Economic Alternatives For Hawaii

[Hotzcatz]

Lots of retired people in Hawaii. They have all day to voice their "concerns" at Planning hearings. Maybe retirement benefits should be taxable, so retirees can "pay their fair share"?

The "economic food chain" can be (and is) fed with source revenue other than tourism, so it's mildly misleading to conflate these. For example, retirees buy groceries.

We aren't going to get "diversification in our economic base", not now and not ever. Decision-makers are just fine with the status quo. Voting is really a game of musical chairs, the same "old boy network" elected into different titles. (I'm using the term "elected" very loosely here.)

Current jokes: we can build a local agriculture industry ... just as soon as the State creates all the necessary infrastructure for us. We can have a new "green economy" ... if the money will just fall from the sky.

Speaking of jobs, revenue, and diversification: if TMT can't be built, it's just a matter of time before UHH shuts down the astronomy program. Hopefully the extra buildings can be converted into a resort or something, otherwise we'll be paying maintenance *and* not generating revenue.

I bet retired people pay there fair share property taxes ,get taxes and all the other taxes Hawaii adds on when you do anything with the state and county . I agree with you about the good old boy network here look at all the people running for mayor here and Oahu . It the  same good old boys mostly

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The answer for an economic alternative for Hawaii, IMHO, is that we will find that it's a whole lot of little ones and not one big one or even several big ones.  There will be some ag, although it will be high end and not commodity farming. 
We could be growing koa and supplying really high end woodworkers.  That's a very Hawaii thing.
Online work is good since then folks are bringing in jobs from somewhere else.
Hawaii is seen as having a lot of mana, having healing workshops, spas, etc., might be something.
Not everyone needs a full living wage.  If there's a household of two or three wage earners, then each of them won't have to make a complete living wage to keep the household going.  Most folks have more than one income stream, too, so each doesn't require to e a full living wage.

hankie wrote:  Do you know how long it would take to grow Koa wood tree large enough to harvest about 20 years that not going to help anyone  lets be real about this

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The answer for an economic alternative for Hawaii, IMHO, is that we will find that it's a whole lot of little ones and not one big one or even several big ones.  There will be some ag, although it will be high end and not commodity farming. 
We could be growing koa and supplying really high end woodworkers.  That's a very Hawaii thing.
Online work is good since then folks are bringing in jobs from somewhere else.
Hawaii is seen as having a lot of mana, having healing workshops, spas, etc., might be something.
Not everyone needs a full living wage.  If there's a household of two or three wage earners, then each of them won't have to make a complete living wage to keep the household going.  Most folks have more than one income stream, too, so each doesn't require to e a full living wage.

Do you know how long it would take to grow Koa wood tree large enough to harvest about 20 years that not going to help anyone  lets be real about this

Yup, in about fifteen years you can start selective harvesting and after that continually harvest about 15% per year.  It's astonishingly profitable once it gets going.  There's a mainland lumber company who was over here back in the early 2000's buying up large tracts and planing koa and other hardwoods.  Again, it's a mainland company using Hawaii for profit while Hawaii people just sit back and say it can't be done.

Some Hawaii folks could hui together or start a corporation which would endure past a single craftperson's lifetime and that entity could buy up land and plant tropical hardwoods.  Get a grant or try for a 'go fund me' or some other creative financing.  Folks who thrive are the ones who find ways to make it work instead of ways it won't work.