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    Hawaii Creators Unleash Island Creativity!

    Guest Contributor
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    Hawaii Creators Unleash Island Creativity!

    Back in 2021, a creative powerhouse formed in Hawaii with the dream team of Daniela Stolfi-Tow, the force behind 808 Viral, Daniel Kim, and Coach Darren from MerchLabs and Mahalo Shoots. Together, they brought a wealth of experience in brand building, events, merchandising, and viral content to birth the game-changer — Hawaii Creators.

    Hawaii Creators isn’t just a clique; it’s a vibe, a movement. Their mission? Elevate local voices, and creating a space where creators can connect, share, and cook up collaborations that set Hawaii’s creative scene on fire.

    Fast forward to today, and Hawaii Creators is flexing with nearly 200 members, rocking millions of followers collectively. Nano influencers to mega influencers, all ages, all niches, all cultures. One member is the amazing Kaylee Shimizu, whose incredible vocal talent is wowing the world on the VOICE.

    The diversity is wild, and the support is real. One big creative Ohana because, as they say, “we rise together.”

    Hawai’i Creators offers monthly events, collabs, Zoom education, and support groups. Mentors help creators with things like merchandise, sponsorships, strategy, content, and even mental health support.

    “We really understand the impact social media has on mental health. So we try to have those conversations often and remind each other to take breaks and that you are NEVER alone,” said Daniela Stolfi-Tow.

    But it’s not all about the ‘gram. When Maui was in the thick of wildfires, Hawaii Creators didn’t just watch; they rallied the troops. The network quickly mobilized to help out and make a difference. That’s the kind of community spirit that sets Hawaii Creators apart.

    You can find Hawaii Creators at:

    www.hawaiicreators.co

    www.instagram.com/hawaiicreators

    Pet Blindness Epidemic Coming to Oahu

    Sydney Ross Singer
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    Pet Blindness Epidemic Coming to Oahu

    Throughout the tropical world, dogs, cats, chickens, and much wildlife suffer from a type of eye disease that leads to progressively cloudy eyes and blindness, called tropical keratopathy. And it has now come to Oahu.

    It’s shocking to see your pet’s eyes lose their sparkle and become cloudy. It can start when your pet is only months old. It usually never goes away, and typically gets worse.

    The Big Island has had this problem affecting pets eyes for over a decade, and this problem is now plaguing up to 90% of the dogs and cats on the Hilo side, according to veterinarian reports. Let that sink in. 9 out of 10 dogs and cats on the east side of Hawaii Island have cloudy eyes!

    Scientific studies and experience on the Big Island highly suggest that the Little Fire Ants are responsible for this problem, which is spreading across the Hawaiian Islands along with the spread of the ants.  So we have come to call tropical keratopathy the more descriptive term, Fire Ant Eye. 

    Now that the Little Fire Ants are on Oahu, residents can expect to see this problem in their pets’ eyes, too.  But before you react to this emerging problem, check out what we have learned from our decades-long experience with the Little Fire Ants and our pets here on the Big Island, which has been ground zero for the Little Fire Ant invasion.

    First, the good news is that this condition does not seem to cause pain to the animals. Their vision does suffer, but there is no inflammation or irritation that bothers them. 

    The bad news is that it doesn’t get better while the animal stays in Hawaii. It usually gets worse. 

    In the beginning, it is a small cloudy dot on the outer surface of the eyeball, on the cornea. The dot then progresses over time into a larger circle of cloudiness, with different circles eventually overlapping. Over time, the entire surface can become cloudy, getting darker and thicker until the animal cannot see.

    Nobody seems to know the cause of tropical keratopathy. Some veterinarians tried treating the problem as an infection. But antibiotics didn’t work. Anti-fungal medications didn’t work, either. No treatment worked. And since the animals do not seem in pain, the current advice from veterinarians is to not worry about it, since they can’t do anything about it.

    But who wants to have their precious pet’s vision lost to cloudy eyes?  Looking into cloud-covered eyes is heartbreaking, even if the pet is not in pain. The pet owner is in pain seeing this happen, and feeling helpless to do anything. 

    It’s important to realize that eyes are sensitive, and you don’t want to experiment with home remedies. You can make things worse for your pet and his or her eyes.

