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I am a 23 year old single gal who is seriously thinking about moving to hawaii from MN. Call me crazy, but I am ready.. I know I have a lot to look at and research before I make the move. But any information you could give would be great. Information such as decent places/areas to live. How great is public transportation anything to help me make my decisions. Thanks Much!
There are many posts that cover this topic especially as of late. In fact, there are a couple of people that probably share your same situation. I am moving to Oahu next month with 3 other girls. We're all 24-26 years old. It will help with the rent situation as we work to gain footing in Hawaii. I would encourage you to check through the other posts about moving there because you may find some really useful information Good luck!
I am a 23 year old single gal who is seriously thinking about moving to hawaii from MN. Call me crazy, but I am ready.. I know I have a lot to look at and research before I make the move. But any information you could give would be great. Information such as decent places/areas to live. How great is public transportation anything to help me make my decisions. Thanks Much!
Wow! I don't even know where to begin on this subject, yet I feel an almost guttural obligation to respond here for ALL concerned. I have lived here in Hawaii now a total of five (5) different times spanning almost thirty-years (starting back to 1980), and safe to say, I love Hawaii (its land, sea, culture, music and weather), but I'm afraid Hawaii nei (Hawaii now) is NOTHING like it used to be, and its important for everyone to understand that.
Each and every one of us is free to see what we will in life and to interpret things as we choose, but when someone from the U.S. mainland is planning on moving out here blindly (i.e., inexperienced with Hawaii), there are a few cold, hard realities that they simply MUST face if they're to ever survive the journey. With this in mind, I'm going to take the time to share my experience here, just as if I were talking to one of my own children (of which I have several):
1) ALOHA: Forget the word ALOHA and your perception of it's usage! Forget it's pronunciation, it's enunciation, and it's intended meaning. Sadly, in 21st Century Hawaii, it is nothing more than a fictitious and poorly practiced "concept". Rather, concentrate on the word . . . "ainokea" (I no care) because you'll experience much more of that sentiment, than any degree of vintage "Aloha". As proof of this, I offer up a front-page news article from the Honolulu Advertiser just yesterday, which reported findings from an independent survey of states across the nation, concluding that Hawaii scored DEAD LAST relative to all other states in it's friendliness towards homeless people;
2) RACISM/DISCRIMINATION: Understand that if you are of a caucasian persuasion (i.e., white - "haole"), you WILL BE discriminated against here, at each and every level, period! You, your children, your parents, anyone related to you, and don't let ANYBODY fool you on that score! Even if you're skilled and personable, even if you're female and exceptionally attractive, even if you're wealthy! Locals aren't about to admit to it or acknowledge it, but the reality is, on average, caucasian people coming to the islands have a higher intellect, higher aptitude, higher level of education and training, and higher degree of ambition (i.e., goals and aspirations) than their local counterparts, and this causes a GREAT deal of consternation among the locals. It translates to jobs. In fact, the insecurity among locals here in Hawaii has become so deep, so profound, so pervasively entrenched and malignant, that you will NEVER escape it, not at the market or the service station or anywhere else. You won't need to be military, you won't need to be of pale-white complexion or red-headed or freckle-faced, you simply WILL NOT be accepted, period. Don't expect to make friends, don't expect to be accepted (or respected) at ANY level, because you won't be;
2) APTITUDE & SECONDARY SCHOOLS: Hawaii adults and children including its school teachers and college professors, consistently score FAR below average on standardized aptitude tests (SAT), and FAR below average in terms of common daily tasks (i.e., drivers testing and driving skills, etc.). Students in Hawaii's secondary schools (grade schools) scored 49TH IN THE NATION (!!!) on national SAT scores this past 3-5 years and several years previous (only Mississippi students scored worse)! Moreover, a recent survey (2009) showed that students in third world nations like Panama, Honduras and El Salvador showed higher average achievement in academics, and higher average aptitude levels than their Hawaii counterparts. Now, extrapolate that fact to the expected caliber of Hawaii teachers and college professors. Enough said;
