A Separate Government for Hawaiians Only?

If Senator Daniel Akaka had his way Hawaiians would have a Hawaiian only government.

AKAKA BILL SEEKS ETHNIC-HAWAIIAN GOVERNMENTBy Ralph Z. HallowTHE WASHINGTON TIMES-----------------------------------------------------------A Senate Democrat is pushing a bill that would allow a separate government for ethnic Hawaiians.

Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle and other Republicans also support the bill, which critics say would have dire ramifications beyond Hawaii.
"By creating a race-based government in the United States, we would be enhancing a trend toward the Balkanization of our culture," said Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, the Senate Republican Policy Committee chairman. "This would be the first time that we would actually be creating a race-based government entity within the United States."

I have to agree with Senator Kyl. If we do this for one group, where do we draw the line. This country has accepted people from around the world and their many cultures. No culture is absolutely pure from outside influences. To think one can keep it pure is simply impossible.

Senator Akaka went on to say.

"All my bill does is clarify the political and legal relationship between native Hawaiians and the United States, thereby establishing parity in the federal policies towards American Indians, Alaska natives and native Hawaiians," Mr. Akaka told The Washington Times last week. Mr. Akaka said his bill "provides a process for the reorganization of the native- Hawaiian governing entity for the purposes of a federally recognized government-to-government relationship."

He said the "action is similar to the restoration of an Indian tribe."

"Congress has recognized native Hawaiians as the indigenous peoples of Hawaii and has enacted more than 160 laws to address the conditions of native Hawaiians."

We all know how well Indian reservations have worked. Indian culture preserved while a greater percentage of Indians live in poverty than people who don't live on a reservation.

I'm an admitted Asianphile but this is just a plain bad idea. It probably has little chance of passing Congress.