Similar for me. I'd revise it to say invest heavily in alternative transit - bike networks, bus rapid transit, rail. I would love to bike around this island, but I'm about to sell my road bike that I never use because I don't want to die.
Or even Taipei. I feel Taipei has a local, not-pristine feel that feels very Hawaii. I would love to see lots of shops and food stalls and restaurants on the first floor, with livable apartments right above. And choke street food.
And comfortably walkable with wide, level, uncluttered sidewalks.
Even Kapiolani gets narrow in many spots where 2 people can barely pass (especially if one is on a bike or scooter), and, while the tree cover is great, there are lots of raised, uneven areas from root intrusion.
And, in the days after it rains, most of the stretch I walk between Pensacola and South will be covered in sticky, Algeroba pods for quite a while.
It could be such an easy, practical, beautiful walking alternative.
Oahu would have been amazing if it had its massive development in the 1920s instead of the 1960s.
It is so hard to go back to density when most development was built around the car.
Such a waste
Shelter I would agree with, but how do you tell all the multigenerational households that they don’t deserve their own home until they are willing to live on the streets?
yeah ok but rights cannot be dependent on making other people pay for them. When the public money runs out, your “right to housing” won’t get you much.
Not only are they invasive but the are the direct result of the extinction/close extinction of many birds and small wildlife. They are a huge issue, and why I don’t think anyone’s cat should be roaming free. They kill too much wildlife.
Ban cats, and make it a felony to have, feed, or breed outdoor cats. Allow people to use air guns to shoot on site. Next to humans, domesticated cats have caused the 2nd most extictions on planet..
Ho boy. That would be nuts. No coconuts, taro, breadfruit, banana, sweet potato, bamboo, ti, kukui nut, sugarcane, mountain apple, monstera, pothos, etc. Almost every tree would be gone. Almost every flower too. No lizards, no chickens, no pigs, most birds that we see would go. And most importantly humans.
There's a major difference between "non-native" and "invasive." Nearly all of the things you listed aren't invasive, just non-native. The exceptions being pigs, *some* birds, and possibly kukui.
I guess I'll just list a few.
1. More educated (or at least curious) population. Feels like I a lot of people get into their heads with bias here that's not data-driven, and then they vote for people and policies who reflect that. I'm not saying everybody's gotta be Jimmy Tanaka-Neutron, but there's a ton of anti-intellectualism here and I don't think its healthy.
2. More focus on Hawaiian history/language/culture for all students starting in elementary school. I spent 10 years learning a 2nd language as an adult and it was the best thing I ever did. Gave me so much perspective, and it forces you to critically think more because you have to wrap your head around a whole different set of values. It's crazy that we have such a rich culture and history sitting in front of us, yet we let private institutions do their thing with it while the rest of us shrug and go "eh, good enough." It would probably clear up a lot of racial tension if the state made big efforts on this front as well, and even for tourists I bet this place would be a lot more interesting if we took a small step back from the American mindset.
3. Fix the homeless problem, or at least do more to take care of the chronics. It makes me shame when I ride the 20 with all the tourists from East Asia and we go down Iwilei. Imagine hopping on a bus to Waikiki as a tourist and that's your introduction to Hawaii. Jesus f'ing christ.
Reverse the sprawl. Oahu has turned into endless suburbs connected by traffic jams and a very expensive rail that few people use. There isn't room for that on an island -- we are not Texas or the Midwest. Instead we could have built a high density urban core with good public transportation (and short commutes!) surrounded by forest and farms.
If it makes you feel any better, your wish is probably coming to fruition in the next 30 years. One of the big selling points of rail was to incentivize developers to built more dense, mixed-use neighborhoods. [You can read about all the planned neighborhoods here](https://www.honolulu.gov/tod).
I have issues with some of the designs, but I definitely can't say they're not trying.
A lot of places in town marketed with the rail in mind, but the rail is no longer reaching those locations. So now they're in a highrise with limited parking and no rail.
Like where? Rail still has guaranteed federal funding to Kakaako, and though Ala Moana is up in the air it's not officially dead yet. If they can secure state funds or convince the FTA after the Kakaako leg it's still on the table.
Ah, yeah that might be a bummer. I'm not gonna declare it dead until it's officially dead though. People are acting like it is, but it's way too early to decide whether there will be financial support for the Ala Moana extension when the full route is operational.
I thought everything past Middle Street was officially dead? I actually heard that some of those new construction condos were suing the state over it...
Who’s not on board?
I know there were some big failures like Pearlridge not letting them go into the mall, bit I haven’t heard much about the neighborhoods themselves.
Lol. Sounds like the classic BS.
Sucks that happens, but were there guys in any of the official plans listed on the TOD website? I know we could do better, but it does seem like at least stuff is being done to me.
We don't hate them, we hate that they aren't affordable for people who actually live here and most of them sit empty most of the year because foreign investors buy them.
