Wealth & Money Quote by Neil Abercrombie

Abercrombie’s line is doing what seasoned politicians do best: turning a dry question of leases into a moral indictment with a single sarcastic word. “Worthless” lands in scare quotes isn’t just a factual claim; it’s a finger pointed at the old colonial logic that devalued Indigenous land until it became useful to someone else. The quote frames the airport not as neutral infrastructure but as an engine that converts stigma into revenue, then asks who gets to cash the check.

The specific intent is to make the state’s position feel not merely bureaucratic but opportunistic. By noting that the airport sits on “ceded lands” and that “lease money was paid,” Abercrombie acknowledges legality while challenging legitimacy. It’s a classic move: concede the paper trail, then underline the ethical gap. The punch comes in the reversal. Land deemed “worthless” becomes priceless the moment it can host a strategic asset, and suddenly the state is eager to collect. That pivot exposes how value is socially assigned, then institutionalized.

Context matters. In Hawaii, debates over ceded lands are never just accounting; they’re proxies for sovereignty, historical dispossession, and whether the state is a steward or a beneficiary of contested holdings. The airport is a particularly sharp example because it’s a symbol of modern Hawaii’s economy and mobility, built atop unresolved claims. Abercrombie’s subtext: if the state profits from the transformation of Indigenous land into public infrastructure, it can’t pretend the past is settled simply because a lease exists.