Synopsis: Like the rising and setting of the sun, throughout the history of the world, large empires rise and fall. Like the Roman empire, the U.S. empire will eventually fall. This two-part series compares the conditions inside the U.S. to those of the Roman empire before its collapse.
E like me ka puka ‘ana a me ka napo‘o ‘ana o ka lā, ma loko o ka mo‘olelo o ka honua poepoe, e pau nā aupuni ‘emepela nui i ke ala a me ka hiolo. E like me ka hopena o ke aupuni ‘emepela ‘o Loma, e hiolo iho auane‘i ke aupuni ‘emepela ‘o ‘Amelika Hui Pū ‘Ia.
He lā kaulana ka lā 28 o Nowemapa, 1843, ‘o ia ho‘i ka Lā Kū‘oko‘a. Ma o ka pūlima ‘ana i ka palapala kūkala ‘o Anglo-Franco, ua hō‘oia ‘ia ke ea o Hawai‘i e nā aupuni o Pelekane a me Palani. Mai ia lā mai a hiki i kēia lā e mau ana nō ke ea o ko Hawai‘i pae ‘āina. I loko nō o ka ho‘okahuli ‘ia ‘ana o ke aupuni Hawai‘i i ka makahiki 1893, i loko nō o ka ho‘ohui ‘āina hewa ‘ia ‘ana i ka makahiki 1898, a i loko nō o ka noho mau ‘ia ‘ana e ‘Amelika Hui Pū ‘Ia, kāmau ‘ia nō ko Hawai‘i ea a hiki i kēia lā. No ke aha? ‘A‘ole i pūlima ‘ia kekahi palapala ku‘ikahi ho‘ohui ‘āina e ke aupuni Hawai‘i, a wahi a ke kānāwai kau‘āina, hewa nā hana a ‘Amelika Hui Pū ‘Ia. Ua hō‘oia‘i‘o ‘ia kēia e nā ‘aha kau‘āina, eia na‘e, noke nō ‘o ‘Amelika Hui Pū ‘Ia i ka noho hewa ‘ana ma Hawai‘i nei. ‘O kēia noho hewa ‘ana ka pilikia, akā, ‘a‘ole makemake ke aupuni ‘Amelika e ‘ae i kona hewa a e ha‘alele iā Hawai‘i nei. No laila, pehea e kipaku ‘ia aku ai kēia aupuni noho hewa? ‘O ka hā‘ina, ‘o ke kakali wale ‘ana nō a hiolo ia aupuni noho hewa.
E ku‘u makamaka heluhelu, pehea kou mana‘o? He lōlō anei kā kēia mea kākau? E hiolo iho ana nō paha ke aupuni ‘Amelika? Pehea lā! ‘Ae, he lōlō nō paha ka mana‘o o kēia mea kākau, eia na‘e, ua hiolo iho kēlā me kēia ‘emepela nui i ka wā ma mua. ‘O ia ho‘i, ‘o nā ‘emepela o ka USSR, o Loma, Kepania, Pelekania, a pēlā aku. He aha nā kumu o ko‘u mana‘o ‘ana pēlā? Kohu mea lā, he mau kūlana nāwaliwali ko ‘Amelika e like me nā kūlana nāwaliwali o ia mau ‘emepela ‘ē a‘e i ko lākou wā i hiolo akula. He aha ia mau kūlana?
Nā pilikia ho‘okele waiwai: Ma loko o Loma ma mua o kona hiolo ‘ana, he nui ‘ino nā kaua i ho‘ouka ‘ia me nā ‘āina like ‘ole, pākela nui nā waiwai i ho‘omāunauna ‘ia, a pēia pū me nā kālā. Nui ho‘i nā ‘auhau, a emi maila ka waiwai o ke kālā. E ho‘onui ‘ia ana ke kōwā ma waena o nā mea waiwai a me nā mea ‘ilihune. Hūnā nā mea waiwai i kā lākou kālā i mea e ‘alo‘alo ai i ka uku ‘auhau. I ia mau lā o ka ‘emepela ‘o Loma, ‘a‘ole lawa nā limahana ma muli o ka li‘ili‘i o ka uku. Like nō ia mau mea ma loko o ‘Amelika i kēia wā. Ua ho‘okumu ‘ia ‘o ‘Amelika Hui Pū ‘Ia i ka makahiki 1776, ‘o ia ho‘i, he 247 makahiki aku nei. Ma loko o ia mau makahiki, ua kaua ‘o ‘Amelika me kekahi mau ‘āina ‘ē no nā makahiki he 227! ‘O ka waihona kālā o ‘Amelika, nunui ka ‘ai‘ē. I ka manawa o kēia kākau ‘ana, he $32,109,023,765,238 ka nui o ka ‘ai‘ē a ‘Amelika, a ho‘onui ‘ia ma kahi o $22,719,400,000 kālā i kēlā me kēia makahiki! ‘Oi loa aku ka nui o ke kōwā ma waena o nā mea waiwai a me nā mea ‘ilihune i loko o ‘Amelika ma mua o ke kōwā o kēlā me kēia ‘āina ‘ē. Uku ka hapa nui o ka po‘e ‘Amelika ma waena o ka 10-32% o ke kālā e loa‘a ana iā lākou i loko o ka makahiki ho‘okahi. ‘O nā mea waiwai na‘e, uku lākou ma waena o ka 0.1-3.27% o ke kālā e loa‘a ana i loko o ka makahiki. Ma muli o ko lākou pakele ‘ana i ka uku nui a me kekahi mau kumu ‘ē a‘e, ‘a‘ole lawa nā limahana ma loko o ‘Amelika i kēia wā.
(‘a‘ole i pau)
E ho‘ouna ‘ia mai na ā leka iā māua, ‘o ia ho‘i ‘o Laiana Wong a me Kekeha Solis ma ka pahu leka uila ma lalo nei:
>> kwong@hawaii.edu
>> rsolis@hawaii.edu
a i ‘ole ia, ma ke kelepona:
>> 808-956-2627 (Laiana)
>> 808-956-2627 (Kekeha)
This column is coordinated by Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
