Bill's Bountiful Blog

Political IQ's Maui Housing - Lodging Newsletter May 31, 2024

By Wm, May
Published: 05/31/24 Topics: Education, Employment, Government, Hawaii, Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

Hiring competent employees has always been a challenge. Today, diligent employers conduct multiple interviews, check references, and secure background checks before giving anyone a job.
 
Unfortunately, when citizens "hire" politicians ("vote") they never have an opportunity interview them face to face and they rely on the media to check a candidate's background, even though today's news pundits seem determined to push their own agendas, rather than simply reporting the facts. (That is a topic for a much bigger forum than our little newsletter here.)
 
But the risk of stupid decisions may actually be greater for town mayors, council members, and county council members than for national politics. Wikipedia says there are 89,000 local jurisdictions in the United States which may go by the terminology of city, town, township, borough or village.
 
With 3,143 counties in the U.S. and presuming an average of 3 commissioners for every county and just 3 council members (likely low) each city or town, that means there are around 276,000 people elected to govern their subjects.
 
Virtually none of those have been as intently tested as McDonald's does when they hire high school students to flip burgers.
 
Unfortunately, those 276,000 people are allowed to make decisions for which they have no experience, no training, and who seldom become experts on a subject before opining about it.
 
There are certainly far more important subjects for politicians than warring about our measly little "Vacation Rental" industry. But if those same officials show the same stupidity toward all challenges as they do stealing away property rights, it is no wonder those bigger problems are getting bigger.
 
This old joke applies. "What do you call a person who graduates last in their medical class?" The answer is "Doctor" and one may be your doctor, but you will never know.
 
Same thing for elected city and county officials, unfortunately.
 
 
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The list of politicians who cannot connect the dots to make good decisions just keeps growing.
 
Maui, Hawaii - The latest candidates for IQ testing is Richard Bissen of Maui County in Hawaii. As you have undoubtedly heard, in August of 2023, the island suffered a catastrophic fire that burned the entire town of Lahaina and killed 100 people. Thousands were left homeless.
 
Help came from the state, the county, not-for-profits and even celebrities who own homes there, including Oprah, the Rock (Wayne Johnson), and Mick Fleetwood (Of Fleetwood Mac), offering cash, food and other necessities.
 
But now, Mayor Bissen has decided that he can help local residents by stealing property from other people. He plans to prohibit short-term rentals in 7,000 condos, in hopes those homeowners will rent them out long-term and cheaply.
 
Surely, many condo owners would forfeit then own occasional use for a year or two or three, presuming, of course, the government would pay for them. But no - Bissen is not planning to pay, instead by reversing the County's long held policy allowing short-term rentals, he plans to cripple owners so they will have to sell out cheap and, presumably, to local folks.
 
Everyone who loves Hawaii, including the owners of those 7,000 condos, feels terrible for resident losses, but the mayor's action will not work. It will years or even decades to work through the courts and will not create housing for many years to come.
 
The Beat of Hawaii website (www.BeatOfHawaii.com) reports that the mayor's knee-jerk reaction was actually in the making long before the fire. Now he is using the fire as a scapegoat to get what he wanted all along. It panders to residents and ignores second homeowners who don't get to vote.
 
The annual negative effect of killing 7,000 rentals on Maui would be $3.25 billion dollars, a loss of $707 million County tax dollars, and will eliminate 14,000 jobs from the very people Bissen pretends to help.
 
His disjointed reasoning is that removing vacation rentals would "Force" visitors into hotels. Unfortunately, there aren't that many hotel rooms and, as has been proven elsewhere, when guests can't rent vacation homes, they simply go elsewhere. Maui loses. Hawaii Loses. Visitors lose.
 
Like so many places in the U.S., the housing that Maui needs could have been accomplished long ago by eliminating the 23% of building costs that cities, counties, state and federal government extort from building projects by ignorant and unnecessary rules, regulations, inspections and permitting fees.
 
Remove those and developers will come in droves to build what Maui wants.
 
When Bill Gates was a youngster, in a biography, it was reported that his mother after summoning him repeatedly to come to diner, finally yelled up to his room, "What are you doing up there?" He retorted "I am thinking mother. You should try it some time."
 
Well, Mayor Bissen, it is time to do some deep thinking and cancel such a stupid thing as killing jobs on Maui, devastating its economy, and actually making things worse instead of better.

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Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0996 – 05/31/24

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

If Jimi Hendricks, Prince, and Pavarotti Were Hawaiian

By Wm. May
Published: 05/18/20 Topics: Hawaii, Music, Self Improvement Comments: 0

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler Sings With His Uncle

This blog is not about me. But a bit of background might help. I grew up playing all kinds of music from a young age, not necessarily playing well but playing none the less.

It started with a concert level pianist mother and a father with a soaring tenor voice. I picked up a trumpet in fourth grade, met the high school band instructor and play with him for 8 years through high school.

But first there were piano and trumpet lessons and concerts with the concert band, marching band, stage band, pep band, concert orchestra and even our own little school sponsored "Tijuana Brass" imitation band called - unbelievably in 1969- the Marijuana Brass.

