Things you HATE about Hawaii... just to be fair (Honolulu: how much, house)

[DML1651]

Originally Posted by taxed

I think the influx of the haole has driven property values too high, and therefore also the property taxes; proper home maintenance is expensive; the tax collector took all the money. Many locals cannot even afford the taxes anymore and are forced to leave their island; not a pretty picture either.

I sorta hate posts like this... that assign blame to people based on their skin color, even though the person that lodged this reply lists themselves as "haole".

Hawaii is beautiful, all areas are relatively close to the ocean one way or the other and has a temperate climate... therefor it is expensive. Same is true for San Franciscans, Los Angelinos, New Yorkers, Miamians, etc etc etc. In short, its simple economic reality.

[Sorcerer68]

Originally Posted by taxed

Reading the foregoing comments I see that Hawaii is no different from the mainland.

It's actually VERY different...

[homesick in Hawaii]

Having lived here going on 11 years I have my list.

Ineffective and completely incompentent government both state and county and city. It is truly astounding how ineffectual they really are, yet year after year, people fall for thier campaign promises because they are usually locals, when a well qualified and experienced non Hawaiian runs, they loose, why?? Because they are non hawaiian and, would make those now on their butts, get up and get to work.....

Coffee Can mufflers. Oh, I need a rocket launcher!!

The "wink wink" system of getting jobs. The Feds would have a field day here with discrimination suites.

The dismally planned and maintained infrastructure.

Traffic.

Schools.

People who run the schools. (It is no different on the mainland. They spend more time arguing than getting anything accomplished.)

Oh, and I really, really hate Sale Day Wednesday at Long's Downtown Hotel st. Every tutu, auntie, tutukane, and uncle well past 95 are there and can't decide between Coral tuna on sale or Starkist. At least I can see over them and make my best way!!!!

[IntoTheMystic]

Interacting every day at work with people who make sure you always know that you are not and never will be a local, therefore will always be an outsider. Forget the shared human experience.

Hearing/Reading (fellow) mainland transplants,who only have casual relationships with locals, talk about how they've never experienced any stink eye, just pure aloha.

Getting very sick for a full month from my catchment.

[Actinic_Blue]

Originally Posted by IntoTheMystic

Interacting every day at work with people who make sure you always know that you are not and never will be a local, therefore will always be an outsider. Forget the shared human experience.

Hearing/Reading (fellow) mainland transplants,who only have casual relationships with locals, talk about how they've never experienced any stink eye, just pure aloha.

Getting very sick for a full month from my catchment.

That's too bad. I got the aloha spirit right away, made friends with my neighbors, when they found out I like to go fishing and diving it was like I was their best friend. I guess I just found something in common, but I think that is the same in all cultures. I wish you the best.

[DDane]

Originally Posted by homesick in Hawaii

when a well qualified and experienced non Hawaiian runs, they loose, why?? Because they are non hawaiian and, would make those now on their butts, get up and get to work.....

Only very recently have we had a local mayor. Before that Mayors were from the Mainland. Our governer is from the Mainland.

That arguement is wrong.

You could argue that the situation is screwed up mostly because of non-hawaiians more than Hawaii born people, since they have been in charge longer.

But I"m not saying that.

Better to argue who is more qualified and why. Personally I like a person who understands the values of the people of Hawaii. If your not born in Hawaii, it would be very hard to understand that. But you could easily show that in the way that you conduct yourself. Alot of mainland people however think a-one-size-fits-all approach works, when it does not, mainland values are NOT the same as Hawaii values.

[Sorcerer68]

I still have nightmares about grocery shopping. I paid 59 cents for a loaf of wheat bread today. I still miss the Farmer's Market in Hilo though.

[HankDfrmSD]

Originally Posted by DDane

Only very recently have we had a local mayor. Before that Mayors were from the Mainland. Our governer is from the Mainland.

That arguement is wrong.

You could argue that the situation is screwed up mostly because ...................................

There was a firm rule in the wardroom on my first submarine:

NEVER discuss sex, politics, or religion!


This is not a submarine wardroom, soooooooooooooooo.......... Here goes!

I agree that Hawaii politics are pretty bad.

I agree that the infrastructture is pretty poor.

I think there are a lot of reasons for that, and for some of the other ills of Hawaii that can be laid at the feet of our public servants, but I don't think there is much that can/will really be done about most of the problems. Not for another generation, perhaps.

Here's my take on why:

Hawaii was a "Territory" until August 21, 1959. While it was a Territory, the main industries were sugar and pineapple, and the companies that ran those industries were VERY powerful. They wanted cheap labor and little regulation, and lots of that labor was imported from abroad. Those "non-immigrant aleins" had few rights, and the "Big Five" (Castle & Cooke, Alexander & Baldwin, C. Brewer & Co., Amfac and Theo H. Davies & Co.) wanted it kept that way.

It was a Plantation Economy. Very Republican. That spilled over into some very Reppublican appointed Governors. See:

Big Five (Hawaii - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

When the islands achieved statehood, there was, and still is, a serious backlash. The current Governor is the first Republican in my memory. The legislature is two-thirds or more Democratic. Local unions have tremendous clout. The standard Republican complaint is that Hawaii is "anti-business", but whether that is true or not, there are few businesses in Hawaii that are high-tech, or powerful, and the majority are labor-intensive (think hospitality industry).

All this means that there is not a very big commercial tax base on which to raise the needed funds for infrastructure maintenance and improvement. The only taxable commodity is the tourist, and he is about tapped out, with an 11.41% tax on his lodging!

The unions violently oppose any breaks for businesses, and that makes attracting new business (and new capital) to the islands difficult. Time and time again, the legislature does what the unions want. That's what happens when you are still reacting to fifty years of Oligarchy. The pendulum is still way over on one side, and until it swings back, and we have more balance in our political decisions instead of emotion, I don't think things will change.


Hank (who at one point was the Production Officer in a shipyard in another Territory, Guam, and had about 2,000 non-immigrant aliens working for him)

[taxed]

Originally Posted by DML1651

I sorta hate posts like this... that assign blame to people based on their skin color, even though the person that lodged this reply lists themselves as "haole".

Hawaii is beautiful, all areas are relatively close to the ocean one way or the other and has a temperate climate... therefor it is expensive. Same is true for San Franciscans, Los Angelinos, New Yorkers, Miamians, etc etc etc. In short, its simple economic reality.

Sorry, but you cannot compare any place on the BI to the cities you mentioned. I was only trying to explain why some locals can no longer afford to maintain their homes to the mainlander's standard, who complained about the lack of maintenance. Who are we to judge our neighbor; what do we know about their financial situation, etc. Hawaiians did not move into our backyard, we moved into theirs.

[cynmkolohe]

Originally Posted by HankDfrmSD

...but I don't think there is much that can/will really be done about most of the problems. Not for another generation, perhaps...

The pendulum is still way over on one side...

Excellent post, Hank. We were just having a similiar conversation at my house about this last week. As a state, Hawaii is still very young. And your comment about "another generation" is a sentiment I strongly agree with. What I wonder about is where in that pendulum swing we really are. How far we are into seeing that new generation exercise an influence.

Many of the local youth have had to leave the islands for a while to find work, support families, etc. But some of those who have had to do this are also beginning to come back. And more mainlanders are moving here and influencing the system. I see Hawaii as "on the brink"...the next generation of leaders and voters is coming into a greater position of power. The next 15 years or so will be very interesting...