    The lack of inflammation in the eyes has been a source of confusion over the cause of this condition. You would think that a fire ant sting in the eye would cause pain and inflammation, at least for a short time. How can this condition last for years without any inflammation and be caused by ant stings? 

    What many people have seen is that their pets may have a day or two of an irritated eye from the ant sting, which then goes away. This is soon followed by a cloudy dot on the cornea, presumably where the venom from the sting was deposited in the cornea. This dot can stay one size or grow in size over time. It does not seem to get smaller, unless the animal is taken out of the tropics, where there are no Little Fire Ants.

    One theory is that this cloudiness may form when antibodies to the venom that are in tears react with the venom in the cornea, forming a precipitate that clouds the cornea. Repeated exposure to venom in the eye would lead to further cloudiness. Removing the animal from this exposure allows the antibody-venom precipitate to slowly be removed from the cornea. This is why Fire Ant Eye clears up when animals are removed from the tropics to the Mainland. 

    If this is true, then this is not an infection, but an immune response we see because it is taking place in the outer surface of the eye. This means  you would have to suppress the immune system to prevent this problem, which would be far worse for the animal than a painless, cloudy cornea. 

    Keep in mind that this also affects birds, pigs, feral cats, rats, and just about every other creature that lives with fire ants. There have even been reports of tropical keratopathy in humans, usually in agricultural workers who get exposed to Little Fire Ants. 

    Here are some ways to reduce the problem:

    1. Test your house and yard for Little Fire Ants and treat for them with products approved for Little Fire Ants. To find the best products and learn how to properly apply them, check out the website of the Fire Ant Lab.
    2. Do not leave food out for cats or dogs. The food can attract the ants, especially if it is oily, and your pet will get the ants on his or her face when eating. 
    3. Do not try to treat the eyes of your pet without veterinary advice. 
    4. Many eye conditions can cause temporary cornea cloudiness, including injuries, and are usually associated with tearing or signs of irritation or discomfort. If the cloudiness lasts for days without seeming associated with discomfort, then it is probably Fire Ant Eye. If irritation persists over several days, seek veterinary care.
    5. If you are contemplating getting a pet, consider your location and its exposure to Little Fire Ants. You can test any area for ants using peanut butter on a stick. Check the Fire Ant Lab for details.
    6. Keeping pets indoors in an ant-free house is the best protection. 
    7. If you choose to leave the Islands, take your pet with you. Their eyes will probably clear up. 
    8. Encourage and support research into the cause and treatment of this condition.

    A Big Island animal protection organization, the Good Shepherd Foundation, started a Facebook group, Fire Ant Eye Search for a Cure, to help the public and veterinary community address this problem. Join the group and share your experience, or learn from others.  

    Eyesight is a precious gift. We must not stand by helplessly and watch our best friends become progressively blind. Lets fund research into the growing problem, and solve the mystery of tropical keratopathy that plagues animals throughout the tropical world.  

    ‘YIGBY’ law would help ease Hawaii housing shortage

    Grassroot Institute
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    ‘YIGBY’ law would help ease Hawaii housing shortage

    By Keli‘i Akina

    Hawaii’s churches want to help solve the state’s housing crisis. Why are we making it so difficult for them?

    On this week’s episode of “Hawaii Together” on ThinkTech Hawaii, my Grassroot Institute of Hawaii colleague Ted Kefalas stood in for me as the host to interview the Rev. Joshua Hayashi, chief executive officer of Mission Management Co.

    Keli’i Akina

    Hayashi’s organization focuses on helping churches achieve their goals through housing or other community-oriented structures. Sometimes that means relocating a daycare center or organizing a farmer’s market to raise funds.

    And sometimes it means creating affordable housing on church-owned land.

    Hayashi said church-owned properties represent great potential to address Hawaii’s shortage of housing.

    “If people knew how strategic these properties were,” he told Ted, “the game could change in how we talk about affordable housing.”

    Hayashi said the United Church of Christ alone has about 150 churches throughout the islands, and if all the religious denominations in Hawaii combined their properties, they would qualify as one of the state’s five largest landholders.

    Moreover, he said, their properties often are in prime areas, near the center of “every little town,” which creates a rare opportunity to build housing in areas that would usually be considered too expensive for affordable development.

