SALEM, Mass. -- Flying across the Pacific and the continent, I thought about the ongoing stir over Hawaii's stagnant economy. We received many letters since the publication of our special economic report, "Help Wanted." People either praised it or took issue with it, depending on whom they thought it blamed for the fix we're in. Salem’s lot
isn’t worth itI stopped for the night in this ancient town, founded in 1626, on my way to visit my family in Maine. Salem is about 12 miles from Boston's Logan Airport. The drive up Route 1A isn't as scenic as the commute from downtown Honolulu to Hawaii Kai, but it's the same distance.
Salem thrived as a colony 66 years before it became forever defined by the witch trials of 1692. In the 305 years since, it hasn't managed to put those events behind it. In fact, its tourist trade is built on such shrines as the Witch Trials Memorial and the Salem Wax Museum of Witches and Seafarers. Travelers who haven't spent the night on the red-eye from Honolulu mostly pass it by.
Witches were to blame for lots of things back then -- still-born babies, sour milk, accidents and injuries. If this was the 17th century, we could blame our economic woes on them.
Focusing blame didn't do Salem much good and it won't help Hawaii either. To get things moving again in a more competitive global economy, we shouldn't waste our time on it. We need better education, big gains in productivity and new industries, not a witch hunt.