Economy tops list Sacred Hearts Academy senior Keala Kwan says there are several issues that threaten Hawaii's future, but the main one for her is the struggling economy.
ofvoter worries
Pocketbook issues dominate
the concerns of half the residents
responding to a pollBy Pat Omandam
pomandam@starbulletin.comWithout a thriving economy to provide revenue, the state cannot address the traffic problems that plague commuters like Kwan. It cannot provide the programs and resources needed to help residents cope with the high cost of living here.
And it cannot provide the variety of jobs needed to persuade students like Kwan to return to Hawaii after college. "Everybody wants to move to the mainland," she said downtown yesterday.
A recent Star-Bulletin/KITV 4 News poll showed that 50 percent of Hawaii voters say limited economic growth and the high cost of living top their list of issues that poses the greatest threat to Hawaii's future.
The survey showed 27 percent of respondents cited Hawaii's limited economic growth as the top issue, followed by 23 percent who said it was the high cost of living. Education ranked third with 19 percent.
The poll of 600 registered voters statewide was taken by telephone Aug. 21-28 by Market Trends Pacific Inc. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percent.The survey showed that Oahu and Big Island residents ranked the limited economic growth as the greatest threat, while Kauai residents picked the high cost of living.
By ethnicity, Filipinos had the most concern for the high cost of living. Those of Hawaiian ancestry said overcrowding, the fourth-ranked issue, was of concern.
Steve DeBurger, a senior at Hawaii Pacific University, believes the greatest threat to the state's future is the entrenched political system, where it's who you know in government that gets things done.
For example, DeBurger wants to see state officials, first and foremost, focus their efforts on the public schools, rather than other projects, since education is the utmost priority.
And he realizes the only way to do this is to "get some new blood" in government through the upcoming state elections.
"You can't change the whole system, but you can shake it up a bit," said the international studies major downtown yesterday.
As far as political affiliation, Democrats who were polled ranked the economy and high cost of living as their top concerns, while Republicans said it was education. Those who classify themselves as political Independents had the most concern for crowding and crime.
Kaeo Adams, a senior at St. Louis School, blamed politicians for not taking the bold steps needed to improve the economy. He's also concerned the state has not invested enough resources into expanding job growth in areas such as health and law.
These are areas Adams is interested in and plans to study on the mainland. Afterward, he plans to live there because the opportunities are greater.
"That's the plan," Adams said. "But if things get better, I would love to live here."
The survey showed the high cost of living was the top concern of those with a high school diploma and who earn less than $35,000 a year. Respondents with college degrees said education was their top concern.
Racism, pollution and traffic were ranked the least threats to Hawaii's future. Even so, Kwan believes there are too many cars on this island.
"They should have a law that limited the number of cars in a family," she said.
