When Nothing = Something – MidWeek January 4, 2023

What’s the true cost of doing nothing? What’s the real bottom line on delaying decisions, holding yet more meetings, adding discussions, committee analyses, legal hearings, red herrings, and community input?

Often, even when a decision is rendered, action is not taken as someone forgot to inform someone, egos conflict, or something came up that wasn’t considered, or…

Such is the case locally ad nauseum. But maybe 2023 with some re-direction at various government levels might alter that. Delays or redundant decisions followed by after-the-fact contradictions followed by more talk and little action is legendary locally. Maybe 2023 will be different.

What was the price of delaying habitable temperatures in far too many classrooms statewide for 40+ years? Conditions so inhumane that the SPCA would have been called in if you left a dog in a 95-degree leeward or windward classroom. Finally, we witnessed upgrades, retrofits, and who knows- maybe better teaching and learning will result from negating stultifying air.

What’s been the price of doing virtually nothing on the TMT project for years now? Legitimate questions, long-standing cultural issues unresolved, and real discussion is just now occurring. Maybe 2023 will be different.

What’s the cost of the can-kicking down the political road with the Waikiki Natatorium, a rotting relic built to honor men and women who fought for this territory and the United States during World War I. Is 40 years not enough time to remove rebar and re-make this dilapidated entity something invoking pride?

What’s the real price tag for delaying and then finally doing something about the windward Stairway To Heaven? Again, 40+ years might be a blip along the space-time continuum, yet seems a an absurdly long window in which to avoid responsible decision-making.

A new landfill, prison, and stadium district; beach erosion options, North Shore parking, an alternative driving route for leeward commuters, truly affordable housing- all discussed, planned, dissected, needed, and invariably stalled or ignored.

It’s now 2023; with a new year comes renewed optimism. People rarely “simply” lose 50-pounds… yet they can strive to lose five pounds at a time, showing progress, gaining confidence, making the difficult (if not impossible) more plausible via small wins. Kaizen. Let us cheer as ever-present, dangling particulars reach resolution and see action this year. Yes, sometimes doing nothing really is doing something- just not what we’d hoped for. Maybe 2023 will be different. Please…

Think About it…