3) POLITICS & VOTING: Yesterday's headlines here in Hawaii . . . "Hawaii again rated DEAD LAST in voter turnout for recent 2008 Presidential election". Hawaii has ALWAYS ignored its obligation to vote in both local and national elections, and as a result, Hawaii is now governed by politicians including its legislators that are the most useless and corrupt of any in the known world. They make remote Mexico look civilized! Despite the fact that Barrack Obama hailed from Hawaii, and despite the promise of considerable change on the national horizon as a result of his campaign, Hawaii and its people (including its youth) scored 49TH WORST IN THE NATION (!!!) in voter turnout last November. Think of it like living on a U.S. Mainland indian reservation out on the Great Plains (the prairie) somewhere, where anything and everything legislated upon the reservation and its people is done by a Tribal Council of natives (locals), with no regard to "law" or the consequences of their actions/inactions on taxpayers and everyday people. From excise and property taxation, to a myriad of required licensures, to fireworks, to vehicle and lawn care noise restrictions, to gun laws, to driving practices and statutes, its all done to suit the average local economy and local merchants;
4) EMPLOYMENT: Good jobs or good wages? Forget it! Especially if you're caucasian! If you're caucasian and incredibly lucky enough to actually find a job, it will pay 25-40% LESS than the very same job (same occupation) anywhere on the U.S. Mainland, despite the fact that it costs 40% MORE (on average) to live here! Moreover, your job (if you find one), will probably be in the small amount of 'private' industry here (where employers need higher-quality, well-educated, well-trained, employees to make a profit in a competitive marketplace), NOT in local, county, state or federal government where laziness and "ainokea" are the general rule. Also, keep in mind that the median home price on Oahu for July 1, 2009 (which has fallen by nearly $70,000 in the past year alone), is $570,000, a figure that will buy you THREE nice homes (valued at $175,000 each) in towns like Las Vegas, Phoenix or even Denver;
5) TAXATION & SOCIALISM: By far, Hawaii citizens have become the single-most TAXED people in the entire nation, and that is NOT my personal assessment. That is FACT! A recent article in the Honolulu Advertiser reported a national study of all states in the nation and their net taxation rates, and it concluded that the citizens of Hawaii and New Jersey were the most severely taxed citizens in the land when all applicable local, state and federal taxes were summed. And yet, Hawaii has the 2nd worst schools in the nation, roads and highways that are quite literally falling apart, and a welfare state (e.g., AFDC, food stamps, unemployment, disability, workers comp and other "entitlements"), second to none;
6) 'LOCAL KINE' CONTROL: Hawaii and its many insecure, corrupt politicians are all about CONTROL. "Control" is the name of the game here. Control of anything and everything, from wages and taxes to shipping and education, to fish tanks and driving standards, gun laws and travel, you name it! There are no exceptions. They can and will subvert ANY and ALL national laws and regulations to achieve their self-serving (socialistic) goals, and this includes outright violations of law when necessary. If you doubt this, you will struggle. As evidence of this I offer up several examples of entrepreneurial enterprises that failed to break through the corruption here (some to the point of ending up in bankruptcy over it) including the Go! Airlines debacle or the Hawaii SuperFerry or the nonsensical and antiquated but mandatory dog quarantine policies, and so on! For those who do the research, the list in literally endless;
