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An Open Letter To All Hawaii Politicians

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  • An Open Letter To All Hawaii Politicians

    http://aaronstene.blogspot.com/2006/...liticians.html

    Aloha,

    As a long time kama'aina of the Big Island, I have
    resided in Kailua-Kona my entire life of nearly 30 years.
    I've seen the Big Island change for the better and worse during
    this time.

    I can remember when there was a lot less traffic and
    people. One thing that hasn't changed though is the utter lack
    of foresight of both state and county governments in
    building infrastructure to support the
    rapid development.

    It frustrates me and has me deeply concerned for the
    future of this island that I'm seeing the same mistakes
    being repeated over and over again. How long does it
    take for government to learn ? Case in point, agriculture
    land use.

    Whenever I drive around this island, I see the amazing
    beauty that surrounds us. But I'm afraid that will be eventually
    lost due to the fact some people want to pave over every stretch
    of this island for profit.

    Thus we need to diversify our economy. 85% of the employment
    on this island is directly/indirectly tied to tourism and
    construction. We are simply too dependant on these two economic
    forces. Whenever there is attempt to diversify, like the development
    of telescopes on Mauna Kea someone tries to torpedo it. Or it is
    because of our business climate scares away any attempt
    to diversify.

    At this point I'm seeing government acting like it is business
    as usual in tackling the important issues facing this island and
    state. Hence why this letter sounds very cynical. But I've yet to
    see anything to allay my fears that this island and state has a very
    bleak future.

    Best Regards,
    Aaron Stene
    Check out my blog on Kona issues :
    The Kona Blog

  • #2
    Re: An Open Letter To All Hawaii Politicians

    Hui Aaron:
    Thank you for being an advocate for your island. Too many people in Hawai'i today are forced to just take care of their immediate needs and cannot find the energy to think about what life in the islands will be like for their kids and grandkids if things continue as they are.

    You can't stop growth and progress, but your government leaders can certainly talk about how rapid growth is impacting the infrastructure. Something must be done to promote "controlled" i.e., thoughtful, growth. It pains me greatly to see ag lands being plowed under for more condos and investment property because ag lands are what will be needed to sustain Hawai'i's population if/when there comes a time when Hawai'i is cut off from supplies on the Mainland.

    More than on the Mainland, Hawai'i is a very precious, finite resource. If people take for granted what is being given to them by Nature by the warm rains, the gentle breezes and the warm sun, pretty soon there won't be very much of anything left for anyone.

    Like you, I have a major concern about Hawai'i being reliant on tourism and the construction industry (plus the military) as its main source of income. What happens when the housing market crashes? What happens when the tourists no longer come?

    If only we as human beings could learn from mistakes made in the past. There's still time left to reverse what looks inevitable, but it's going to take the concerted efforts of a lot of people working together to make that happen.

    Mahalo for your kokua,
    Miulang
    "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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