Hawaii’s World

By A.A. Smyser

Thursday, December 31, 1998

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What Hawaii
can hope for
in new year

WILL Hawaii do better in 1999 than in 1998? Better than our crime rate? Already it's down one-third in three years. Honolulu is one of the safest big cities in America.

Better than our traffic flow? It, too, is better than most major cities in the U.S. It has its bad moments. Yet almost all of us have driven for blocks without hitting a red light thanks to a fine system of coordination.

Better than our aloha spirit? Somehow we got through the closest governor race in history with no one demanding a recount and the loser saying she didn't spend those last few hundred thousand dollars available to her because she had agreed to a voluntary spending limit. In that election, ethnic voting lines were crossed right and left. Filipinos, after all, are only 10.5 percent of the population and haoles 24 percent.

There is gloom over the economy. Yet state tax collections for July-November were up 4.6 percent overall from 1997. In the major breakout categories only transient accommodations revenues (the hotel tax) were down - off only 1.6 percent.

Real estate interest rates are down, prices up only slightly. Home ownership is within reach of more families than in years.

Tourism from the U.S. mainland is up while Asia is down. Some hotel chains are using the lull for remodeling. Would that we can do it, too, for the infrastructure of Waikiki.

Mayor Jeremy Harris makes the sensible argument that long-term capital investments are best made when construction prices and interest rates are low. Even when the operating budget is tight he would borrow for capital improvements to be financed over the next 30 years because of the long-term bargains that can be bought.

I think we can reasonably hope for such things as:

A gradual recovery in Asia that will keep our economy from being further debilitated.

Improvement in the state tax structure beyond the moderate personal income tax cut voted this year.

Improvements in the public schools keyed to the new superintendent's focus on accountability and raising expectations.

The university to use its increased autonomy to provide more scientific synergy for business stimulation, and perhaps even to win a football game.

Progress toward a settlement with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs over claims involving lands once held by the monarchy and now held by the state. This can be a time bomb. It must be resolved along lines that bring honor to both sides and avoid settling old grievances by creating new ones.

The much-demagogued same-sex marriage issue has a solution most of our tolerant citizenry can support: domestic partnerships with most of the rights of marriage.

Through hearings the Legislature can significantly advance public dialogue on how we can improve dying. Governor Cayetano has received recommendations for more attention to spiritual concerns, refusal to accept pain as necessary, immensely greater use of hospice care and more personal autonomy. This last includes better enforced living wills plus a narrow window for physician-assisted death. Only assisted death is controversial. All need more public awareness.

Hawaii is the most successful mixed ethnic community in the world. If we can keep to the rule of tolerance we can reasonably hope some of our present concerns to be alleviated in 1999 - and not many to get worse.

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A.A. Smyser is the contributing editor
and former editor of the the Star-Bulletin
His column runs Tuesday and Thursday.