7) COLLEGE & UNIVERSITIES: Hawaii, its people and its corrupt politicians decided (erroneously) long-long ago that they're FAR better at virtually EVERYTHING than their mainland counterparts. Translation? That their schools are better, that their engineers are better, that they can build better highways and roads, that they're better at sports, etc., etc., ad nauseum! Of course, the reality is quite the opposite. Their scholastic achievements are nothing short of "bleak", they take YEARS to complete a section of roadway that mainland workers would typically complete in a matter of HOURS, and they're soundly defeated by mainland teams in almost ALL collegiate sports every time they attempt it (including their cherished football). Again, as evidence, I offer up the embarrassing and nationally-televised trouncing of their prized 'Warriors' by the University of Georgia Bulldogs in 2008. Furthermore, DO NOT expect your college courses or college transcripts or any professional certifications or licensures that you may have achieved or attained elsewhere, to matter here, regardless of where or when they were acquired, and regardless of how respected or accredited the school or university may have been, because they won't be, plain and simple. Hawaii and its precious band of politicians figured out long ago that if its second-rate, local-kine colleges and universities (or local kine employers) simply reject all or most college transfer credits (or professional certifications) by incoming students (or applicants), especially mainland ones, then those students (or job seekers) will need to REPEAT those same classes (or training) here in Hawaii, which effectively creates jobs for the under-skilled, sub-standard teachers, professors, administrators and trainers here in Hawaii. This includes things like law enforcement or EMTs or paramedics or nurses or whatevah! You lose, period!;
8) POLICE & POLITICAL CORRUPTION: If you prefer your police officers to be arrogant, racist, "roid-monkeys" with tattoos half the way up their neck and face, with an arsenal of pistols, AR-15s and other weapons in the trunk of their subsidized personal vehicles (POVs), then you'll be right at home here. And you'll know that you've fully arrived when one of them pulls you over in traffic for a seat belt violation (wearing none himself), and later telling you to "move your truck"! Literally, no joke! Because this is precisely what you are likely to experience. You will be cited for a seatbelt violation by someone who is not wearing one himself, you will be pulled over for an elapsed safety inspection sticker by someone who probably attended an illegal cockfight the night before, and that same "officer" will probably be sitting on his driveway lighting illegal aerial fireworks by the dozen on July 4th, New Years Eve, and on Chinese New Years! And yet, it is unlikely that you yourself would be given a job with the same Police Department (assuming you chose to apply), even if you were former law enforcement on the U.S. Mainland! As proof, I offer up multiple indictments of multiple Honolulu police officers for graft and corruption by the FBI in 2008 and 2009.
Any local worth his salt will readily admit to you that he wants your money, and badly (i.e., he wants you to come here as a tourist to visit and spend), because he himself has very little means or ability (i.e., skill, training, aptitude, credentials) to enable him to earn money or survive on his own. However, he DOES NOT want you living here or employed here. Not even! The fact is, Hawaii has no manufacturing base, no meaningful industry of any kind (only tourism), so if you were to remove (for example) the presence of the Federal government here and its MONSTROUS payroll (~50-60% of all total revenues), Hawaii would simply die on the vine in a matter of days. It would be a veritable ghost town!
So, if you're seriously thinking about moving here to live that fantasy-laden, fantazmagorical life of "paradise" that children and other inexperienced adolescents often dream about (or the "paradise" that Hawaii's Tourism Authority hopes you'll foolishly invest in), then I strongly suggest that you think again, especially if you are a parent yourself with school-aged children. DON'T do it! Don't condemn your own children and all future generations in your family line to mediocrity and a bankrupt lifestyle. Don't even THINK it! If you do (i.e., if you choose to make that leap), bring LOADS and LOADS of money with you, and stow whatever pride or self-esteem you may once have had, because Hawaii will very slowly and methodically leach it from you in the form of unemployment or under-employment . . . in the form of excessively (unjustifiably) expensive housing costs and utilities, taxation and groceries . . . in the form of off-island (on-line) shopping and the related shipping expenses . . . . off-island airfares and travel expenses, etc., etc. Take it from me, YOU will lose and THEY will win, make no mistake about it! In fact, one day, I'll write a book on the subject.
Good Luck!
Last edited by 7th generation; 07-23-2009 at 04:13 PM..
