Aloha during crisis
For Hawaii to survive this pandemic, we must change our focus from law enforcement to compassionate, effective solutions.
We need more communitywide buy-in to safety protocols with common sense leadership through incentive programs that recognize, track and encourage good behavior instead of dividing our community by only reporting, punishing and publicly shaming quarantine violators.
Individually, we can look to our kupuna for guidance and earnestly follow the tenets of the aloha spirit law, written by Pilahi Paki in 1986: “Akahai meaning kindness, to be expressed with tenderness; Lokahi meaning unity, to be expressed with harmony; ‘Olu‘olu meaning agreeable, to be expressed with pleasantness; Ha‘aha‘a meaning humility, to be expressed with modesty; Ahonui meaning patience, to be expressed with perseverance.”
In Hawaii, we have a unique opportunity to prove we are the Aloha State by showing the world we have the most creative, compassionate and common-sense approach to controlling the spread of the coronavirus in our islands.
If we do it right, tourists will have more confidence in returning once we reopen, and residents will regain trust in our leadership. This is how to retain the aloha in our hearts and in our island home so we can survive this crisis together as a community.
Don’t let COVID-19 be the death of the aloha spirit.
Shana W. Logan
Hilo
Unsustainable spending
Is there a reason why there is no serious talk about layoffs, hiring freezes or early retirement? Because of the direction the state is moving, with the economy shut down, we need to start thinking ahead in a fundamental way.
With limited income from tax and other revenue means coming into the state, many of the entitlement programs and current budget cannot be sustained. There is no way you can gather enough words to say otherwise.
The citizens of Hawaii demand real leadership to step in and decide, otherwise many people will be blindsided when they do lose their jobs and way of life.
What the current leadership does best is either blame a Republican or the federal government for their lack of leadership within their state. This ought not to be the song played, again and again. Hawaii leaders are expected to lead this state. Which means they need to lead!
There is no reason why Hawaii depends on 90% imports when Hawaii for the most part can be self-sufficient — i.e agriculture, manufacturing, mom-and-pop stores, military and the like.
Tourism only makes up less than 25% of the revenue. If tourism is down because of the pandemic, why is the economy hurting at a 25% loss — unless the state of Hawaii is spending more than it is bringing in.
This is not sustainable, responsible and not good leadership. Hawaii citizens expect better and demand better from our leaders.
Work on a plan to build Hawaii so families can be self-sufficient — such as family farms, starting a business that builds up the community (not just a tourist-geared company, but a business that builds and sustains a community), lowering business taxes to attract new business ventures from locals, removing regulations that make it impossible for younger people to start a business to take care of their family, and the like.
If Hawaii leadership is not going to lead, maybe we should just vote them out!
Teddy Palmer
Hilo