    You might be wondering why churches, which are not driven by profits like most homebuilders, would be interested in building housing. Hayashi had an answer for that question.

    “Churches can have a mission,” he said, but they also need “some form of sustainability,” so maximizing the value of their lands — “with the right controls” — could help them survive.

    Hayashi said a few projects of this kind are already in the works, including an 80-unit affordable housing project in Wailuku on Maui. But there also are significant roadblocks because the elements of Hawaii’s regulatory framework that are geared toward preventing “predatory behavior” by developers can also thwart new homebuilding.

    For example, a church in Waipahu on Oahu wanted to provide housing, but the project fell apart when church leaders learned that it could take six or seven years — at least — just to get the permits.

    Hayashi said it would be ideal if state lawmakers were to adopt a “Yes in God’s Backyard” law, similar to the one California recently enacted. That law allows churches and other nonprofits to build housing on their land “by right” — that is, without the need for discretionary approvals from any government bodies. If a housing project meets all the existing codes, then it is allowed to proceed.

    Hayashi said half a dozen projects would be able to sail through the approval process if Hawaii were to adopt a YIGBY law.

    He added that unless churches are allowed to “mobilize on some of these properties” relatively quickly — “in less than six or seven years” — many of those properties likely will be abandoned or sold.

    “To me,” Hayashi said, “the YIGBY [law would be] the dream situation. If we could do that, something could really happen.”
    __________

    Keli‘i Akina is president and CEO of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.

    Owning in a Burn Zone

    Tom Yamachika
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    Owning in a Burn Zone

    These days, there is much talk in the news about rebuilding the burn zone that was once Lahaina.  Can the former capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii be restored to its former 1800’s glory?  Should it be keeping a character as a picturesque but sleepy little fishing town?  Obviously, government will have a large role to play in the rebuilding, but it must not forget that people already own parts of the place. Although some master planning and zoning will probably survive scrutiny, officials should not be going hog-wild with restrictions on new development or risk claims that private property has been taken.

    One property owner, a longtime developer, after attending a community meeting about what is to happen in Lahaina, had some fundamental issues with the discussion.  “We’re listening to these people talk about all their plans for the property — not their property — all the rules they wanted,” he said. “It’s absurd, the socialist mentality, they think they own the land.”

    Some advocate for extensive restrictions on development and, perhaps, the adoption of appearance standards and regulations that you see in many planned unit developments now such as Mililani on Oahu. But Lahaina is quite different. People buying in to such a development know what the restrictions are before buying. If they don’t agree to the restrictions, they can buy somewhere else. Lahaina people have already bought in and have agreed to no community standards or restrictions.

    On the other side of the coin, even the most ardent advocates for individual property rights have to admit that they are still governed by county ordinances, which can and do change over time.  And, of course, property within a town usually doesn’t exist in its own world.  It needs to be hooked up to water, sewer, power, and so forth.  There needs to be police and fire protection, paid for by tax dollars, so the government will need to have some say in how the final rebuilding of Lahaina will turn out.

    Then there are the zoning and building codes.  People who built before a zoning or building code change are normally allowed to keep using their building as long as it is not substantially rebuilt. Now everything has to be rebuilt, so even existing owners can expect a need to comply with current codes. (Especially the fire code.) Because building codes have gotten more detailed and complex over time and the permitting process, which checks if proposed buildings or renovations comply with those codes, has gotten much longer and more drawn out, today’s buildings are more complicated and more expensive.  As a result, it’s not realistic to expect that the insurance coverage on a building in old Lahaina is going to be enough to find construction of a new one complying with current codes. According to the National Association of Realtors, the average list price for a single-family home on Maui is $1.4 million, many times the price of a comparable house on the Mainland, and is a tough nut to crack for many people.

    To keep the housing in Lahaina affordable, something has to give.  According to Carl Bonham of UHERO, Maui officials should be seriously thinking about allowing more density in the Lahaina of the future—with duplexes and apartment buildings, for example—so as to create affordable housing for the work force that’s necessary to sustain the town. (According to Bonham, the work force used to be able to rent some of the older units built before adoption of modern fire codes.)

    So what is the future Lahaina going to be?  We definitely will need a careful, well thought out community design that older and newer property owners and renters can choose to participate in.

