Since 1974, Hawaii has required all employers to provide relatively generous health care benefits to any employee who works 20 hours a week or more. If health care legislation passes in Congress, the rest of the country may barely catch up.

And Hawaii has almost no high paying businesses other than the military base. It also has a disproportionate number of people living at or below the poverty line. No businesses want to locate there because of all the mandated social costs. My S.O. lived in Hawaii.. she is paid much better on the mainland than she was in Hawaii and she mentioned that jobs are much more plentiful here. Many Hawaiians are relocating to the mainland because of the jobs situation in Hawaii.