Car Rental Crisis In Hawaii

youcantbeserious

Billy Hamilton status
Oct 29, 2020
1,518
4,579
113
Location location
The syndicate and the unions are not the ones failing to implement a solution to, say, a ten year old traffic problem at Laniakea beach.

A lot of the problems on Oahu at least stem from the fact that the City and County of Honolulu manages both highly urban and a highly rural areas with vastly different interests.

That problem extends to state politics as well - rural areas with low populations have little or no chance of having their issues addressed when they have only a single voice in any of the major representative bodies.

I am indeed a transplant - long term, most of my life, went to public high school here transplant - but still a transplant. My neighbors, however, are not. They are Hawaiians and most of them are pissed. Pissed enough to vote, and to see immediately that their votes in our rural district literally do not matter.

Very frustrating.

I think tourism is an important and vital industry for our state. We need to manage it effectively. The corruption and graft was so easy to ignore in the 80's, 90's, early 2000's. Not any more.

Miske's associates are singing to the feds as we speak. Oahu is crawling with alphabet agencies who have picked up the scent of blood. It feels different, but I guess time will tell...
 
  • Like
Reactions: PJ and mundus

bluemarlin04

Michael Peterson status
Aug 13, 2015
2,565
2,383
113
The syndicate and the unions are not the ones failing to implement a solution to, say, a ten year old traffic problem at Laniakea beach.

A lot of the problems on Oahu at least stem from the fact that the City and County of Honolulu manages both highly urban and a highly rural areas with vastly different interests.

That problem extends to state politics as well - rural areas with low populations have little or no chance of having their issues addressed when they have only a single voice in any of the major representative bodies.

I am indeed a transplant - long term, most of my life, went to public high school here transplant - but still a transplant. My neighbors, however, are not. They are Hawaiians and most of them are pissed. Pissed enough to vote, and to see immediately that their votes in our rural district literally do not matter.

Very frustrating.

I think tourism is an important and vital industry for our state. We need to manage it effectively. The corruption and graft was so easy to ignore in the 80's, 90's, early 2000's. Not any more.

Miske's associates are singing to the feds as we speak. Oahu is crawling with alphabet agencies who have picked up the scent of blood. It feels different, but I guess time will tell...
See the issue is some of these representatives get strong armed by the unions and syndicate.

The syndicates and unions work together.

It is all corruption.
 

PPK96754

Miki Dora status
Apr 15, 2015
4,683
5,824
113
77
Kauai's north shore ~
All this talk of local officials asking tourists to stay away and asking the airlines to help, while I just received a promo email from Alaska advertising a 3-day sale starting at $99 each way. We're so F'd. :bricks:
Late 1960's, early 1970's prices. Earlier pricing, $75.00 each way on a prop plane.
 

youcantbeserious

Billy Hamilton status
Oct 29, 2020
1,518
4,579
113
Location location
@bluemarlin04 You're not wrong and I am seeing it first hand... I'm in the midst of hiring transportation guys (teamsters) for a TV show. Half of the guys singing in the Miske case were grips, riggers, or transpo drivers on sets.

Luckily there is a guy I have known for twenty five years and I trust completely, who will hire drivers I trust completely, or I would be dealing with some seriously scary motherfvckers. I mean I will still be dealing with some seriously scary motherfvckers, but at least I know them!
 
Last edited:

Waiehu

Legend (inyourownmind)
Apr 1, 2009
350
198
43
The syndicate and the unions are not the ones failing to implement a solution to, say, a ten year old traffic problem at Laniakea beach.

A lot of the problems on Oahu at least stem from the fact that the City and County of Honolulu manages both highly urban and a highly rural areas with vastly different interests.

That problem extends to state politics as well - rural areas with low populations have little or no chance of having their issues addressed when they have only a single voice in any of the major representative bodies.

I am indeed a transplant - long term, most of my life, went to public high school here transplant - but still a transplant. My neighbors, however, are not. They are Hawaiians and most of them are pissed. Pissed enough to vote, and to see immediately that their votes in our rural district literally do not matter.

Very frustrating.

I think tourism is an important and vital industry for our state. We need to manage it effectively. The corruption and graft was so easy to ignore in the 80's, 90's, early 2000's. Not any more.

Miske's associates are singing to the feds as we speak. Oahu is crawling with alphabet agencies who have picked up the scent of blood. It feels different, but I guess time will tell...
Not surprising that many of Miske's associates are rolling over on Miske. Interesting to see the Feds getting involved. Should be enlightening to discover how deep the Feds are going to go. Local 665 has almost been a halfway house for parolees, add to that many "connected" (who, unless you were very naive or oblivious, everyone knew that in one way of the other had "mob" connections). The big deal about the Feds is that, even though they take a long time, once the indictments start rolling out, if it is you, you realize that you are done because the Feds make sure that the case if pretty much indefensible . How many years did it take them to indict Miske? Investigation started years ago.
 

PPK96754

Miki Dora status
Apr 15, 2015
4,683
5,824
113
77
Kauai's north shore ~
@bluemarlin04 You're not wrong and I am seeing it first hand... I'm in the midst of hiring transportation guys (teamsters) for a TV show. Half of the guys singing in the Miske case were grips, riggers, or transpo drivers on sets.

