We care about fairness in Hawaii. Inequality clearly bothers most of us. 

Last week, I wrote about how not to be a billionaire in Hawaii. There was a significant response to the topic and I want to continue the conversation. 

We are rightly concerned about inequality here in Hawaii. We live in a small space and if one or some of us occupy a lot of space, it throws off the delicate balance of our island home.

If someone arrives with sharp elbows they can swing them unwittingly (or wittingly) and claim a lot of space at the expense of the people and culture that cultivated this special space.

Readers left many insightful comments and I’d like to highlight a few and address what was raised. 

A number of people expressed the “don’t hate the player, hate the game” sentiment. 

“We have given total power to the market which is eating local families alive,” wrote JM in the comments. “I don’t blame Mark (Zuckerberg and) Jeff (Bezos) personally but I do blame the economic machine that allows savage inequalities to exist without challenge.”

As I’ve written in the past, I like to have my notions questioned and Whatarewedoing was among those offering the other side.

“Your post and other people you cite in your post seem to be loaded with envy and jealousy,” wrote Whatarewedoing. “The envy and jealousy cloud the article. Giving to charity is a nice thing to do, but it is not mandatory or obligated.”

And pizza_mike asked if the fuss was warranted.

“What specifically is Mark Zuckerberg doing to harm Hawaii? Other than taking up space,” wrote pizza_mike. “On the topic of Jeff Bezos; 15 million dollars is a lot of money. That’s money that has helped a lot of people. Could it be possible that he is doling out his money strategically to prevent waste and fraud? Maybe he feels the best way to use his money is to help wildfire victims in the actual rebuilding process. A process that will no doubt face many bureaucratic hurdles.”

The question of charitable giving was set to the side in this exchange between Tavares and TannedTom.

“How much tax revenue do Zuckerberg, Bezos and Ellison put into Hawaii’s coffers?” asked Tavares.

“Given that Hawaii has the lowest property tax rate in the country, not as much as they should,” responded TannedTom. 

TannedTom is right, Hawaii does have the nation’s lowest property tax rate (New Jersey is at the opposite end of the scale.)

A comment from Hoaloha was among the highest “respected” (or ).

“If California can ban non-compete clauses in contracts – one of the major reasons California is such an innovation hub – Hawaii can ban non-disclosure agreements,” wrote Hoaloha.

While I think eliminating NDAs is a good thing, California didn’t quite go that far with legislation passed in 2021. California prevents companies from forcing employees to sign NDAs that involve discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Otherwise, NDAs still very much exist in California. 

I’ve been a part, or overheard, too many conversations here in Hawaii, where people have complained about the difficulty of finding “good help.”

The sad thing is that they’ve priced out the “good help” and that the “good help” is living in Las Vegas or Washington State because of the cost of living driven sharply upwards by housing prices and the cost of living in Hawaii.

“My theory is that Hawaii in the future will be made up of only two social classes, the haves, and the have nots,” wrote kalissak. “There will be poor working people and the ultra rich whom they serve.”

I appreciated when commenters delved into the complexity and nuance.

“This is a hard topic, and I have mixed feelings,” wrote Fiona. “I have become cynical about humans being able to care for their natural environment and, sometimes, themselves. So if billionaires can be good stewards of their land, keep the water clean, native species alive, and leave space open from encroaching humans, then maybe it’s a good thing.”

Keoni808 wrote to a fundamental desire that’s hard for money to buy. The desire to belong.

“The ultra wealthy are outsiders that may want to be kama’aina,” wrote Keoni808. “Since they have the kala to buy what they want, where they want, and when they want. They are here in Hawaii nei. Why? Because they can afford it.”