Reason: please watch your language
Wow! I don't even know where to begin on this subject, yet I feel an almost guttural obligation to respond here for ALL concerned. I have lived here in Hawaii now a total of five (5) different times spanning almost thirty-years (starting back to 1980), and safe to say, I love Hawaii (its land, sea, culture, music and weather), but I'm afraid Hawaii nei (Hawaii now) is NOTHING like it used to be, and its important for everyone to understand that.
Each and every one of us is free to see what we will in life and to interpret things as we choose, but when someone from the U.S. mainland is planning on moving out here blindly (i.e., inexperienced with Hawaii), there are a few cold, hard realities that they simply MUST face if they're to ever survive the journey. With this in mind, I'm going to take the time to share my experience here, just as if I were talking to one of my own children (of which I have several):
1) ALOHA: Forget the word ALOHA and your perception of it's usage! Forget it's pronunciation, it's enunciation, and it's intended meaning. Sadly, in 21st Century Hawaii, it is nothing more than a fictitious and poorly practiced "concept". Rather, concentrate on the word . . . "ainokea" (I no care) because you'll experience much more of that sentiment, than any degree of vintage "Aloha". As proof of this, I offer up a front-page news article from the Honolulu Advertiser just yesterday, which reported findings from an independent survey of states across the nation, concluding that Hawaii scored DEAD LAST relative to all other states in it's friendliness towards homeless people;
2) RACISM/DISCRIMINATION: Understand that if you are of a caucasian persuasion (i.e., white - "haole"), you WILL BE discriminated against here, at each and every level, period! You, your children, your parents, anyone related to you, and don't let ANYBODY fool you on that score! Even if you're skilled and personable, even if you're female and exceptionally attractive, even if you're wealthy! Locals aren't about to admit to it or acknowledge it, but the reality is, on average, caucasian people coming to the islands have a higher intellect, higher aptitude, higher level of education and training, and higher degree of ambition (i.e., goals and aspirations) than their local counterparts, and this causes a GREAT deal of consternation among the locals. It translates to jobs. In fact, the insecurity among locals here in Hawaii has become so deep, so profound, so pervasively entrenched and malignant, that you will NEVER escape it, not at the market or the service station or anywhere else. You won't need to be military, you won't need to be of pale-white complexion or red-headed or freckle-faced, you simply WILL NOT be accepted, period. Don't expect to make friends, don't expect to be accepted (or respected) at ANY level, because you won't be;
2) APTITUDE & SECONDARY SCHOOLS: Hawaii adults and children including its school teachers and college professors, consistently score FAR below average on standardized aptitude tests (SAT), and FAR below average in terms of common daily tasks (i.e., drivers testing and driving skills, etc.). Students in Hawaii's secondary schools (grade schools) scored 49TH IN THE NATION (!!!) on national SAT scores this past 3-5 years and several years previous (only Mississippi students scored worse)! Moreover, a recent survey (2009) showed that students in third world nations like Panama, Honduras and El Salvador showed higher average achievement in academics, and higher average aptitude levels than their Hawaii counterparts. Now, extrapolate that fact to the expected caliber of Hawaii teachers and college professors. Enough said;
3) POLITICS & VOTING: Yesterday's headlines here in Hawaii . . . "Hawaii again rated DEAD LAST in voter turnout for recent 2008 Presidential election". Hawaii has ALWAYS ignored its obligation to vote in both local and national elections, and as a result, Hawaii is now governed by politicians including its legislators that are the most useless and corrupt of any in the known world. They make remote Mexico look civilized! Despite the fact that Barrack Obama hailed from Hawaii, and despite the promise of considerable change on the national horizon as a result of his campaign, Hawaii and its people (including its youth) scored 49TH WORST IN THE NATION (!!!) in voter turnout last November. Think of it like living on a U.S. Mainland indian reservation out on the Great Plains (the prairie) somewhere, where anything and everything legislated upon the reservation and its people is done by a Tribal Council of natives (locals), with no regard to "law" or the consequences of their actions/inactions on taxpayers and everyday people. From excise and property taxation, to a myriad of required licensures, to fireworks, to vehicle and lawn care noise restrictions, to gun laws, to driving practices and statutes, its all done to suit the average local economy and local merchants;
