Signs of the Times – MidWeek, April 15, 2020

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The coronavirus is obviously no laughing matter. But keeping a keen humor sure can take the edge off of these tough times, even if delivered in small doses.

Last week, for some much-needed social connection, I vigorously shook hands with myself (never touching my face), and then I washed my hands… vigorously!

I went for a car ride, pumping up the volume on a great playlist, and went nowhere; just drove around. ‘Twas one of the best (and only) trips I’ve taken of late. Might be a nice idea if you have antsy kids at home. I kept the air-conditioning on “recirculation”, just to be extra safe. COVID-19 paranoia is really not such a bad thing nowadays. Mask up! 

A red, rubber ball had blown into our yard as winds topped 35 MPH. I went to return it next door to our two-year old neighbor. Ahhh, but I’ve gotten smarter lately. Instead of picking it up, I used my finely-honed soccer skills to adeptly maneuver the ball with both feet (gotta use both feet to play good soccer). I washed my hands (and feet) anyway.

I then went to the veterinarian to pick up much-needed dog food (yes, for the dog) and the front door sign there directed me to stay by my car. I gave my name to an employee who poked her head out, and a masked man (never thought I’d be happy to see a masked man in a non-hospital setting) came out with my pre-ordered dogfood. I popped the car trunk, he dropped the goods in, and I drove off. Yes, I sani-wiped the trunk and dogfood bag at home. 

Recently, the concept of a “pop-up” meant a cool, short-term retail shop, like for the holidays or a foodie event. We now have pop-up screenings- but they’re not food or movies- they’re testing sites for COVID-19. Same world, same words, new rules. 

And here’s a novel (coronavirus) thought: what if the first leg of the rail project is really ready to roll in fourth quarter… but the people aren’t?

Think About it…

“Think About It: Ideas And Inspiration For Today’s Hawai`i”, my first book, is available online from Watermark Publishing locally (including FREE shipping) at: https://www.bookshawaii.net, and will also be available at many local bookstores. It covers various highlighted segments of my 19-years of writing/airing “Think About It” on local TV.

The Longest Timeout Ever – MidWeek, April 8, 2020

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We are now living in the midst of the world’s longest, largest, and most coordinated “timeout”. Many, if not most, parents know of and understood this concept (whether or not they’ve actually used it) since it first came into social consciousness as a child behavioral modification system over a half-century ago.

But unlike the normally prescribed timeout, used to diffuse a situation caused by a child’s misbehavior or attitude, almost nobody’s behavior warranted this universal timeout. No one had a tizzy fit or ramped up the drama to force his/her mentor to tell us that we all need to calm down… in weeks-long isolation. Yes, a number of people thought (or still think) they’re above it all and can go on with their normal socializing, arrogant or ignorant to the proven facts that they can get and spread the COVID-19 virus whether they show symptoms or not.

But as we are inundated with daily (hourly?) updates about this developing, devastating phenomenon, most of us have reluctantly accepted our fates as a temporarily threatened species by hunkering down and even binge-watching shows on channels from providers that didn’t even exist five years ago. Or we play Candy Crush Saga, Subway Surfers, Solitaire, Scrabble, Connect Four, or Monopoly in some of the longest and most arduous competitions in family history. 

Over 90%of the population of the United States is now in some form of mandated virtual lockdown. Over 290-million, freedom-loving Americans are now inside doing Sudoku or crossword puzzles… regularly. I’ve now watched “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” so many times, I actually know by heart the ingredients that make up most of the small restaurant pork rubs, briskets, and rib combos nationwide that have been shown repeatedly over the past 13 seasons. I even almost watched reality TV last week!

When severe danger finally arrived on our shores, it wasn’t a weather catastrophe, a gas leak, a chemical spill, or the redundant scourge of the 21st century- the “active shooter” situation- that forced humanity inside for its own well-being and safety. This one couldn’t be seen. Turns out it was a highly-transmittable, sometimes symptom-less virus that is testing our mettle (and it even lasts for up to three days on metal!), our economy, and our collective patience as we await testing on possible, mitigating treatments or solutions (soon?) and preventive inoculations (not so soon).