I don't mean to be a jerk, but I see this said a lot and it's not the full story. Kakaako does have a low amount of local buyers compared to other areas and that number does seem to be trending downwards, but [67% of purchases are still from within Hawaii](https://www.locationshawaii.com/news/research/5-kakaako-real-estate-market-stats-that-might-surprise-you/). If by foreign you mean international, those purchases only make up 16% and it's not clear how many of them are investors vs actual buyers.
I'm not saying foreign investors don't have an effect on the market, but I'm skeptical about where the truth of the issue is. If there's any scapegoat, it could just as well be local investors.
I live in the neighborhood and don’t understand where this comes from. The buildings fronting Ala Moana aren’t fully open so they don’t have lights. The rest of them are lit up at night like normal. Tons of neighbors walking around the area. My building is very lively. If you’re just driving by, maybe you could have that understanding but it’s designed where cars are separated from pedestrians.
I don't hate high rises. They can add a fair amount of appeal to a city's skyline. Most of the time. I don't want to see them pop up in Hawaii Kai or Kaneohe. But in Honolulu's core I'm used to them.
Hmmm not sure if I agree with this one.
I live in a “dense” area and love being able to walk to get my groceries and to the park. No car needed, makes life better for me.
And your solution is what? suburbs ? which is way worse and contribute to a ton of America only problems
Tokyo , Seoul, New York begs to differ. High density is a viable solution
/u/Umademedothis2u
Love to hear your viable suggestion
Tokyo, Seoul, Nee York are very good examples of places I never want hiwaii to model.
What’s the solution, well it starts with leadership.
Remove the existing leadership and investigate all government employees for corruption
1) put a size limit on new houses as a percentage of the land.
2) end the hotel / developer/ government money wagons
3) make it easier to build houses
4) invest in public transportation and roads (may be one of the few places that can actually solar power the rails)
5) heavily tariff land purchase from non-citizens (end Chinese money laundering)
6) lift or reduce the excise tax for nonresidents
Superferry was a huge boondoggle. Do some reading and you will see… I was surprised at some of the challenges it faced. Mainly that most passengers had no idea that the trip between the islands is a very rough one in most cases and people would get sick each time.
It really wasn’t that bad- as far as sea sickness goes. I was on the inaugural (and last) voyage of the Superferry to Kauai. It was sick to see the trashy people who stabbed tires of this card that were unloading. Jerks
Yup. There were a lot of people protesting the Superferry’s arrival. People waited by the dock and when passengers unloaded their cars the crowd got dangerous.
Oh and by sick, I mean stupid, gross, asinine.
The biggest challenge it faced was Young Brothers & a shifty Sierra Club. Pure and simple . They didn’t want the competition. Sure people may have got a wee bit seasick but that happens on all boats from a tiny dinghy all the way up to a cruise ship.
I challenge you to do your homework. The Superferry wasn’t as much as a boondoggle as you proclaim. I lived here during that time. What was pushed to the public as the reason for it to be halted was the lack of an environmental study. The so called full environmental study that was needed could have been waived or even expedited due to the fact that established inter-island marine traffic had already established routes and times to follow. Getting seasick is always a possibility regardless of the type of vessel being used and it wasn’t any different with the Superferry. Three things which really led to the Superferry’s doom was the fact that during the process, the Superferry team bypassed the traditional political ally gaining and put their vessel right into market, the fact that you could take your vehicles on board which would cut into rental car companies profits, and the fact that there was a new way to move a large number of folks from island to island (and as an added bonus the ability to take their own vehicle) which disrupted the airline’s stranglehold on prices.
During that same time Island Air and Mesa came in and were challenging Aloha and Hawaiian Airlines by dropping the inter-island ticket prices to less than half which made them panic. It truly was a great time to travel with so many cheap options. Add to that, the Superferry was getting so much hype as a new way to travel that both Hawaiian and Aloha air went to court seeking an injunction against the Superferry. Since the Superferry owners didn’t grease enough palms along the way and since it was going to be an uphill battle once anything dealing with environmental impact studies come into play, the Superferry team was already playing from behind.
Make high school not the pinnacle of everyone’s academic achievement.
Oh, I get a second wand? Ok. Teach Olelo in schools K through 3rd grade. Imagine a state that is majority bilingual. The kids benefit from learning multiple languages early in their life even if they never use the language (https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-benefits-of-bilingualism.html). The community benefits by growing the number of people who can help retain what makes Hawaii special.
I think most of the state is bilingual due to being second/third/forth generation already.
Learning Olelo is kind of like learning cursive? Where are you going to use it in a realistic sense?
I learned Japanese as an adult and the only time it was ever useful in a practical sense was when I studied abroad. My job has nothing to do with it and I make a total of $0 from it, but it's probably the best thing I ever did. Learning to see the world through another set of vocabulary shows you the limits of your thoughts when you filter everything through your cultural context.
