MidWeek Column

As the first unofficial announcements are made about who might be running for what slots in the 2020 elections locally, there will be plenty of time to do your homework in researching the candidates and their respective positions on issues of importance. 

Surely, there will be some familiar names and faces in the so-called “major” races — the 2nd Congressional District (as Tulsi Gabbard announced she will not seek re-election) and the race for Honolulu mayor (as two-term Mayor Kirk Caldwell finishes out his tenure). 

But what might be of most interest to those who cry out for change will be newcomers that ultimately decide to enter these local races in 2020. 

On the national front, Congressional approval ratings haven’t reached the 30 percent level in over a decade! Yet 75 percent of people polled disapprove of the job being done by Congress. So how does one account for the fact that over 90 percent of incumbents get re-elected? Well, one answer is that most people, when asked, either blame the “other” members of Congress (not their specific legislator) or simply don’t feel like they are provided with worthwhile alternative choices.

This probably parallels what happens locally. The small percentage of 18-plus adults here who actually vote (which represents under 40 percent of all those who can register to vote) would probably tell you that it’s the “other” state senators/House reps’ fault that things don’t get done, or the voters simply don’t know or don’t like the alternatives offered … again and again. 

The Founding Fathers, often referred to in praise by those who are unhappy with the ways things are leaning in Washington, D.C., never intended for there to be a full-time ruling class of politicians. They never expected money to be a driving factor in who wins, nor did they envision special interests would essentially run our country. Perhaps there are caring, empathetic, smart and patriotic people who opt not to get involved in politics. 

Perhaps the political system simply isn’t all it was once cracked up to be, or meant to be, or should be. And that’s a shame. But, maybe this is the year we’ll see some exciting new names and ideas locally on Election Day. Change is good, as long as it’s good change. 

Think about it…

This article was published in the November 6, 2019 issue of MidWeek.

Will the last one out please turn off the lights? Well, that’s a bit dramatic, but the fact that our state’s population has declined two years in a row is not good news. I’m sure there are some (many?) who are thrilled to know that we now have fewer residents than we had just a couple of years back, but visualizing a positive future, if that trend continues, is really problematic.  And yes, the simplicity of the 1960s really is gone. 

We need younger people to replace retiring older people in the job market… a simple fact of life. And if younger people (Millennials, Gen-Xers) can’t make it here or choose not to even try to make it here due to the high cost of living and/or housing, the lack of “quality” employment opportunities, increased traffic, overcrowding, the perception of a changing Hawai`i, etc., well then- Haleiwa, we’ve got a problem…

Why would developers build so-called affordable housing (a relative term based on what one considers affordable) when (multi)million dollar condos here sell out? If our best hope today for stemming housing price increases is the sale of 8,000 existing rental homes due to new regulations affecting this plethora of illegal, short-term rentals, that’s really just a short-term fix. It won’t resolve the growing housing need or the chasm between the haves and have-nots in Hawai`i. 

The tourism gravy train continues to chug along on all cylinders (some would suggest that it’s bursting at the seams), but how about a renewed and laser-focused push toward the development of alternative industries to help keep our keiki home over the next decade or so? 

How about an East meets West medical entity affiliated with the Queen’s Medical Center, HPH, the Mayo or Cleveland Clinic, Japan’s National Hospital Organization, UCLA or the University of Michigan? How about software, cyber-security, or nano-tech companies choosing to headquarter here in the next few years? After all, distance is relatively irrelevant in the digital age, and the Bay Area, Virginia, Seattle, and even North Carolina are pricing themselves out of the picture for many 25-40-year old digital doers. What about big picture, alternative energy projects that could provide benefits far beyond our shores? How about Hawai`i becoming a leader in gerontology by bringing in multiple up-and-coming partners in the burgeoning field of aging?

An aging population is adversely affecting much of Europe and Japan, but it will also make matter worse here if real opportunities aren’t developed soon. And who and where are the local visionaries prepared to lead us down these new paths instead of simply kicking the same old cans down the road for someone else to deal with later on?

Think about it…

This story first published in the October 30, 2019 MidWeek.