One of the key selling points for Hawaii’s recycling law was that by putting a price on every returnable bottle or can, they would magically disappear from our streets, parks and beaches.

Since each discard was worth a nickel, the thinking went, scavengers ranging from the homeless to organized Boy Scout troops would be out there sweeping up every loose container and digging through every can.. In fact, the City even has a wonderful euphemism for this practice: “Passive recycling.”

But the City, according to a story by reporter Peter Boylan, is still thinking about putting specific recycling bins in more public parks and other municipal spaces. That should make things easier for the passive recyclers, but is it worth the money?

After all, if folks won’t throw their bottles and cans into the regular garbage cans already available, why would they bother to hunt around for the recycling bin?

Now, that was an interesting comment by Gov. Linda Lingle after her visit with President Bush in Washington D.C.

The governor is in Washington for a meeting of the National Governor’s Association Winter meeting.

The conversation with Bush was wide-ranging, and one of the topics discussed was the dilemma faced by governors over the gradual decline of gasoline tax income as people move toward higher fuel efficient cars or alternative fuels, Lingle said. That means less money for new highways or repairing existing highways.

She pointed that several Mainland governors are now looking at more congesting pricing (charging more for use of roads during busy times) and tolls, Lingle said.

Now, we don’t know whether Lingle offered those thoughts in admiration or horror. That is, does she think such pricing is in the works for Hawaii?

If so, how would that impact the Honolulu’s soon-to-start mass transit system, which is going forward with the state’s blessing (in the form of a state-authorized transit excise tax)? The transit option is built on the idea that it will offer a viable alternative to commuters sick of traffic congestion.

Would a robust system of road pricing and tolls be the tipping point that drives legions of drivers on to the rail system? Or, might the pricing scheme smooth out congestion to the point where a transit alternative is no longer badly needed?

Who knows? What is certain that in politics, just about everything is connected to everything else in one way or another.

So there I was Democratic caucus night, shaking my head with wonder that the turnout for the presidential preference poll would soar above 20,000 people.

That number, based on history, was almost unimaginable. So what are we supposed to make about the fact that the Democratic Party says 37,000 souls managed to vote, one way or another, Tuesday night.

It is mind-boggling to think that that many people would take the time to fight traffic, stand in line for hours and endure endless confusion and in some cases chaos just to have their say in what is the first step in deciding some — not all, but some — of Hawaii’s relatively tiny 29 votes at the national Democratic convention.

It shows that when politics matters, people will show up and participate. It also suggests that Hawaii’s low voter turnout s in recent state elections have had less to do with a decline in political interest and more to do with apathy toward the current batch of choices available.

Another part of it might be that regular elections involve hundreds of thousands of folks, so a lot of people may think an individual vote won’t matter. But participation in a precinct or district caucus, even with thousands on hand, is a lot closer to the bone.

Whatever the reason, the Tuesday caucuses were rowdy, exuberant, messy and clearly flawed exercises in grassroots democracy at its best. It was so much fun that apparently quite a few Republicans and independents took part as well.

Everyone was saying they have never seen anything like it before. Which means, of course, that we need a new word to describe it.

My friend Derek Ferrar at the East West Center has come up with one candidate, and a good one:

“Fraucus” as in, “Did you survive the Democratic fraucus last night?”

Works for me. Got a better idea?

Once all the ballots are counted and tabulated (and who knows when that will be?) it will be time to sort out the fallout of tonight’s historic Democratic caucus meetings and presidential straw poll.

This much is clear: Driven by a flood of newcomers to the caucus process — some even to voting in general — home-town favorite Barack Obama took the bulk of the votes and will control most of the committed delegates at the National Democratic Convention in Denver. His rival, Hillary Clinton, will take home a few delegates.

There undoubtedly will be some second guessing and even muttering about legal challenges over the balloting, which went from organized to near-chaos as the evening progressed. Many precincts ran out of party registration cards, ballots or both. Some resorted to a show of hands and an “honor system” that those who voted were, or would become, members of the Hawaii Democratic Party.

But there’s no doubt that at least some folks participated without anyone knowing for sure whether they were party members, as required by the rules.

The other issue, now that Hawaii’s “Democrats” have spoken so strongly for Obama, is what happens to the eight “superdelegates” and additional one uncommitted delegate. These folks are free to vote however they wish and some, including notably, senior Sen. Daniel Inouye, are Clinton backers. Will they stay that way or will they, as some are demanding, bend to the “will of the people” as demonstrated by the night’s balloting.

Inouye, the most super of our superdelegates, said he will stick with Clinton right through the convention if she remains — as he hopes — a candidate. If superdelegates aren’t free to vote their conscience and beliefs, Inouye asked, what is the point of having them in the first place?

By contrast, U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, an Obama backer, said the superdelegates, if they know how to do anything, know how to count votes. He said he expects them to come around to the Obama cause by convention time.

Expect to hear a lot more on this debate in the days to come.

More numbers. And no sense beating around the bush at this point. It is a big win for Obama.

In fact, it is time for the Clinton folks to worry, at least a wee bit, whether she will hit the 15 percent threshold which she needs to qualify for any portion of the 20 delegates to be alotted. Shouldn’t be much trouble in the 1st Congressional district, which is Urban Honolulu, but Clinton is closer to the 15 percent line in the 2nd (Rural Oahu - Neighbor Islands).

One thing is clear. Hawaii will send the bulk of its 20 committed delegates to the national convention in Denver in the Obama camp if the race remains contested at that point.

The second report on vote totals, still very fragmentary, but involving Neighbor Islands as well as Oahu, shows Obama scooping up about three quarters of the total.