Dick Hubert’s Worldview: Reflections on paradise lost in Hawaii—and other threats
February 22, 2024 at 12:43 a.m.
Here’s why I am sad after returning from Hawaii for a brief vacation there—thanks to a round-trip cruise from San Diego.
Now our 50th state, and formerly a U.S. territory and independent nation, the Hawaii of our dreams, memories, and imagination is being bled dry by economic forces seemingly beyond its control.
The residents of Lahaina, whose homes were horrifically destroyed in a massive wildfire televised nationally, lost more than their ancestral residences and way of life.
In a state where the average home price is now $1.2 million (yes, you read that correctly), Lahaina’s homeless symbolize the catastrophic cost of living in that state, a cost that is slowly forcing the middle and lower middle class out.
Local guides who couldn’t say enough to visiting tourists about the exorbitant cost of basic food supplies, clothing, and everything else that has to be imported from the mainland continuously told us about having to live with family and friends who are lucky enough to own a home (usually handed down by relatives)—and wondering how long they could hold onto Hawaiian residency before having to move to—somewhere on the mainland (Nevada seems to be a popular spot).
Maui alone, we were told, lost 20,000 residents between the 2010 and 2020 census.
A continual complaint: New homes and condos being built are sold more often than not to investors or well-to-do mainlanders or foreigners—many of whom rent them out via Airbnb when they’re not in residence. Haggard locals spoke of having to work two or three jobs (if they’re lucky to find them) to barely make ends meet.
This math may sound terribly familiar if you have young friends or relatives with families just starting out in life who can’t afford the cost of a starter home in these parts and have to move to another less costly area of the state (or another state).
At least these good people can drive or commute.
What do you do when you’re thousands of miles from the U.S. mainland in the middle of the Pacific Ocean?
There is so much about Hawaiian life to admire that it’s heartbreaking to hear these stories.
Who among you wouldn’t want to live in a state where gambling is banned, guns are tightly regulated, education and healthcare are valued, the weather is a joy, and public friendliness is the norm. (The overall crime rate in the state is below the national average.)
Or for those looking for the least racially prejudiced society in the country, a visit to any Hawaiian elementary school—even a glance at a class photo--will show you an integrated multi-racial world that Dr. Martin Luther King dreamed about.
I asked a knowledgeable Hawaiian lecturer on our ship what an American mainland tourist could do to help Hawaiians—short of returning and spending money in a non-Hawaiian-owned hotel or condo that employs locals.
He said I should appeal to my representatives in Congress (Senators Gillabrand and Schumer, 16th District Congressman Bowman) to energetically support repeal of the Jones Act.
That’s a 1920 law that prevents foreign flagged ships from carrying cargo (and passengers) between the contiguous U.S. and certain noncontiguous parts of the U.S., such as Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Alaska, and Guam.
That law basically insures a U.S. shipping monopoly which drives the prices of all cargo imported into Hawaii (and those other noncontiguous U.S. ports) sky high. It’s also the reason why our foreign flagged but U.S. owned cruise ship made a pointless 12-hour stop in a Baja Peninsula, Mexico port before returning to San Diego.
Supporters of the Jones Act (shipping companies) say it creates a skilled mariner labor pool upon which the country can depend in times of both peace and war.
Industry groups say it ensures the U.S. maintains its expertise in shipbuilding. To which I say, name me a major cruise line ship that isn’t built in Italy. Not to mention tankers and freighters built elsewhere in the world except the U.S.
As usual, our Congress seems to be bought and paid for by monied interests. Lost in the Jones Act legislative battles: a Hawaiian public increasingly being starved out of their homeland.
Ukraine bleeds to death
as MAGA Republicans cheer
This past Sunday, Maine’s politically independent Sen. Angus King went on CBS News Sunday Morning to tell correspondent Robert Costa that the House Republican Speaker’s refusal to put the Senate-passed aid to Ukraine bill before its members would mean Ukraine would be overrun by Russia forces within six months.
The loss by Ukrainian forces of a key city due to lack of artillery shells and other offensive equipment (they are being outgunned by the Russians an estimated 10-1) just served to reinforce King’s anguish.
The U.S. aid package would be primarily spent here in the U.S., where the artillery shells and Himars (multiple rocket launchers) are made.
MAGA Trumpists (elected and followers) are purposely oblivious to the horrific dangers of their stance, refusing to acknowledge that in the process they are doing Vladimir Putin’s bidding. For it’s not just Ukraine that’s threatened. Putin is out to reconstitute the Soviet and Tsarist empire, and that includes Poland and the Baltic states for starters.
There’s a word for this enthusiastic support for Putin’s objectives, and it starts with a “T.”
Unfortunately, but by necessity, it’s time to start using that word in our political dialogues instead of turning away in horror and saying nothing.
The Economist weighs in
The British based international magazine The Economist takes the threat to NATO and European security that Donald Trump poses seriously, calling him the “near certain Republican Presidential nominee” and warning the European leaders who are among its readers to take urgent action to boost their defense spending and their military readiness.
To quote from an Economist editorial that you may not have read:
“...exhorting Russia to attack an ally is an assault on the sacred premise of NATO’s Article 5: that an attack on one is an attack on all; and that an attack on the smallest ally is, in effect, an attack on America. Mr. Trump’s outburst is all the more dangerous now that Russia, while rearming at a furious pace, is pushing hard against ammunition-starved Ukrainian forces. A growing number of European governments believe they will face the real threat of a Russian attack in the coming years.
NATO has kept its members safe since its founding in 1949, and sustained the spread of democracy in Europe. It keeps attracting members, most recently Finland, and, soon, Sweden. But without Article 5 the alliance is worth little. Merely casting doubt erodes deterrence and thereby raises the risk of war.
Mr. Trump is scarcely the first president to complain of freeriding allies—and rightly so. But he is turning a democratic alliance into a mobster’s racket: no money, no protection.”
That our friends in Britain use the word “mobster” to describe Trump is no surprise to residents of New York City and environs. We’ve known that for years. Now the rest of the country that is willing to pay attention, and the rest of the world that fears an America run by Trump, understands the designation.
The battle for the soul of America and the future of our democracy is one none of us can avoid joining.
Dick Hubert, a retired television news producer-writer-reporter living in Rye Brook, has been honored with the Peabody Award, the DuPont Columbia Award and the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Journalism Award.
Editor’s Note: This column, written by Dick Hubert, represents his opinion and not that of this newspaper.
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