Think About It…

Physical Distancing – MidWeek, April 1, 2020

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Three UCLA professors recently penned an article centered on the current concept of “social distancing”. They write that we are not, in fact, needing to practice social distancing. Now more than ever, we need to remain in very close social contact with people- for our sanity and theirs. What we do need to do, they write, is to practice “physical distancing”. Stay close, but stay away.

We’re all becoming math experts figuring out how far to stand behind people in lines, and approximating the best times to go out for essentials to minimize interaction. Well, at least the smart people are… The ones who continue with their “normal” activities and behaviors aren’t thinking clearly or constructively. It’s not about you- it’s about everyone you might come in contact with due to the silent predator, COVID- 19.

UCLA Profs. Brand, Foster, and Menjivar point out the well-known, positive effects of maintaining and even ramping up social connections- by phone, text, email, video, group chat, or any other digital sharing, especially nowadays since we’ve curtailed the physical closeness and group grope mentality that means so much to our species.

But you can simply go out for a drive… anywhere. Just drive; don’t get out of your car to interact at all, just (literally) keep moving and enjoy the chosen circuitous route. Drive around; then go home. If you live with others, perhaps two can share the driving so that each car occupant gets a chance to gaze and also pick the all-important tunes that you must play while motoring along.

Pick up food for infirmed, elderly, or scared neighbors; leave it at the door to avoid interaction. Catch up with semi-forgotten school buddies electronically in a deeper way than a tweet, text, or showing them what your lunch plate looked like. Support by offering a simple “thanks” to anyone involved in first line defense- doctors, nurses, security- and vital providers like shelf stockers, produce pickers, plumbers, truckers, shippers, and delivery personnel. That list goes on and on- people at risk, at work and/or on call… on our behalf.

We’re all in uncharted territory here. Will you remember this anxious era with a false sense of pride if you hoarded a year’s worth of bun wad and beans, or will you recall the empathy, compassion, and true humanity you’ve experienced, shared, and witnessed while maintaining vigilant safety guidelines for yourself and your loved ones?

Think about it…

Human (No) Touch – MidWeek, March 25, 2020

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Singers Rick Springfield (1983) and Bruce Springsteen (1992) each wrote and sang great songs called “Human Touch”. Springfield sang, “We all need the human touch.” Springsteen sang, “I just want something to hold on to / And a little of that human touch.” These are sentiments that many, perhaps most, earthlings can relate to, at individual physiological and emotional levels.

Hawai’i leads the league in friendliness via the Aloha spirit, which often includes the human touch. We also top the Center for Disease Control’s annual state list in per-capita flu cases. We hug people we just saw yesterday; we pull/hug bruddahs when we shake hands; people honi, pressing noses and inhaling, as an exchange of ha– the breath of life- and mana– a spiritual mix of energy, humility, and respect. Human touch is an integral part of our very existence, and now it’s really been thrown for a loop. 

We’re separating today not due to political arguments or disagreements about passion issues like the TMT or short-term rentals, not by class stature or by where you went to class. No, we keep our distance nowadays because of the novel coronavirus scourge- COVID-19. Fist or elbow bumps, head nods, small waves, bowing- that’s how we say hello and goodbye (or should) in 2020. A UH-Mānoa Hawaiʻinuiākea professor/kumu has proffered the concept of Kapu Ola Aloha (“a loving restriction that preserves life”). Beautiful. A novel concept for the novel coronavirus.

“Social distancing” is nowadays not only acceptable, but preferable. No human touch today means you really do care. Normal acceptance of being in close proximity to others is exactly what makes this virus so dangerous and why so many events, meetings, and public gatherings have been cancelled… for now.

When this novel coronavirus situation is finally under reasonable control, treatable, and perhaps preventable, let’s keep hygiene standards in the forefront relating to inter-personal and public contact. Let’s refrain from going to work when ill. Over 41,000 Americans died annually from 2014-2019 due to the flu- yes, every year- and that ailment has proven vaccinations readily available, plus treatments, unlike with COVID-19 today.  We normally go about life with little thought to flu facts- and 41,000 Americans die annually (including over 500 people here). We can all cautiously respect individual space and valued customs without completely giving up the human touch, or the vital essence of the Aloha spirit.

