Dear Governor Lingle, Senators, and Representatives;
The layoffs of 118 employees of the Department of Agriculture will be devastating to Hawaii. These disproportionate cuts will result in higher food costs, a collapse of the ag export industry and irreversible damage to the environment. The layoffs will save $5.9 million in wages, but the negative impacts will be measured in the hundreds of millions of dollars. This assault on the DOA is unacceptable. We must maintain these essential first responders.