Hawaii

Hawaii Republicans
by Jennifer Hopper

             Although the mention of Hawaii might bring to mind surfing and shirts with wild patterns, Hawaii has come to mean much more to American history while still retaining its own unique identity. Settled over 1500 years ago by Polynesian peoples, the island chain quickly developed a new civilization and culture. In 1819 however, native Hawaiian royalty met American missionaries with open arms and outlawed many traditional religious practices. By the 1850’s, these foreigners had set up sugar and pineapple plantations throughout the islands. A turning point in Hawaiian history occurred in 1893, when the native Queen Liliuokalani was ousted by American planters and businessmen of the region, aided by the US Marines. The US then proceeded to annex Hawaii, until it was admitted as a state in 1959.
             Today, slightly over one million people reside in Hawaii. The population is fairly racially diverse, including Whites, Asians, Filipinos, Blacks and Native Hawaiians. In 1996, 84.4% of Hawaii’s people had graduated high school. However, 23.9% of the population received their college degrees. The average household income for 1994 to 1996 was $43,541, with 10.4% of families below the poverty level. Living costs are estimated to be 1/3 higher than on much of mainland America. The economy, which was originally built on agriculture and later on the military due to its strategic location, has now narrowly focused on tourism. Although the tourist industry has generated wealth in Hawaii, it has also proven to be unreliable at times. The industry is greatly dependent on the economy elsewhere, influencing whether people can afford to vacation in Hawaii. It has become a concern among Hawaiians that the prevalence of tourism jobs that pay poorly and do not require high skill may result in the state’s well-educated young people migrating to the mainland United States for better jobs and salaries.
             The Republican Party of Hawaii has noted that tourism is the main thrust to the economy, and while they would like to see its continued success, they support the search for alternative industries that would help diversify the economy. Some Hawaiian Republicans hope for resurgence in agriculture. In order for this to occur, they believe there should be an end to all government subsidies and likewise interference in industries such as sugar production. They argue that Hawaiian government price supports have destroyed the state’s sugar industry because soft drink companies have opted to replace sugar with the cheaper high fructose corn syrup. Hawaii’s Republicans also want to eliminate unnecessary layers of bureaucracy that contribute to a high cost of government. Those savings would then be passed on to the common citizen through tax reductions. The party stands for creating a “performance-based budget” that outlines very specific goals for government to achieve, and makes it clear to people what they are receiving for their tax dollars.
             The party also believes that greater autonomy should be placed in the hands of the state rather than the federal government on certain issues, like education and the environment. At the same time, Hawaii’s Republicans also assert that certain issues should be left almost entirely to the federal government, such as orchestrating national defense and foreign policy. Some members of the party contend that the US should not interfere in foreign conflicts we have not been asked to assist in and resolve unless we have a clear winning and exit strategy prepared. But for the most part, the party maintains that foreign policy decisions should be made at the federal level.
             The Republicans of Hawaii do take stances on various current social policy issues. They want to implement programs that would educate young people about the burdens of teenage parenthood as a preventative measure. This fits in with their desire to reinvigorate family values among Hawaii’s population. Requiring parental consent in order to have an abortion is also supported, which they believe would help open up discussions of alternatives to the abortion. The party opposes partial birth abortions for humanitarian reasons. According to the party platform, welfare should be drastically reformed to clearly encourage those on welfare to get off welfare as quickly as possible. Under the current system, Hawaii’s Republicans believe that welfare programs have actually promoted dependency and eliminated values of individual initiative and community responsibility in many of those who are on the programs. To change that, they hope to enact a social service system that acts as a safety net for those in dire need of it and not to create citizens with “non-working lifestyles” supported by taxpayers.
             As for education, the party advocates decentralizing the current statewide Board of Education into a group of community-based, locally administered school systems. By once again eliminating unnecessary bureaucratic layers, the party believes the majority of available resources will then be distributed directly into the classroom. The also support a “merit pay” system through which excellence in teaching and administering could be rewarded. On the whole, power should be put in the hands of parents and local communities in how they want their children to be educated. On the hot topic of gun control, the party believes that current laws regulating guns should be enforced, but that this legislation is adequate and there is no need for further laws.
             The idea that current law is satisfactory on gun control is one that pervades the Republican Party of Hawaii’s feeling about most equal rights and opportunities issues as well. The party advocates maintaining legislation regarding affirmative action, same sex marriages and minimum wage laws, but does not encourage that these laws be enhanced in any way. For instance, they admit that affirmative action has a place where past discrimination has been proven and continues to be a problem. But at the same time, they distinctly oppose any quotas or forms of reverse discrimination.
             Finally, on campaign finance reform, the party argues that American businesses and citizens should have the right to donate as much as they like to a party or candidate as long as the amount is fully disclosed and the contribution voluntary. They are staunchly opposed to banning “soft money,” which they believe allows private groups to criticize and support politicians on issues. Instead, the Republican Party of Hawaii would like to enact reforms that would not violate a citizen’s right to free speech or compromise Republican interests. Such reforms would include making sure that every dollar spent in the political arena be an American dollar and not from a foreign source. In addition, the donations must be voluntary (so that labor unions cannot contribute dues money to a candidate or party) and that every contribution be made known to the public, via the Internet.