High cost of living
Have you ever thought about the prices in each state and compared them to see which state was the most expensive? Well, in Hawaii the cost of living is pretty expensive. This problem should be more recognized because most of the people in Hawaii become homeless because of this reason.
High prices are related to a lot of the residents in Hawaii because we have to deal with it every day, from the food to the bills. High prices matter because the prices increase every year and a lot of people will not be able to keep up with this increase. If you were in a situation where you struggled to make $122,000 every year just to live comfortably, you would put some of your attention toward this problem.
High prices aren’t just going up for no reason, though. There are many aspects that connect to it, such as the cargo that brings all of the products, and the tourists. These high costs could be avoided if we tend to these two main issues. For example, instead of letting an abundance of people come down from the mainland, we could limit that. And for the cargo, we should be treated equally. When I say equally, I mean that the cargo goes to other states but those transportations cost way less than the cargo coming to Hawaii, and that’s why we should have to pay less than what we pay now.
A lot of families struggle, and this is really not good, especially since they’re residents. Although the people of Hawaii are not protesting this, I know that they think about it because this situation affects us all and it needs to be addressed.
As we start to advance into the future, we shouldn’t need to pay this much for basic needs of living. Instead, we should reduce the amount of tourists coming to Hawaii, and we should lower the cost of transporting the products. These problems can be solved if we try, and if they aren’t solved, then the prices are going to keep rising until the amount of money we need to pay is even more ridiculous.
Cody Oshiro
Hilo High School student
Overfishing concerns
My name is Kiakahi DePeralta-Huihui, and one problem I think we have in our community is overfishing. This problem concerns me because too many fish are taken out, and this can create an imbalance that can erode the food web and lead to a loss of other important marine life.
If all fish die, it’s like someone losing a loved one. The sea is so important to the Hawaiian people. This irritates me because taking care of the ocean is like taking care of your kupuna. The fish in the ocean are as pretty as the rainbow.
Most people fish for fun, and they just leave the fish to die. If you catch a fish, try to at least take it home and eat it for dinner.
Overfishing matters because our coral reefs and other predators rely on the fish.
People are loving about the ocean. People in the Hilo community always take care of the ocean. When there is rubbish anywhere they pick it up. Coral reefs are kind of like the mother of the ocean. In Hawaii, the ocean is like taking care of our tutu (grandma).
To conclude this problem we’re having, I’d like to do my part to stop this overfishing because it could hurt our community in the long run. So in general we could put signs up to say if you are going to fish, no leave this fish on the rocks to die. Take it home to eat or throw it back in the ocean. So please stop this overfishing. Please reconsider your decision about this.
Kiakahi DePeralta-Huihui
Hilo High School student