    Crossing the Rubicon Again

    Tom Yamachika
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    Crossing the Rubicon Again

    When we were in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and Governor Ige was peppering us with emergency proclamations early and often, we at the Tax Foundation accepted that the Governor had emergency authority but questioned some of the things it was being used on. For example, we were one of several nonprofits to challenge his wholesale suspension of the open meeting laws and public records laws in his earlier proclamations.

    We saved our harsher criticisms, however, until the Governor “crossed the Rubicon” by suspending tax laws. We argued that the Governor had no business suspending tax laws—at that time, to scoop up the hotel room tax money that was supposed to go to the counties.

    Recently, Governor Green did the same thing. In his Fourth Emergency Proclamation on Homelessness, he suspended the General Excise Tax as it related to vendors involved in the design, construction, sale, lease, or financing of housing projects designed to provide rapid relief to the homeless.

    The idea, apparently, was to provide vendors involved with the development of housing for the homeless the same tax exemption that is already provided for affordable housing.  A state agency (the HHFDC) would have to sign off on the project just as it does for other affordable housing projects.

    If that was the idea, then, it seems to us that it would be easier and cleaner for the HHFDC to conclude, whether or not Governor Green told it to come to that conclusion, that the homeless housing projects qualified as affordable housing under the existing tax laws. That way there is less tension with the Legislature, who under our system of government is supposed to have the power to tax and spend, and thus to grant exemptions from the tax laws.

    Further, under the existing proclamation it is difficult to connect taxation with an emergency. Even if we accept the premise that our current level of homelessness is an emergency and that we need to get housing built pronto, tax really doesn’t figure into the equation if the government is paying for the housing anyway. If the tax is suspended, the housing costs $100 and the government pays $100. If the tax applies, the housing costs $104.17, the government pays that amount, and it gets $4.17 back in taxes. It’s still out the same amount, $100. And if the housing is being paid for privately, the willingness of developers to use their talents to help the homeless situation will probably depend more on the regulatory environment, namely how long and at what cost the necessary permits can be secured.

    The emergency powers statute, HRS section 127A-13(a), allows for suspension of “any law that impedes or tends to impede or be detrimental to the expeditious and efficient execution of, or to conflict with, emergency functions,” and allows the Governor to “[r]elieve hardships and inequities, or obstructions to the public health, safety, or welfare, found by the governor to exist in the laws and to result from the operation of federal programs or measures taken under this chapter, by suspending the laws, in whole or in part.”  Can someone tell me which of these legal requirements is met by the suspension of GET as it relates to vendors designing, building, selling, or leasing housing to the homeless?

    Telehealth could be game-changer in effort to improve Hawaii healthcare

    Grassroot Institute
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    Telehealth could be game-changer in effort to improve Hawaii healthcare

    By Keli‘i Akina

    Could broader use of telehealth improve the quality of healthcare in Hawaii?

    I think so, and let me tell you why.

    Telehealth — sometimes called telemedicine — is when patients consult with their doctors over the internet via Zoom, Skype, Google Meet or some other video conference program without the significant inconvenience of having to make an in-person office visit.

    Keli’i Akina

    The COVID-19 lockdowns increased public awareness of telehealth, since so many people were confined to their homes during that seemingly endless period. But it is important to reinforce the message that telehealth remains an important healthcare option, and, in fact, has the potential to change medicine as we know it.

    For example, telemedicine is currently being used by emergency medical technicians to ensure better outcomes for stroke victims. At a recent briefing for the state House Committee on Health and Homelessness, Dr. Matthew Koenig of Queen’s Health Systems explained how telemedicine has helped save the lives of stroke victims. He said its use from an ambulance can let a neurologist at the hospital examine the patient, speak to witnesses and activate the hospital’s stroke team ahead of time.

    Telehealth can be used for more mundane situations as well, such as discussing lab test or X-ray results, dealing with prescriptions, post-surgical follow-up, physical and occupational therapy, mental health treatment and urgent care issues such as colds, coughs and stomach aches.

    For doctors, telehealth can let them stay in closer contact with their patients, attract more patients because of the convenience, and reduce office costs such as front-desk support and space for medical examination rooms.