Think about it… 

Handling Housing – MidWeek, March 18, 2020

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One of the many items we hear, read, and talk about and yet see minimal long-term resolution is affordable housing. “Affordable housing” is a term based around one’s economic situation, often defined as when one’s housing costs are at or below 30% of one’s total household income. Add in many people’s second biggest cost- transportation- and you start running into even more reasons why so many here struggle to find and maintain a living space and still have funds available for food, clothing, utilities, medical and household emergencies, plus retirement funds.

Builders put up million dollar condos in Kakaako because they can- the financial rewards are obviously greater than building $400,000 units. And oh, yeh, government smiles- the taxes are higher. Where’s the incentive to build units for less when there’s a ready market (even if it’s non-residents) who’ll pay more? Homeowners and apartment owners don’t want cheaper properties built in their neighborhood as those units would undermine their ever-increasing property values, and they make sure that their locally elected representatives know it. “Sure, build ‘em, just not in my back yard (NIMBY).”

Busy builders and construction laborers go from job to job as demand for their services exceeds their available work time. Gotta get it while the going is good. Our overall construction costs are the America’s highest. Our houselessness rate (a real term) is tops in the nation. These are not areas that warrant chanting “we’re #1!”

We need more public/private creativity and action now. We need more unused or under-utilized land to be re-zoned to create affordable units. That’s reality, 2020. We need greater builder tax incentives for affordable units, more pre-fabricated units shipped in to keep costs down, and better oversight and planning for under-utilized, city- or state-held properties that might be retro-fitted or rebuilt into housing properties. Let’s move some city and state entities together into reconfigured city/state buildings to free up the vacated buildings for reconstruction. Yes, city and state working together…

We need to retrofit older schools into vertical, more efficient structures to allow for more housing unit options around them… very carefully. We need to identify best practices used in congested metropolitan and suburban areas (or islands) worldwide to help us mitigate houselessness and our lack of affordable living units.  And we need to do it now, before more 25-45 year olds move out and our population ages ungracefully.

Think about it…

Who’s On First? – MidWeek, March 11, 2020

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You might think by now, after a decade of delays, snafus, mis-statements, cost-overruns, false promises, and personnel shuffles, that the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) and the City of Honolulu would make sure that vital public pronouncements and updates are released in harmony and in tandem. Not happening…

Six weeks ago came a public pronouncement by a HART official that not only would the first segment of the rail be ready, as planned, by late December, 2020, it would actually be ready to transport fans between Aloha Stadium and Kapolei by mid-October- during UH football season! That very same day came a plea/counter from Honolulu’s mayor, asking those kolohe rail personnel to stop making premature statements about start dates, as it’s the City of Honolulu that has to actually operate this choo choo! 

And then three weeks ago, HART announced plans for upcoming traffic restrictions along Dillingham Boulevard, while the City’s transportation department said, “hold the bus” (or the train), because the City had not yet seen an official traffic control plan. HART responded that it had proffered a Dillingham traffic management plan, and the city transportation department very clearly responded that “…we are waiting for the proper submittals”, according to a Honolulu Star-Advertiser report. This plan should be black and white- like written on paper- but here we have two opposite versions of reality offered by HART and by the City, a comic pair who, far too often, mimic Abbott and Costello as they play out this transit “Who’s On First?” routine. “I Don’t Know… third base!!” (Please, YouTube it- it’s a classic Vaudeville routine)

At the very least, by 2020, following a decade of setbacks, worrisome federal feedback, plan pushbacks, cracked concrete columns, cracked canopies, cracked blue plastic shims, etc., you would expect that a simple phone call, email, or text would occur between the “partners” before public statements are made, as too often those initial missives are quickly contradicted, negated, or questioned by the other party.

Speaking of a party, if this project was a party, we’d all be suffering from a long hangover, as quality hosts or caterers would’ve figured out by now what and how to best serve us; after all we are the paying clients. But that’s not the case as rail bantering and bickering goes on with little relief, agreement, or a firm start date in sight.

