10-16-2012, 07:55 AM
At the risk of beating a dead horse: Pearl's lasted longer than two years, and they provided real jobs and paid real money taxes until they gave up the fight. I've never quite understood the value proposition of using (our) tax dollars to fund a government agency that actively drives jobs and money out of its economy.
I would guess the biggest components of the "legal" economy are tourism, the university, and retirement real estate. It's a borderline unsustainable mix, and tends to warp the overall marketspace, so your tax base consists mostly of low-wage service-sector jobs.
A PGV-fired light manufacturing district would probably help, or an islandwide fiber network that made real broadband readily available, but these aren't "shiny" enough. Obviously a new event center (in Hilo, so you can drive to it) is a better investment of our tax dollars.
I would guess the biggest components of the "legal" economy are tourism, the university, and retirement real estate. It's a borderline unsustainable mix, and tends to warp the overall marketspace, so your tax base consists mostly of low-wage service-sector jobs.
A PGV-fired light manufacturing district would probably help, or an islandwide fiber network that made real broadband readily available, but these aren't "shiny" enough. Obviously a new event center (in Hilo, so you can drive to it) is a better investment of our tax dollars.