Scenarios by Jody Schucart
President of The Pocketbook Man."
Good morning. I am Kahoapili Larson and as you know today is a sad day for me and my family. I am the last owner/operator of a small business founded by my family in 1922. We have been in business in Hawaii for almost a century. And today we are leaving the islands. My children and I will make our home on the mainland. We just couldn't afford to live and work here any longer and the job and educational opportunities for my children are much greater where we are going. I'm sorry to say we are the last in our family to leave. (I think there are more of Hawaii's people on the mainland these days than here.)
For a small local business like mine, the last 10 years have been especially difficult. It is hard to find employees who are qualified with so many of our young people leaving. It is hard to meet the escalating costs of long term care and other mandated programs. It is hard to pay the increase in rent to foreign landlords.
As you know, the mass exodus of people and business' started in the 1990's. With big business moving their head offices and skilled technical jobs off-island. With them went our brightest and best people. Those of us left had to make up the difference in taxes and government expenditures. We tried so hard to decentralize or privatize government. Without financial independence there was little our schools, universities and other institutions could do. For 50 years the general fund has been a sacred cow. Part of the problem with my little business is that I just couldn't compete. With technology improving communication and services, I had to fight the big guys on the mainland and the Orient. Using improved computer software, they were able to work as fast and sometimes for less money. With too little capital I couldn't keep up with the competition and the high cost of living and working here. Labor and government still seem to regard business as an enemy -- I think we should have been partners.
My family and I are among the lucky ones. We can afford to make a new life in a new environment. However in doing so, we are giving up our culture, traditions, friendships and a way of life unique in the world. We will feel this loss deeply. Thank you and Aloha.
Scenario II
Hello, my name is Martha Higbee. It's a thrill to be the 1.0 Mil visitor to the Kingdom. I never expected to give a speech while on vacation in Hawaii. I can't believe it was just this morning I was making arrangements via our TV shopping service for fresh milk and vegetables for the kids. We have had our mandatory shots to kill any strange bugs or bacteria we may be carrying using our home medical machine and here we are.
The flight took two hours (we had head winds so it took a bit longer) and I am armed with my 150 proof sun screen, a sunbrella and a hat for each outfit. Boy, the hat and sunbrella business is sure good these days. My husband and I decided to spend all our time here in the Kingdom of Hawaii instead of going into the state of Hawaii. We have heard such bad things about Waikiki -- it is so crowded, crime is high, the beaches polluted, and neither my husband or I gamble. So we are staying here in the Kingdom. We love our little cottage right in the village of Wahiawa. My husband is a bit overweight and I am fighting the menopause bloat, so we are on the Hawaiian diet. We are planning on taking home a bucket of Dr. Sakaguchi's Hawaiian diet granules. We are looking forward to the walking paths through the rain forest. Thanks for the free tickets -- I don't think we could have afforded to go otherwise.
The one thing that really surprises me as a small business owner (I work out of my home) is how prosperous small business is here. I understand that most big business in the Kingdom of Hawaii have small branch offices. With the world growing smaller via better communication and advanced technology, there is no real need for the big guys to run large payrolls and maintain large facilities here in the islands. I guess that is why the State allowed gambling -- to offset the decrease in taxes when big business pulled out.
You know, very few people in America actually shop anymore -- I mean, go outside to a mall or food store. There is just no need to shop with interactive TV around. But on vacation it is a real treat to wander through the small villages and pick up items folks have made by hand from clothing to dishes. And what a treat -- the fruit I had this morning -- I found out it was grown on a small collective farm on land left when the military pulled out and the sugar and pineapple industries were given up. The food you grow today is grown without chemicals and is wonderful! I wish you would grow enough to ship some to my home town in Kentucky, but I understand you have decided not to overtax the land and water.
There are very few, if any, very wealthy people in the Kingdom, but everyone has a job. (I understand folks are kicked out if they don't work.) And so small business is encouraged. Everything has to be earned. Of course, to make it easier, the Kingdom has limited it's population, by birth and immigration.
I understand the State of Hawaii take the folks who break the laws of the Kingdom.
You have everything technology has to offer and many cultural traditions from Hula to the Irish jig. And of course, this beautiful place to live. Well, thanks again for all the gifts and lei's. It is wonderful to be here. My husband and I will never forget our vacation in the land of Aloha