Maui is a treasure—-not unlike the Napa Valley. If it weren’t for Uncle Sam we never would have had the opportunity to fall in love with Hawaii—-let alone one of the exotic “outer” islands.

It was March,1963. Seven months before President Kennedy would be assassinated. Bud break was nigh and the recession of the earlier 60’s was over. During that recession, Jim Pop never reached $10,000 in gross income. He’d moved his family up here in the late 50’s and it looked like he had failed and would have to move us all back to the city where he could get a permanent job back in advertising.

He had already made the preliminary phone calls regarding job opportunities and it appeared BBD&O would take him back. In a last ditch effort, he swallowed his pride and borrowed some money from his father to try to make it through one last year.

As the recession ended Napa Valley began to hit its stride. By March he had made $43,000 ($288,000 today). In only three months he’d made twice as much as he’d made in his first four years combined. His real estate office was a success. He wouldn’t have to trade in his cowboy hat after all.

Then Tim Meadows called—-the accountant.

Was Jim Pop aware that from here on out 60 to 90 cents out of every dollar he made would go to Uncle Sam? For years, his income had been so low that he’d barely thought about any tax implications. Now he was sure to climb into at least the 70% tax bracket. That was progressive taxation.

“You might as well take a vacation, Jim,” Tim told him. “From here on out, it all goes to the government.”

We’d never really taken a family vacation before.

So thanks to “progressive taxation” Jim Pop decided to stop working (are you paying attention Nancy and Harry) and booked passage on the Lurline—-destination Honolulu. We would be on a cruise ship, playing shuffle board, dressing for dinner in white coats and sipping drinks with umbrellas in them. We’d seen the movies. No doubt “natives” would greet us in outrigger canoes and dive for quarters, just like in the travel logues which played at Mayor Aquila’s Roxi.

Hawaii didn’t disappoint. The sun was hot, the sand was white, the water was clear and except for being forced to eat poi at the “Authentic Hawaiian Luau” and the trips to the “Hawaiian Cultural Center” it was the holiday of a lifetime. Oh yes. Girls didn’t wear “two pieces.” They wore bikinis—-something we’d heard about but never actually seen in person.

Wanting to impress those bikini clad lasses, I lathered myself in coconut oil and jumped on my surf board to paddle out and tackle the massive one and a half foot waves. Ever tried to paddle on a bar of soap?

I had a few other things to learn. Waxing the top of the board—so you won’t slide off—not the bottom—because you think, like snow skiing, the wax will make the board go faster—was one of them. Clueless then—clueless now. Some things are timeless.

History was everywhere—from Pearl Harbor to Diamond Head. It was also “Romantic.” The air was exhilarating and the breezes rejuvenating. I was a kid and I felt boundless energy. That has never changed.

Back then, only the truly wealthy went to the outer islands. There were no flights. One made it to Oahu via the Matson Lines or Pan Am and then took another ship to the “unspoiled” outer islands where cattle, sugar cane, and pineapple once flourished. That was way beyond Jim Pop’s pay scale.

The Island of Maui is almost identical in size to Napa County (727 sqmls. to 787sqmls.) with a similar population. Tourists flock to the hotels and world class restaurants.

It won’t surprise you that when we read the local paper, the year’s top stories, read like the St. Helena Star. Water, drought, traffic, parking, tourism, development, the building of a massive resort, affordable housing, locals vs. mainlanders, the loss of business and corrupt local officials dominated the news.
Like Napa, Maui is a jewel worth preserving. But how does one do it? How does one balance the competing interests? Napa and Maui aren’t alone. Nantucket, Aspen, Santa Fe, Tahoe and Carmel are just a few other destinations with the same problems.

Have none of them been solved? Or in certain locales have round abouts aided traffic? Have they figured out parking or had success with work force housing? Have they solved the water problem, made bike trails work, found ways to price goods for locals vs. tourists, developed innovative taxing structures to pay for infrastructure, created formulas for development, put in place general plans which accommodate the needs of locals and the demands of tourists? Has anyone developed a model to protect the quality of life issues which bring outliers into their areas in the first place?

My guess is somewhere, someone has figured out reasonable solutions to most of these problems. Just not all in the same place.

Rather than individual city councils attempting to re-invent the wheel, why not have a few conferences where leaders from these areas get together and share “best practices”?

It can’t be that hard. Maybe we have something to teach others. No doubt there is much we could learn.

It may seem like a good idea at the time, but there’s a reason one doesn’t lather coconut oil on his chest before he gets on a surf board. Occasionally, learning from others who know more has its upside.