No longer are our leaders loading up our plates with pledges to build libraries, cover school walkways, help out after-school programs and the down-on-his-luck constituent.
It is the first-time campaigners, who haven't been around a state or county budget, who have all the promises. They can see new schools and roads, more prisons, more gyms and even new departments rising across the islands.
When the incumbents speak, however, their promises are more modest. Perhaps an adjustment to traffic flow, better use of existing school facilities, maybe a few new laws. But no bold new programs, no new offices, no new studies and no new demonstration projects.
The incumbents have already checked all the closets, looked under the mattress and hit up all the relatives for extra money. There's none left.
The second good thing to report is that along with no new programs there is no talk of new taxes. A big portion of all successful political pledges this year is to swear on a stack of newly issued general obligation bonds that you will not raise taxes, will not talk about raising taxes and won't even let your children think about raising taxes as long as you are in elected office.
This all serves the incumbent well.
There can be no promises because we have no money, no money because we can't raise taxes, which brings us back to no promises. That is the kind of cyclical logic that even the most slow-witted incumbent can appreciate.
The same crew also knows that you can only promise the voters the politics of nothing for so long before the folks start looking for some leaders.
That is the down side of this political year.
While no one is raising expectations or taxes, pretty soon, someone is going to have to do something.
Politicians say as much when they say something has to be done to stop the migration of talented local kids from Hawaii's schools and job market.
When they say Hawaii's economy has become dependent on tourism and when they say we are pricing our own hard-working middle class out of the housing market, our politicians are recognizing that something more is needed.
The key to both the success and ultimate downfall of former Gov. John Waihee was in his talent for raising expectations. As our hopes soared with his promises so did his political stock.
When the economy flopped, Waihee's popularity followed.
NOW we are more cautious about listening to promises, but the call for some strong new leadership is sure to emerge.
If the Legislature isn't going to do it and if the governor's office is going to continue to cut or hold the line, then leadership will have to come from the community.
Lowell Kalapa, Hawaii Tax Foundation executive director, is fond of criticizing government, but he has recently started to point a finger at the local business community.
"The people are so docile. They know that everything in this state is subject to the whims of politics, so they just don't want to make any waves," he says.
This year, we are better off without the empty promises, but poorer still for the lack of leadership.
