BY JAY ZABLAN – I just read the Hawaii Reporter article on the cost of President Barack Obama’s last Christmas vacation and wondered why he isn’t more considerate of the costs he runs up every time he visits here. With America in such dire financial straits he still thinks nothing of spending a few million here or there, especially lately on his cross-country campaign jaunts and on Canadian buses.
I endured the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation traffic snarls when I carelessly left my Honolulu condo to visit a friend in Wahiawa, and had to wait quite a bit while the Obama entourage passed last year in Kailua. And now he announces the “good news” that he’ll be back with his family AGAIN during the holidays.
I was furious when he claimed, “Americans have been lazy and need to do a better job of selling America”. Yet his own type of “laziness” was thoughtlessly evident in not asking leaders to wear the custom-made Hawaiian shirts for the APEC group photo shoot, which would have been seen worldwide and been a boon in promoting Hawaii. He just doesn’t get it.
I believe it would be a good time for a poll on how Hawaii residents feel about his multi-million dollar Hawaii vacation expenditures and the traffic delays he causes every time he visits. Many are already upset at him for dissing Hawaii and our Aloha shirt. Oh, and Hawaii is NOT Asia.
P.S. I would gladly sign an online petition asking him to please not come back here. Hawaii can do without his manner of “Aloha”.
Jay Zablan is a resident of Oahu
I’m proud to have Mr. Obama as our President, the fact that he is from the Islands only enhances his appeal. Traffic snarls are a byproduct of the security required for a meeting of VIPs like this, the schedules were in the paper, it seems everyone knew what to expect.
I’m a little embarrassed at your absolute lack of aloha. Perhaps you might consider cutting back on the caffeine a little.
The hussein obama Administration is now on the side of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hizballah, and the Taliban. SAVE AMERICA IMPEACH HIM. When the middle class is gone, what will you do than? I guess you will be content with being a slave for his type. Your freedoms are eroding the longer he is in office. (free speach, freedom of religion, to name a couple). You need to wake up.
Thank you, Koolaukid. We need more aloha here. Too much complaining.
So, where do I sign? Why doesn’t he go “home” to Chicago?
Like that AARP commercial, “Sign me up!”
I cannot sign simply because I believe it is far more important for 21 world leaders to get together around a table to discuss global concerns rather than pander to the local ego. I believe if these leaders would have these meetings more frequently, we would be less inclined to have major global disruptions of WAR, FAMINE, and POVERTY. In this regard, they could come to the table wearing their BBDs for all I care, as long as they get to the table of negotiation and discussion. Good they see each other face to face, and speak to each other face to face, and eat with each other over the dinner table. More of these should occur, wearing whatevers, in PEACE.
I totally disagree with Jay Zablan. Hawaii is already known as a tourist destination. The people at the Visitors Bureau have been trying for years to get the business world to see Hawaii as a place where serious business can be done, and not just as a junket to paradise. The Hawaii Convention Center was built to try and draw the business crowd, and has had little success. Look at how many days out of the year it isn’t being used. The convention center has had to book events that it wasn’t designed for, just so it is utilized. On numerous occasions, Hawaii has lost convention business to more boring places on the mainland, because of complaints of how (a mainland’s state or county) taxes are being wasted and being used for a vacation in Hawaii, and the event is moved to someplace else.
President Obama is aware of these concerns, and is helping Hawaii redefine its image, as just a vacation destination. The fact that news people came from all over the world to cover APEC, and when the TV report was shown on TV, they usually had some beautiful scenery as a backdrop.
Look at the angry response from people in Las Vegas, when Obama chastised businesses for holding convention in the city. I’ve been to Las Vegas for a number of convention, and it draws a lot of business, because it is designed for convention business. The Las Vegas Convention Center has a floor area of over 2.2 million sq. ft. In addition, the major hotels have their own convention centers that make the Hawaii Convention Center look like a small 1 bedroom apartment in Makiki. Just look at the Sunday edition of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and you’ll see a listing of the conventions for the week. Some are just family/school reunions, drawing just a dozen people, but others are major conventions drawing over 125,000 people for a few days. All of them spending money.
Hawaii needs more business travelers because they’ll spend more money than the average tourist traveler on a budget. When a business books a meeting in Hawaii, they don’t have their people eating dinner at McDonald, they’ll spend money on lavish dinners. The money will trickle down to the rest of the local economy, as construction will pick-up, and the workers have more money to spend.
I applaud President Obama for wanting to help Hawaii redefine itself as not just a tourist destination, but a place for serious business. And, I look forward for his vacation in the islands, as that helps Hawaii to draw vacation travelers from the mainland and Canada, who look at the balmy scenery, as they sit in their snow-bound houses.
Twenty-five hundred miles from a jar of peanut butter.
You need all the friends you can find.
Sorry about the traffic.
Jay, to much complain! I sat in the traffic, but you know gotta keep all these heads of state safe or we look real bad then.
[…] Hawaii Can Do Without President Obama’s Style of Aloha […]
Obama sees himself as nomenklatura, these were those who were more equal in their “classless society.” He therefore views the costs to the taxpayer of his Christmas visits something to which he is entitled. Do his visits help tourism? Maybe, but I’m not aware of good quality evidence to support this claim. Had his ole buddy Titcomb gone to jail for soliciting, perhaps Michelle could have called him off, but no such luck.
Wow. You are sooooo important. You know what? Why don’t we open a special traffic lane for you on the H1. I am so tired of people moaning about the traffic caused by visitations by world leaders and our president. How small minded can we get, when there are larger problems in this world than Honolulu or Kailua traffic. Irregardless of my political persuasion, I have welcomed Bush 1, Palin, Clinton, Obama or anyone else with a secret service detail who chooses to visit our fine state. That is aloha. Your wining lacks aloha.
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