Hawaii Pacific Export Council

I was born in Shanghai in 1961 and grew up during the Cultural Revolution. During my childhood, I saw my family lose our house. My grandfather, who studied medicine in England, committed suicide after he was wrongly accused of being a counterrevolutionary and a foreign spy.

Those were the worst of times.

Since the Cultural Revolution ended in the late 1970s, however, I have witnessed unimaginable progress in China. Changes that few ever thought possible have occurred in a single generation. A communist government that had no ties to the West has evolved into a more open government eager to join the international community.

A state-controlled economy has morphed into a market economy, greatly raising people’s standard of living. It’s clear that the majority of the Chinese people enjoy much fuller, more abundant lives today than 30 years ago. Though much remains to be done, the Chinese government has made rapid progress in opening up and trying to be part of the international community.

Last month I went to China and spent four weeks visiting Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong and Chengdu. The people I met and spoke with are proud and excited about the Beijing Games. They believe that the Olympics are a wonderful opportunity to showcase modern China to the rest of the world. Like many Americans, most Chinese people are disturbed by the recent events in Tibet. But after watching the scenes of violence and arson by the rioters, some believe that the government is doing the right thing in cracking down to restore order.

The Olympic torch just passed through California. In a resolution criticizing China, Chris Daly, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, said that demonstrating against the torch relay would “provide the people of San Francisco with a lifetime opportunity to help 1.3 billion Chinese people gain more freedom and rights.” To his credit, Mayor Gavin Newsom did not sign Daly’s resolution.

This statement could not be further from reality. For one thing, the Chinese are a proud people. They want freedom and greater rights, but they know they must fight for them from within. They know that no one can grant them freedom and rights from afar. The stigma of Western imperialism and the Opium Wars also remains a strong reminder of the past, and Chinese people do not want their domestic policies to be dictated by outside powers. They also do not want the United States to boycott the opening ceremonies of the Games. The U.S. boycott of the 1980 Games in Moscow and the Soviet boycott of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles accomplished nothing. A U.S. boycott of the opening ceremonies in Beijing would be counterproductive for relations between the two countries.

For decades, anti-China human rights groups in Washington have spent millions of dollars denouncing China. To many Chinese, it seems that this lobby is the only voice that’s acceptable or newsworthy in the U.S. media and to the U.S. government. But times are changing. We need to be open-minded and farsighted. We need to make more friends than enemies. Remember what a little ping-pong game did for Sino-U.S. relations in the 1970s? Let’s celebrate the Olympics for what the Games are meant to be — a bridge for friendship, not a playground for politics.

Joan Chen is an actress and director. She became a U.S. citizen in 1989. She wrote this commentary for The Washington Post.

http://www.hkchcc.org/hongkong-china.htm

Seeking Out a SCORE Business Mentor - SCORE Hawaii
By: D.J. Halcro

Often the smartest people are the ones who know they don’t know it all. Like it or not, a business of your own exposes you to duties, situations, problems and opportunities you may never before have faced. Is it time for you to get a mentor?

A SCORE mentor is an experienced business adviser who is willing to share information and insights on a regular basis. If you worked in a corporate environment before going out on your own, you’re probably familiar with the concept of a senior manager in the organization mentoring a younger one. Some companies have even formalized their mentoring program. In your own business, however, of necessity your mentor will come from outside.

If you are seeking a mentor, it makes sense to start by looking for experienced business professionals in the same business or industry as your own company. Ideally the one you want will already know something about your work and management style. Over your entrepreneurial career, you may even have a succession of mentors.

What does a SCORE mentor contribute to your growth as a business owner? First of all, he or she helps speed up your learning in vital areas of your business. This individual is not afraid to share personal experiences with you as well as expertise. But there are other advantages. A mentor:

helps you avoid isolation, by becoming a “trusted other” in which to confide your uncertainties as well as your breakthroughs
lends perspective, reminding you to “keep your eye on the doughnut and not the hole”
supplies the candid, honest feedback you may not be getting from your employees
provides moral support for the tough decisions you have to make in your business
Not so very far down the road, you will be ready to mentor individuals who are where you were only a year or two ago. You may be pleasantly surprised to see how this accelerates your own learning and growth as an entrepreneur. You then become a contributor to the business community in the same way your mentor was to you.

In short, mentoring is a relationship that will pay dividends for both you and the individual who mentors you. Finding the right mentor could be one of the most important ways you help your business to succeed. SCORE is a great resource for you.

To learn more about the mentoring and other training topics, contact SCORE “Counselors to America ’s Small Business.” More than 10,500 volunteer business counselors nation wide donate their time to consult with and mentor entrepreneurs. SCORE is a nonprofit association that provides free and confidential business counseling to America ’s small business owners. Call 808-547-2700 for a referral to the SCORE Hawaii Chapter or find a mentor online at www.scorehawaii.org. We are here to assist.

January 19, 2008

Dear Friend:

I’ve always believed that the prosperity of our Hawai’i and country rests largely on the
shoulders of our small businesses. To that end, I advocated for Hawai’i’s 130,000-plus small
businesses in our state legislature and for small businesses nationally as a member of
Congress, where I served throughout my tenure on the U.S. House Committee on Small
Business.

Returning home last year, I accepted an invitation to serve as a director of Small Business
Hawaii, a private, independent, nonprofit association of 2,000 small businesses dedicated to
enhancing the business climate and private enterprise opportunities throughout Hawai’i for
the benefit of all citizens. Recently, SBH (www.smallbusinesshawaii.com) hosted a very
successful 32nd annual conference, at which I spoke.

