A resounding ‘no’ to gov’s request for resignations

Gov. Neil Abercrombie has said he still thinks he was right to ask for the resignations of past appointees to key state boards and commissions. That said, it can’t be pleasant for him to endure the seemingly endless series of announcements from board members who have decided to stay on, thank you very much.

And at the risk of piling on, we have to ask again: What was he thinking? One of the benefits of having appointees from other administrations with overlapping terms of service is that it produces a diverse range of perspectives for discussing the business at hand.

If the governor wanted perfect alignment across the spectrum of state government, why have commissions at all?

Fill ‘er up with electricity, please

Life is all about trade-offs. The unveiling of a new electric-vehicle charging station, open to the general public at the state Capitol, provides a prime example.

Charging up at one of these stations costs about $2 an hour, which gives enough juice for 15-20 miles of driving. That’s roughly what a $4 gallon of gas gets you.

The trade-off occurs when time’s in the equation. Filling up a tank of gas takes a few minutes, while it would take about four hours of charging to get far less driving distance.

What’s your time worth to you? Especially if you’re spending those four hours at the state Capitol. Not much going on between sessions — even the hot air is gone for the summer.