MidWeek Column

Sometimes people move because they want to. Sometimes people move because they feel they have to. A Honolulu Star-Advertiser article last month articulated the now-familiar story of families leaving Hawai`i, and then went touched on the specific human side of one Maui family’s efforts to stay put… at great cost.

When just looking at figures, the human element sometimes gets lost or ignored. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 67,257 residents moved from our islands between mid-2021 and mid-2022- at the height of the pandemic. During that same period, 56,209 people moved here from other states, so our net emigration was about 11,000 people. But who left, and who moved in? Those are vital questions that need further elucidation and dissection as we witness a changing of the literal face and nature of our state population.

Eight straight years of losing population has major implications for Hawai`i’s future. If local families uproot to find salvation and stability via affordable and more readily available housing, quality jobs, and a chance to build a retirement nest egg elsewhere, what do we lose? Not simply a family or tax payer, but possibly nā keiki o ka `aina, as different residents move here and (hopefully) acculturate, at some level. 

A deeper dive into immigration/emigration figures might show that we’re losing many 25- to 45-year-olds (+ kids) and gaining many 60+ year-olds who can afford to and truly want to retire here, meaning we’ve got a morphing population base. The state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) recently posted: “There were 31 more people moving out of Hawaii to another state than moving to Hawaii from another state” every day from July, 2022 – June, 2023. 

Judge for yourself whether having fewer people reside here is a good thing, but also reflect on what this means for our state’s future, unique culture, tax base, worker pool, and ability to care for a growing kūpuna base. The social/cultural/lifestyle factors affected by the resident movement cannot be ignored and must be an integral part of housing/jobs/local style discussions. To ignore this reality is to be part of the unproductive “ainokea” or “whatevah” syndrome. 

The clock is ticking; local airport turnstiles are clicking. Legislative and business action items must progress today regarding housing, jobs, and tax issues. Perhaps we’ll finally see an other-than-just-tourism economic engine start moving… before more of our local families gets moving.

Think about it…

Through a satellite telescope, astronomers have discovered an exo-planet (named TOI-715b) that “may be” habitable! TOI-715b is 137 light years away (give or take), which equals 805-trillion miles. I’m sure housing options will soon be discussed. So close, yet so far. I love scientific discoveries and the search for what “may be” out there. But if you hitched a ride today on NASA’s Juno spacecraft, which speeds along at a brisk 165,000 MPH, you’d arrive at TOI-715b in 405,246 years, unless you were held up at a TSA checkpoint. I am getting excited about what one should wear for this excursion. It’s important to dream…

On a more earth-bound topic, every 40-sconds, someone in the U.S. has a heart attack. If you have an episode at home, it doesn’t make the nightly local news. So why must we still see/read news coverage of yet one more anonymous hiker or swimmer having a cardiac episode on a trek or in the ocean? Because a helicopter or four rescue vehicles showed up? 

Over 800,000 Americans have heart attacks annually. Redundant cardiac news stories might subtly remind us to take better care of ourselves, except that we might mindlessly watch such stories while reclining on a couch with chips, dip, and an adult beverage after a grueling day at work. Are these stories noteworthy? 

It’s all about perspective, but regularly occurring, anonymous people having medical emergencies seems non-newsworthy. 2.5% of adults locally suffer from coronary heart disease annually; more than 18,000 heart attacks and strokes (cardiovascular disease) annually require hospitalization in Hawai`i. While a visibly stricken individual in public surely provides traumatic moments for witnesses, passersby and family, perhaps we can stop the presses when it comes to reporting these semi-regular incidents…

Finally, do you believe artificial intelligence (A.I.) 2.0 is an overblown media hype? Enjoy the great Billy Joel video for “Turn The Lights Back On”- his first, new pop song in 30-years- and witness how AI transposes Billy Joel (2024) singing the new tune as it morphs with old Joel video footage- when he was simply the “piano man”- 50-years ago, yet with new song being mouthed Thrilling, yet chilling. Talk about putting words in someone’s mouth. As this un-regulated, geometrically-expanding, digital tool becomes a bigger issue every single day for nefarious abusers, geopolitical pawns, social losers, deepfakers, spammers, trolls, troublemakers, pseudo-media sites, and unfriendly saboteurs- watch out.