4) EMPLOYMENT: Good jobs or good wages? Forget it! Especially if you're caucasian! If you're caucasian and incredibly lucky enough to actually find a job, it will pay 25-40% LESS than the very same job (same occupation) anywhere on the U.S. Mainland, despite the fact that it costs 40% MORE (on average) to live here! Moreover, your job (if you find one), will probably be in the small amount of 'private' industry here (where employers need higher-quality, well-educated, well-trained, employees to make a profit in a competitive marketplace), NOT in local, county, state or federal government where laziness and "ainokea" are the general rule. Also, keep in mind that the median home price on Oahu for July 1, 2009 (which has fallen by nearly $70,000 in the past year alone), is $570,000, a figure that will buy you THREE nice homes (valued at $175,000 each) in towns like Las Vegas, Phoenix or even Denver;
5) TAXATION & SOCIALISM: By far, Hawaii citizens have become the single-most TAXED people in the entire nation, and that is NOT my personal assessment. That is FACT! A recent article in the Honolulu Advertiser reported a national study of all states in the nation and their net taxation rates, and it concluded that the citizens of Hawaii and New Jersey were the most severely taxed citizens in the land when all applicable local, state and federal taxes were summed. And yet, Hawaii has the 2nd worst schools in the nation, roads and highways that are quite literally falling apart, and a welfare state (e.g., AFDC, food stamps, unemployment, disability, workers comp and other "entitlements"), second to none;
6) 'LOCAL KINE' CONTROL: Hawaii and its many insecure, corrupt politicians are all about CONTROL. "Control" is the name of the game here. Control of anything and everything, from wages and taxes to shipping and education, to fish tanks and driving standards, gun laws and travel, you name it! There are no exceptions. They can and will subvert ANY and ALL national laws and regulations to achieve their self-serving (socialistic) goals, and this includes outright violations of law when necessary. If you doubt this, you will struggle. As evidence of this I offer up several examples of entrepreneurial enterprises that failed to break through the corruption here (some to the point of ending up in bankruptcy over it) including the Go! Airlines debacle or the Hawaii SuperFerry or the nonsensical and antiquated but mandatory dog quarantine policies, and so on! For those who do the research, the list in literally endless;
7) COLLEGE & UNIVERSITIES: Hawaii, its people and its corrupt politicians decided (erroneously) long-long ago that they're FAR better at virtually EVERYTHING than their mainland counterparts. Translation? That their schools are better, that their engineers are better, that they can build better highways and roads, that they're better at sports, etc., etc., ad nauseum! Of course, the reality is quite the opposite. Their scholastic achievements are nothing short of "bleak", they take YEARS to complete a section of roadway that mainland workers would typically complete in a matter of HOURS, and they're soundly defeated by mainland teams in almost ALL collegiate sports every time they attempt it (including their cherished football). Again, as evidence, I offer up the embarrassing and nationally-televised trouncing of their prized 'Warriors' by the University of Georgia Bulldogs in 2008. Furthermore, DO NOT expect your college courses or college transcripts or any professional certifications or licensures that you may have achieved or attained elsewhere, to matter here, regardless of where or when they were acquired, and regardless of how respected or accredited the school or university may have been, because they won't be, plain and simple. Hawaii and its precious band of politicians figured out long ago that if its second-rate, local-kine colleges and universities (or local kine employers) simply reject all or most college transfer credits (or professional certifications) by incoming students (or applicants), especially mainland ones, then those students (or job seekers) will need to REPEAT those same classes (or training) here in Hawaii, which effectively creates jobs for the under-skilled, sub-standard teachers, professors, administrators and trainers here in Hawaii. This includes things like law enforcement or EMTs or paramedics or nurses or whatevah! You lose, period!;
8) POLICE & POLITICAL CORRUPTION: If you prefer your police officers to be arrogant, racist, "roid-monkeys" with tattoos half the way up their neck and face, with an arsenal of pistols, AR-15s and other weapons in the trunk of their subsidized personal vehicles (POVs), then you'll be right at home here. And you'll know that you've fully arrived when one of them pulls you over in traffic for a seat belt violation (wearing none himself), and later telling you to "move your f***ing truck"! Literally, no joke! Because this is precisely what you are likely to experience. You will be cited for a seatbelt violation by someone who is not wearing one himself, you will be pulled over for an elapsed safety inspection sticker by someone who probably attended an illegal cockfight the night before, and that same "officer" will probably be sitting on his driveway lighting illegal aerial fireworks by the dozen on July 4th, New Years Eve, and on Chinese New Years! And yet, it is unlikely that you yourself would be given a job with the same Police Department (assuming you chose to apply), even if you were former law enforcement on the U.S. Mainland! As proof, I offer up multiple indictments of multiple Honolulu police officers for graft and corruption by the FBI in 2008 and 2009.
