(QUICK NOTE: Furlough Fridays are days where education is taken away from children in order cut staffing expenses to help the State budget deficit.)

Though we agree that Hawaii education has MAJOR problems, Lingle’s statement, “We need to get more worked up about what happens when they are in school rather than when … they are not in school,” is like saying, “When you have cancer, don’t worry about the fact that your doctor will be around even less to cure you, worry about the cancer!” How exactly does one fix a problem when those closest to it are given less time to fix it?

With a culture that obviously struggles to develop its children to be competitive in our world, wouldn’t you think that keeping teachers employed full-time should remain a priority?  Yes, our deficit is a big problem, but cutting education is the shortest sighted solution one can propose.  In her speech on Friday, Lingle reiterated her proposals to fix our economic woes.  She discussed:

• Programs putting unemployed welfare recipients to work. This sounds great, but in our personal experience, a sizable portion of people on welfare in Hawaii aren’t interested in working.  The idea of compensating employers for hiring welfare recipients is also a good idea in theory, but if an employer NEEDS an employee wouldn’t they have to hire them anyway?  This also seems short-sighted considering that when the program stops, many will go back on welfare because their employer won’t be able to afford keeping them on.

• Tax Credits for construction and Renovation. Island growth is really not a long-term solution either.  We have enormously high occupancy rates and big problems with distribution of scarce resources like water, as well as devastating environmental issues to try and fix before we encourage more construction.

So what is the solution to our economic problems in Hawaii? We feel high-tech industrial growth, long term educational growth, and preparation of  economic down turns will do us better than any other solutions.  Lingle did mention a proposal to set aside 5% of funds when tax revenues are growing.  This is a good idea, but government track records in this area have shown that money set aside often becomes reallocated with time.

The implementation of Furlough Fridays is indicative of Hawaii’s prioritizing education below most other things.  Lingle insinuates that the problem lies IN the classroom and that the problem is quality.  We disagree.  The blame falls everywhere between the parents all the way to the top administrators in the school system, as well as on the heads of legislators.  If administration would let teachers spend more time teaching than testing, if parents took more of an interest in their children’s education and genuinely wanted their kids to be brighter than they are, if government could find better ways to cut from the budget and possibly take federal aid we might see a brighter future in Hawaii.

Are teachers to blame? Surely some teachers in Hawaii shouldn’t be teaching, but for the most part teachers are NOT the reason for our lagging behind most of the country (and the world) in educating our children properly.  The problem is that education is not a priority in Hawaii when it should be #1.  Our spiraling cycle of education continues to build on an already poorly educated culture.  Much of this is due to our citizens already being poorly educated and not seeing the value in it.

Not only would an emphasis in education be helpful to us economically in the long term, but socially we believe the islands would become healthier.  In that, we mean with more understanding of other cultures, higher levels of confidence and income, and a broader more developed economic share of the world’s production and innovation could alleviate some of the ignorance and racial tension that is so prevalent in Hawaii today.

This editorial is just one view point from one of our writers.  Quotation and information was found through the Maui News.  Mahalo for your reporting!

Yes and no. In any community, you’re bound to find bad seeds and racism. We don’t live in a perfect world. On the other hand, Hawaii sees polar opposites in this subject, along with everything in between. One person may display anger and prejudice while the next may exude the spirit of aloha with smiles and bring you into their ohana. It’s a very strange thing in the islands. At the same time, the same person can have both of these characteristics only in different situations. In general, you most likely will not experience any of this tension.

Who is most likely to display these negative feelings and where does this all come from?

Localism and tension is mostly expressed from the local youth. Through history, teenagers have proven their need to express their angst through rebellious behavior. What better way to fit in than to join those against? Most of this stems from the recent history of the islands and it’s transformation into a global economy. Most of the people living on Maui and all the islands survive because of the tourist industry. The influx of disrespectful tourists and the increasing dependency of the local population to their dollars further give tourism an ugly face. The slow death of industry on the islands has increased this fact. The Pineapple isle no longer grows pineapples due to the low cost of fruit production in central and South America. This is just one of many examples where the Hawaiian Islands are becoming solely dependant on tourism. The other major source of income on our islands is from Real Estate. Living in paradise is an attractive thing. Prices for land have skyrocketed due to the outside interest of developers and vacation dwellers. The strength of our real estate market is another reason for the interest and value in our land. When the rest of the world crashes, our land is still worth almost as much. The local people are hurt by the inflated prices created by the wealthy looking for a home on the ocean, most of which will only spend a week out of the year there.