The title of my speech (text provided below) was “Hawai’i Politics 2008: Will Small Business
Play?” Whether you’re in small business or not, I hope you’ll choose, as I urged Hawai’i’s
small businesses, the fullest possible personal engagement in the crucial discussions and
decisions we all face in this Election ‘08.

With aloha,

Ed Case

Hawai’i Politics 2008: Will Small Business Play?

Small Business Hawai’i Annual Conference
January 9, 2008

Aloha and Happy New Year. And welcome to Election Year ’08!

Yes, from the moment you woke up January 1st clear through Inauguration Day January 20th
next will be one long election year. And thus far the theme is, as it should be, change.

I’ve been thinking about change myself. For example:

-a year ago I was a U.S. Congressman; today I’m the cool-down act for Famous Amos and
the warm-up act for Gene Simmons.
-a year ago I was in government and knew it all; today I’m not in government and see it all.
-and a year ago I thought small business’ representation in government had only up to go;
today … well, what do you think?

Yesterday I was talking with an old friend and colleague from my state legislative days. A
Democrat, he could not be considered a friend of small business. But he’s come to believe
that change is the only way forward for our Hawai’i.

We were talking about the presidential campaign, about the national yearning for change.
And he stopped midstream and asked me this simple question: if the rest of our country is so
ready, why are we so resistant? If we rate our national leadership so low and want new
directions there, why, with similar ratings of our state leadership, don’t we here?

The title of this year’s conference – Hawai’i’s Economic Tipping Point – states what we may
not consider obvious: that we have a choice; that we can collectively find our own new
directions. And the title of my talk – Will Small Business Play? – asks Hawai’i’s 130,000-plus
small businesses – you – whether you’re ready to make the personal commitment necessary
to make that happen.

Perhaps your first question is: why should you care? Why do you have to take your valuable
time to be an agent of change? Here are five reasons.

First, your government does matter to your business. In my almost three decades in
business and two decades in politics, I’ve observed that Hawai’i government and small
business consider themselves mutually exclusive: government believes what it does won’t
really impact small business, and small business believes if it just lays low government won’t
affect it. Obviously wrong on both counts: from taxes to regulation and beyond, our
government can make or break small business.

Second, your government does not know small business. The fact is that most decision
makers statewide simply don’t have the personal experience to understand what drives and
impacts small business, much less advocate for your needs; they have other backgrounds,
priorities and constituencies. What you want won’t just happen automatically.

Third, big business is not your advocate. They have the expertise and resources to
manipulate the system toward specific benefits such as targeted tax credits and spending
and statutory protectionism, and they generally won’t risk those benefits and insider
influence to demand the kind of broad based business climate improvements that will help
you.

Fourth, tough choices that will hurt you if made wrong are coming. Our leaders have had it
easy for half a decade; they’ve been able to give everyone most of what they want in the
short term and kick structural long term problems down the road. As in the mid-1990s, those
days are over; the coming years will force those tough decisions, and at present small
business is not at the table.

Fifth, you are not alone. Too often we don’t act individually if we’re not comfortable we’re
acting collectively. And it’s always puzzled me why, as by far one of the largest segments of
our population, small business owners and their employees and beneficiaries don’t capitalize
on the power of your collective efforts. You will not be alone.

If this all makes sense, then what’s the root challenge and central opportunity?
Fundamentally, the challenge is citizen (small business) withdrawal from the political process,
and the opportunity is full engagement.

The current withdrawal is first from voting. The basics are well-known; voting is declining
precipitously. For example, in Hawai’i’s 1992 general election 82% of registered voters voted;
in ’06, 53%. And that was after about 33% of eligible citizens didn’t even register, so actual
voters were about one-third of eligible citizens.

One-third of our citizens always vote, one-third don’t vote, and one-third vote depending.
Perhaps one wouldn’t view that as a significant problem if the one-third voting was
representative of all citizens, or, more directly for today’s purposes, of small business. But is
it? In my observation, not close generally, and certainly not with respect to you.

But why? Yes, it is in part about ease of voting, and there are many improvements we must
make. But I believe it’s much deeper and more basic than that; I believe it’s mainly about the
lack of choice.

Most citizens vote when they’re asked to choose among candidates; they don’t when there’s
no choice to make. Just look at the turnout in presidential versus non-presidential years.
Here in Hawai’i, we saw substantially higher statewide turnout in the highly contested
governor races of ’98 and ’02 and my own U.S. Senate race of ’06. And it compounds either
way: more candidates, more choice, more voting, more representation, better decisions;
fewer … apathy, misrepresentation, centralization of power and control, withdrawal.

We all need more candidates, and you – small business – especially so. There are over a
hundred seats open throughout Hawai’i this election year, ranging from two U.S. House
seats to most of our legislature and county councils and beyond. Just a few hundred more
candidates could materially change Hawai’i and, if they are oriented to small business issues,
could materially advance the prosperity of small business statewide. The question for you is:
will you do it; will you find and back someone who will?

I’d like to close by highlighting what I believe is the most important single vote we in Hawai’i
can cast for our Hawai’i this year, and that is a yes vote on convening a constitutional
convention. If approved, the convention itself would occur later, and would afford us all a
long-overdue opportunity, as we celebrate two generations of statehood, to reformulate the
foundations of our next generation together. But it won’t happen without your affirmative
yes vote, a vote that, in and of itself, will express your own yearning for a better way
forward.

We are indeed at a tipping point at which the individual and collective efforts of Hawai’i small
business can chart a different path not only for you but for all of Hawai’i. But you have to
choose to play. I truly look forward to working with you!

Mahalo and aloha.

Ed Case