For some reason the Town Blog mechanism was down on June 29, when I attempted my last post.

I went to Maui and had a fairly good time. However there were some reminders that all is not well in this Country at this time – mostly economically, and all is not well politically in Hawaii – no sign of any McCain, or any Republican, support at all. It’s all Obama all the time. 

On three previous visits to Lahaina over the past 87 years my family and I would encounter throngs of people walking the street, usually in the early evening. The bars and restaurants full, waiting times at the Lahaina Fish Company, Cheeseburger in Paradise or Bubba Gump Shrimp Company ranged between 45 minutes to 2 hours.

Not this time

Front Street was jammed on only one day – the Fourth of July. Otherwise it almost, at times, appeared abandoned. There was no waiting at any of the restaurants (if you manage to find an airline that goes to Hawaii and has seats I would actually suggest Lahaina Coolers, which is on the landward side of the street in the Video Cinema Center Across the street from the *** tree. They have amazing salad – meals there for a very reasonable price.

Excursions – the usual snorkeling, parasailing, kayaking tours, almost always needed booking way ahead of time were wide open for scheduling, with decreased prices compared to brochures we had from 2006 (our last visit).

 The Concierge at our Condo – The Mahana at Kaanapali, told us that Hotel Bookings were down from the usual 100% occupancy rates, seen in recent years, to 65%. She and many others were fairly glum about recent and immediate economic prospects for the Islands.

Gasoline was about $0.20 higher than in the 909. Traffic was about the same as before. I (my wife) got a great car rental deal from Alamo.

But on the TV news and in the newspapers, on bumperstickers and tee shirts it was all Obama all the time. Because he went to school there they are always talking about him as if he was a native son. (I thought he was a typical Midwesterner clinging to God and his guns from Kansas).

 Sonny Boy’s policies on taxes and energy could very well worsen, not improve, the economic lot of a State that relies totally on Tourism

 His proposed tax increases on the “wealthy” have a potential to decimate even further the visitors to the Island by decreasing the amount of money people have to spend.

Obama’s energy policies as stated on his website do not include increased exploration or refining capacity. With two airlines ceasing operations in April, there was a 15% reduction in airline seat capacity.

 

What most islanders told me their main worry was that United, American, Northwest and Continental all will continue to decrease flights due to rising fuel costs and thereby continue to decrease tourism access to the Islands. When I mentioned that Southwest is planning service to the Islands, people were extremely enthusiastic.

 The “change” that Obama purports to be in favor of will sink the Islands in particular, and severely decimate the Mainland.