Think about it…

Del’s Deal – MidWeek, March 4, 2020

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Del passed away six weeks ago. While there is no good side to that statement, our makule soccer team fortunately found out in time for 20 of us to attend Del’s funeral service on President’s Day. A propitious date… because hanging with Del was always like a holiday. Del was a bonder, a giver, an endorphin-releaser. He wasn’t our fastest or best player, but he played with passion as an integral cog in our soccer success for years. Whether you saw him once a week or once a month, Del always brought his “A” game and smile, along with some savory barbeque meats for post-game reverie.

What separated Del from far too many others was his innate empathy, his deep capacity to listen and care. We all know people who are somewhat interesting, but really not that interested; people who listen just long enough to conjure up an inevitable comeback. But not Del. He probed and was genuinely interested in what you brought to a conversation. Even as a casual acquaintance, his kolohe spark made him a guy that everyone enjoyed hanging with to talk story.

Growing up is over-rated. Del chose to remain somewhat Del-inquent. His sons’ friends recounted that he came across as a true friend rather than just “Uncle Del”, or Jared’s dad. He comfortably morphed into a crowd 30-years younger and would occasionally join the boys for a night out. When this Kauai native of Filipino ancestry went to Las Vegas, a favorite spot, he didn’t mind being mis-identified as Mexican by some there. He ran with it, adopting self-proclaimed monikers like “Ramón” and “Machete”, and then playing the roles!

Some people are full of themselves; Del was full of life. He gifted everyone who knew him as a family member, coach, friend, mentor, co-worker, or teammate. He was real, present, curious, alive, and in the moment. A culinary maestro who worked in the food industry, he spiced up plenty of people’s lives along the way. He made a difference, lived and loved local style, and what more can you ask of someone?

I bumped into Del for the last time a few months back. He told me of his physical misfortunes, foreshadowing his impending fate. As always, he smiled, he joked; we laughed, and we hugged. Yes, we can all use more Del- more empathy, more human-ness, more fun. For we all matter… and Del knew that.

Think about it…  

Limited Term Limits – MidWeek, February 26, 2020

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By law, Honolulu’s mayor and City Council members may serve a maximum of two consecutive four-year terms. In November, Oahu voters will be asked if they want that same rule to apply to the office of the Prosecuting Attorney of Honolulu. Our governor can only serve two consecutive, elected four-year terms; same thing for a U.S. president. Term limits exist in various places for various elected positions throughout America (and elsewhere).

So what if we finally imposed “reasonable” term limits on local state legislators? Would that end the sense that nothing gets done, that officials remain in office forever and initiate too few bold initiatives for fear of voter or funder alienation? Would such a plan encourage more entrepreneurial types to run for office locally? Would legislator term limits cause departing incumbents to forge their legacies through better cooperation and resolution? Would term limits stop proposing frivolous, no-chance bills from surfacing to appease special interest bases?

At least 15 states have state legislature term limits. Arkansas allows for 16 total years in the state House and/or Senate. Colorado allows for four two-year terms in its house, or two four years terms in the senate- eight years total. Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, California, etc.- check ‘em out; a rotation of elected legislators is guaranteed. New blood and ideas! Accountability and action! Special interest groups spend much time and money on incumbents and don’t want to see a semi-revolving door, while incumbents want no change at all, so the term limit subject gets ignored or buried… deep.

But hold on. Overall nationwide statistics indicate that the stasis and inaction we dread with our incumbents doesn’t seem to get better with forced turnover. Most states with term limits don’t see decreases in campaign spending nor increases in voter turnout. Hmmm…  

A 2018 Harvard University Department of Government study found that, “Contrary to the goals of their proponents, terms limits appear to have exacerbated the legislative consequences of contemporary partisanship and have implications for understanding how electoral and career incentives affect legislative outcomes.” Oh, maybe it’s not so simple.

Perhaps the solution here is for a unicameral legislature (one House), populated with full-time electees to help prevent the myriad, ethical problems that can occur with part-time, relatively underpaid legislators. Maybe it’s time to discuss options, or continue to act dissatisfied with the status quo as sessions end in anti-climax every year in May.