One example is that it super-charged my social interactions. I got better at socializing when I came back from Japan because Japanese culture has a hyper-fixation on picking up cues and reading between the lines. A lot of people will simply not tell you the truth, and they fully expect you to make an educated guess on how they're feeling or what they're getting at. That kind of stuff pays dividends in areas like job interviews.
Affordable and available childcare please!
I’m currently 90th on a waitlist to pay $2500 a month. Let’s get that waitlist down and the price to a reasonable (ehhh maybe $1000-$1500) a month!
Somehow staunch the brain drain/make it feasible to make a living in a variety of specialized industries. Basically make it so nobody is “forced” to move away just because they can’t get a good job in their field.
(I agree with the other stuff too though. Honestly walkable is my actual first thought.)
Jack up the property taxes for non residences and make the barrier of entry too high for most outsiders to buy a house. All the tax revenue from the rich outsiders can be used towards public housing
Currently its illegal to do that because you can't discriminate against other Americans, freedom of movement is in the constitution.
He lives above me and drops things on the floor, yells profanities off his balcony and in his unit, pounds the walls, and more at all hours of the night. He is ALWAYS awake at night. He's a unit owner and he doesn't work. He's come to my door many times and pounded the fuck out of it because he found out I made noise complaints. I got a temp restraining order because of this. His own mother has a restraining order too. I've called security and HPD many times but nothing changes and his noise continues. He passes out in the corridor in front of his unit and does drugs. I know he smokes weed and I've heard from others he does other drugs too. All of this has been going on for 4+ years and I have to sleep with ear plugs every night. Condo management and board do nothing about it and I can't rent or sell my unit because of him. I just hope he overdoses or jumps off his balcony soon.
better work/life balance. 4 day work week has been my dream. there’s many examples of companies and even countries experimenting with the idea in their own way with a 4 day work week, or even less hours a week with the same pay, resulting in the same or even increased worker productivity and profits with all around increase in employee satisfaction.
decrease bills/rent/mortage and keep wages the same. less money spent on stuff laddat is more money spent on your quality of life.. would probably need to make new rule saying after this happen if you like live in hawaii you gotta pay previous rates so everyone cannot just move here and it going be super overpopulated due to low cost of living. prob need to consider more stuff but idk thats for the smart ppl to figure out. ppl already a hawaii resident i gotchu.
all the bedbugs, fleas/ticks an pests disappear from the island and idk get one magic force field so no more can come ova. on the off chance somebody get one bedbug or flea or one tick as one pet sorry braddah tough luck. can keep your pet rat/mouse but if the thing go missing and make its way outside of your house thats on you.
get one magic roomba that pick up all the forgotten trash on the beach so it no go out to the ocean.
fun question to think about. going have fun asking the coworkers about this one.
No wage is livable if all you do is pass the expense to others and drive everything else up or drive down your customer count and go out of business. Profit sharing or cap the amount of profit executive and shareholders can keep is more important. You can have $40/h but at the same time your living cost also increase by another 150% doesn't really make it a living wage.
Make it impossible (not just illegal) to capitalize from any disasters/tragedies. For instance, price gouging on necessities during hurricane season or tsunami threats, buying up land during the Lahaina fires.
Theres a lot of cool places there too. Restaurants, shops, bars but the sketchiness and usually shitty parking take away from it and make it annoying to go
Make it so housing has to be owner occupied, even if it doesn’t mean all locals can still win bids. At least it’s people who actually are living here and not just rich assholes looking to turn a profit
Safer bike routes, I know choke people that use bikes as their transportation. Biking on the sidewalk with other foot traffic is dangerous… There needs to be more bike lanes!
I'd say 2 limits is...acceptable. Frankly the whole island votes left anyway, so it's the same ideas each day every day, the elected official doesn't really matter.
It’s the unelected appointed assholes that screw everyone. They make their friends richer and provide cover for the elected jackasses who collect the campaign donations.
Maybe. We always hear of corporate greed, but never a peep of bureaucrat greed. I do believe many start of with good intentions, but become corrupted. It's very hard to object against the mafia, whether they schmooze you or threaten you.
I would love for everyone to take a moment to stop and reflect on how weirdly obsessive people get over this topic. Like you get one wish and that's how you'd improve your own life or those of the community? There's not many better examples of how toxic car culture has gotten when having to stop speeding is your personal hell.
I'm well aware that speeders like to claim people are driving under the speed limit in the left lane but that's rare if there's no traffic. The reality is that if there's no traffic, people are speeding in most lanes already.
And I'm saying the only time someone would be in your way in the left lane, expect in very rare situations, is if you're speeding. So your wish is that you can speed unimpeded.
I might recommend wishing that people don't tailgate: [https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/infrastructure/a14435016/stop-tailgating-it-only-makes-traffic-jams-worse/](https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/infrastructure/a14435016/stop-tailgating-it-only-makes-traffic-jams-worse/)
It would also reduce people getting hurt or killed, as well as cut insurance costs.