Any local worth his salt will readily admit to you that he wants your money, and badly (i.e., he wants you to come here as a tourist to visit and spend), because he himself has very little means or ability (i.e., skill, training, aptitude, credentials) to enable him to earn money or survive on his own. However, he DOES NOT want you living here or employed here. Not even! The fact is, Hawaii has no manufacturing base, no meaningful industry of any kind (only tourism), so if you were to remove (for example) the presence of the Federal government here and its MONSTROUS payroll (~50-60% of all total revenues), Hawaii would simply die on the vine in a matter of days. It would be a veritable ghost town!
So, if you're seriously thinking about moving here to live that fantasy-laden, fantazmagorical life of "paradise" that children and other inexperienced adolescents often dream about (or the "paradise" that Hawaii's Tourism Authority hopes you'll foolishly invest in), then I strongly suggest that you think again, especially if you are a parent yourself with school-aged children. DON'T do it! Don't condemn your own children and all future generations in your family line to mediocrity and a bankrupt lifestyle. Don't even THINK it! If you do (i.e., if you choose to make that leap), bring LOADS and LOADS of money with you, and stow whatever pride or self-esteem you may once have had, because Hawaii will very slowly and methodically leach it from you in the form of unemployment or under-employment . . . in the form of excessively (unjustifiably) expensive housing costs and utilities, taxation and groceries . . . in the form of off-island (on-line) shopping and the related shipping expenses . . . . off-island airfares and travel expenses, etc., etc. Take it from me, YOU will lose and THEY will win, make no mistake about it! In fact, one day, I'll write a book on the subject.
Good Luck!
Can I say thank you to you! I doubt anyone would be that honest about it. It doesn't seem like a place that would be like that. I have visited there 6 times, maybe as a vactioner you do not get that feel from anyone. So Thank you, extremely helpful!
Can I say thank you to you! I doubt anyone would be that honest about it. It doesn't seem like a place that would be like that. I have visited there 6 times, maybe as a vactioner you do not get that feel from anyone. So Thank you, extremely helpful!
The best thanks that anyone could possible give me is to say that they have read and listened. Even if they still choose to make the move, at least they did so in an informed way.
I have children myself, several of whom were raised here in Hawaii, and they too, dream of one day coming back to the Hawaii they once knew. And as a father that misses them terribly, I'd like nothing more than to encourage their return, but sadly, I cannot. I simply cannot bring myself to be that selfish.
If one comes here with the firm expectation that its an 'adventure' and that they will indeed leave again one day, not caring about their career or their love life or their personal finances, understanding that its nothing more than a snapshot in time, a brief chapter in their life, they'll be fine. For that person, I would encourage them to come.
But for those who are trying to develop an accomplished life with decent earnings, future home ownership, and maybe a future spouse with children, don't even THINK it! Stay far away.
