Hawaii economy softens

On Sat, 9 Jun 2007, Nai`a wrote:

>
> Alvin E. Toda wrote:
>
>> IIRC high tech is doing well here.
>
> According to whom? It seems to me that it's largely
> on "Life Support".

Or According to "when". By other standards Hawaii has a
long way to go. But we've come a long way since Act 221
was first passed.

On Sat, 09 Jun 2007 07:20:03 -0000, Nai`a <mjwise@lava.net> wrote:

>
> Alvin E. Toda wrote:
>
>> IIRC high tech is doing well here.
>
> According to whom?
> It seems to me that it's largely on "Life Support".
>
> Aloha mai Nai`a!

I read in the Advertiser, in the last week, that Gov. Lingle recently
signed a "treaty" or something, sorry with a national scientific group
to bring technology upgrades etc. here. I believe it included our
getting funding.

I know the gist of the article was uplifting to me. Diversify our
economy by encouraging, with that national group whose name escapes
me, to spend money to get us going in a good direction other than
tourism and that "diversified ag"- which I think has always been a
fantasy rather than a reality. (Our land is so pricey that to keep
encouraging the odd diversified ag was just unreasonable). I do think
this new Scientific approach is laudable.

It was a small article on an inside page of our "neighbor island
edition" of the Honolulu Advertiser.

IMHO I felt it ought to be the headline on the front page but another
murder etc. had taken place.

aloha,
beans
roast beans to kona to email
farmers of Pure Kona

It seems to me that the one factor that has to be considered is the
simple
fact that you can start a high tech business any place on this
earth. So,
you are basically competing against the world for location. I would
think
the disadvantage Hawaii, is the high cost of doing business here, and
I have
to wonder if there are enough skilled people who are either here to
support
a successful venture (especially if it is highly successful) or who
would be
willing to come here, given the high cost of living.

<beans@smithfarms.com> wrote in message news:1181796002-
sch@news.lava.net...
>
> On Sat, 09 Jun 2007 07:20:03 -0000, Nai`a <mjwise@lava.net> wrote:
>
>>
>> Alvin E. Toda wrote:
>>
>>> IIRC high tech is doing well here.
>>
>> According to whom?
>> It seems to me that it's largely on "Life Support".
>>
>> Aloha mai Nai`a!
>
> I read in the Advertiser, in the last week, that Gov. Lingle recently
> signed a "treaty" or something, sorry with a national scientific group
> to bring technology upgrades etc. here. I believe it included our
> getting funding.
>
> I know the gist of the article was uplifting to me. Diversify our
> economy by encouraging, with that national group whose name escapes
> me, to spend money to get us going in a good direction other than
> tourism and that "diversified ag"- which I think has always been a
> fantasy rather than a reality. (Our land is so pricey that to keep
> encouraging the odd diversified ag was just unreasonable). I do think
> this new Scientific approach is laudable.
>
> It was a small article on an inside page of our "neighbor island
> edition" of the Honolulu Advertiser.
>
> IMHO I felt it ought to be the headline on the front page but another
> murder etc. had taken place.
>
> aloha,
> beans
> roast beans to kona to email
> farmers of Pure Kona
>

aet@lava.net (Alvin E. Toda) wrote:
> Hi Dan... yes. people overlook that many have succeeded
> as startups but haven't been able to expand here in
> Hawaii for lack of financing, into a corporation of
> sufficient size for a public offering, or IPO, of
> stock. In that case, they have left the islands. But
> they should be still considered success stories even if
> they had to sell out to bigger companies or move closer
> to the VCs that have financed their current growth. One
> notable company Hoku Scientific, has made it to an IPO
> here in Hawaii. But it's an exception. If in future
> years they can grow into billion dollar company here
> that employs thousands, then the investment of the
> state to diversifying the economy will have been worth
> it. But it's too soon to tell.
>

Let me reiterate a subset of my point more succinctly:
"high tech" is not the exclusive domain of the private
sector.

--
"If you like to stand on your head and spit pickles in the snow, on the
Internet there are at least three other people just like you."
- Langston James Goree VI