Luckily there is a guy I have known for twenty five years and I trust completely, who wiYou needll hire drivers I trust completely, or I would be dealing with some seriously scary motherfvckers. I mean I will still be dealing with some seriously scary motherfvckers, but at least I know them!
You need a PA? :shrug:

;)
 

bluemarlin04

Michael Peterson status
Aug 13, 2015
2,565
2,383
113
@bluemarlin04 You're not wrong and I am seeing it first hand... I'm in the midst of hiring transportation guys (teamsters) for a TV show. Half of the guys singing in the Miske case were grips, riggers, or transpo drivers on sets.

Luckily there is a guy I have known for twenty five years and I trust completely, who will hire drivers I trust completely, or I would be dealing with some seriously scary motherfvckers. I mean I will still be dealing with some seriously scary motherfvckers, but at least I know them!
I remember when a production company came and didn't hire them so the syndicate burned all their trailers down.

Local 5 is another criminal union.

I remember when rutledge and unity house got raided and it had like 5 million in cash and he was like "where did this come from?"
 
  • Love
Reactions: PPK96754

oneula

Miki Dora status
Jun 3, 2004
4,363
2,711
113
just like buying premium ahi at christmas/new years, it's all about market pricing.
The hotel and car rental agencies should just change their fee schedules to state "market prices" like all the restaurants and Uber does. The higher the demand and scarcer the resource the more you can charge. Simple capitalism

Then everyone will understand these fluctuations in price and availability for everything here.
reminds me of the high the industry got from the japanese tourism influx that dried up. The rich asians are all buying condos/properties now as investments so no need for hotels. when they visit.

oahu/maui will need to get hit bad by a Cat5 or an ICBM from Korea before anything will actually change here

A global pandemic didn't do it, I guess it didn't kill off enough of the population or contaminate the environment enough.

BTW the biggest corrupt entity here is the democratic party in hawaii or "the machine" as they call it. Goes back to the returning 442nd vets wanting to take back control from the haole overseers from plantation days.
 

Waiehu

Legend (inyourownmind)
Apr 1, 2009
350
198
43
I remember when a production company came and didn't hire them so the syndicate burned all their trailers down.

Local 5 is another criminal union.

I remember when rutledge and unity house got raided and it had like 5 million in cash and he was like "where did this come from?"
Too bad that Biden let Kenji Price go following his election. Well, technically "asked for his resignation". I thought he was doing a excellent job for Hawaii.
 

PPK96754

Miki Dora status
Apr 15, 2015
4,683
5,824
113
77
Kauai's north shore ~
just like buying premium ahi at christmas/new years, it's all about market pricing.
The hotel and car rental agencies should just change their fee schedules to state "market prices" like all the restaurants and Uber does. The higher the demand and scarcer the resource the more you can charge. Simple capitalism

Then everyone will understand these fluctuations in price and availability for everything here.
reminds me of the high the industry got from the japanese tourism influx that dried up. The rich asians are all buying condos/properties now as investments so no need for hotels. when they visit.

oahu/maui will need to get hit bad by a Cat5 or an ICBM from Korea before anything will actually change here

A global pandemic didn't do it, I guess it didn't kill off enough of the population or contaminate the environment enough.
Folks think that the pandemic was bad. Oahu nor Maui has experienced a CAT 5. Most of the State of Hawaii would be shut down or hindered because of most goods going through Oahu first. Perhaps a tsunami on Oahu or Maui would tickle the governing bodies.
 

racer1

Tom Curren status
Apr 16, 2014
12,920
14,981
113
Honolulu, Hawaii
I love tourism. Was fed by it growing up, it helps my business grow and it doesn't bother my day to day life. I don't really go anywhere tourists go and still do everything I want to every day. Not even getting take out is effected for me, turns out tourists like unhealthy food.

I get the hostility though. We had a year to try something different and nothing. Here we are back to the tourism machine, and it feels worse since we weren't ready for it.

There was a report by Paul Brewbaker (economist and former President of Bank of Hawaii) where he said that while we've constantly hit new records in arrivals every few years (sometimes every year) the tourism spending has been flat since 1989. Meaning Hawaii has gotten cheaper and cheaper to travel to and therefor attracting visitors who spend less and less.
 
Last edited:

bluemarlin04

Michael Peterson status
Aug 13, 2015
2,565
2,383
113
I love tourism. Was fed by it growing up, it helps my business grow and it doesn't bother my day to day life. I don't really go anywhere tourists go and still do everything I want to every day. Not even getting take out is effected for me, turns out tourists like unhealthy food.

I get the hostility though. We had a year to try something different and nothing. Here we are back to the tourism machine, and it feels worse since we weren't ready for it.
Same. Doesn't bother me at all.
 

Muscles

Michael Peterson status
Jun 1, 2013
2,596
3,597
113
California/Hawaii
A Cat 5 would suck but not to the extent people think. The military presence on Oahu is so significant that the USA would fix things instantly and there would be massive amounts of federal aid. Oahu has multiple 4 star Flag Officers including one who is arguably the most important military Officer in the world (INDOPACOM). No way they let the state run the show after a Cat 5 hurricane.
 

hammies

Duke status
Apr 8, 2006
15,587
14,215
113
A big Japan-sized tsunami would be way worse than a cat 5. Every harbor would be destroyed, as would all the major airports. The ability to move adequate amounts of people and supplies between islands would be devastated for weeks if not longer.