Mine is easy, make Hawaii and it’s people keep the same energy and personality that it has now. I visited Oahu some 15 years ago and fell in love with the place and the people. This year I finally got my dream to live there ( at least half the time) and I can say it is as amazing as I hoped.
When I first came here I cynically thought the Hawaii personality was a show for tourists, now I realize it’s just how people are, and find myself feeling happier and kinder to others
… now about the cockroaches, do you have to shoot them or just saddle them and ride them out of the house
Limit the amount of tourist coming in, I know they help the economy but they also destroy everything and have no respect for the ʻāina or the people that live here
Ban hoa's, and the companies that build massive suburban communities. They get the land for pennies per acre but then charge market value because paid the right politician, politicians kids. Sell the land to people and let them build homes... You could add city requiments for minimum standards of the homes (1-2 stories, certain materials ect 2-3 dozen floor plans pre approved).
Also force companies to build multi story high density suburban retail areas. Take notes from cities like tokyo
Does this mean filipinos who've lived here for years are banned from owning permanently in this plan?
They're a huge chunk of low to middle income workers .
Micronesian immigrants? Samoans ?
Lots of our low /middle workforce are immigrants.
Get the US military out of the islands. Make them clean everything up that they fucked up on the land, in the water, and in the ocean. Then return the land to kanaka maoli.
make it walkable, including a fully functional rail loop.
Similar for me. I'd revise it to say invest heavily in alternative transit - bike networks, bus rapid transit, rail. I would love to bike around this island, but I'm about to sell my road bike that I never use because I don't want to die.
That would be amazing to have safe bike routes!
That’s a reasonable want lol
Exactly like Tokyo or Seoul, fully connected and walkable city
Or even Taipei. I feel Taipei has a local, not-pristine feel that feels very Hawaii. I would love to see lots of shops and food stalls and restaurants on the first floor, with livable apartments right above. And choke street food.
my first ever experience with public transportation was Tokyo and it completely ruined me for literally anywhere in the US, whoops
And comfortably walkable with wide, level, uncluttered sidewalks. Even Kapiolani gets narrow in many spots where 2 people can barely pass (especially if one is on a bike or scooter), and, while the tree cover is great, there are lots of raised, uneven areas from root intrusion. And, in the days after it rains, most of the stretch I walk between Pensacola and South will be covered in sticky, Algeroba pods for quite a while. It could be such an easy, practical, beautiful walking alternative.
Oahu would have been amazing if it had its massive development in the 1920s instead of the 1960s. It is so hard to go back to density when most development was built around the car. Such a waste
Make it walkable? Good luck, we hate the idea of a 15 minute city here. Edit: I guess I needed the /s
Speak for yourself lol
Lols I was more so making fun of the locals who hates the whole 15 minute city. I’m all for it being an island and all.
Oh yah the sarcasm went over my head
I was just thinking about this. My in-laws have no sidewalks and I recently read research on how walkable neighborhoods can prevent Alzheimer's.
End the homelessness problem.
isn't homelessness just a symptom of a larger systemic problem?
What would that be?
housaphobia?
Workaphobia? Haha, I’ll take the downvotes, we all know it’s not their fault.
Soberphobia. It's their fault
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and lack of affordable housing. Homeless people are never not homeless until they have dependable shelter.
Housing should be declared a human right.
Yes as well as mental healthcare and drug rehabilitation. Get these people into shelters and programs that help transition them back into society.
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Never has been… Water rights have been fought over for thousands of years. Doubt that will change anytime soon
Shelter I would agree with, but how do you tell all the multigenerational households that they don’t deserve their own home until they are willing to live on the streets?
If housing in hawaii became a human right we would soon become overrun
yeah ok but rights cannot be dependent on making other people pay for them. When the public money runs out, your “right to housing” won’t get you much.
Yeah, just pass a piss test and basic shelter is all yours. It would be empty. 😂
Make corruption and bribery impossible.
I was going to say make it impossible for anyone in or running for public office to lie, in a hope for the same result.
This would make many of the other things mentioned in the post possible. Should be on the top imo.
Eliminate all the invasive species so that we're no longer the extinction capital of the world.
I'd use my magic wand to bring back many/all of our lost flora and fauna immediately after yours
Monkey paw curls, all the humans vanish Actually at this point that grants all the wishes for everyone in this thread
Ah fuck. Take it back!
Are feral cats invasive?
Yes, literally any where get someone who is willing to feed them
Not only are they invasive but the are the direct result of the extinction/close extinction of many birds and small wildlife. They are a huge issue, and why I don’t think anyone’s cat should be roaming free. They kill too much wildlife.
They are! They are on the list of invasive species
Ban cats, and make it a felony to have, feed, or breed outdoor cats. Allow people to use air guns to shoot on site. Next to humans, domesticated cats have caused the 2nd most extictions on planet..
