10-21-2008, 03:35 PM
Bob, you're a very smart man, and I am definitely no match for your wits and depth of knowledge (if you can get yourself to think out of box a little more, you'd be dangerous...in a good way.) For what it's worth, here are my comments to your thoughtful post. If you want the last word, it's yours, my friend:
3. Point taken that government is an industry. Unfortunately too much is non-value added, not the kind of jobs we want. What's important to me is the amount of value/contribution-to-society per head. Indeed, a hard thing to measure. All I know is that as a citizen, I am currently not satisfied with the value I'm getting from my government. (At least I don't pay outrageous property taxes here in Puna.) Bottom line, they could do so much more with what they have. Instead they waste our tax dollars.
2. No argument on the military, just a question: Who will work harder to prevent the military from blowing up the top of a hill and leave with little put back into the community, Pilago or your guy Kenoi? Would either of them even have the power to do it? Please enlighten me, because I'm trying very hard to see both sides of the issue.
3. "Tourism can not be made second to anything." Maybe not. But perhaps second to a bunch of other entrepreneurial ideas taken collectively? Maybe not. Assuming gas prices remain high, tourism as we know it in Hawaii today will not survive unless it re-tools to cater to the very rich and exclusive or the very low end campers, hikers, hippies, etc. (Not that there's anything wrong with the "low-end")
4. Believe it or not, "Made in Hawaii" has value in key niche markets globally. Not just "things" but education, culture, even research (I'm currently working on several projects that fall outside your 4 categories.) No, it's not gonna replace tourism ever, but for a savvy entrepreneur, opportunities are there. It just requires imagination.
"What does any of the candidates have to offer in terms of real economic development instead of a sound bite"? Great question! So I'll throw it back at you: You started this thread by endorsing Kenoi. So please tell us, what is Kenoi going to do in real economic terms? I truly want to know. I'm just as interested in hearing what Pilago has to say.
Bob, I am honestly less interested in being "right", and more interested in hearing different opinions and information about the candidates so I can make an informed decision on who to vote for. Do you share the same outlook or are you already locked in? Just curious.
3. Point taken that government is an industry. Unfortunately too much is non-value added, not the kind of jobs we want. What's important to me is the amount of value/contribution-to-society per head. Indeed, a hard thing to measure. All I know is that as a citizen, I am currently not satisfied with the value I'm getting from my government. (At least I don't pay outrageous property taxes here in Puna.) Bottom line, they could do so much more with what they have. Instead they waste our tax dollars.
2. No argument on the military, just a question: Who will work harder to prevent the military from blowing up the top of a hill and leave with little put back into the community, Pilago or your guy Kenoi? Would either of them even have the power to do it? Please enlighten me, because I'm trying very hard to see both sides of the issue.
3. "Tourism can not be made second to anything." Maybe not. But perhaps second to a bunch of other entrepreneurial ideas taken collectively? Maybe not. Assuming gas prices remain high, tourism as we know it in Hawaii today will not survive unless it re-tools to cater to the very rich and exclusive or the very low end campers, hikers, hippies, etc. (Not that there's anything wrong with the "low-end")
4. Believe it or not, "Made in Hawaii" has value in key niche markets globally. Not just "things" but education, culture, even research (I'm currently working on several projects that fall outside your 4 categories.) No, it's not gonna replace tourism ever, but for a savvy entrepreneur, opportunities are there. It just requires imagination.
"What does any of the candidates have to offer in terms of real economic development instead of a sound bite"? Great question! So I'll throw it back at you: You started this thread by endorsing Kenoi. So please tell us, what is Kenoi going to do in real economic terms? I truly want to know. I'm just as interested in hearing what Pilago has to say.
Bob, I am honestly less interested in being "right", and more interested in hearing different opinions and information about the candidates so I can make an informed decision on who to vote for. Do you share the same outlook or are you already locked in? Just curious.
Tim
A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions--Confucius
A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions--Confucius