• 2004 – An interesting year so far 2004 – An interesting year so far It seems like a year’s worth of action has been compressed into the first quarter of 2004. The news has been good, bad and tragic.
• 2004 – An interesting year so far
2004 – An interesting year so far
It seems like a year’s worth of action has been compressed into the first quarter of 2004.
The news has been good, bad and tragic.
This trend is a reflection of the steady growth of Kaua‘i, and the noticeably faster pace of life in some areas of our island.
The good news is the rapid progression of our economy, as referenced in the University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization’s recent report on the state of Hawai‘i’s economy.
It shows our visitor industry is turning upward in profitability, and that even though less visitors are arriving they apparently are spending quite a bit more per day.
Watch for a boom across the state, the report states, once the massive amount of military construction starts up on O‘ahu in the near future.
With about 20,000 construction workers needed, this could have an impact on our booming home and commercial construction industry.
Business people are generally upbeat about the economy, with new enterprises ranging from a reconstructed sugar train to new timeshare units and a wave of new restaurants being proposed, or already open.
The bad news to some is the arrival of a new era for Kaua‘i.
With 2003 now past, we are well into the 21st century, with the glitter and astonishment of the turn of the millennium gone, the reality that life will never be the same again is sinking in.
We are seeing new streamlined vehicles, the likely coming of a high-tech interisland ferry, common use of cell phones for personal calls and the Internet for shopping and learning, Kaua‘i being focused in on by national and international media, and the coming of Home Depot, Starbucks and other Mainland retail fixtures, all something relatively new for our somewhat remote island.
The tragic part of the year so far is the high number of traffic deaths so early in the year, and the ongoing plague of “Ice” use, being combated but still casting a dark shadow on Kaua‘i.
The year is also shaping up into one with political significance, with a key legislative race between incumbent state Sen. Gary Hooser, a Democrat, being challenged by former mayor Maryanne Kusaka, a Republican.
The two sparred verbally with frequency when Hooser was a member of the County Council and Kusaka was in the mayor’s office.
This legislative race will be watched across the state as a bellwether of the strength, or lack thereof, of Republican Gov. Linda Lingle, as well as how much of a draw Republican President George W. Bush has on our island.
It is impossible to draw back into our past, though nostalgia for the days when plantations made up the bulk of our work force and life was simpler is growing.
The recent passing of Aunty Sarah Ka‘ilikea focused our attention on the past. Her long life gave us a living link to the days of G.N. Wilcox, of post-war Hawaiian entertainment, and other eras of the past.
Some nine months from now we will surely look back on 2004 as a significant year, perhaps one of the most significant for Kaua‘i since the devastation of Hurricane ‘Iniki.
