Posted by Free Hawai`i on December 4, 2008 at 8:23pm
Life Harder under U.S. OccupationNative Hawaiians constitute roughly 20 per cent of the state population, but they represent 54 per cent of the prison population.Not coincidentally, they also have the lowest per capita income, the highest poverty rate and the shortest lifespan of any ethnic group in Hawai`i.Hawai`i public school students receive a very poor education by any standard of measurement. They consistently rank among the lowest of any state in test scores.In the 1980s, Hawai`i gained the enviable reputation of providing medical insurance to the highest percentage of residents of any state.A decade after the state ended dental cover, toothless smiles are commonplace among the poor. Tens of thousands of residents have no medical insurance at all.Despite higher profits for many businesses, jobs are scarce and most of the available work pays minimum wage or close to it... In some cases, the lives of the working poor are worse than the unemployed.Among other things, they don't qualify for state financial assistance or full food stamp benefits.Today most of the Island of Hawai`i (Big Island) as well as the islands of Moloka`i, Lana`i and Kaua`i are economic wastelands with little opportunity to make a decent living.On Kaua`i workers often share apartments or small houses with several other workers because rents are too expensive for one or two individuals to afford.On every island married couples with children often work two jobs each to make ends meet - if they are fortunate enough to find that many jobs, even at minimum wage.Hawai'i imports two-thirds of its food from the mainland and locally-grown food is expensive due to high land prices.As one long-time resident commented: "Hawai`i is turning into one of those Caribbean tourist islands where you have fancy hotels and a tiny rich neighborhood and the rest of the island is a shantytown of poverty and crime."
My Kupunawahine was strongly against Statehood for Hawaii. Telling me that when Hawaii becomes a State, Hawaii would become a place only for the Wealthy. Hawaii would end up with a Japanese governor and he would sell us off to Japan. Today we have Lingle who wants to sell us off to Korea. Hello, anyone listening?
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