World really did end in 2012

The Mayans probably didn’t have Hawaii politics in mind when they predicted the world would end on Dec. 21, 2012, but for Hawaii an era certainly did come to an end right around that time, when Daniel K. Inouye died, leaving vacant the U.S. Senate seat that he had occupied from virtually time immemorial.

The truth is, we in Hawaii are now living in the post-Inouye world, and regardless of who gets selected to replace him in the U.S. Senate, politics here will never be the same. He was in Congress for almost all our lives, and for some of us, longer. Depending on your view, that could be a compliment or a dig.

What’s not debatable is that he left a major imprint on Hawaii politics, and for most of us, we’ll never see the likes of a Daniel K. Inouye ever again.

Carlisle had fun while it lasted

It’s good to see that Mayor Peter Carlisle has shown a healthy attitude about exiting Honolulu Hale earlier than he had wished.

When Carlisle left as the longtime city prosecutor to vie in the 2010 special election, he certainly hoped he would be re-elected, this time to a full four years. But, as he observed in his interview with Star-Advertiser writer B.J. Reyes, he did hit a couple of key marks. One was winnowing the budget to push beyond a deficit. And, of course, he was the one who witnessed, from his perch atop City Hall and sometimes from Washington, the full funding agreement with the feds for a rail subsidy.

If you’re going just for a short freeway jaunt, at least getting in the fast lane makes for a more exciting ride.