It's an unfortunate fact of life in Hawaii that our political economy is largely influenced by political patronage and advocacy monopolies. But this domination is not inevitable as long as we're willing to make changes. 

We need more watchdogs like the Consumer Advocate, and we need more multi-disciplinary planning discussions.

The observation that life-affecting decisions are being driven by attorneys and engineers is not one that only applies to energy.  It also applies to transportation, to the environment, and is reflective of similar technocratic decision-making in spheres like education and budget planning. Where are the scientists? Where are the teachers? Where are the planners?

We should attempt to get decision-makers paired with other occupations and geographic backgrounds more often. We need less group-think and want more collaboration.