    In a state where geographic conditions and a shortage of healthcare workers creates significant challenges to access, expanding telehealth is more than just a good idea, it’s a necessity.

    Creating an accessible, smoothly operating telehealth system will be a long process. We must start by addressing the technological barriers that prevent providers and patients from making full use of telehealth options.

    For one thing, not everybody in Hawaii has internet access. Programs abound that are dedicated to improving digital access for underprivileged communities, but this issue will require ongoing support. Meanwhile, in doctors’ offices, better integrated technology is needed for telemedicine to take hold.

    Then there is the question of how we can expand telehealth. Currently, Hawaii law says that only doctors with a Hawaii license can treat patients in Hawaii. But if you live in Hawaii and want to talk with a medical specialist on the mainland who isn’t licensed to practice in Hawaii, you can’t do that.

    This is a real problem for Hawaii residents whose only option in certain life-or-death cases has been to travel to the mainland to find the doctors they need — if they can even afford to do that.

    The good news here is that the Legislature and governor approved legislation earlier this year allowing Hawaii to join the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, which by 2025 will make it easier for doctors from 41 other states and Guam to obtain a Hawaii license and consult remotely with patients in Hawaii.

    But we could do more. Twenty-six states have special license or telehealth registration programs that allow out-of-state doctors to offer telehealth services. Idaho, for example, allows licensed doctors to offer telehealth care to patients with whom they have an established relationship but are in the state only temporarily. Florida has an even better option. Licensed out-of-state providers can practice telehealth by merely registering with the state medical board and agreeing to certain conditions such as liability coverage.

    Hawaii’s policymakers demonstrated a willingness to take bold action in addressing our healthcare crisis when they approved the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact for doctors. Their next steps should be to let the state join more medical compacts — such as for nurses, emergency medical technicians, physical therapists and more — and expand telehealth.

    It is time for Hawaii to fully embrace the potential benefits of telehealth and enact policies that will expand its availability and effectiveness.
    __________

    Keli‘i Akina is president and CEO of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.

    Upsetting the Apple Cart in 24-Year-Old Litigation

    Tom Yamachika
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    Upsetting the Apple Cart in 24-Year-Old Litigation

    One of the longest running court cases in modern history is Kalima v. State. The case, filed in 1999, concerned 2,515 beneficiaries of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) who sued the state over its handling of the Hawaiian homes program.

    On July 21, Circuit Court Judge Lisa Cataldo approved a $328 million settlement that would have put the litigation in the history books once and for all.  Checks were to be issued starting October 1.

    But on August 17, one person wrote a handwritten letter and filed it with the Court. That letter said:  “I wish to file an appeal before the deadline of August 31, 2023.  … The appeal is limited to the issue of Special Master and Claims Administrator failing to process my claims in a timely fashion.”

    Not surprisingly, there was some confusion about what the letter writer, who obviously wasn’t a lawyer, was trying to accomplish with the letter. The Judge then took the reasonable step of scheduling a hearing in which the letter writer could be heard from, and then class counsel, the State, and the Court could figure out what to do about it.

    But then, according to the Judge, hotter heads within the Attorney General’s office prevailed.  Eight days before the hearing, the State’s counsel insisted that the document “is a timely notice of appeal that must be immediately filed with the appellate court,” which meant that the ability of the Circuit Court to do anything on the case had to stop while the appellate court sorted things out. This irked the Judge to no end, as she wrote:

    The State further maintains that before the settlement proceeds may be distributed to the class members, either Mr. Rivera must withdraw his appeal or the appellate court must dispose of the appeal.  The State’s position is intractable despite … at best, resolution at the appellate court level will take at least 6 months and, class counsel recently stated that 3-4 class members die per month.

    This case was filed in 1999 and the foundational allegations stretch back decades.  After two trips to the Hawaii Supreme Court, and the deaths of hundreds of class members while the case remained pending, the parties reached a historic settlement in 2022.  The Final Approval Hearing was held in July 2023 and the Final Approval Order and Final Judgment were filed August 1, 2023.  [The letter] and its handling have created numerous issues, none of the class members’ making, but yet, they bear the full brunt of impact.