Think about it…

“Time waits for no one, and it won’t wait for me”. So lamented the Rolling Stones fifty years ago. There have been many great songs and prophetic sayings related to time, which makes sense since it occupies so much of our… well, time. Alongside oxygen, time is something we all really need, want, and simply must have.

But for many, time always seems to be in short supply. Time can represent the mundane continuum of our routines- the days, nights, work, home; the ritual. So it’s vital that we take (some) control of our own time, because, after all, without time, what have we got? Too busy to do things that you want/need- for your soul, sanity, or balance? Perhaps you can reboot, reassess, refresh, restart, restore; change things up.

When someone says, “I’ve been meaning to call you…”, I often think: that’s nice, but it implies that anything you do precludes you from following through with me, so perhaps I don’t rate as highly as whatever you spend time on. Texting and calling have never been easier than in our over-digitized world. “Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time’, is like saying, ‘I don’t want to’ ” (Lao Tzu).

Many people carry calendars on their phones, or at least can email/message themselves. So why suggest: “Let’s do lunch soon…” when bumping into a seldom seen acquaintance? Make plans then and there, for that stated, sincere desire to reconnect will undoubtedly drift into the vast wasteland of time.

Been meaning to attend a UH volleyball game? Then go. Been meaning to watch the waves roll in? Then do it. Been meaning to take a walk with your spouse? Now is the time. Much of life is happenstance; sometimes serendipity plays a role in how we end up spending our time. “You may delay, but time will not” (Benjamin Franklin).

Make time an ally by (re)gaining some control. Shake the humdrum routine, even if for only a short window; change patterns, trajectory, and perhaps even your perspective. Coming out of COVID (where we all had ample periods of down time) maybe we’ve learned just how precious time is. The angst of that awful, confining, asocial COVID window proved we must take time to make time. “The bad news is- time flies. The good news is- you’re the pilot” (noted speaker Michael Altshuler). Time to go.

Think about it…

It’s not sexy, and it’s often not discussed… until it’s too late. But the infrastructure needs in this state and this country cannot be ignored nor taken lightly. As a country, even with the landmark 2021 Congress-approved, infrastructure investment bill, the USA still lags far behind other world economic powers.

Locally, (as we await the 2023 Hawai`i Infrastructure Report Card from the American Society of Civil Engineers- ASCE) we can reflect back to the pre-pandemic 2019 report on our infrastructure to remind us how vital- and yet fraught with differing opinions on what to do- the infrastructure situation is. Who’s to pay? When? What takes priority and what gets waitlisted? 

But one thing that cannot go on unattended is upgrading our antiquated and dilapidated infrastructure that we often hear about when things go awry. Sewer problems, water main breaks, electrical conduit corrosion, creaking pipes, bridge concerns, rising tides. Lots to ponder with limited resources. 

In the ASCE 2019 report, the best grades Hawai`i’s infrastructure received were a “C+” for bridges and a “C” for solid waste. Dams? We got a “D”. Damn! Drinking water, wastewater, schools, and roads all scored a “D+”. Energy and coastal areas? “C-”. These grades may parallel Bart Simpson’s report card, but the rankings are surely no joke. 

We await the 2023 report to assess progress (or not); the 2019 report indicated that: “The majority of Hawai`i’s infrastructure has been operating beyond its useful life, and some components of systems are over 100 years old”. Gulp. Problem areas are too numerous to tackle simultaneously. Tactical plans must ensure that, piece by piece, we address the most problematic, serious needs today, next year, and next decade. 

ASCE’s 2019 report gave Hawai`i an overall infrastructure grade of “D+” and suggested that the funding gap is increasing. ASCE’s 2021overall USA infrastructure grade was a “C-”. Our tired infrastructure isn’t getting younger nor improving over time. But before you say “well, just fix it”, imagine what spending areas will have to be ignored or pushed aside to get this heavy lifting done. And that’s an estimated $23-billion (or so) conundrum that legislators, engineers, division managers and others must chip away at.

Maybe the upcoming ASCE Hawai`i report will show local progress being made through diligent efforts, with on-going, solid plans in the works. This is not a report card to be taken lightly or kicked down the potholed road.

