Satan's Luau

Ultimately, why doesn't anyone tell the truth about where this road ends:

No, it's not mortgage rates ... No, it's not tax cuts ... No, it's not an influx of outsiders with money ... The stupid part is that everyone knew in the past 30 years that are now PAST, that this day was coming

- Why doesn't anyone say, if we grow that means more commitment to infrastructure? No, instead the brainiacs calculate how much longer we will sit in traffic ... yeah, great use of them PhDs at UH if you ask me

- Why doesn't anyone say that the government could get involved, and we all pitch in with higher taxes so that direct solutions like subsidies, loan programs, and SOME ... or should I say ANY "affordable housing" can be built? Funny, but I think this is where the Ainokea attitude of me first really will make the overall society suffer

- Why doesn't a developer tell the truth and say ... don't point your finger at me being the problem -- yes, how is it that luxury condo after condo, and development after development get built ... and no one in the business community, political leadership, government bureaucracy goes ... WAIT, that means most people can't buy or rent that, we can't have that ... where's the guts, where's the leadership, where's the balls to say, lookit, we do things differently here ... you don't want to be a good corporate partner in our society and share some of the burden of benefitting the society, you can't build here, you can't develop here

- What exactly do trade missions to Israel and Asia do anyways? Or with our previous mayor's trips around the globe to receive awards and acclaim ... I find it quite ludicrous that most leaders or politicians have poor focus on what is in front of their nose, what is in their backyard

- I really don't mind the real property tax hikes per se ... but what I do mind is this, can I be guaranteed that this money will go to infrastructure to support our overheating little place of nearly a million? Can I be assured that when it rains, old sewers won't backflow ... where dumb kids will play in puddles or standing water? Can I be assured that public transportation will be affordable and attractive for me to use? Can I be assured that I won't need a moon buggy to avoid potholes that could lose an SUV

At the end of the day because our economy is not diversified enough, is to no one's surprise too reliant on tourism ... the money is held in too few hands, things not only will not change. They CANNOT change ... and no one wants to get real and use the nuclear option, which is to increase the government (the fattest cat of them all)'s commitment to and participation in solving the issues

And no, it is not a republican governor problem either ... it really is up to the government to get serious about stepping up on some of this because this whole growth thing ... for the 3,823,456th time that I have said it ... is not working because many things on this island are not able to sustain it

Will it end where this place is Florida, Too ... a place for the rich and the very old, and let's not forget -- still a tourist destination (great to visit, not so much to live)? Honestly, maybe not

But I do wonder where it does end, where does the aloha spirit go to die ... maybe too expensive really is the last straw that this economy can take ... and the bubble will pop once again, only to be reinflated some day ten years down the road

Has it turned yet ... can it be pulled from the fire? I just don't know.