AS a bona fide "townie," I tend to hang out in the familiar territory between East Honolulu and Kalihi. I buy groceries at the same supermarket. I eat at the same restaurants and frequent the same shopping centers. I don't like to deviate from this comfort zone so, when it is absolutely necessary, I dread it. There’s no need to be
afraid of changeSuch was the case yesterday, when I zoomed over to Leeward Oahu to drop my kiddie off at a classmate's birthday party.
Hey, maybe I should take a leisurely drive around the area, I thought to myself. But my nose wrinkled involuntarily. There it was again -- that deep-seated anxiety about being in an unknown situation, the trepidation from a possible brush with a new and possibly bad experience.
I almost retreated to the highway before curiosity triumphed. What a nice time I had in the country! I admired the well-maintained homes and yards, smiled at the army of political signs everywhere, and ogled the vast array of retail establishments, some of which weren't even in town yet.
Imagine, fear of the unfamiliar had almost prevented me from relishing this delightful change of pace.
That brings us to tomorrow, a day that will determine the fate of two constitutional amendments and a slew of charter revisions (see our recommendations at left), and decide who will serve us in Congress, in OHA, and on our Legislature, Board of Education and City Council.
The most important question, however, is who will win the honor and privilege of being governor for the next four years.
Some are definitely going to support the incumbent, Ben Cayetano, or the challenger, Linda Lingle. These loyalists can stop reading right now. They've already made up their minds and nothing will dissuade them.
But to those who are still undecided, may I offer up my experience yesterday as food for thought?
Hawaii has been controlled by the Democratic Party for more than four decades. Its members did many fine things for the people of these islands, especially the working class, minorities and women. But they have also done many not-so-fine things, some of which are manifesting themselves in high-profile investigations, a stalled economic recovery and still too-big state government.
Yet, despite these troubles, lots of folks are still leaning toward the party in power because, frankly, that is all they have known. They have always voted Democratic. That is their comfort zone.
Further, these longtime residents are frightened by PR campaigns that say the Republicans will destroy these islands if they gain power, because the GOP will cut jobs, social services, welfare payments and all of the good things that the Dems have worked hard to establish all these years.
AS a bona fide independent, as a woman who cares about jobs, social services and welfare recipients, as a citizen who is grateful for the Democrats' historical impact, I have only two words for those forecasting doom under a change in political leadership: How insulting.
Are they insinuating that, if elected, Lingle will (or would) ruin this state as the people of Hawaii sit back and say nothing? Wrong. If Governor Lingle doesn't produce in four years, she will be fired. If she does produce, Hawaii gets better.
There's only one thing scarier than a fear of the unknown. It's an opportunity lost.
Diane Yukihiro Chang's column runs Monday and Friday.
She can be reached by phone at 525-8607, via e-mail at
DianeChang@aol.com, or by fax at 523-7863.