Posted on 01/02/2010 7:22:57 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
The plunge in tourism has resulted in soaring unemployment and home foreclosures, a shortened school year and an exodus from the state. Some residents blame the visiting President Obama.
Hawaii was so short of cash last year that it furloughed teachers and suspended school for 17 Fridays during the academic year, giving students the fewest school days of any state in the union. Home foreclosures and bankruptcy filings are soaring. The unemployment rate has more than doubled over the last two years to 7.0%. Though that's well below the national average of 10.0%, it's a stunner for a place that just a few years ago boasted a jobless rate of less than 3%.
For the first time in a decade, the number of Hawaiians receiving welfare benefits has increased. Crime is up on the island of Oahu this year, even as it fell nationwide. And as if things weren't discouraging enough, an army of rats in Honolulu's Chinatown is afflicting the already beleaguered restaurant trade.
Some Hawaiians are underwhelmed by the return of their native son. In the scruffy town of Wahiawa on Oahu, far from the beaches and fancy hotels, some locals waiting by a pawnshop for the bus were decidedly ambivalent about the president.
"It's not good here -- there are no jobs," said Hu Toelupe, who said she didn't expect to see the president and didn't care if she missed him.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
All liberal-run hellholes deserve what they get. Unfortunately, those not so inclined politically must also suffer. The president, mr. i’m-on-vacation-mode-all-the-time, seems oblivious to all around him. Loser.
except it's in the friggin' middle of an ocean....thousands of miles from Upstate NY....while Virgina or the Carolinas are a couple of hours away.
Hey Hawaii how’s that government mandated health care system working out for you?
What’s up with the coordinated outfits on the girls? (Did David Axelrod pick those blue shirts to make BO look good?) And where’d they hire the token white girl?
gasp! the girls are in uniform wearing blue tops and white bottoms.
"The system is broken here," she said. "He can get a much better education in Taiwan."
Hey Sonia,
The Bamster traded Taiwan to Red China for underwriting the first year of BamaCare; didn't you hear?
Are those sunglasses or does he have horns growing out of his head?
They've been in the statehouse for years.
Truly comfortable in his envionment. Just a little girl hanging out with friends.
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No, she lets him play video games on Fridays. Probably Saturdays and Sundays and every other day of the week. But of couse, it's the state's fault and not her fault.
Hawaii’s “native” son comes home and shuts down a 10 mile radius of air space so the island hoppers and sightseeing helicopters are grounded for a week during the high season.
Was sent out at Kaneohe air station to install software about that time. Saw the same poverty away from the tourist areas. Waikiki Beach was a disappointment - very narrow. Looked like Miami West with all the hotels and condos. No likee Windward Side.
Toured the Kahuku sugar mill and thought the Windward side was better as it was not as heavily commercialized. Went to the beach where the notorious surfing "Banzai Pipeline" on the North Shore was, but no monstrous waves - gotta have a storm offshore for that.
Downside: Typical work ethic of the Pacific Islands - everybody but the Hawaiians came to work on time. They shuffled in whenever they felt like it with no penalty. Ate at a Chinese restaurant and some drunken Hawaiian stands at the door and yells that "haoles" (non-native) are like skunks - black and white and stink. The owner was embarrassed and hustled the guy out.
Upside: The mixed race women were the most beautiful I have ever seen. Asian/Caucasan girls were stunners. (I couldn't remember my name half the time.) Budding politicians didn't have much money so they got beautiful high school girls to stand along the road, waving to the drivers and holding up placards with the candidates names. Most trashcans on city streets had "mahalo" on them (Thank You). The Big Joke going around was that some tourists thought it was Hawaiian for "trash can".
A beautiful place in some spots but overblown tourism, native slackness and bad attitude kept me from ever going there on a holiday.
Private schools must be proliferating even more?
Are there strong networks for homeschoolers?
Let them eat ice...
Like most parents, she has absorbed the government promoted notion that education is the responsibility of our highly trained education professionals, not amateurs like parents. Her parents no doubt bought that assumption, as did likely her grandparents. It all she knows and, besides, it’s easier not having to be responsible. This is 85-90% of America, including most “conservatives” (whose government schools are, of course, “different”).
"Hawaii officials hope the Obama's visit will help turn around a deep slump in tourism"
ROFLOL! Hoping for change is not a good economic strategy.
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