The entire Aloha State Daily team donned our logo apparel and headed over to the Hawai‘i State Capitol on Wednesday for the big opening day festivities. We arrived nice and early and found that no one there could tell us what the plan was for the day, where to go, when things would happen.
Lines of the public formed to get into the House chamber and the Senate chamber, with people asking each other, "Is the House speaking first? Or the Senate?" Because people would like to, if it's possible, hear the opening remarks of both houses, or make a decision about which chamber to enter if they can only attend one of them.
We'd ask security and others who seemed to be in the know and get different answers. We were told the Senate would go first. We were told the House would go first. We were told, no, they're going off at the same time.
The third version ended up being the correct one, and we split up the team to cover both chambers. But anyone there alone would have to hope they got in the right line.
This is just emblematic of why Hawai‘i feels like it's on a downward slope. You get into the chamber — I opted for the House of Representatives — and you see the elected officials going through all the proper rituals and protocols. Robert's Rules of Order. The right things at the right time. A clear plan, for themselves.
And what do we invited guests — the citizens of Hawai‘i — get? Treated like an afterthought.
Look, I used to emcee really big events, a lot. When the guests arrive, you get up on a microphone and tell them what's going to happen, and when, and where, and also where the restrooms are because that's really important. You post wayfinding signs. You have your entire team trained to know the plan so they can help direct guests. This is not hard.
The Legislature has been hosting these opening day shindigs for literally decades. Why is there no sign downstairs with a timeline and a map? Why is no one on a bullhorn telling people what to expect and where to go? Why is there no map of the legislators' offices upstairs so we can quickly find the people we want to see?
This is the blue-state model in a nutshell. Insiders contend that they followed procedures, while the rest of us wander around wondering what the hell is going on.
A. Kam Napier is editor in chief of Aloha State Daily. His opinions in Pipikaula Corner are his own and not reflective of the ASD team.
For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.
A. Kam Napier can be reached at kam@alohastatedaily.com.
