Where is the voice of the middle class?
Is it echoing off the outbreak of high-rises popping up in Kakaako, saying, “I will never live here?”
Is it drowned out by the hypnotic drumbeats from the in-store sound systems in glossy boutiques, reduced to a murmur of “I will never buy anything here?”
Is it shut within the single-wall construction of a Kuliouou home slowly shifting on its foundation, saying, “I will never have enough money to fix this place” and “I will never use the rail?”
Is it even speaking anymore, or has the middle class gone angrily, wearily silent?
The people who set alarm clocks, who wear comfortable shoes so they can get through the day on weary feet, who still write checks at the grocery store because it’s how they keep track of what they have — they’re scared. They’re scared that the house they worked so hard to purchase will prove too difficult for their kids to keep up. Or they’re afraid that they’ll never come close to saving for a down payment for even a tiny apartment if the car keeps breaking down or if they get too sick to work or if the cost of food, parking, a bus pass, garbage pickup and all the basic requirements of life keep going up. They’re scared that even a simple life in Hawaii is more than they can afford and that it’s only going to get harder.
And they’re mad. They’re mad at the homeless people who don’t seem to want to help themselves no matter how much of a chance they’re given. They’re mad at the rich people who don’t seem to have to worry about sharing. They’re mad because so much of what Hawaii needs seems to come out of their portion. They’re mad at the neighbors who have listed a room on Airbnb instead of creating an affordable rental for an old aunty or community-college kid or someone else who needs a break.
So many “solutions” coming out of local government, both city and state, are to get the middle class to foot the bill for every bill that needs footing. It wasn’t long ago that talk of raising taxes was about the worst thing a politician could do to his or her political future. Not anymore. The ridiculous term “revenue enhancers” doesn’t hide the fact that raising taxes, extending taxes, and establishing new fees will impact the people who work more than 40 hours a week not to “get ahead” but simply to stay afloat.
So much of modern Hawaii was built by their hands, from their vision, with their taxes, but where is the power they should have with that huge, generational investment?
Where is their lobbyist? Where is the tough, no-nonsense voice of the people who are sick and tired of having to pay for their little corner of Hawaii and for everyone else’s, too? Does that voice haunt the dreams of lawmakers? It should.
Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.