    If any case demands that counsel bring to bear the full measure of their experience, expertise and talents to develop and consider strategies for a thoughtful, constructive, creative and legally-compliant resolution short of disposition by the appellate court, it is this one.  The State sees otherwise – even though the State cannot articulate any actual real-world risk in the distribution of settlement proceeds short of withdrawal of [the letter] or disposition by the appellate court.  Ultimately, however, it is the State’s refusal to advise this Court if it would initiate its own appellate action if the Court ordered the transfer of funds – thereby even further delaying the class members’ receipt of those funds – that ensures there will be no resolution at this stage.  In light of the State’s just- announced objection, and its refusal to disclose what action it might take thereafter, the risk of even more delay is too significant to move forward with the… hearing.

    Perhaps in appreciation of the pickle that Judge Cataldo found herself in, the Hawaii Supreme Court decided to jump into the fray.  The Court did something creative:  it treated the letter as a petition for a “writ of mandamus,” which the appellate courts usually decide very quickly.  Once the Court decides, that’s pretty much it; there’s no higher court to which an appeal can be taken except the Supreme Court of the United States, where there needs to be a federal issue involved at a minimum.

    Hopefully, those now in charge of the litigation can stop being extreme ticky-tack bureaucrats and have better appreciation for solving this problem that has plagued Native Hawaiian beneficiaries for decades.

    UPDATE:  On October 26, 2023, the Hawaii Supreme Court released an opinion deciding the appeal – holding that the letter writer was not entitled to participate in the settlement – and cleared the way for the funds to be distributed.

    Why monster homes came to be in the first place

    Grassroot Institute
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    Why monster homes came to be in the first place

    By Keli‘i Akina

    In the spirit of Halloween, I want to tell you a spooky story about a monster.

    The mere whisper of the monster can be enough to terrify the community. Some speak in hushed tones and others shout with alarm and dread about how its large, shambling form is a grotesque violation of earthly and natural law, how it brings ruin to the area. They do their best to chase the monster away.

    But instead, they should put more blame on the monster’s creators.

    Keli’i Akina

    I’m not talking about some kind of Frankenstein monster here. Actually, I’m not really talking about a monster at all. I’m talking about so-called “monster homes,” the term given to extra large houses built on single-family lots.

    In the Frankenstein story by Mary Shelley, the “monster” was created by young scientist Victor Frankenstein, who refused to acknowledge that what he was doing was problematic. His ghoulish creation of a humanoid was a patchwork non-living matter that he eventually brought to life.

    Monster homes, on the other hand, are the result of a patchwork of zoning laws, NIMBYism and land-use regulations imposed by government officials intent on micromanaging the pace and character of housing growth — which not surprisingly has stifled that growth and led to some of the highest housing prices in the nation.

    Let’s face it: Just like other scapegoats for the housing crisis, monster homes are an easy target. They are often considered unsightly and unfair, and are believed to be the result of homeowners manipulating or exploiting existing zoning laws to maximize their size and the number of people they can house.

    Monster homes do sometimes violate building regulations, and there already are penalties in place to address that. Still, the Honolulu City Council is considering a bill that would dramatically increase those penalties.

    But just as scientist Frankenstein needed to reflect on his actions, we need to ask why monster homes came to be in the first place.

    Fortunately, there are solutions that do not require torches or pitchforks. We simply have to put an end to the conditions that have created the monster homes.

    Bigger fines and more regulations will likely encourage builders to find more loopholes to mutate the monster. Instead, we need to look at ways to grow housing to remove the incentive to build monster homes.

    If we had enough regulatory flexibility to build multiunit structures in areas zoned for single-family homes, there would be no need for monster homes. Where we now have monster homes, we could have duplexes, triplexes or single-family homes with ohana units.

    That’s why my colleagues and I at the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii have been promoting regulatory changes that would allow lot-splitting, smaller lots, duplexes and triplexes in single-family lots and accessory dwelling units.

    We also have proposed relaxing the rules regarding parking minimums, floor area ratios and setbacks — the kinds of details that are needed in order to make these broader reforms possible.

    When it comes to monster homes, our state and county governments have played the role of Victor Frankenstein, recklessly creating the conditions for the monsters to grow.

    As long as they resist moving away from these conditions, monster homes will persist.

    All we need to drive a stake through the heart of monster homes is to pass reforms that will allow for more creative housing solutions.
    __________

    Keli‘i Akina is president and CEO of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.

