, to hide behind “de facto status” and “more compelling issues” is to shirk responsibility for what is a foolish neglect of his responsibility as a public official and American citizen. A simple, contrite apology might save his job if he really is as hard working as he claims.

Cronin was appointed to the position in February. As the filing deadline for the primary election ended last week, Cronin finally registered to vote. Obviously, someone did not do a background check when he was appointed to the job. By not being registered, he was not qualified for the job he has held since February. 

Republican Governor Linda Lingle called it “shocking and embarrassing.” 

The Hawaii Elections Commission is now investigating the incident and Cronin’s job status.