Think about it… 

Blaisdell Blues – MidWeek February 19, 2020

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Gone. No Feasibility Study. No Conceptual Land Use Plan. No Master Plan. The words are still there, but if you click for details on the “Imagine Blaisdell” home page, you are informed that “Oops! That page can’t be found.” Just like that, the massive overhaul of the Blaisdell block has vanished. Post-mortem editorials and articles on the now-defunct project mentioned that timing, cost, and HART headaches were simply too much to overcome in 2020. And no one saw that coming down the line 24-months ago?

Perhaps it was a fool’s folly to think that there would be sufficient economic incentives for this public-private partnership… for $773 million? Other than a possible small hotel venture and a few, on-site concessionaires, there was no major retail nor housing planned on the site. So how, exactly, would private entrepreneurs have made their money back? We’ll never know; well, at least for now.

The prospectus included plans to retain the iconic spaceship motif on a rebuilt Blaisdell Arena, but added just 2,200 more seats (raising capacity from 6,800 to 9,000), which would not have provided the necessary number of seats needed to lure major concert tours that skip Honolulu annually due to our lack of a right-sized, regularly-available, indoor venue that includes adequate staging and lighting. 

Most mainland concert venues include seating for 12,000-18,000 guests. Were promotion stakeholders like AEG, Live Nation, pro sports leagues and others contacted when just 9,000 seats were suggested in the defunct design?  You simply cannot justify “reasonable” ticket prices here with only 9,000 seats, and the alternative is to pay acts to perform on two nights (with doubled performance costs, venue rent, personnel costs, etc.). And that’s obviously a major deterrent- witness just how few major concerts we currently see. 

So the bold initiative to re-do the Blaisdell complex is now on the back burner, $16-million later, and that burner isn’t even lukewarm, considering that the completion of the City’s rail project (and revived Blaisdell funding consideration) is at least six years away. By the time the Blaisdell Center Master Plan gets revisited, the arena will be more than 60 years old (2024). Surely, an overhaul and/or modernization of some kind is needed. But with on-going and on-growing concerns about approved financing, interested investors, and this train pain, a new Blaisdell Arena is one spaceship that won’t be getting off the launch pad any time soon.

Think about it… 

The Bottom Line – MidWeek February 12, 2020

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Top 40 radio deejays used to say: “…and the hits just keep on coming!” Which was fun. But some hits that keep on coming locally are not fun; they stun. In 2017, an Aloha United Way (AUW) commissioned report showed that 48% of people in Hawai`i were living below the $72,000 threshold a family of four needs for basics- food, clothing, housing, health care, et al. This ALICE Report (“Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed”) reported that a mind-boggling 212,000 local households lived at or below this perilous poverty line.  

A new Hawai`i Community Foundation study done in conjunction with the Financial Health Network looked at people’s abilities here to pay bills on time, have sufficient long-term and liquid (available) savings, have manageable debt and appropriate insurance, and have money systems in place to allow them to sleep somewhat comfortably. The report stated that 69% of adults surveyed were struggling in regard to these items. 

The University of Hawai`i’ Economic Research Organization (UHERO) annually comes out with surveys reminding us about our high cost of living, the emigration of local  people (three years in a row we’ve lost population), and how personal incomes are simply too low for too many.

We know people who work two or more jobs, live in multi-generational homes, and cannot retire here “early” in life (gosh, late 60s?). And we know that realistic answers must involve creativity, public/private/academic partnerships, egoless cooperation, truly affordable housing, modern education, outside success stories which include “best practices”, and immediate action with accountability. Solutions cannot constantly require that struggling households keep getting nickel-and-dimed with tax bumps or that small businesses suffer unfairly, or must pass costs down.

While it might be hard to call this growing financial hardship scenario an immediate emergency, like the coronavirus, we surely need to treat it with a greater sense of urgency. It is a crisis. These people dealing with constant concerns- and there are quite a few as every survey keeps showing us- are our family, neighbors and friends. We can’t afford 10-years of relative inaction. Our population is aging. We can’t keep ignoring the obvious. “Our keiki are our future”. Prove it. Unemployment here is at a record low, while tourist numbers are at a record high. Those numbers won’t last forever… nor can these known problems if we want Hawai`i to remain a special place.

Think about it…