    Hawaii the Sinkhole State

    Tom Yamachika
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    Hawaii the Sinkhole State

    We just got through with a legislative session where, due to anticipated federal aid to our state, we seemed to be swimming in money and were finding money for all kinds of things. At the end of session, however, our Council on Revenues dropped our revenue forecast by a Billion Dollars and our Governor used his line-item veto pen to balance the budget by making a few cuts here and there (including a $500 million cut to an appropriation to our rainy-day fund).  So, at the end of budgeting, we were not fat, dumb, and happy like we were anticipating, but were instead a little less fat.

    But is that the whole picture here?  The national think tank Truth in Accounting says it isn’t. That organization analyzed the comprehensive annual financial reports from states at the end of fiscal year 2022 (the latest available) and tried to get at the true picture. They put in long-term costs for the state pension plan (about $9.0 billion) and post-employment health care (about $7.6 billion). They concluded that Hawaii had $11.2 billion available to cover $22.6 billion worth of bills. It concluded that Hawaii has an overall taxpayer burden of $23,100 per taxpayer, earning a spot in the bottom five states with Massachusetts, Illinois, Connecticut, and New Jersey.  

    Hawaii ranked 46 out of 50, receiving an “F” financial grade, which the report awarded to any state with a taxpayer burden greater than $20,000. Six states including Hawaii received “F” grades.

    This reminds us that we can’t simply dismiss the promises we made to our state workers back in days of old when times were better.  The OPEB issue (standing for Other Post-Employment Benefits) is a big problem nationwide, but it is critical here since we promised some state employees that we would pay their healthcare costs for life.  We can’t simply hope the issue goes away; we still need to grapple with the fact that people are living longer, health care costs are rising, and those factors mean that lifetime post-employment healthcare will cost us more than we thought when we made the promises.

    The same goes for our pensions. We pay our retirees a set amount (because our retirement plan is a “defined benefit” plan) without regard to whether the amounts contributed plus the investment earnings on those amounts is sufficient to pay for it.  It’s no secret that such plans are now exceedingly rare in the private sector.  Further, over the years, lawmakers had dipped into pension fund earnings to use some of them for other things, leaving the fund little or no wiggle room to handle years in which earnings were less than expected.

    On occasion, lawmakers have tried to mandate financial responsibility, as when they in 2013 enacted a law that sequesters state tax revenues when state or county governments failed to make required contributions toward their OPEB obligations.  The law needs revisiting—for example, the law enforced county contributions by sequestering state Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT) money headed for the counties.  A few years ago, the state stopped sending TAT money to the counties altogether, deciding that the counties should impose their own TAT.

    Lawmakers have returned to the Capitol to prepare for the 2024 legislative session.  As they think about ways to handle the issues du jour, namely the Lahaina fires and their aftermath, they absolutely must come up with a plan around the financial tinderbox the State created for itself when it adopted its pension and post-employee health plans.

    DeWALT’s new DCV501HB—A shop vac you can take home to the family

    Robert Kay
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    DeWALT’s new DCV501HB—A shop vac you can take home to the family

    A recent “Tools in Action” YouTube video extolling the virtues of DeWALT’s new, DCV501HB vacuum suggested that this shop vac might be “The GREATEST Handheld?”

    I’ll leave the answer to the influencers out there, but I can humbly state that this little yellow vac does live up to DeWALT’s legacy of excellence. I’ve been a DeWALT fanboy for many years (yes I’m unabashedly biased) and use their cordless gear regularly. (I’m currently deploying their tools—a drill, impact driver and oscillating tool to repair my termite infested home).

    Tracking down those nasty hairballs in my bathroom with the DeWALT DCV501HB (photo Rob Kay)

    Now I’m “deploying” their new DCV501HB shop vac.

    So what’s cool about this product?

    Weighing in at three pounds, it’s useful for everything from grabbing those little balls of dust in your bathroom to the sawdust on the workbench. The wonders of Ni–Li batteries make it both powerful and portable.

    There’s a lot to like.  

    Works fine for everyday cleanup duties such as your automobile. I like the round nozzle for the carpet. (photo Rob Kay)

    It’s powerful. Not jaw-droppingly so but muscular enough to pick up most things that aren’t too onerous. It’s not going to suck up golf ball sized ball bearings but will pick up tacks or small nails and just about any other detritus from the workbench so long as they are about 1/2″ or smaller.

