I will never forget my first time in Hawaii.
It was in the late 1990s, I was covering the University of Michigan sports programs, and the basketball team and football team happened to be playing there in the same week.
Naturally, I did all the touristy things, and my new wife joined me about a week later. We struck up a conversation with the waiter at dinner one night. He asked us how our stay was. At one point I remember my wife saying that it was like paradise, and it must be something else to live here full time.
"Ah," he said, "but paradise has a price."
More than a quarter-century later, I guess we now know what it is.
Paradise costs approximately $50 for ages 16 and over.
At least that's what Hawaii's governor is proposing in a series of new bills that he has dubbed the 'Paradise Passport.' Every incoming traveler (aged 16 and up) who visited "a state-owned park, beach, forest, trail, or other recreational natural areas" would have to pay the $50 fee.
I am astonished by this governance. I am all for the state making a share of money, but as anyone who has visited knows, Hawaii is expensive. The taxes on lodging and food and other items are almost outrageous.
Moreover, the biggest question in my mind is, "Should we be forced to pay for 'paradise?'
Hawaii is fabulous, don't get me wrong. In terms of having everything there, such as the beach and historic sites like Pearl Harbor, and more, it has it all. However, if a family of four with two teenagers decides to visit, I'm not sure I want to pay an extra $200. Pricing is a major concern for travelers right now as costs have skyrocketed.
Again, it's less a financial thing and more of a philosophical question. To me, it comes down to this: Should we have to pay to use our own country?
Something smacks me as being very over the top just to pay for the privilege to use the beach, just because it is located in 'Paradise.'
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