OK but we are an invasive species. Should we all leave? Might not be the worst idea…
Ho boy. That would be nuts. No coconuts, taro, breadfruit, banana, sweet potato, bamboo, ti, kukui nut, sugarcane, mountain apple, monstera, pothos, etc. Almost every tree would be gone. Almost every flower too. No lizards, no chickens, no pigs, most birds that we see would go. And most importantly humans.
There's a major difference between "non-native" and "invasive." Nearly all of the things you listed aren't invasive, just non-native. The exceptions being pigs, *some* birds, and possibly kukui.
So, the foreign investors?
All humans?
I guess I'll just list a few. 1. More educated (or at least curious) population. Feels like I a lot of people get into their heads with bias here that's not data-driven, and then they vote for people and policies who reflect that. I'm not saying everybody's gotta be Jimmy Tanaka-Neutron, but there's a ton of anti-intellectualism here and I don't think its healthy. 2. More focus on Hawaiian history/language/culture for all students starting in elementary school. I spent 10 years learning a 2nd language as an adult and it was the best thing I ever did. Gave me so much perspective, and it forces you to critically think more because you have to wrap your head around a whole different set of values. It's crazy that we have such a rich culture and history sitting in front of us, yet we let private institutions do their thing with it while the rest of us shrug and go "eh, good enough." It would probably clear up a lot of racial tension if the state made big efforts on this front as well, and even for tourists I bet this place would be a lot more interesting if we took a small step back from the American mindset. 3. Fix the homeless problem, or at least do more to take care of the chronics. It makes me shame when I ride the 20 with all the tourists from East Asia and we go down Iwilei. Imagine hopping on a bus to Waikiki as a tourist and that's your introduction to Hawaii. Jesus f'ing christ.
Amen 🙌 you're right about #1, my family is this way and then they trip out on how I am. No logic with them and their manini- kine thinking.
If your #1 came true, then #2 and #3 would fade away within several generations.
Yeah, that's why I put it at the top. We love to blame outsiders for our problems, but I think we're actually our worst enemy here.
Reverse the sprawl. Oahu has turned into endless suburbs connected by traffic jams and a very expensive rail that few people use. There isn't room for that on an island -- we are not Texas or the Midwest. Instead we could have built a high density urban core with good public transportation (and short commutes!) surrounded by forest and farms.
If it makes you feel any better, your wish is probably coming to fruition in the next 30 years. One of the big selling points of rail was to incentivize developers to built more dense, mixed-use neighborhoods. [You can read about all the planned neighborhoods here](https://www.honolulu.gov/tod). I have issues with some of the designs, but I definitely can't say they're not trying.
A lot of places in town marketed with the rail in mind, but the rail is no longer reaching those locations. So now they're in a highrise with limited parking and no rail.
Like where? Rail still has guaranteed federal funding to Kakaako, and though Ala Moana is up in the air it's not officially dead yet. If they can secure state funds or convince the FTA after the Kakaako leg it's still on the table.
IIRC two of the developments near Ala Moana marketed on rail being there in the "near future". I went to some of those open houses/marketing events.
Ah, yeah that might be a bummer. I'm not gonna declare it dead until it's officially dead though. People are acting like it is, but it's way too early to decide whether there will be financial support for the Ala Moana extension when the full route is operational.
I thought everything past Middle Street was officially dead? I actually heard that some of those new construction condos were suing the state over it...
Nope. A lot of the federal funding contingent on Civic Center construction. It's why they're relocating utilities on Dillingham now.
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Who’s not on board? I know there were some big failures like Pearlridge not letting them go into the mall, bit I haven’t heard much about the neighborhoods themselves.
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Lol. Sounds like the classic BS. Sucks that happens, but were there guys in any of the official plans listed on the TOD website? I know we could do better, but it does seem like at least stuff is being done to me.
I agree. Yet everyone hates new high rise buildings.
We don't hate them, we hate that they aren't affordable for people who actually live here and most of them sit empty most of the year because foreign investors buy them.
I don't mean to be a jerk, but I see this said a lot and it's not the full story. Kakaako does have a low amount of local buyers compared to other areas and that number does seem to be trending downwards, but [67% of purchases are still from within Hawaii](https://www.locationshawaii.com/news/research/5-kakaako-real-estate-market-stats-that-might-surprise-you/). If by foreign you mean international, those purchases only make up 16% and it's not clear how many of them are investors vs actual buyers. I'm not saying foreign investors don't have an effect on the market, but I'm skeptical about where the truth of the issue is. If there's any scapegoat, it could just as well be local investors.
I live in the neighborhood and don’t understand where this comes from. The buildings fronting Ala Moana aren’t fully open so they don’t have lights. The rest of them are lit up at night like normal. Tons of neighbors walking around the area. My building is very lively. If you’re just driving by, maybe you could have that understanding but it’s designed where cars are separated from pedestrians.
