John Oliver Last Week Tonight - Hawaii

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

In this weeks’ episode, Last Week Tonight on HBO Max focused on Hawaii.  How rich outsiders are influencing the islands.  Not a new occurrence, but he takes a look at the recent influx of land barons, Zuckerberg, Oprah, Ellison, etc.
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...ight-recap?

[Punatang]

Thanks Edge,  I don't normally watch that but I will check it out.  Good lookin' out!

[Durian Fiend]

What can be done? “When a situation is this complicated and took this long to develop, there aren’t going to be quick and easy solutions,” said Oliver. But he recommend some “obvious” steps, such as not renewing US military leases on Hawaiian land, restricting short-term rentals and second homes, and focusing state government resources on developing a diverse local economy.
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...ight-recap

Not renewing military leases won't happen. I'm not real optimistic about the other two either.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

I watched the episode last night.
The points John Oliver made were generally accurate, but unfortunately in an 20 minute segment it’s hard to include the necessary context.  Hawaiian Homelands for instance, I thought he could have provided more details as to why people are on the decades long waiting list.
He mentioned how outsiders tried to buy up land in Lahaina after the fire, but not that a law was passed to make that difficult.
Zuckerberg, Ellison, Oprah were raked over the imu embers, but in their cases context may not have mattered.

I didn’t find it particularly humorous for a comedy show because much of our past and present Hawaiian history is so tragic.

[ironyak]

Segment up on youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8DxdibHibU

As mentioned, a good, if more broad than deep, introduction to local issues and their roots in Hawaii's history. What other important details about DHHL do you think would have been helpful HOTPE?

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

What other important details about DHHL

The theme of the show was how outsiders have affected Hawaii, so Oliver mentioned DHHL was set up by the US Federal government.  He didn’t mention that these days it’s run by insiders.

[ironyak]

While HHC/DHHL has been run by the state since statehood (hence why you're saying these administrators are now insiders as compared to the U.S. Congress in 1920-1959, is that what you're saying?), Oliver's notion that “Hawaii has long been run for the benefit of everyone but Hawaiians” probably still applies as while HHC/DHHL has done well with leasing out homestead lands to generate profits for the state, they haven't performed as well actually fulfilling their legally mandated Purpose - "to enable native Hawaiians to return to their lands in order to fully support self-sufficiency for native Hawaiians and the self-determination of native Hawaiians in the administration of this Act, and the preservation of the values, traditions, and culture of native Hawaiians."

Is requiring only 4 of 9 HHC members have not less than 25% Hawaiian blood make the Commission enough of an insider to these issues, or is the state agency still acting as outsiders? Not really for me to say, but looking at larger trends worldwide, I would be more inclined to move towards a Land Back approach where large swaths of Homestead lands are turned over to various Hawaiian groups for them to manage and determine how best to proceed for the benefit of their community, instead of the state dictating high-cost suburban style development that continually fails to provide the ability to "return to their lands in order to fully support self-sufficiency for native Hawaiians."

Hard not to see how government at all levels here has failed, and continues to fail, even from the outside.

[randomq]

I think they are leasing out homestead lands for their own benefit. That money doesn't "go back to the state". Did he mention the 600 million the state gave them to reduce the wait-list, and the fact that they might have to give it back due to inaction?

I find John Oliver entertaining, but he does not exactly tell the whole story or uphold journalistic standards.

[ironyak]

Lots of vague pronouns floating about - who exactly is "they" in "they are leasing out homestead lands for their own benefit"?

Last I checked, HHC/DHHL is a state agency, so yes, the state legislature gave a state agency funds to reduce the wait list, which still hasn't made much headway in doing the actual work to "enable native Hawaiians to return to their lands in order to fully support self-sufficiency for native Hawaiians", you know those people who are supposed to benefit but are not insiders to the state bureaucracy.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss?

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss?

Hey! Rocky! Watch me pull a homeland out of my hat! Nothin’ up my sleeve…
No trip to Las Vegas required for distraction and misdirection.