Now comes the hard part.Candidates who presumably bared their souls and
gave a true picture of their leadership and goals during the 2000 election
campaign met their political makers and breakers yesterday. Voters chose
national, state and local leaders for the next few years.
That was easy
compared to what lies ahead.
The new president must unite the nation on
domestic issues that often seem hazy or distant. Social Security. The cost of
healthcare. And so on. The silver lining is that these issues and others
appear to have pragmatic and effective solutions in the offing.
The next
president must also try to prolong a generally strong economy, deal with the
ever-looming threat of terrorism against Americans on our own shores and
worldwide, and help maintain international peace without plunging the United
States into warfare.
Good luck, Mr. President-elect. We support you in this
most difficult of all jobs.
We also wish the best to Hawaii’s congressional
delegates, state legislators and Board of Education members who face daunting
tasks that were assigned to them by yesterday’s voting. The newly elected
Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees also faces a politically charged
mission that’s as complicated as the list of 96 OHA candidates from which
voters had to choose.
Closer to home, Kaua’i County Council candidates who
made the grade yesterday must grapple with their constitutents’ future on
numerous weighty matters: Electricity (Who will buy Kaua’i Electric, and how
will rates be kept under control?). Garbage (How will it be managed and
disposed without compromising the island’s environment?). Land-use (What type
of commercial development, and how much?). Transportation (Bigger and more
roads to handle traffic? Expanded public ransit?).
On some of these island
issues, work is already underway. But progress is the key. It’s one thing to
talk in generalities about possible solutions. It’s quite another to forge
ahead and turn words and studies into action.
Again, the job isn’t easy.
But somebody has to do it. The people who wanted it have been hired. Now it’s
time to get to work.