All of these factors have stretched the spirit of aloha to its extent. One of the biggest problems faced in tourist acceptance is their general ignorance of the land and people. Our local people hate to see our land treated like garbage, but ironically we’re noticeably the worst when it comes to littering.

The bottom-line: Stereotypes exist in all cultures because a small group from their population acts collectively in a certain way. This shouldn’t reflect the whole culture, but it often does because it makes a bigger noise than that of the happy, helpful, and quiet. These stereotypes create more stereotypes in the way people treat the effected people. The cycle continues until everybody hates everybody for some reason or another whether or not it’s specifically true in that instance.

How to avoid localism and racism?

Respect the land and it’s people. Learn by doing research before you go. If you understand each situation before you get involved, you’re less likely to do something that will harm the fragile and slipping culture of Hawaii. This goes for local customs (ex. Taking your shoes off when entering a residence), the environment (ex. Don’t stand on the reef or take coral or sand home), boundaries (ex. Get permission before trespassing on private property to access natural features and attractions), and ignorance (ex. Expect some stereotyping of yourself by others and blow off any negative vibes.)If you are confronted with racism and local tension, ignore it and walk away. As in any situation, unprovoked antagonistic behavior cannot be reasoned with. Just because the thoughts behind these situations are irrational doesn’t mean that that person could possibly see the light. They don’t want to.

For the most part, the people of Hawaii are wonderful, caring people that will bend over backwards for anyone. Don’t let the very few bad apples ruin your good times.

Island Fever is the phenomena of feeling claustrophobic from the close proximity of each shoreline, and feeling disconnected from the outside world. This is a pretty common thing on the islands, seeing that we’re out in the middle of the biggest ocean in the world. Most people move away after a few months to a few years because of a lack of family and the necessity of having all the amenities of the mainland at their disposal.

Who Generally Gets Island Fever?

Typically, someone who doesn’t use the resources available on the island gets island fever. This means that they don’t appreciate and use the ocean for leisure activities, or take park in the many island communities. People from big cities find it most difficult to adjust to island living because of the lack of resources. There are fewer choices in restaurants, bars, shows, and large events. This coupled with the loss of getting anything you want at the local store can be discouraging for those that aren’t used to driving across the island. City-folk also have trouble because of the slow pace of life here. The heat brings with it a lack of desire to work. It hits everyone. Your own laziness is easier to handle than when you need to deal with someone else’s laziness. When you really need something NOW, you’re probably going to have to wait for it. When on the mainland, you can make it happen NOW. There’s also the expense of everything. From homes to groceries, everything costs more. Well, almost everything.

How Do I Keep From Getting Island Fever?

Those that last on the islands take advantage of all the wonderful free things to do. For example, when you might spend $100 at a bar or club on the mainland, you go to the beach or park with some store bought beers. To last on Maui and on any of the Hawaiian Islands, one must build relationships with those that are living there and you must learn to appreciate all the amazing things that these islands provide. One of the things that turn people off from living here full-time is the clickiness of island residents. In that, I mean that people are less likely to pursue a friendship with someone who’s only been on the island for a short period of time. Most people would think that their being standoffish is a form of snobbery. This is not the case. In fact, the reason people shy away from new arrivals is because most people here have made that mistake before. It’s hard losing a friend after investing a lot of time with them. And because most people that move to the islands move away shortly, this is a regular occurrence until you toughen up and only let certain people in. This is also the case with finding a job here. Why invest a bunch of time training someone to do a job when they’re only going to be there for less than a year? In most industries on the islands, finding someone that’s in need of a job is easy, and at the same time it’s risky to hire someone new to the island. This is one of the few instances where both supply and demand for jobs remains high.

In order to live happily on the Hawaiian Islands and stave off Island Fever, one must put in an effort to meet longer lasting residents, enjoy the many free activities that the islands provide, slow down and anticipate the laziness that EVERYONE has, learn to deal with not having all the regular amenities of the mainland, and it helps to make bi-yearly trips off island.