GMO Moratorium Swag Reimbursement

After much consideration, consultation, deliberation, consternation, medication, and procrastination, I’ve decided that I AM going to humbly ask for assistance in recouping some of the resources I spent during the campaign to protect Maui County from the harmful effects of the agrochemical industry here.

If you were paying attention from August to November last year, you would surely have noticed lots of people sporting “Vote Yes” shirts and hats, displaying “Vote Yes” stickers on their car, and waving big (and heavy!) “Vote Yes” car door magnets at sign-wavings. You might have even seen a few drinking out of “Vote Yes” coffee cups, and one guy even carrying around “Vote Yes” tote bags (Now THAT may have where I took it too far, lol.)

All in all, I spent almost $20k of my own funds to order all that stuff. I maxed out two credit cards. Since November, I’ve worked my tail off and have almost paid one of them back already. However, I’m now having a hard time qualifying for Financing to put a PV Solar System on the house, something my partner Markus and I have talked about doing for YEARS.

So I AM asking for help. We’ve already paid a deposit of $1000 for the system, but still owe $14,301.10 to get the system installed. 23,042 Maui County citizens Voted Yes on November 4th, 2014, despite being outspent over 80 to 1 by Monsanto and Dow Chemical, who flooded our mailboxes and television screens with deceptive and misleading ads. If you were around, you remember.

I’m asking for any help you could give to help me get this system put in. If every Yes Voter were to contribute $0.65, I will reach my goal. Trust me, that’s not going to happen.   

But if some of you were willing to give even a little bit more than that, I’m confident we can get it done. Many of us worked very very hard because we felt, and continue to feel,  so strongly the call to Protect Maui from those who would do harm. There are others who deserve to be compensated more than myself.  If I exceed my fundraising goal, you can bet I’ll be donating to help them get what they need and want.

I went All In on this thing. And it worked. Monsanto and Dow Chemical spent more money per earned vote in this election than has been spent on any election in United States history.  Literally.   They spent $362.22 per earned vote, to try to convince voters that business and profit is more important than caring for the environment and our Planet Earth.

I spent about $0.87.

Do I regret it? No way.

Was it worth it? You’re gosh-darn right it was.

But I do now find myself really wanting to install a PV system on the house, and without the funds to do it.

So I’m humbly asking for your support.

I guess what I’m saying is: “Can you spare a dollar?”

Aloha ‘Aina and Malama Pono

wade