Think about it…

Stasis: defined as stagnation; a period of little or no evolutionary change. Hawai`i may not lead the nation in stasis, but we gotta be near the top of the chart in many vital areas. We’ve talked about a need for truly affordable housing for 60 years, but laws, rules, decision-makers, and attitudes haven’t change enough to allow for that to happen en masse while our population grew. Frivolous lawsuits (a/k/a stalling) and the expense/time to fight these battles renders interested business entities unable or unwilling to pursue plans. We suffer from NIMBY (“not in my backyard”). We want things done… just not in/near my neighborhood, town, or area…

Too much land on O`ahu zoned agricultural is not currently being used productively- for myriad reasons. 38% of O`ahu land was zoned agricultural in 1970, when sugar and pineapple ruled. The 2020 Honolulu Land Use Report indicated that 33% of O’ahu land was still zoned as agricultural, while urban land rose from 22% in 1970 to just 26% in 2020. That’s a whopping 4% increase in 50-years. Stasis, inertia, bumbai, deferral.  Archaic regulations/laws, too many cooks and special interests amid rampant bureaucracy, community objections; it all adds up to a veritable bouillabaisse of apathy and inefficiency, mixed with a lack of passion and action plans… something else we might lead the league in.

Let’s hope that things are changing in 2024 with smart plans and timetables. The notion that we must find/create smaller, attractive, economic drivers beyond tourism have been amorphously pontificated often- after the Kōbe earthquake (1995) and the Iwate tsunami (2011), post-9/11 (2001), during the Great Recession (2007-2009), and the COVID scourge (2020-2022). Every time, visitors came back and we went “ho-hum; laters!”

But local people have been moving away at alarming rates since 2016, while people are moving in and/or buying/building housing units from afar; we question whether that’s the future we want for our state and to sustain our unique culture. Enough talk and setting up ad hoc committees; enough of allowing administrative managers to set the tone without persistent community pressure to force new visions or suggest bold ideas.

Surely, now is the time for well thought out, systemic changes. Between out-migration, COVID, the growth of ALICE households (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) to almost 50% of Hawai`i’s population, and the horrible Maui wildfires, now must be the time for action. Isn’t it?

Think about it…

While it’s true that college may not be for everyone, there is an argument to be made that is just might be right for anyone. While getting into a profession or training might be right for some, numerous studies indicate that life’s winding road may improve overall when one gets a diploma, including increased happiness odds. There are some serious free speech/hate speech and safety concerns on some campuses in 2024, but that’s also true far outside the hallowed halls- in the real world.

We enjoy myriad choices when shopping, choosing friends, picking life partners, deciding where to eat, etc., and college can provide fertile ground for seeding life-altering choices, as it teaches large lessons beyond the basic course load- like being reliable, independence, time-management, inter-dependence, prioritizing, enhancing self-esteem, learning resiliency, and increasing control over one’s own life- all attributes hopefully reinforced while attending post-high school institutions.

The University of Hawai`i Economic Research Organization (UHERO) recently published “A Case Study of the University of Hawai`i System”, based on a decades worth of administrative statistics. The information, corroborated in numerous other studies, concludes that college grads earn substantially more money over their lifetimes than those who do not graduate (or attend) college.

Of course, happiness is not defined through money; it’s a personal sense, and ultimately decisions about pursuing a college path must consider family situations, costs, health, and other individual items, but college has the potential to provide the impetus for career/life paths going forward. Options…

The price tag at too many schools is far beyond many people’s reach. An ever-present debt cloud hanging over one’s working head for 20+ years (post-graduation) is understandably a deterrent, but between scholarships, grants, community college, online courses, work savings, and other opportunities, continuing one’s education may provide the best chances for finding a career of professional fulfillment (rather than simply working “a job”) and maybe even enhance one’s ability to stash valuable retirement funds away for 45-years down the line.  

As teens research tomorrow’s career opportunities and their abilities to adapt to morphing business needs, ups and downs, roadblocks, and the other barriers that affect work, UHERO’s report provides more evidence that post-high school studies can make for greater enjoyment over the next 50-years, especially when one lives in America’s most expensive state. Attending college provides academic/career options, independence, maturation opportunities, and social lessons that simply cannot be gleaned via textbooks.

