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How much is too much on this island?
How many roosters per parking lot are acceptable? What about rental cars on the road, battery-powered thrill craft on the water or illegal fireworks exploding overhead during a drought?
These are the sorts of back burner questions we hope to hear candidates address this election season. Of course we need to know their stances on big-ticket issues such as housing, water and overtourism, but wouldn't it be fascinating to hear where they draw the line on roosters? Would their limit be 20 feral birds per half acre? One hundred? A thousand?
Or, fearing backlash from the chicken lobby, would they duck the issue?
"That's an interesting question," they'd say, buying time while weighing the pros and cons of answering honestly that they either love or loathe the animals. "Let me look into it and either I or my staff will get back to you."
That's the thing about politicians--they can be so sincere while dancing around an issue. It begs the question, why? This isn't the Mainland. It's not like their opponent is going to blanket the airwaves with an attack campaign.
"So-and-so is a chicken hugger!"
In debates, candidates often breeze past the actual question to spend the allotted time on subjects they would rather talk about, like grinding axes or tooting their own horn.
That's why we think all candidates should sit down together and take a test. There would be no help from aides or cheat sheets, just the knowledge rattling around their brains. The televised test would be administered SAT style, with candidates sitting at desks spaced apart on stage at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center's Castle Theater.
Under the spotlights, with yellow No. 2 pencils in hand, those seeking to run our government would fill in bubbles and sweat over essay questions. Voters could watch in real time to see how they're doing.
The test's first section would cover those big-ticket items. Candidates' answers would show how well they understand the issues and how they prioritize them. Politicians who do poorly with the facts could always make up ground in the essay portion.
The final section of the test would be a speed round titled: "How much is too much?" Without equivocation or hemming and hawing, candidates would show us where they draw the line on topics, such as the number of jobs a resident must work to make rent for their family, and how long campaign signs should stay up after an election.
The pandemic forced this island to slow down and catch its breath. In making us do with less, it brought new perspectives into what is enough and what just may be too much.