Once again, all take and no give. Hawaii Governor Lingle cries no money to run government until after 2011, even after the incredible real estate and construction boom that lasted from 2003 -2008. Five years of million-dollar house flippers from the mainland, buying and selling off hawaiian properties with no intention of living in hawaii, driving up the average cost of a single family home to $750,000. and no more money for the people, for government from 2009-2011??? This is because you have allowed the economies of Orange County, Santa Barbara, and Beverly Hills to drive up the cost of living in Hawaii, with out taxing these malahini, or foreign millionaire developers. This idea of allowing foreign money, including tourism and mainland real estate developers, to be the main source of revenue for the state of Hawaii, is a feeble foundation for a state economy. We must live within our means and become self reliant in Hawaii. This is an island, and depending on a non-native economy is almost like a drug addict depending on drugs for happiness; instead of his/her own inner happiness. Hawaii must develop a deep and sincere attitude toward a local and self-sustaining economy, not tourism and non-local real estate developers. We have some of the richest agricultural soils in the world, and yet we ship in produce from all over the world to fill our needs, while international GMO (genetic engineering) agricultural companies splice animal and human genes with corn on all of our prime agricultural land. Cut the whining and give the local people of Hawaii what is rightfully there's, by taxing foreign real estate developers to fund your debilitated government, and growing food we can actually eat!
