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Mr. Ellison badly needs to be protected from believing he's a king. He owns a lot of land, but in our form of government, he's just one voter.
I know the facts of life, that his money gives him power. But we have greater principles to respect.
Does Mr. Ellison actually live on Lanai? Is he a member of the community? How many lifelong residents can he claim as his friends? Who is he, that so much attention is being paid to what he wants for Lanai? What do other Lanai residents want?
As far as I'm concerned, Mr. Ellison barely qualifies as a resident, if at all, let alone "the owner". He owns the largest parcels of land, he owns the bulk of the land, but even if he owned *all* the land, he wouldn't be sovereign over it. "Other people matter", Mr. Ellison.
Legally, his wishes matter no more than those of anyone else in Maui County. In my opinion, his wishes matter a lot less than those of the people who are lifelong and/or permanent, full time residents.
He may have all the good intentions in the world, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. But nobody should think that because he has a lot of money, he is above the law. If he uses his money to do good, more power to him. But if he uses it like a bully, to feed his ego, to "own" the island his enemy was married on... he deserves to be rezoned.
Mr. Ellison badly needs to be protected from believing he's a king.
But nobody should think that because he has a lot of money, he is above the law.
That seems like quite a leap of judgement.
Lanai would die a slow death without an investor - the last owner would losing an incredible amount of money - it was only a matter of time before the resorts shut down.
I'm open to other ideas - if not Larry Ellison - then who? Who had $600 million or whatever it is sitting around with more to invest to keep the island going.
I was in Lanai a few months ago - everyone was super excited - they felt like it was a real chance for the island to survive.
A state-of-the-art desalination plant for irrigating organic farms ... expansion of the local solar farm to power the whole island ... a new movie theater ... and a bowling alley with an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, no less
Lanai would die a slow death without an investor - the last owner would losing an incredible amount of money - it was only a matter of time before the resorts shut down.
I'm open to other ideas - if not Larry Ellison - then who? Who had $600 million or whatever it is sitting around with more to invest to keep the island going.
I was in Lanai a few months ago - everyone was super excited - they felt like it was a real chance for the island to survive.
Well, I was there many years ago when the plantation was still going, and it was boring then, so I can see the residents being excited by the prospect of pretty much anything happening.
I don't know what Mr. Ellison's motivations are, but it's usually NOT a good idea to have a community so completely dominated by one individual. Whatever he builds will be HIS, of course, and he doesn't owe the people of Lanai a living. I can see a dysfunctional, co-dependent relationship happening already. The people of Lanai need to create some jobs for themselves, not wait for some billionaire Santa to come along and make something for them to do.
I realize Lanai is depressed, but I don't see becoming dependent on one billionaire as a healthy condition, either.
I don't know what Mr. Ellison's motivations are, but it's usually NOT a good idea to have a community so completely dominated by one individual.
On the other hand, there is a long tradition in Hawai'i of individuals and families owning huge swaths of land, and dominating the local community, with varying results and legacies. I think the only real limits on what he can do will be imposed by government agencies like the EPA.
A state-of-the-art desalination plant for irrigating organic farms ... expansion of the local solar farm to power the whole island ... a new movie theater ... and a bowling alley with an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, no less
Amen - if someone with money and great ideas can harness the natural energy, bring in non-invasive industries, employ the current residents and enrich the lives of everyone there, why is there so much negativity on this thread? Especially by people who don't sound like they live in the islands?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Razzbar
Well, I was there many years ago when the plantation was still going, and it was boring then, so I can see the residents being excited by the prospect of pretty much anything happening.
I don't know what Mr. Ellison's motivations are, but it's usually NOT a good idea to have a community so completely dominated by one individual. Whatever he builds will be HIS, of course, and he doesn't owe the people of Lanai a living. I can see a dysfunctional, co-dependent relationship happening already. The people of Lanai need to create some jobs for themselves, not wait for some billionaire Santa to come along and make something for them to do.
I realize Lanai is depressed, but I don't see becoming dependent on one billionaire as a healthy condition, either.
So you are saying you haven't been there in decades.
and you are saying you don't know Mr. Ellison or his motivations.
Then you make a leap that his motivations and the motivations of the residents must be suspect.
He is - by all accounts -- opening his arms and saying, "Let's make this island better. Who has ideas? Who has technology smarts? Let's do this together." Why is this a problem for you? What he is doing is a superb example of Leadership with a capital L. There are many Hollywood types who have gone into communities and taken over for their own ends. This appears (and again, I don't know him personally, but I do know many of the players,) to be an act of generosity and genuine caring for the community. Of course he wants to make money from it. That's called Capitalism. And up until 5 years ago, making a profit and being a capitalist were recognized as positive ways to lower unemployment, improve living conditions, and help a lot of people earn a living and pay their bills. I love Lanai. I want the best for everyone. I don't see a problem at all with the way this new infusion of money is being handled. Some wealthy people get to an age where they suddenly realize they have not left a legacy and they start to do things like this. Maybe that's true about Ellison. Maybe it isn't. But I'd like to at least give him a chance. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. But let's not make him out to be a bad guy because he's desalinizing the water, putting in solar, and helping organic farms flourish!
Most people can't even afford to pay cash for a stinkin' half-acre lot in Armpit Alabama and a used Chevy ... and this guy buys the sixth largest island in the Hawaiian chain and an interisland airline, to boot.
And you would have that kind of dough if you had been as smart and worked as hard as he has.
...and had the good luck to be where he was, when he was. Had he shown up on the scene 5 years earlier, or 5 years later, nobody might even know his name today.
For my part, I'm looking forward to seeing what he comes up with. I thought this blurb from the SFGate article was pretty cool:
Quote:
Ellison told CNBC in an interview a few months later he envisions the 141-square-mile island near Maui becoming a "little laboratory" for experimenting with more environmentally sound ways to live.
His plans include converting sea water into fresh water, increasing the use of electric cars, and boosting fruit exports to Japan and other markets.
And you would have that kind of dough if you had been as smart and worked as hard as he has.
Got plenty of dough, 'smoke ... not to mention a Mensa-level IQ...
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