Some digestible facts and fascinating (or forgettable) figures to ponder or ruminate upon to begin this truncated month…
It seem long past time to ponder our overall land use on O`ahu, even with more housing coming. 33% of O`ahu land falls under the Agricultural category as of 2020, according to the August 2023: “Annual Report on the Status of Land Use on O`ahu”. In 1970, that ag land figure was 38%. Thus, in 50+ years, even with the huge loss of cash crops like sugar and pineapple, just 5% of this land has been rezoned. The percentage of Urban land has slowly risen from 22% to 26% since 1970, while Conservation land has remained steady at 41%. Just wondering if some of that unused, fallow ag land might not be put to more valuable use… before the next 55,000 local people up and move.
We all see the collapse in confidence of institutions throughout this country. After all, nobody in our two-party system agrees on much of anything, other than it’s the other sides’ fault… every time. A Gallup 2024 poll asked consumers about confidence in various entities. People who have a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in public schools has dropped from 41% to 29% since 2004.
And woe is Congress. “Great deal” or “quite a lot of” confidence in that sinkhole has dropped from 30% (not a good number) to 9% (horrid). A 2018 poll showed Congress was less popular than cockroaches, lice, and colonoscopies (insert your own joke here). “Very little” confidence in the criminal justice system has nearly doubled (from 22% in 2004 to 42% last year), and organized religion saw “very little” confidence results double from15% to 30% over the past 20 years. Even atheists and agnostics might start praying that we figure out how our institutions can better serve us.
Hopefully, you’ve perused Aloha United Way’s recently released ALICE update, which showed that far too many here are sniffing opportunities (jobs, housing, lifestyle, reduced stress) elsewhere. UH’s 2024 “Hawai`i Quality of Life and Well-Being” study revealed that the biggest local stress factors are the economy, money, housing costs, work, personal health concerns, and family responsibilities. 40% are considering moving.
We may not need a Hail Mary pass play yet, but the sobering realities indicate we need to hope that our legislature is not passing the buck in a non-election year.
Think about it…