Current Thoughts

Since the Lahaina, Maui fires on August 8th, there has been a question of “just how much is it going to cost to restore Lahaina?” It's not an easy question to answer because there are so many factors to consider when approaching that question. After a few weeks, though, Bloomberg came out with its first dollar estimate of what restoration of Lahaina would cost. They pegged it at $6 billion ...
Read More!

At times, an article for Politics Hawaii with Stan Fichtman comes together because of a question from a friend. In this case, an email asking about the recent “retirement” (or resignation) of Hawaii State Senator Gilbert Keith-Agaran, who represents Maui. Senator Gilbert Keith-AgaranPC: Ballotpedia at https://ballotpedia.org/Gilbert_Keith-Agaran So, circling back to the email from a friend, this blogger provided his manaʻo to the friend about the resignation of Keith Agaran. Here ...
Read More!

Proposing a solution for Lahaina's recovery. As with every other person that calls Hawaiʻi home, the events of the last eleven days with the burning of Lāhainā from a wildfire, it's been hard for this humble blogger and many of us to wrap our heads around the true magnitude of this event. From the property toll to the human toll, from the response mode to the recovery mode, and just ...
Read More!

While the United States, as a whole, waits for the generational shift in the White House from Silent and Boomer generations to younger ones like X and Millennials, the move to a younger generation of leaders in Hawai‘i has already occurred. An examination of the individuals holding positions in the "state leadership" group, including the four mayors, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and all four members of Hawai‘i's congressional delegation, has revealed ...
Read More!

As the national Presidential campaigns get into full swing, the looming question that is coming from it is whether the potential nominees (Biden vs. Trump, part 2) speak to the entire American people due to their age. Considering that President Joe Biden is currently 80 years old, and Trump is 77, the question comes with some merit as the median age of a person in the United States currently stands ...
Read More!