Hawai'i's wish list
By Cat
Tomorrow is the last day for all Hawai'i Government Employees Association (HGEA) members who work in the University of Hawai'i system before going on a two-week forced furlough.
That means all 10 campuses, essentially, will be shut down. Every office, from registration to financial aid, will be closed.
This week reminded me just how much our state's financial crisis — and the nation's shaking economy — impacts all of us.
So instead of writing out my own personal Christmas wish list — which includes a new The Greek Shorty 8-0 longboard and the latest David Sedaris book — I thought it would be fun to come up with a wish list for our state.
I'll start.
1. More jobs. And not just that — better-paying jobs. Or at the very least, the kind of pay that competes with our counterparts on the Mainland so we don't keep losing local talent to the continent.
2. Better roads. Meaning, better maintained, wider, smoother, less potholes. You know, just better. As my boyfriend would say, argue as much as you like about the cost. Bad roads cost drivers in maintenance and gas, too.
3. More funding for college students. While UH is still a great deal for residents, it wouldn't help to have more scholarship money for students who can't afford even that.
4. More support for local businesses. While I'm all for stores like Trader Joe's moving to the Islands, I don't like that locally owned and operated shops are forced to close because they can't compete with the big-box retailers that can offer better deals for consumers. I get that we're all looking for a bargain. But at what cost?
5. More open spaces. Every time I drive out-of-town friends to the North Shore, I hear the same reaction: "Where are the beaches?" I point to the towering homes and stone walls and say, "Somewhere over there." It's sad to think that we've paved paradise, that we've built up our shorelines so you can't see the ocean anymore. I want more open spaces, more breathing room, more elbow room.
And you?
***
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Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at cat@thecatdish.com.
The Daily Dish
December 17th, 2009 at 8:47 am
First!
December 17th, 2009 at 8:53 am
Hi Cat,
Wow! That's crazy that they are having the employees take all of their furlough days during the holiday season. Who's idea was that?
December 17th, 2009 at 8:57 am
More money for the public education system.
I still can't believe this isn't a top priority for the state.
December 17th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Hello Cat!
Overhaul of management and staffing in the DOE. Too top heavy and too much staff.
December 17th, 2009 at 9:19 am
Good list Cat,
Got a brief chance to chime in on my thoughts for the economic stimulus to Hawaii. I based my opinions on where I realistically thought the $ would go. Roads and infrastructure was on my list. Our main industry of tourism no can grow if our house is not kept. Hope Santa visits.
December 17th, 2009 at 9:39 am
I ditto #2. We should be ashamed of the condition of our roads and highways. The freeway from the leeward side to Halawa is the pits. Its just terrible and embarrasing for our state especially because our economy depends solely on the visitor industry. Its too bad we haven't learned to diversify our local industries. All too dependent on the visitor and depending on all of them flying into our state. Remember the days and weeks after 9/11? It will happen again.
Repair our roads and diversify our local economy. Stop the brain drain.
One more - get the UH students to attend THEIR athletic events. Where are all the young men and women at the volleyball, basketball, football games? I see only non-student season ticket buyers in the seats.
December 17th, 2009 at 9:56 am
Your last paragraph reminded me of Joni Mitchell's song...
"Big Yellow Taxi" is a song written and originally performed by Joni Mitchell. It reached #67 in 1970 (U.S., Billboard)
Mitchell got the idea for the song during a visit to Hawaii. She looked out of her hotel window at the spectacular Pacific mountain scenery, and then down to a parking lot.
Joni said this about writing the song to journalist Alan McDougall in the early 1970s:
“I wrote 'Big Yellow Taxi' on my first trip to Hawaii. I took a taxi to the hotel and when I woke up the next morning, I threw back the curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart... this blight on paradise. That's when I sat down and wrote the song.”
