Another bright and shiny new year is arrayed before the world today, and in America that’s always been one of the undeniable, traditional pleasures bringing the holiday season to a close.
Before the first spot of tarnish starts to form on its surface and distractions start to crowd in, the first day of the year is always the occasion to look ahead with hope. But veterans of the resolutions game know they need a blueprint to turn those schemes into reality — or, to adapt a now hackneyed phrase from the 2008 Obama campaign, to turn hope into change. So while Hawaii does its 2012 crystal ball-gazing, it would be smart to think about strategies, too.
The coming 12 months are going to present new obstacles — the still-fledgling appointed school board and rail-transit authority have the lion’s share of their work ahead, for example — and any election year will yield its share of unique surprises. On the whole, however, Hawaii is simply gearing up to take another stab at the problems that confront us, year in and year out.
» About schools: The anticipation of education reform, a process to be fueled by a federal Race to the Top grant, hit a roadblock in 2011 when the U.S. Department of Education found the state’s progress lagging. Losing the grant would be tragic, so in 2012 Hawaii needs to attack the challenge with an uncharacteristically coordinated approach. Many of the missed targets related to the ongoing battles between the administration of Gov. Neil Abercrombie and the Hawaii State Teachers Association, which has balked at the imposition of work terms the union didn’t like. If Hawaii is to taste success, this impasse must be settled soon.
» About the economy: The Abercrombie administration rejoiced in the waning days of the old year when the green shoots of a budding recovery appeared in the form of new tax revenue projections. The supplemental budget of 2012 might actually supplement state outlays for some of its critical needs.
While it is certainly encouraging to see signs of better times ahead — the success of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting and the rebound in tourism prospects overall should buoy confidence — the struggles aren’t entirely in the rear-view mirror. The pink slips delivered to hundreds of Hawaii Medical Center employees around Christmastime was a reminder that people are still suffering, that fiscal caution still should be the watchword, and that there’s still work to do to help small business, the state’s primary engine of job creation.
» About energy investments: Hawaii will still be triangulating its way to a more balanced, more self-sufficient energy portfolio, and the coming year is expected to include several commercial wind and solar projects adding to the electrical grid, from the North Shore of Oahu to Maui.
At the same time, Hawaiian Electric Co. is passing on higher oil costs from Asian markets to ratepayers, which means the road to a green-energy future is bringing pain to the consumer’s purse. There needs to be more attention paid in the coming year to providing something of a release valve for those facing these rising bills. Enabling on-bill financing for installing solar systems, for example, and other user-friendly initiatives is becoming more urgent.
» About leadership: After a rocky first year, Abercrombie will need to make progress, especially in areas such as education in which he’s had more direct control than his predecessors. The voter will watch to see what lessons he learned from 2011, not the least of which is to be more consultative and a better communicator.
And, for the first time in years, Hawaii will be selecting a new U.S. senator, as well as a U.S. House representative. The public must not be deterred by the gamesmanship of politics and get fully engaged in the process, as other key seats will be up for election.
Lest all of this become too daunting for the new year, however, it’s important to draw some reassurance that Hawaii has made important gains in the past year, that more progress is possible. Companies that have weathered the storm well, including Hawaiian Airlines, are hiring. New consumer laws include ensuring fairer treatment of homeowners in the foreclosure process and regulations barring fraudulent marketing of financial services.
And without a doubt same-sex couples will count 2011 as the year the long-sought civil unions law passed, providing equal access to state benefits.
There is hope that life in these islands is getting better. Given that this is still the holiday season, it’s right that people take a moment to celebrate that.