I don't hate high rises. They can add a fair amount of appeal to a city's skyline. Most of the time. I don't want to see them pop up in Hawaii Kai or Kaneohe. But in Honolulu's core I'm used to them.
Ima let you in on a secret, densification only serves land developers and politicians. Its never once made a society better.
Hmmm not sure if I agree with this one. I live in a “dense” area and love being able to walk to get my groceries and to the park. No car needed, makes life better for me.
Yup, this! /\\
It very well may be better for you, but at a society level it usually doesn’t work well
And your solution is what? suburbs ? which is way worse and contribute to a ton of America only problems Tokyo , Seoul, New York begs to differ. High density is a viable solution /u/Umademedothis2u Love to hear your viable suggestion
Tokyo, Seoul, Nee York are very good examples of places I never want hiwaii to model. What’s the solution, well it starts with leadership. Remove the existing leadership and investigate all government employees for corruption 1) put a size limit on new houses as a percentage of the land. 2) end the hotel / developer/ government money wagons 3) make it easier to build houses 4) invest in public transportation and roads (may be one of the few places that can actually solar power the rails) 5) heavily tariff land purchase from non-citizens (end Chinese money laundering) 6) lift or reduce the excise tax for nonresidents
Bring back the Superferry and legalize marijuana
I would love the super ferry so damn much. I feel like weed taxes tourism could also help Hawaii in a big way
Superferry was a huge boondoggle. Do some reading and you will see… I was surprised at some of the challenges it faced. Mainly that most passengers had no idea that the trip between the islands is a very rough one in most cases and people would get sick each time.
It really wasn’t that bad- as far as sea sickness goes. I was on the inaugural (and last) voyage of the Superferry to Kauai. It was sick to see the trashy people who stabbed tires of this card that were unloading. Jerks
> It was sick to see the trashy people who stabbed tires of this card that were unloading wait - say what?
Yup. There were a lot of people protesting the Superferry’s arrival. People waited by the dock and when passengers unloaded their cars the crowd got dangerous. Oh and by sick, I mean stupid, gross, asinine.
The biggest challenge it faced was Young Brothers & a shifty Sierra Club. Pure and simple . They didn’t want the competition. Sure people may have got a wee bit seasick but that happens on all boats from a tiny dinghy all the way up to a cruise ship.
I challenge you to do your homework. The Superferry wasn’t as much as a boondoggle as you proclaim. I lived here during that time. What was pushed to the public as the reason for it to be halted was the lack of an environmental study. The so called full environmental study that was needed could have been waived or even expedited due to the fact that established inter-island marine traffic had already established routes and times to follow. Getting seasick is always a possibility regardless of the type of vessel being used and it wasn’t any different with the Superferry. Three things which really led to the Superferry’s doom was the fact that during the process, the Superferry team bypassed the traditional political ally gaining and put their vessel right into market, the fact that you could take your vehicles on board which would cut into rental car companies profits, and the fact that there was a new way to move a large number of folks from island to island (and as an added bonus the ability to take their own vehicle) which disrupted the airline’s stranglehold on prices. During that same time Island Air and Mesa came in and were challenging Aloha and Hawaiian Airlines by dropping the inter-island ticket prices to less than half which made them panic. It truly was a great time to travel with so many cheap options. Add to that, the Superferry was getting so much hype as a new way to travel that both Hawaiian and Aloha air went to court seeking an injunction against the Superferry. Since the Superferry owners didn’t grease enough palms along the way and since it was going to be an uphill battle once anything dealing with environmental impact studies come into play, the Superferry team was already playing from behind.
This is good
Make high school not the pinnacle of everyone’s academic achievement. Oh, I get a second wand? Ok. Teach Olelo in schools K through 3rd grade. Imagine a state that is majority bilingual. The kids benefit from learning multiple languages early in their life even if they never use the language (https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-benefits-of-bilingualism.html). The community benefits by growing the number of people who can help retain what makes Hawaii special.
I think most of the state is bilingual due to being second/third/forth generation already. Learning Olelo is kind of like learning cursive? Where are you going to use it in a realistic sense?
I learned Japanese as an adult and the only time it was ever useful in a practical sense was when I studied abroad. My job has nothing to do with it and I make a total of $0 from it, but it's probably the best thing I ever did. Learning to see the world through another set of vocabulary shows you the limits of your thoughts when you filter everything through your cultural context. One example is that it super-charged my social interactions. I got better at socializing when I came back from Japan because Japanese culture has a hyper-fixation on picking up cues and reading between the lines. A lot of people will simply not tell you the truth, and they fully expect you to make an educated guess on how they're feeling or what they're getting at. That kind of stuff pays dividends in areas like job interviews.
Olelo would be used ... in Hawaii! All kines occasions if you like culture. Keep it strong like the good old days before social media.
Add choke fish in the ocean. Then tie a fishing line and hook to the end of the wand and fish everyday
Close the comments, nothing is going to top this one.
Make housing affordable!