The song is known for its environmental statement (from the lyrics "Paved paradise to put up a parking lot", "Hey farmer, farmer, put away that DDT now") and sentimental sound. The line, "Took all the trees, put 'em in a tree museum/And charged the people a dollar and a half just to see 'em" refers to Foster Botanical Garden in downtown Honolulu, which is a living museum of tropical plants, some rare and endangered.
December 17th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Genisis.
A whole new beginning.
December 17th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Correction: Genesis.
December 17th, 2009 at 10:36 am
So basically the item on Hawaii's wish list is More Money...
December 17th, 2009 at 10:50 am
I agree with you about the condition our roads. They remind me of some of the third world countries I've visited. But we also need to ween ourselves off our cars. We have too many for a small island. Look at the number of cars parked on our streets. They are a blight upon some of our communities. And cars consume too much of our energy resources.
December 17th, 2009 at 10:57 am
More fiscally conservative politicians and less bleeding heart liberals who are so good at spending other people's money at what they think are worthy social issues.
December 17th, 2009 at 11:35 am
I still can't get over the legislators who have themselves a raise - how dare they - and to later say they would give back - have they?
December 17th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
@LRob thank you! state cutting at places where we need it most!
December 17th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Tourism has outgrown Hawaii, left it behind for places where the psychedelic experience rules, where excess removes reality. It's gone to Vegas, to Dubai, to Burning Man.
It's time to build a new Hawaii, with a quality of life for it's residents unequaled anywhere in the US. Make it sustainable. Make it green. Make it as beautiful on the streets as the mountains are in the distance. Make it diverse. Make it a blend of the best of urban and agricultural innovation that will make Hawaii the envy of both of the continents it stands between. Make it a tourist attraction for the mind and the spirit- a place where people come to see how the examined life can be lived.
December 17th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Dear Santa: I wish Tiger Woods would come out with a tell all book naming all 478 women he had affairs with and include a full narrative and ratings for each woman. Then I want him to tell the PGA that he is done with golf for the rest of his life and that he's entering the priesthood.
December 17th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Pacific Business News today....."Hawaii highways among nation's worst"
Yea Cat, your bf is correct. I think someone has shares in the tire companies. Keep the roads bad so we have to buy tires more frequently.
btw....I thought it was against the surfer's code to steal slippers at the beach while surfing. Ok, didn't see who stole my 3 dollar Longs slipper today at dh but my xmas wish to whoever is to have athlete's foot forever. Unless it was a homeless person. Then I'll give him/her a break.
December 17th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Unions and gov't bureaucracies that were more concerned with doing the right thing than fattening their coffers. For example, if there are layoffs, instead of firing those with the least seniority, fire those with the lowest productivity (which is often inversely proportional the the amount of seniority).
Less cronyism and political nepotism in our local gov't.
That Abercrombie should finish his term, so he can save the state of Hawaii a $2 million dollar special election.
Bringing over Michelle Rhee from D.C. to take over our school system and cut out the fat to save the meat!
A national championship for the na wahine volleyball team!!!
That the UH athletic dept. will cut the salaries of the football staff and use that money to fund more important things like, uh, books.
Judges who will keep prisoners behind bars instead of releasing them earlier to wreak havoc and destruction (note: see Waikiki good samaritan death).
California is falling into the Pacific Ocean economically, yet it still manages to have better maintained roads than Hawaii, which has a lot less road to fix!
December 17th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Re: scholarships @ UH. The university of hawaii foundation website is a wonderful, wonderful resource. It lists hundreds of scholarships, complete with eligibility, applications & deadlines. For every campus, including community colleges. It saved me thousands of dollars.
As for jobs, I am pulling hard for the rail program to break ground soon. As far as I can tell, it's the only new economic stimulus program our state will have in 2010. Obviously, construction workers, architects & planners will benefit directly and the trickle down effect will help the staff at restaurants, retail and other service industries. It'll even help UH engineering & architecture students--they'll have internship opportunities & who knows, new careers.
