The New Year is ripe for change. But will we see any?
by Rob Parsons |
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"I was a warrior who thought I could bring peace. Sooner or later, though, you always have to wake up." - Jake Sully, Avatar
THE BIG BANG
2010
started with a bang. Literally. Like so many New Year's Eves before,
much of Hawaii became a simulated war zone, with fireworks and aerial
explosions out of control. It's local tradition, after all.
And
because of that simple fact, don't hold your breath for a proposed
fireworks ban, though one was introduced by four Oahu legislators and
will be considered during this year's session. It's hard to imagine the
majority of elected officials—let alone the public—waking up and
smelling the sulfur. It just doesn't work that way.
Still, it's
hard to fathom how nostalgia continues to trump common sense. This
year, a record 112 people—half of them children—were admitted to
hospital emergency rooms with fireworks-related injuries. Among them
were two Maui children who were severely burned and whose parents now
face potential criminal charges, since permits require adult
supervision.
"For a payoff of $185,825, the city of Honolulu and
the state of Hawaii are blatant sponsors of terrorism," wrote a Kaneohe
man to Honolulu Weekly. (Actual number of permits, a record
8,055, times $25 per permit, equals $201,375.) The man also wrote that
the explosions were so severe in his neighborhood, his $900 Kamaka
ukulele and some glasses "vibrated off the shelf and smashed on our
floor."
But pyromaniac celebrants clearly don't care about their
neighbor's animals cowering in terror, about those with asthma or other
types of respiratory diseases gagging on smoke, about the litter, or
the outbreak of brush and house fires. They simply want to retain their
right to make noise and blow stuff up. How cool is that?
A ban
just makes sense. Yet when it comes to controversial matters and
forward-looking initiatives, our elected officials are far better at
discussion than action. Of course, since it's voters' responsibility to
hold our decision-makers accountable, it's appropriate to invoke the
Walt Kelly quote from his Pogo comic strip: "We have met the enemy, and
he is us."
GET INVOLVED
A friend recently directed me
to a comment left on the Kauai Planning & Action Alliance Web site,
describing the "Hawaii condition:" "It's all about putting off
changes as long as possible. We want action now. Example. The
Department of Land and Natural Resources recently estimated it would
take $4 million and 2 years to take care of the damage to Polihale and
reopen it to the public. Kaua'i residents completed the job in 8 days
with donated time, labor, equipment and supplies. Think about that one
for a few minutes and then realize that the whole state government
operates in the same manner. Personally, I think revolution is the
solution. As it is, no one is held accountable. So the corruption
continues and grows."
I like to think that hope springs
eternal, that we will finally elect leaders who are true visionaries
and are also adept enough at swimming upstream against bureaucratic
currents to actually implement positive change. But in the 32 years
I've been in Hawaii, I have yet to see it happen, with a few manini exceptions. Maybe 2010's the year…or maybe not. At a BLNR meeting last
Friday in Honolulu, a longtime friend and state employee shared that
seeing the four island Mayors gathered to plead for the Transient
Accommodations Tax revenues to be returned to Neighbor Islands sure
looked to him like the Old Boy network was alive and well. (He was
referring to their political style and backing, rather than the subject
of county versus state revenues.)
It is ironic that our own
Mayor Charmaine Tavares would be asking for the revenues now, when she
is mainly responsible for quashing the TAT pay-in generated by an
estimated 1,000-plus vacation rentals and bed and breakfasts. Tavares,
in an interview given to The Maui News in mid-December when she
announced her bid for re-election, said that in a down-turned economy,
she's proud of the work her administration has done to help small
businesses.
Somebody pinch me, please—this must be a bad dream.
Has she been so unwilling to listen to those in the community affected
by her TVR shutdown that she doesn't realize its broad impact to our
fragile economy? Like the New Year's celebrant, she seems arrogant and
uncaring of the cries of those who disagree with her mandate even as
she blows up their livelihoods.
There appears little middle
ground, however, between those who like and dislike vacation rentals,
even if properly regulated and taxed. Once again, it's up to us all to
get out and vote, or stop grumbling.
CH-CH-CHANGES
On
Monday, bloomberg.com and others reported that crude oil hit a 15-month
high, at $83.67 per barrel. Former Maui resident Brad Parsons of
alohaanalytics.blogspot.com, who posted the link, offered this succinct
comment: "If this continues, you can forget about an economic recovery.
For Hawaii, just watch the airfares climb and occupancy fall."
But
wait, Brad. Are you saying we didn't learn anything about
self-sufficiency, replacing petroleum imports and diversifying our
economy since oil first hit $100 a barrel, exactly two years ago? Or
are you just saying what I'm thinking—that we have not moved decisively
enough, quickly enough, to provide Hawaii with a new and improved
economic roadmap? What does it take for us to change our
head-in-the-sand, stuck-in-the-mud consumptive ways?
In last
week's interview with super-activist Julia Butterfly Hill, I related
her belief (and mine) that to inspire people to take action and change,
it takes a combination of information and inspiration. Alone, they
don't work.
"You can show people a clear-cut," said Julia,
recounting her historic tree-sit to protect old-growth forests, "and
it's like a gut punch. Show them a pristine forest habitat, and they
are like, 'Oh my God, it's so beautiful.' Put the two together and
people will respond."
I'm well aware that people have enough
outrage in their lives and aren't looking for more bad news about the
direction of the human race or the fate of the planet we call home. The
blockbuster movie Avatar is a blend of outrage and beauty, desperation and hopefulness.
"Everything
is backwards now, like out there is the true world and in here is the
dream," says protagonist Jake Sully, a wheelchair-bound ex-marine whose
core reality is being tweaked by his interaction with the planet
Pandora's aboriginal culture, which recognizes the connectedness of all
things and reveres the circle of life. The military protecting the
corporate investment in the planet's resources, however, have clearly
never hugged a tree and felt the life energy therein.
This is my
150th Rob Report in Maui's last independent newspaper. I have been
humbled and gratified by the opportunity to share thought, ideas,
initiatives and blueprints for a better Maui, a better Hawaii and a
better world.
But now it's time for change in my life as well.
I'm launching a business this year, one of the coolest, best, green
technologies I have found in many years of looking. I'm excited for the
opportunity to share it, to become a part of the green economy.
The
Rob Report will likely appear in a new form, sometime soon, in order to
reach the most people in the most productive and interesting fashion. I
am supremely grateful to Editor Jacob Shafer, and all the other folks
at MauiTime who have helped along the way.
And I'm
big-time appreciative of the readers who provide feedback on a regular
basis, letting me know they are inspired by what they read in my
columns. Mahalo nui loa to all.
Happy New Year, too. Pau for now—and don't forget to vote