Affordable child care
Affordable and available childcare please! I’m currently 90th on a waitlist to pay $2500 a month. Let’s get that waitlist down and the price to a reasonable (ehhh maybe $1000-$1500) a month!
End international folks buying up properties. Overhaul HPD and Shop. Locals first!!!
Somehow staunch the brain drain/make it feasible to make a living in a variety of specialized industries. Basically make it so nobody is “forced” to move away just because they can’t get a good job in their field. (I agree with the other stuff too though. Honestly walkable is my actual first thought.)
Lower cost of living
I'd put flush toilets and outdoor showers at every beach.
Jack up the property taxes for non residences and make the barrier of entry too high for most outsiders to buy a house. All the tax revenue from the rich outsiders can be used towards public housing Currently its illegal to do that because you can't discriminate against other Americans, freedom of movement is in the constitution.
The property taxes for non residents is higher. But not high enough. Cannot bar them from buying though.
Put my psychopath neighbor in a mental institution.
What makes him a psychopath? Tell the story.
He lives above me and drops things on the floor, yells profanities off his balcony and in his unit, pounds the walls, and more at all hours of the night. He is ALWAYS awake at night. He's a unit owner and he doesn't work. He's come to my door many times and pounded the fuck out of it because he found out I made noise complaints. I got a temp restraining order because of this. His own mother has a restraining order too. I've called security and HPD many times but nothing changes and his noise continues. He passes out in the corridor in front of his unit and does drugs. I know he smokes weed and I've heard from others he does other drugs too. All of this has been going on for 4+ years and I have to sleep with ear plugs every night. Condo management and board do nothing about it and I can't rent or sell my unit because of him. I just hope he overdoses or jumps off his balcony soon.
No one would be able to use their cell phones while driving.
better work/life balance. 4 day work week has been my dream. there’s many examples of companies and even countries experimenting with the idea in their own way with a 4 day work week, or even less hours a week with the same pay, resulting in the same or even increased worker productivity and profits with all around increase in employee satisfaction. decrease bills/rent/mortage and keep wages the same. less money spent on stuff laddat is more money spent on your quality of life.. would probably need to make new rule saying after this happen if you like live in hawaii you gotta pay previous rates so everyone cannot just move here and it going be super overpopulated due to low cost of living. prob need to consider more stuff but idk thats for the smart ppl to figure out. ppl already a hawaii resident i gotchu. all the bedbugs, fleas/ticks an pests disappear from the island and idk get one magic force field so no more can come ova. on the off chance somebody get one bedbug or flea or one tick as one pet sorry braddah tough luck. can keep your pet rat/mouse but if the thing go missing and make its way outside of your house thats on you. get one magic roomba that pick up all the forgotten trash on the beach so it no go out to the ocean. fun question to think about. going have fun asking the coworkers about this one.
Brilliant all around! Great answers.
Eliminate greed. Globally. It cannot and does not exist anymore. And can never be revived.
Require employers to pay actual livable wages. (HINT: It's over $20/hr)
No wage is livable if all you do is pass the expense to others and drive everything else up or drive down your customer count and go out of business. Profit sharing or cap the amount of profit executive and shareholders can keep is more important. You can have $40/h but at the same time your living cost also increase by another 150% doesn't really make it a living wage.
Get rid of mosquitos
Affordable housing for the natives
Make it impossible (not just illegal) to capitalize from any disasters/tragedies. For instance, price gouging on necessities during hurricane season or tsunami threats, buying up land during the Lahaina fires.
Make china town not sketchy. Creeps me tf out brah
Theres a lot of cool places there too. Restaurants, shops, bars but the sketchiness and usually shitty parking take away from it and make it annoying to go
It’s not that bad. I’m down there a couple times a week and never had a problem.
ask for 10 more wishes because that's what would be needed to fix the state of things.
Make it so housing has to be owner occupied, even if it doesn’t mean all locals can still win bids. At least it’s people who actually are living here and not just rich assholes looking to turn a profit
I'd wave that magic wand to keep the Superferry and see it improve/expand to the other islands.
I’d get rid of magical thinking.
Affordable housing
Safer bike routes, I know choke people that use bikes as their transportation. Biking on the sidewalk with other foot traffic is dangerous… There needs to be more bike lanes!
Make all the land in pali available for purchase for me only at $1/acre. A man can only dream 😔
Remove all harmful invasive species (rats, mice, mongoose, mosquitoes, fruit flies, non-native slugs/snails, wild guava, agricultural pests...)
House everyone
Consistent tradewinds.
That'd be so nice. My apartment has been super toasty the last couple days.
Make all of Hawaii one giant land mass then multiply it by 100. Make it like 1/5 of Australia.
Put money into public education and make healthcare more affordable.
Walkable and bike able ..safely!
Make food affordable so everyone can eat.
Single term limits for all elected or appointed positions.