Can I say thank you to you! I doubt anyone would be that honest about it. It doesn't seem like a place that would be like that. I have visited there 6 times, maybe as a vactioner you do not get that feel from anyone. So Thank you, extremely helpful!
By the way Love & Peace, thank you for the sentiments and you're MOST welcome! I wish you all the luck in the world. The fact is, at age 23, you're still quite young, so if you've got the funds to go back and forth, its probably no big deal. My kids (on the other hand), are 27-30 now, and the time for games in their lives is long over.
Malama pono (take good care)
Last edited by 7th generation; 07-23-2009 at 04:15 PM..
Reason: New members are not allowed to post links. Sorry
...I have visited there 6 times, maybe as a vactioner you do not get that feel from anyone.
Completely agree. We had visited half a dozen times before moving to Hawai`i, and I will say that there is a very carefully constructed "Hawai`i Tourist Experience" that is often very, very fun to experience -- and bears zero resemblance to life in Hawai`i.
Bandalero-
To make such sweeping statements about an entire State and her people infers that you have indeed, met every person and family within the State! How wonderful that YOU are the arbiter of what is truthful and 'correct' about Hawaii!
There are those, of course, who have their prejudices towards different Races and Haoles often feel discriminated against simply because they have never been the 'different' ones before and feel that ANYTHING negative that happens during their day MUST be due to racism.
Your slanted view of HPD is actually quite ridiculous and perhaps if you took the time to educate yourself before making ignorant statements you would save yourself from looking prejudiced and foolish. HPD (on duty) is EXEMPT from wearing seat belts (for several reasons and this is a widely accepted practice for a great many Law Enforcement entities world wide):
(b) The passengers of the following motor vehicles shall be exempt from the requirements of this section: emergency and mass transit vehicles. Further exemptions from this section may be established by rules adopted by the department of transportation pursuant to chapter 91.
As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
"Emergency vehicle" means an ambulance, a firefighting or rescue vehicle, or a police vehicle while on duty.
There are many highly educated persons who were born and raised in Hawaii; just like any other State there are those who choose to educate themselves while there are also those who do not consider an education to be of importance. Our public schools are shameful but I know that our private schools are excellent (I am the product of an excellent private school on Oahu) and for those parents who feel that education is important there are simple ways (especially these days with the Internet at our fingertips) to ensure that the children are educated properly.
There are some rough neighborhoods where those who are not from the said neighborhoods would do best to not wander about them (this includes other local people, not merely the Haoles). The majority of the Islands are wonderful places with intriguing people and customs and most people are friendly and welcoming to a fault.
As for employment- it is quite the norm for there to be an 'old boys club' in almost any market. Yes, [people would prefer that their families and friends be considered for a job before a stranger- it has been this way in the many different States (and Countries) that I have lived in due to our many Military PCS moves.
The homeless situation has proven to be quite frustrating for us considering that many States send their homeless to Hawaii on a ONE WAY ticket. Their reasoning being that at least in Hawaii these people will not freeze to death during the winter. This is true- BUT it places a very unfair burden upon Hawaii to care for the homeless people from OTHER States as well as our own peoples.
There is always good as well as bad in every place but your posts show a very skewed version of Hawaii which many people will vigorously refute. My husband is White (from Alabama) and Hawaii is where he wanted to Retire after his years in the Army. He loves it here and will not consider moving back to the Mainland, many of our friends have also retired here and they have no intentions of moving back- and they are also Whites who were born, raised and lived most of their lives on the Mainland. People will always have different views of the same topic and it is always best to at least attempt to remain fair in one's opinions after all sometimes that opinion is just incorrect (HPD ticketing those without seat belts while not wearing seat belts themselves-as the LAW allows Hawaii's Police Officers to do while on duty) and makes one look foolish for spouting inanities.
Last edited by melaniej65; 07-24-2009 at 02:08 AM..
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Good luck!
