"So just like the homeless we saw living on the streets in San Francisco, Hawaii has their homeless living on the beaches. Kind of like Tom Hanks in the movie 'Castaway'."
The Bird is finally back in his nest. I was away doing some research in another part of the country. Like - a "long way away" type of research. We went on a long awaited (for reasons beyond our control), cruise to Hawaii. I have said many times, that going on a cruise is more of a journey than a vacation. This time was no exception. Anyhow - what was learned about our 50th state, follows.
Our first landing was on Kona. Besides seeing the volcano from the ship, being on this part of Hawaii was just like the postcards - it was an island paradise. We went on a tour, conducted by a native Hawaii driver, who was both funny and informative. Riding on the bus, politics was the last thing on my mind. I was too busy looking at this island wonderland. But soon, I was taken back to reality.
On the way to a coffee plantation, I noticed a huge camping location on the beach. I thought that was interesting - a campground looked very out of place on a beach. There were surfers, sunbathers, and then - campers. On the way back from the plantation, we once again passed this campground. My curiosity got the better of me. In the middle of a story the bus driver was telling, I kind of interrupted him. "Why does Kona have a campground on a beach? It looks odd."
He got kind of quiet, and then explained something which made a lot of sense when it comes to how "blue" Hawaii is. "We have people who are down on their luck due to the economy. Rather than hassle them, we let them live where they can. Some choose the beach, because in Kona, nobody owns the beaches - they belong to everyone."
So just like the homeless we saw living on the streets in San Francisco, Hawaii has their homeless living on the beaches. Kind of like Tom Hanks in the movie "Castaway". But here is the thing - in both San Francisco and Hawaii, where the average cost of a house is $1.5M, a big part of the population is left out. No upward mobility. In Hawaii, if you don't have the cheddar to buy any kind of house, find some sand, and pitch your tent. It was the clearest example of "rich man, poor man" that I have seen in any state. No middle class - just rich and poor living right next to each other. One in a huge beach house, the other in a tent on the beach.
Will this ever change? Will Hawaii ever become red instead of blue? Maybe at some time, when the people stuck in tents on the beach get tired of hand outs. Sometime, a hand up is all folks need. Opportunity. That being said, that might not be in the cards for Hawaii. They are mostly agribusiness and tourism dependent. If your skills do not lie in those two areas, opportunity in Hawaii might never come knocking.
Bottom line? Hawaii is what it is. A nice place to visit, but to live there, is not my cup of tea. If you are mega-rich, maybe. But for most of us, Hawaii is a bridge, or should I say an island, too far.
No comments:
Post a Comment