A the age of 13 I happened to hear some new English group called the Beatles on the radio of our tiny neighborhood store Perini's. I was hooked and started a band, then another, playing with many great musicians while we all wanted to become famous and play on the Ed Sullivan TV show.

Or at least we wanted to be swooned over by girls in the way they swooned when watching the Beatles. In 1964, at the age of 13, somehow I talked some parent into driving my bandmates and I the 100 miles to attend a Beatles concerts at the Seattle Center Coliseum.

The Beatles played in the round and the stage slowly revolved so everyone could see them. The sound equipment quality was terrible. The girls screamed so loud we could not hear the music. But we could see the magic.

I played guitar and bass in numerous rock bands and made a living at it for some years, a small living. I partnered in a sound studio, a jingle company and an advertising agency. But eventually moved on to being a fan and not a performer. It was a good run.

In the Charles Cross's biography of Seattle's rock band "Heart", Ann and Nancy Wilson revealed they too attended one of the two times the Beatles played in Seattle.

As they walked out of the concert Nancy, the younger sister, asked , "Why are they all the girls screaming?"

To which Ann said, "They all want to marry the Beatles."

Said Nancy, "We don't want to marry the Beatles, we want to be the Beatles?

And the rest is Heart rock and roll history. They became famous. I did not.

As I said, this blog isn't about me, it is only to imply that I know a little about music and I know that I achieved journeyman status at best.. Years later I stumbled upon a musician who proved it.

Hearing Uncle Willie K music on the radio in Hawaii and then seeing him perform left me flabbergasted by his talent. His skill was astounding and his versatility beyond believing. You can love music and respect the musician at the same time.

Better than all of that, he had a kind of charisma I had never seen - sheer confidence and humor. He knew he could take an audience anywhere he wanted them to go. Including his rendition of "We are the world" completed with uncanny imitations of Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen and Tina Turner. No body else can do that

Eric Gilliom, a versatile TV actor and Hawaiian music master, formed a "Hawaiian Super group" with Willie called Barefoot Natives. Before one show willie asked him what was the most money he had ever made doing a concert. When Eric said something like $10,000 willie sat down and said, "Let me see your $10,000 show tonight."

willie and Eric' sister the superlative Amy Hanaialii Gilliom became a couple and willie produce four award winning albums of their own brand of Hawaiian and other music. I loved the music before I knew who they were. As did every Hawaiian.

William Awihilima Kahaiali'I - willie K - grew up playing young at the knee of his father the nationally known and admired Manu Kahaiali'i. Willie was just one of 13 children, so his Dad played music 7 days a week to pay the bills, everything from jazz, blues and Hawaiian of course.

Maybe that is why he branched in so many musical directions. He idolized Jimi Hendricks and prince. That lead him to just about every other kind of music. He was famous for Christmas Carols, but also Salsa, Jazz and Reggae.

He was sought out and accompanied Mick Fleetwood of Fleet Mac, his solo chagrined Billy Idol of ZZ top, Prince praised him, Willy Nelson sang duets with him, but so did Alice Cooper. BB king invited him on stage, he sang with the Commodores and he laughed with comedian Jim Cary. Barack Obama played willie K loud during workouts. willie and Steven Tyler became best buddies.

Maybe they loved they guy because they felt a little like me - unworthy.

He was known through out the world for guitar and ukulele skills but 10 years ago at a local Hawaiian concert he baffled the audience when he dismissed the other musicians from stage, stood silent a long while and finally said, very somberly,

"I am very sad. Last week Pavarotti died. I think he and I were brothers. Tonight I will sing Nessum Dorma"

Afterward, 800 people sat silent and then jumped to their feet screaming "Hanna Hou" (encore). It was the start of many appearances with symphony's singing opera music. On a trip to Israel he brought Jewish congregations to tears by mastering the Israeli national nation.

In 2018, willie K announced that he had contracted a very aggressive cancer, but promised to keep performing as he always had, at every opportunity. His Maui Bluest fest continued each year. He took aggressive treatment but in the end he died quietly at his home May 18, 2020 surround by Ohana.

I didn’t know William Awihilima Kahaiali'I personally, and yet everyone who saw him perform knew him personally. The way it is with all great musicians and performers, they leave themselves, their skills, their personalities and souls on stage with all to see.

Upon hearing of willie's passing, Alice Cooper said it best, "Heaven will be in for one hell of a surprise. I can almost hear the thunderous applause."

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There are so many links because of the variety. Couldn't stop myself.

KHON TV

BILLY GIBBON ZZ TOP

HAWAIIAN

BARE FOOT NATIVES

HALLELUJAH

 

HAVA NAGILA

NATIONAL ANTHEM

STARTING OPERA

NESSUN DORMA

O HOLY NIGHT

SOUND CHECK

WE ARE THE WORLD

KHON TV

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Author: Wm. May – Music Fan
Blog #: 0757 – 05/18/20