December 17th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
"Greek shorty Longboard,isnt that an oxymoron? How about the Complete Soprano's instead of Glee for a gift idea.(i dont know what Glee is). I agree with all these great ideas,2 of which i'd like to see as a main priority: Education. STop cutting education.Instead put more and more into education.These students are our future.They need nothing but the best in their learning process.We have enough criminals and homeless already-dont want see our future mortgaged and be added to those 2 dubious distinctions. And number two would be to see criminals actually punishes justly and their time served that was issued.Some of these judges decisions are real head-scratchers,and our really not in the best interest of nor protection for--the common man. Thank you. Merry Christmas.
December 17th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Also...there needs to be more respect for the eldery.Stop crimes against the elderly and stop running them over in crosswalks.And also better care for the elderly.Which would bring us to health-care.Get this healthcare issue resolved promtly-one way or another.Happy New Year.
December 17th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
The #1 item on your list is my #1 too.
But how to do that? It takes leadership and vision, and I don't think we have that here in Hawaii, at least not politically.
December 17th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
@frankie - I completely agree!
And I don't agree that all our problems, including those in education, are simply due to a lack of funding. Prior to the cuts, Hawaii ranked pretty high (about 14th) in the nation in education spending, yet ranked near the bottom on achievement tests (around 47th).
I really do wish "Santa" could take care of our Hawaii wishes... but real world problems are unfortunately way more complicated and depressing than we usually like to think about during the holidays. So, for now, I'll just be happy unwrapping a gift card or something!
December 18th, 2009 at 12:21 am
Cat, agree on the roads, although as an avid bicyclist, I must say Tantalus is a wooooonderful ride now since they resurfaced it... and, I thought you'd be too young to use a Joni Mitchell reference--nice!
@ Scott --> Let's not forget what local and national administration got Hawaii and the US in this mess in the first place from 2000-2008! Rep & Rep. It certainly wasn't the "bleeding liberals."
@ AC --> nice factoid there! Big Joni fan myself. Interesting enough, Stephen Stills wrote "Love the one you're with," in the Honolulu airport when his flight was delayed.
@ TurkFontaine --> Preach it bruthah! In the mid-90s I was on a state panel for a more sustainable and greener Hawaii, but as usual, it went nowhere. Seems sustainability isn't a priority for so many here, which boggles my mind for an island state to have that mentality.
December 18th, 2009 at 3:56 am
We want it all. Some of the things on the list are mutually exclusive in practice. For example, more and better paying jobs and better roads will generally conflict with creating or preserving open spaces. Support for public education at all levels is one most people can agree upon, until they are on the verge of getting the bill for their share and until they find out some of what those dollars paying for (curriculum out of synch with one sete of values, results in low test scores, etc.).
I am going to start with one achievable item, make sure it is my highest priority, and re-evaluate if the cost or impact is turning out to be worse than what I am trying to achieve. It may just be that I become a better neighbor to one set of neighbors, and, until that is done, I just try not to make worse anything that is going well already. It may seem modest, but it is more achievable than zero-emissions super development that leaves us well-paid, advanced-degreed, aand driving on 10-lane freeways without moving one grain of sand or uprooting one tree.
December 18th, 2009 at 5:58 am
Top of the list: No more Furlough Fridays for our school kids (my daughter being one of many). It's absolutely ridiculous that the State of Hawaii does not make education a priority. How does losing days in the classroom BENEFIT students and teachers? What are the positive outcomes? There aren't any.
FYI: We really don't need a rail system on Oahu. That would be unwise spending of our tax monies. Plus, we don't have the space to do it. We have a bus system here that works...Invest the $$$ in TheBus versus spending millions on a rail system that is NOT necessary.
December 18th, 2009 at 8:59 am
What to do with the next two weeks off? Hmm....SURF! I'll stop by my office throughout the week to do some shredding, dusting, and organizing. I'll come to work in a tank top and surf shorts
Atleast the personnel people were smart enough to place the two-week furlough inbetween pay periods. Basically, we get a week's worth of wages cut from our next two paychecks. Better than no pay or no job, right?
December 18th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
A healthy baby