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.....to live in Hawaii. We are a rock (ah several rocks) in the middle of the ocean. I know that higher and higher prices for everyday needs is not an issue for the affluent, but for us in the other than affluent (am I spelling that right?[?])catagory, it is really time to be realistic and think how we are going to deal with the ever rising cost of everything. And this all COULD be coming in the near future (cost of fuel going up, up, up).
So what do you say we start discussing this and perhaps leave some of the other less than "productive" discussions rest for awhile. After all, we are all here (or about to come here) and, well, and island is an island. What we gonna do?
OOOOOOOOh, Rob! Perhaps another new forum called, oh, I don't know, HOW WE WILL ALL SURVIVE ON THIS ROCK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN WHEN GAS IS $8.00 A GALLON[?] or somethin like that..hee, hee.
Posts: 548
Threads: 114
Joined: Jun 2005
Oh, shoot, I put this in the wrong place!
Posts: 548
Threads: 114
Joined: Jun 2005
Oh I need to use firefox. I was worried about the wrong word?[xx(]
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Getting back to the topic (that's me -- monomaniacal, I drift but always come back to the subject at hand), yes, Hawaii is about to become more isolated. We have passed peak oil where demand exceeds production, and are now on a gradual downward slope to no oil. China is slurping it up as is the rest of the world. We know no other way. Airfares to Hawaii are going to go up (ATA is already thinking about leaving the market). At some point the mainland middle class will find Hawaii not to be a reasonable vacation choice. Of course, the costs of "goods" that are delivered to Hawaii have to get more expensive: Matson is raising its costs every time you turn around. Hawaii will regret not trying to save her dairies, and her farms, and for development to run rampant in its place.
I can picture a Hawaii that is much more isolated, that is for the very wealthy, and for those who are fairly self-sufficient. All because of the cost of oil.
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hee. 'affluent' is one of those words you don't want to screw up
I'm not 'affluent', but I really don't want to be 'effluent'!
* I'd rather fail at happiness than succeed at misery *
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I think it is crucial that the state invest much more in alternative energy and local agriculture. Pre-European contact Hawaii had approximately the same population by some estimates and they didn't starve. There should be huge incentives to develop the massive areas already set aside as agricultural neighborhoods to grow more produce for our population. I also find it shocking that although we get more of our energy than the other islands from geothermal and wind, that we actually pay far more than they do on Oahu for electricity. I understand that most of our energy for home and businesses, like in CA, is produced from oil. As it is, gasoline is about 5-10% more expensive here than in CA, so why is electricity triple the price? It's sad that it feels like no level of government in this state has the foresight to take anything other than baby steps, such as the tax credits for solar hot water heaters.
There is no way that $110/barrel oil is not going to severely impact most Hawaii citizens.
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There is one thing that is less expensive, Water wells (from diamond drilling). The cost is down $40 per foot from last year. [
] So if you don't like catchment and live at or below 400 feet elevation you're in luck. Hopefully this will brighten somebody's day[
]
Daniel R Diamond
Daniel R Diamond
]