    Otherwise it will jam up.

    I use it for tasks such as cleaning hard to reach corners of my home (such as behind my display case and desk), my car, the roof gutters, closets, the lanai—you name it. I also like that it has a sort of headlight that helps you to see exactly what you’re doing if the light is minimal.

    And yes, you can even use it on the job site. In this case I’m grabbing sawdust from a once termite ridden deck. (photo Rob Kay)

    Then there are the attachments. All kinds! There’s an extension tube, a flexible hose, a crevice nozzle, round brush, gulper brush, floor nozzle and a mesh accessory bag to keep everything in one place. (Good idea).

    With the extension tube and floor attachment the DCV501HB becomes a house vac. It’s even ergonomic–what a concept.

    Thus you can stand erect and clean your livingroom with the vac, using the extension, like any old-fashioned vacuum cleaner. With a flick of the wrist the rolling floor nozzle can navigate any corner of your home (or shop floor).

    Take off the extension and as a stand-alone, the vacuum is balanced. It has a sort of rubber bumper that allows it to rest on any surface.

    The attachments all fit, and the plastic is heavy duty. In other words, you don’t get the feeling that these items will crack or are shoddy in anyway.

    All kinds of attachments and a mesh bag to keep everything together.

    The DCV501HB utilizes a HEPA filter which is accessible and “cleanable”. Just hit the button and the device pops open. The cannister holds about a liter, which is not exceedingly large but you’re not going to tackle huge jobs with this anyway. To get rid of the junk, just tap the filter and most of it will drop away.

    Just tap the filter and the junk drops away. You’ll need to tap it a few times! (photo Rob Kay)

    I would say the pros for the DCV501HB far outweigh the cons.

    For smallish jobs where a portable vac makes sense, like cleaning your car’s interior, it’s ideal.

    Figure that with a 5AH battery it will go 15-20 minutes easy. It works great on bare floors but doesn’t have the “sucking power” (46 CFM) to be an ideal carpet cleaner. You’ll need to keep at it. On my Subaru’s dense carpet I find the small round brush works best because the bristles will nudge whatever debris below my gas pedal and clutch into the nozzle. You have to go over the surface a few times to pull out the rubbish.

    That said, it actually did a fair job on my thicker Persian carpet in the living room–certainly better than my robo-vac.

    The extension tube with the floor nozzle (or is it the gulper?) doubles as a house vac for light duty jobs and getting into tight spaces. The floor nozzle tilts and is easy to maneuver. (Rob Kay photo)

    You’re not going to get the kind of power that you’d expect from a $1000 Miele. It’s quite sufficient, however, for its mission.

    One reviewer said this vacuum is a winner for those already invested in DeWALT tools and batteries. He makes a good point, but I would turn this on it’s head and say if you’re contemplating a purchase of power tools, this would be an ideal first step to enter the DeWALT universe. (You will need to purchase a charger and battery to go along with this device).

    You’ll need a battery and charger for this tool. The Powerstack 20V MAX Battery Starter Kit is a winner.

    It’s handy, well designed and the plethora of attachments make it a pragmatic choice that you can use anywhere you live (or work). Price on Amazon is $142.69 as a “bare tool”, sans battery. It’s on the high end compared to other shop vacs but as the axiom goes, you get what you pay for. DeWALT stands behind their products.

    Here’s the cool little mesh bag in action.. Nice touch. (Rob Kay photo)

    If you need a battery/charger consider the Powerstack 20V MAX Battery Starter Kit, which includes a rechargeable, 5Ah, Lithium Ion (DCBP520C). It costs about $105 on Amazon and you can of course use the battery for any other of DeWALT’s cordless tools. If you live in Hawaii you can purchase this unit at Home Depot for slightly more. (Lithium Ion batteries aren’t typically sent via air freight–at least not with Amazon).

    Cleaning has never been something I’ve looked forward to, but it’s certainly more fun with this item.

    Rob Kay writes a column on technology for the Honolulu Star Advertiser and is a travel writer. He recently returned from Italy where he was researching a family memoir about the Second World War.

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