Housing
Housing is a touchy issue with many people. Those that are rich and wealthy have one view point. Those that are struggling to get by have a whole other outlook. Then you have the houseless, whose viewpoint is vastly different than all others. The truth is that WE ALL NEED housing. So then why is it criminal and illegal to live inside anything aside from a house or an apartment here in Honolulu? Another important question to ask is for whom are we building all this new housing? There are all kinds of contradictions and problems and we aim to tackle them all at the root.
Acknowledging the Truth.
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There are many different approaches that can be taken to tackle the housing issue. Most politicians or career political pundits believe that people just need to get an education and then get a good paying job and they will be able to afford a home. Those types of ignorant statements, and ways of thinking, completely ignore what is happening all around us and the circumstances that manifested our current status as a state. Moreover, the general attitude is that the rights of residents come secondary to investors, large property owners, and large land owners.
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I realize that to many, what you will read, might be controversial in light of the current status quo. But, in light of the problems that we have in the housing economy of Honolulu, I believe we must have a resident first approach. This approach must solve the problems at the root, and there lies the big difference. Almost all other solutions you hear are only band aids that skirt the problems and keep them in perpetuity while simultaneously blame shifting. Why? Because who wants to commit political suicide by talking about real solutions to permanently fix problems? Certainly not elected officials that are also corporate sponsored politicians.
Regardless, it does not change the truth: we need to seriously consider ideas that will actually solve our housing issues. Ideas like resident first housing, tax increases on the rich, change the rules for those that do not reside in Hawai'i and yet purchase land and housing from afar, new housing construction methods and materials, new rules and taxes for Airbnb style rentals, decriminalizing houselessness, and actually helping the kupuna who are on fixed income with their housing so that they do not become houseless.
In the end there is no easy way out of the housing crisis we are in. And these are but a few of the ideas we will be introducing. The fundamentals you need to ask yourself are, if housing is a human right/need, then why are the homeless criminalized? Why is it only legal to live in a home or apartment and not in a van, camper, trailer, or car? (especially if we don't want houseless on the streets) Do I want the houseless criminalized or housed? And lastly, will our current path and solutions solve our problems or continue them in perpetuity? Because so far, nothing has gotten better.
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