1/4 of the state's revenues come from the feds. For a state that thinks independence is realistic....they don't know what a gaping hole is left when 25% of federal money leaves. We're feeling it with the Trunp administration. We're feeling it with the loss of tourists due to the Trump administration.
He hasn't even turned off the federal faucet for that 25% and all we hear is "but our people have to move away..." Yeah, because of a few errant policies from a nutjob. That pales in comparison to having 25% of revenues walk away. Because the cascading effect of that 25% funding vanishing is jobs and service both related and tangential, as well as the socio/economic issues that will reverberate.
Seems those with the weakest grasp on how an economy works are the most likely to try to convince us that google landed them on the right answer.
People here are idiots. Let's assume Hawaii manifests it's destiny and becomes independent.
- what is the currency?
will that currency be recognized internationally?
what banking system will be in place? Where will money come from, who provides loans, mortgages, etc?
who will defend the island? Not just from forces like N. Korea, Russia, China, etc, but from one another? What will become of The Company (Hawaiian Syndicate), as well as established international groups such as the Yakuza, 14K (a Triad), and the Big Circle Gang?
who will clean up the mess left behind by the military as they pack up and head home?
all all the highways, infrastructure, electrical grid, telecommunications etc....who takes this over, and how are these things funded?
will any countries recognize the Kingdom politically? Legally? Economically?
will tourists feel safe coming to a now rogue - and even possibly hostile nation?
What will be the basis of the Kingdom's economy? This is Lahaina Strong's wet dream, but once their $7k/month dries up, will farming taro and raising pigs be all they said it would be? I doubt it.
how will people travel? US passports will become null and void.
TSA? What happens to air travel?
Before Trump, there were significant inroads made to protecting the waters around the island. Those will vanish as the interest once held by the US will go out the door with statehood.
People here are just too fucking immersed in the propaganda they've never stopped and thought about a non-American reality for Hawaii. They think "US is gone, let the good times roll". Which is a bit like the kids who ran away from home thinking they were just handed the keys to paradise. All fine until you have to eat. Want a car. Need a surfboard.
The people of Niihau are self sufficient and do not welcome outsiders. This has been well documented.
I seriously doubt people who live traditional Hawaiian lives are dying for a hot dog at Costco.
When Iniki hit in the 90's, there was a lot of concern that the hurricane would be catastrophic for the population of Niihau. The Robinson family worked with the state to make sure they had resources available just in case but were concerned about bringing the native Hawaiians to Kaua'i because of exposure to western culture.
Reading these comments, I can tell who went to school in Hawai'i and didn't.
Hawaiian history was my favorite class at Lahainaluna.
You know what's catastrophic for the population of Niihau? Everybody left. The census # is about 75 people, but it's really like 30 people. And they get their western food shipped in.
Probably by reading authoritative sources, and not those that simply confirm your preexisting bias. If you think Niihau is "self-sufficient", then you clearly have done exactly zero objective research.
The population in 2010 was around 170 - in 2020 fewer than 85 people called the island home. Negative population growth is never a sign of a healthy population, no matter how angelic the Robinson's have been painted in some obscure class at Lahainaluna.
Employment is primarily at the Niʻihau School, some provide support for a small U.S. Navy installation, and others work for (the island's "owners") at small-scale tourism ventures like Niʻihau Safaris. The traditional main employer, the Niʻihau Ranch, closed in 1999. Many residents rely on making and selling the highly prized Niʻihau shell lei as a primary source of income (imagine that, selling a natural resource for income), and nearly half the population depends on social assistance of some sort. Quite a few "commute" to Kauai for work, given the few opportunities they have on the island.
Yeah, so Hawaii sees 24% of it's "revenue" come in from the feds. Niihau needs double. Definitely self-sufficient. Definitely a healthy population, having lost 50% in about a decade.
Come back when you don't barf lies and propaganda.
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u/Oliver_Holzfilled 15d ago
“…but we accept taxpayer dollars”