My day in Honolulu

[JayJay]

The eternal optimists. ' "We shall forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future" ' ... or not. Back in the day, body-whomping the North Shore, that wonderful pre-fiber glass age while the industry was spiraling upward and the growth seemed interminable, that was the time our leaders should have been advocating these islands as a haven for retirement, sans Florida, the Carolinas, Lake Havasu et. al. Had they done so, we'd be set right now dispite the sub-prime debacle etc. These people, yes, do take up space [and I sympathize with the Hawaiian position on keeping things small and rural but this position must be reasonable, which it's not. The pendelum will no doubt swing to far toward retaining rurality and we're going to suffer in terms of inadequate infrastructure developement ... and besides, anyone really abreast with the markets knows the system has just exhibited an historical top and will never in opur lifetimes return to the last summer highs and that the Hawaiian's basic fear ... that they have to stop the developement, is going to occur naturally due to lack of momentum in that same marketplace], but those who retire and make an exodus to warmer climes, for the most part bring, a basically crime-free demographic coupled with stability and (and here's the big one), they bring their monthly checks and as a rule establish accounts in local credit unions because they're smart and want the best return on investment. They go out to dine, they buy cars and use all the essential services, including medical and they PAY. This is where we've missed the boat ... in not projecting Hawaii to the mainstream as an option for retirement and now for the most part that space has been filled by so many, and let's be honest here ... undesireables, who prefer not to earn their keep but to be given it.

JayJay