The state Department of Labor & Industrial Relations Thursday announced that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December was 2.5 percent compared to 2.4 percent in November.
The state Department of Labor & Industrial Relations Thursday announced that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December was 2.5 percent compared to 2.4 percent in November.
Statewide, 666,500 were employed and 16,900 unemployed in December for a total seasonally adjusted labor force of 683,400. Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.9 percent in December, compared to 3.7 percent in November.
Kauai’s jobless rate fell to 2.3 percent in December, from 2.7 in November, but up from 1.7 percent in December 2017.
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Housing, traffic, and increasing a living wage ( to be able to afford a decent life on Kauai) was shared by every council member and Mayor during our recent election. There is no single solution to solve and the funds to achieve such a task likely are not attainable. Kauai is an ecosystem that requires balance and when that balance is disrupted everyone pays a price. Kauai should not follow into the trap of the political and human disaster now taking place in California. Often times national political figures from California become almost godly and their message is viewed by many as reasonable.
The fact is in the last 20 years California has become a place where most “ locals no longer recognize it” it’s become a melting pot of drug addicts, homeless, and a refuge for anyone that would like to come live there from around the world. Wages continue to drop, housing continues to rise, and traffic has become the worst congestion of any State compared to other States as the free flow of cheap labor arrives daily. Recently the new Governor of California has declared that free medical, housing and food are free to all illegal persons that may want to call California home. To pay for all of this California has the highest tax on gasoline in the nation and taxes its middle class nearly 14% on its wages to sustain this free flow of money to non US citizens.
Kauai, don’t allow our political leaders to become California, Kauai has limited housing, very few decent jobs and the traffic will only get worse before it gets better. Its estimated that over 14% of the States illegal citizens reside on Kauai (approx. 6,000 people). That could mean nearly 2,500 – 3,500 cars a day that would be off the road, 1,500 homes that could be low cost housing (that could become immediately available), the free market would then be in balance to raise the minimum wage to over $20.00 an hour as large business would be forced to pay local legal residents to run their operation. Yes that’s right Costco workers would be making $35.00 -40.00 per hour, large hotels would be forced to compete for labor and raise the minimum wage voluntary to run their business and the tourists would be forced to pay for service they use and would be forced to pay market rates. Its far to easy to produce legal paperwork gained from foreign countries before they even arrive.
The solution is simple force the current laws, allow Kauai to absorb its increase in population in a 10-20 year vision and allow the very fragile ecosystem we call Kauai a chance to prepare for the future in a more controlled manner.
Policy should not be identified for what makes sense and before we look for crazy solutions lets focus on using current laws to immediately solve the housing, traffic and low wages that requires many families to work 2-3 jobs to afford the basics that every citizen of Kauai deserves to have.