$170M bought Meta's Mark Zuckerberg a lot of land in Hawaii. But can it buy him redemption on Kauai? (income, income tax)

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

My opinion is hardly anyone on Oahu could care less about the outer islands that essentially subsidized by Oahu and don't really produce anything - except take a lot of public assistance - it is what it is.

Not everybody is as transactional as you apparently are. In fact, a whole lot of folks aren’t

[GoldKona]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

Actually born and raised in the Midwest - in the meanwhile, I don't sugarcoat things.

People in Kauai are incredibly shortsighted - would they prefer a hotel/land developer as an alternative?

Born and raised in the MidWest also but consider myself a Hawaii resident that spends almost 6 months in California. Now I don't think Zuck or Chan have even one Kauai vote between them. The voting population in that 72,000 residents could cause them a lot a grief so I would not say they don't matter. Now I do agree that Hawaii as a state needs to set out a plan of action for the state. Do we go to the highest bidder or carve out lands for local born only or what. Pointing out the hurdles for this is better than telling people they are not part of any action.

[KohalaTransplant]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

My opinion is hardly anyone on Oahu could care less about the outer islands that essentially subsidized by Oahu and don't really produce anything - except take a lot of public assistance - it is what it is.

I suspect a lot of people on the mainland feel the same way about the residents of Hawaii, including Oahu.
It's all relative.

[Grassyknoll]

Well, considering that the ultra rich seem to eschew Oahu and make their (palaital) homes on the outer islands, those islands do seem to matter to someone.
Oahu doesn't even join the list until #11.

https://www.honolulumagazine.com/the...mes-in-hawaii/

[GoldKona]

Originally Posted by KohalaTransplant

I suspect a lot of people on the mainland feel the same way about the residents of Hawaii, including Oahu.
It's all relative.

Oh yeah, but our almost 563,000 votes in the 2020 election proved us to be the king makers we......nevermind.

[Futuremauian]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

My opinion is hardly anyone on Oahu could care less about the outer islands that essentially subsidized by Oahu and don't really produce anything - except take a lot of public assistance - it is what it is.

Hmm! I've always read that ALL of Hawaii including Oahu is heavily subsidized by the Federal Government.

In the past, it was 8 Fed dollars matched each tax dollar collected and spent in Hawaii. Probably much more now.

What things are subsidized by Oahu on the outer islands? They certainly don't provide Federal public assistance money.

The vast majority of Federal Education dollars, per student, are spent on Oahu.

I recall reading that Oahu was attempting to confiscate Maui transient accommodation taxes to spent on your rail boondoggle.

What does Oahu actually produce?

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

Not everybody is as transactional as you apparently are. In fact, a whole lot of folks aren’t

You have a source for that? At the end of the day - what do the outer islands offer except a money drain? The only reason the outer islands are not 3rd world is because of the financial support of Oahu - and we don't get anything in return - except grief.

At least on the mainland - in rural South you've got car factories - the Dakota's call centers - etc.

Kauai - a missile launchpad. That is really about it - and even that misses a lot. They can't even get that right.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by Futuremauian

What things are subsidized by Oahu on the outer islands? They certainly don't provide Federal public assistance money.

The vast majority of Federal Education dollars, per student, are spent on Oahu.

What does Oahu actually produce?

How many oil refineries on the outer islands? We can start with that. What financial services industries are on the outer islands? Almost the entire military economic engine is on Oahu. Practically any manufacturing occurs on Oahu. And no island comes close to generating the tax revenue of tourism and income taxes that Oahu does.

What does Maui produce - sugar cane? You can't even do that.

Oh - and you are welcome for all the Medicaid money.

Outer islands have short man defensiveness. Just saying - but in the end - still short.

[prospectheightsresident]

Originally Posted by bradleynielson

Zuckerberg was accused of trying to colonize the island. As the Daily Mail notes, Zuckerberg, along with his wife Priscilla Chang, purchased a 700-acre property in Hawaii in 2014 for $200 million. Later, two additional plots were bought and plans were announced to build a two-meter wall around the perimeter of the property. All this caused indignation on the part of local residents.
The land was granted to the Hawaiians in the middle of the 19th century, but since many of them died without leaving a will.
It is noted that in 2017, Zuckerberg filed a lawsuit in order to establish the owners of several plots of land in order to expand his holdings.
Later, the head of the social network withdrew the lawsuit and wrote an article for The Garden Island, promising to "find a better approach." A spokesman for the head of Facebook denied that the entrepreneur was trying to oust local residents from their land.

In other words, some locals are upset that Zuckerberg followed the laws as passed by these locals' representatives This includes the lawsuits to establish ownership of multiple plots of land; it's identical to how things work in every state where all it takes is one in a group of owners can force the sale of a piece of real property even if the remainder of the group doesn't want to sell. We see it happen in divorce cases all the time as one example.

On the latter point, it's important to iterate that Zuckerberg, despite what some "activists" and media types alike have misleadingly claimed, has not brought independent action to get people to sell. Rather, he funded the lawsuits of fractional owners of the land in their bid to force a sale (again, this is allowed in every single state). Zuckerberg would not be able to do anything without the willing support of actual owners of the properties in question. The other owners--most of whom didn't even know they were fractional owners until the lawsuits were filed--would have been paid with proceeds from the sale. Nobody was being displaced from their homes by those lawsuits.

That said, I'm surprised that Zuckerberg--and while I completely acknowledge and support his right to do so--decided to even try to go that route to begin with as the negative press it would have and did bring about seemed rather evident.

[Futuremauian]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

How many oil refineries on the outer islands? We can start with that. What financial services industries are on the outer islands? Almost the entire military economic engine is on Oahu. Practically any manufacturing occurs on Oahu. And no island comes close to generating the tax revenue of tourism and income taxes that Oahu does.

What does Maui produce - sugar cane? You can't even do that.

Oh - and you are welcome for all the Medicaid money.

Outer islands have short man defensiveness. Just saying - but in the end - still short.

Does the oil refinery on Oahu donate its products to the outer islands? My impression is that they are SOLD, and at a profit. BTW: A lot of gasoline is now shipped directly from the mainland to us.

The military? How is the Federal military on Oahu providing money to outer islands?

Medicaid is 64% Federal money and 36% State money. We all pay taxes for that.

All of Hawaii, including Oahu, would be 3rd world without Federal support. We would look like Tonga otherwise.

Every Federal Agency is located in the state capital on Oahu. Just because Federal money is distributed from there does not mean Oahu is providing the support. It is Federal support just like Oahu receives.