Beware of ulterior motives
I think that the average working class family in Hawaii might take issue with The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii’s recently released study asserting that “outsiders” haven’t affected the escalating real estate values, which put the price of island homes out-of-reach for the locals. I have read their “ground-breaking” 24-page study full of charts and statistics to imply that since other states have equal percentages of outside buyers (and their average home price isn’t nearly as high as here in Hawaii), then outside buyers aren’t the problem at all. They say “government regulation” is at fault.
That conclusion ignores valid concerns: 1) that without regulation Wall Street tycoons can build endless millionaire gated communities, blanketing every desirable piece of Hawaiian land, or buy almost an entire island like Lanai 2) that quasi-affordable home inventory is in low supply due to outside cash investors snapping them up for money-making rentals 3) that unregulated STRs turn quiet, close-knit communities into party central 4) that Mainland developers don’t build affordable housing because building homes for millionaires is more profitable 5) that Hawaii’s history of white capitalists expressing “concern” for the locals has sometimes proven otherwise.
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii financed a report of organized statistics to proclaim that lifting government regulation will help average Hawaiian families to afford a house. Obviously, lifting regulations will benefit wealthy business people. (As will the Institute’s insistence that Hawaii should not raise the minimum wage to $18.) But their claim of “helping” Hawaii’s working class families is a bit of a stretch.
If this letter is printed, at least those of us sensing a self-serving motive behind this recent Grassroot Institute of Hawaii messaging will be heard; before they use their moneyed voice to attack citizen concerns as merely “anecdotal and irrelevant.”
Martha Hodges
Kailua-Kona
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An excellent analysis
Excellent analysis from Wilson Pepper in the Sunday paper about the lack of infrastructure and the crazy housing developments everywhere. HECO can’t handle our electrical supply needs because they have generator stations closed down. Then, two water wells are down (so what else is new) … seems they just can’t prepare themselves for an eventuality. How is HECO going to handle all the EVs electrical consumption now? Did they even consider that? Let’s not even talk about cesspools … another can of worms. And we pay all those incompetent people? We really are a Third World country here.
Christa Wagner
Kailua-Kona
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