Think about it… 

Last year, there were seven (yes, seven) bills in play related to controlling O`ahu’s feral chicken population. Two bills that have rolled over into this year’s legislature propose a chicken complaint hotline… a phone number for people to call and squawk. That’s a real (chicken) nugget. Efforts to provide tainted feed to sterilize marauding cluckers were problematic, as the wild wanderers don’t hang around long enough to be contained and contaminated; they’re foragers. Plus, tossing infertility-laced feed is problematic for other animals.

Hmmm. what qualifies someone to professionally handle chicken complaints? Is there a pecking order? Traps are expensive, as are any removal suggestions, since freedom-seeking chickens apparently don’t want to comply. One concept- capture the bothersome birds and feed them to those in need- sounds interesting, but establishing a pleasant pheasant food facility is a logistical quagmire and a costly plan. California is trying rural relocation for city-dwelling chickens.

Unwieldy, expensive traps, persistent birth control feed, and coordinated culinary round-ups are not doing the job or not happening. With history as our guide, local legislators may cackle about bill specifics in committee, a few feathers will fly, and then we’ll be probably be back dissecting this issue in 2026. 

The amiable, ancient philosopher, Yoda, said, “Do or do not. There is no try”. Except locally, where repeated attempts to get things done on perennial issues often wither with minimal resistance, invariably fading away ‘til next year, while elected officials suggest “we tried…” as they somehow hack their way through a mind-boggling 3,000+ proposed bills and the now-annual, last-sessions chaos. 

Hawai`i legislators are rarely challenged in primary or general elections, so why rock the boat, create possible controversy, or chill feral chickens by making potentially provocative decisions? Our citizenry has been told to not feed wild chickens… will that prevent hungry hens from finding food elsewhere? As we now consider a cuckoo complaint line, what would this Office of Chicken Complaints actually do, besides relay concerns to higher-ranking administrators? Rampant, rambunctious chickens have been a local nuisance for years, much like illegal fireworks- and how’s that one going? Phone calls are probably not the answer. 

Who rules this roost? Wild chickens mean unwanted, pre-dawn, wake up calls, can ruin yards, spread disease, and cause genuine road havoc. I don’t mean to sound like a bad egg here, but how about measurable action plans with a budget? Enough fowl play!

Think about it…

Hawai’i’s state legislative session begins this week as the annual scramble unfolds with an estimated 3,000 proposed bills to be vetted, discussed, researched, heard, voted on, and/or quietly put aside in 60 bewildering, working legislative days. On average, maybe 10% of the bills will be passed on for the governor to sign (or veto) by mid-July.

You might assume that Hawai`i is America’s most partisan state; if you look back over the past 33-years, Hawai`i does lead all states in years in which it’s had a blue “trifecta”, as it’s called- where one political party rules the House, Senate, and sits in the governor’s office. Only the eight-year Linda Lingle Republican reign in the governor’s chair interrupted the Aloha State from having 33-years of a single (Democratic) party in charge in all three places.

Yet other states easily top Hawai`i’s single party dominance in any year since 1992. Utah has been Republican red (governor + both legislative bodies) for all of those 33 years. South Dakota (31), North Dakota (30), Idaho (30), Ohio (26), and Nebraska (26) also rank above Hawai`i in single party rule since 1992; all have been Republican red.

Maryland (21) and California (19) rank behind Hawai`i as true blue (Democratic) trifecta states often over the past 33 years, while other red-heads include Florida (25 years), Arizona, South Carolina, Texas, Wyoming (each with 22 years of one-party domination), and also Georgia (21).

Presidential political pundits quadrennially assess which way 85% of the country will vote before we mail in our ballots or wake up to vote on Election Day. In the all-or-nothing presidential stakes, a statewide 51% vs. 49% presidential outcome means the same as a 65% to 35% “runaway”, since 48 of 50 states award the winning candidate 100% of its electoral votes. The color purple be damned, it seems. 

Only Nebraska and Maine split electoral votes based on the percentage of votes earned by a presidential candidate. Interestingly, Nebraska is the only state with a unicameral system- one legislative body (since 1937). Many states have explored unicameralism, including Hawai`i, but no one’s joined Nebraska’s single legislative reality in 87 years now.

Anyway, let the legislative labor begin! Here’s hoping for answers and solutions to age old problems and issues, rather than redundant rhetoric and posturing pontification, followed by annual deferral and avoidance. The future is today, before our leaking population base shrinks even further. 

Think about it…