This Labor Day, the working people of Honolulu need relief, not a gilded spectacle. We deserve leaders who take our struggles seriously, and who treat the cost of living like the crisis it is.

When we have money to fund tax credits for powerful film studios, but no money to invest in tax credits for our keiki, the lines between fictional exploitation and the dismal reality of life start to feel blurred. Are we not, in fact, living The White Lotus?