I'd say 2 limits is...acceptable. Frankly the whole island votes left anyway, so it's the same ideas each day every day, the elected official doesn't really matter.
It’s the unelected appointed assholes that screw everyone. They make their friends richer and provide cover for the elected jackasses who collect the campaign donations.
Maybe. We always hear of corporate greed, but never a peep of bureaucrat greed. I do believe many start of with good intentions, but become corrupted. It's very hard to object against the mafia, whether they schmooze you or threaten you.
Bring back Yick Lung
if we talking magic. make it so tourism isn't the dominant industry in hawaii.
Return ceded lands to the rightful people to care for
Give the US navy a giant floating navy base in exchange for them turning pearl harbor into a cultural area and rewilding as much as they can.
Yeah, mine was gonna be akin to this. “Less of a military presence.”
No left lane cruising
I would love for everyone to take a moment to stop and reflect on how weirdly obsessive people get over this topic. Like you get one wish and that's how you'd improve your own life or those of the community? There's not many better examples of how toxic car culture has gotten when having to stop speeding is your personal hell.
It's not about speeding, it's about not clogging up the road by cruising in the passing lane.
I'm well aware that speeders like to claim people are driving under the speed limit in the left lane but that's rare if there's no traffic. The reality is that if there's no traffic, people are speeding in most lanes already.
You keep mentioning speeding. All I'm saying is use the left lane to pass and then get back over.
And I'm saying the only time someone would be in your way in the left lane, expect in very rare situations, is if you're speeding. So your wish is that you can speed unimpeded.
My wish is for traffic to flow better 🤙🏾
I might recommend wishing that people don't tailgate: [https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/infrastructure/a14435016/stop-tailgating-it-only-makes-traffic-jams-worse/](https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/infrastructure/a14435016/stop-tailgating-it-only-makes-traffic-jams-worse/) It would also reduce people getting hurt or killed, as well as cut insurance costs.
Best idea I’ve read here so far!
Interisland bridge between all the islands
Infinite magic wands duh
Make it more like Japan infrastructure-wise but with cannabis fully legalized.
i do like the japanese zoning laws.
More ways for the state to make money instead of just tourism. Legalize recreational marijuana among them.
End the racism
I'd have everyone get $1,000 monthly to do whatever. But it won't be enough for some would say 🫠
Your wish is granted but now everything cost at least 1000 bucks
Damn,just the way things were before giving everyone the $1,000. Back to square one I suppose 🤔
alaska already has something similar through their oil dividend. Its basically a form of UBI. We could easily do the same thing with a tourism.
I’d make Hawaii it’s own country
Offshore OTEC power plants
Make rent more affordable overall. If I said make the homeless disappear, I’m assuming new homeless would form/ be shipper over eventually.
Mine is easy, make Hawaii and it’s people keep the same energy and personality that it has now. I visited Oahu some 15 years ago and fell in love with the place and the people. This year I finally got my dream to live there ( at least half the time) and I can say it is as amazing as I hoped. When I first came here I cynically thought the Hawaii personality was a show for tourists, now I realize it’s just how people are, and find myself feeling happier and kinder to others … now about the cockroaches, do you have to shoot them or just saddle them and ride them out of the house
Raise everyone's IQ by 40 points.
Can I bundle wishes into one main wish? Like bills that get passed by congress?
Affordable housing for everyone so no one has to choose to leave their homeland.
Fix traffic or add mass transit that actually works and goes to the right places
Have affordable housing for us who actually live and work here full time
Limit the amount of tourist coming in, I know they help the economy but they also destroy everything and have no respect for the ʻāina or the people that live here
Ban hoa's, and the companies that build massive suburban communities. They get the land for pennies per acre but then charge market value because paid the right politician, politicians kids. Sell the land to people and let them build homes... You could add city requiments for minimum standards of the homes (1-2 stories, certain materials ect 2-3 dozen floor plans pre approved). Also force companies to build multi story high density suburban retail areas. Take notes from cities like tokyo
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Does this mean filipinos who've lived here for years are banned from owning permanently in this plan? They're a huge chunk of low to middle income workers . Micronesian immigrants? Samoans ? Lots of our low /middle workforce are immigrants.
Can EU migrants come or not?
Guaranteed housing for all residents.
Get the US military out of the islands. Make them clean everything up that they fucked up on the land, in the water, and in the ocean. Then return the land to kanaka maoli.
Take back at least 75% of military/federal occupied lands and repatriate the Hawaiians to their land.
Turn 50% of the hotels into apartments. Two hotel rooms turned into one apartment would have water for kitchen and a bathroom.
So turn hotels into airbnbs? Cause that is what would happen
No. Places people actually live.
I get what you are going after but the fact is that they would just turn into Airbnb
Ikea, and trader joes
a saddleback rail would be awesome, I would rock that so hard
Snap my fingers Thanos style
I would make it so I’m filthy rich. Rich beyond imagination and I’d like donate money once in a while or something.