Last year, I decided that 2025 would be the year I saw as much of the world as I could.
As a military kid who grew up in Oahu, Hawaii, I have a perspective that few have. While I disagree with the politics of Hawaii as much as anywhere in America, it remains the single place that I unexplainably fit in.
It is expensive to live in Oahu. The common bond is the water and the outdoors. When people are not working, they are outside, for meals or for leisure, 12 months a year. The beach, the trails, the sidewalks and parks are the cultural common spaces.
When I sat in elected office, those meetings and decisions were my life. I saw that life through a straw, and I believe I did a great job. Most politicians and bureaucrats develop a savior complex, but Alpharetta has over 60,000 residents. I did a better job managing complex problems than most people, but perhaps others did not think so.
For that reason alone, more of you should consider public service. The truth is most of the world would pay for the problems metro Atlanta has. Local government changed how I perceived other places and the decision-making process that takes place. As I get older, that perspective is something I have fallen in love with repeatedly.
America can learn from other countries about transit
In January, I had the opportunity to work in Australia. Sydney has an autonomous train that stops every four minutes and traverses the suburbs to get people to the central business district. Nobody operates the train.
How much money do we spend on public transportation in metro Atlanta? The rest of the first world is seeking autonomous high-speed rail; our leaders let us settle for bus rapid transit. While Australia cultivates autonomous trains, Atlanta struggles to implement BRT. As America’s national debt skyrockets, Australia had a national debt of $895 billion. That is not a marginal difference. It is an abyss I cannot even begin to understand. Sure, there is a population difference, but when did we settle for less as Americans?
Credit: hand
Credit: hand
In May, I noticed that a small tax was put onto the bill of every restaurant check as a health care subsidy in San Francisco. At first, my Republican self thought “the nerve of these Democrats.” But how else can your kitchen staff and food service workers pay for mandated health care? Maybe San Francisco, of all places, gets one right.
In Oahu, single-use plastics and bags are nearly obsolete. Oahu has a culture of sustainability. It is not a climate change punchline. It is an economic necessity. If Hawaii residents do not actively keep the ocean clean, their economy collapses. Does the local government in Honolulu County go too far? Of course. But they also occasionally represent values.
Perspectives and habits change out of necessity sometimes
In late June, my family went to American Samoa to see the most remote U.S. National Park. American Samoa is a loyal territory of America. It is over 2,000 miles from Australia. In every instance, it is unlike mainland America. The posted speed limit on every road throughout the islands is 25 mph. American Samoa restricts importing vehicles older than 10 years old.
It sounds crazy, but much of the land is uninhabitable. What Samoans consume must work. They do not have idle land for disabled vehicles. If you told Georgians they could not buy a car from before 2016, we would explode. But after being there, I understood their local decision.
After Independence Day, families start thinking about the school year, youth sports, activities, etc. The end of one summer is where midterm decisions get made. I would encourage all of you to see the world. When I worked in corporate America, I always flew with Delta Air Lines. When I began working for myself, I instantly became less loyal to airline miles and hotel points. Brand loyalty can be a limiting mindset. Going places and seeing things are exercises in flexibility.
My politics are the same as they have always been, but when places make decisions that make you scratch your head, wonder why.
America is an amazing place. But the world is full of perspective. Something else happens when you leave home. You lose your political ideology for a while. You learn new concepts. Your sharp elbows become sanded down and rounded. It is not the social media posts and the bickering between parties that exist to divide.
It is the non-metaphorical real world; it is the actual world, with 8 billion people. Georgia is wonderful; it is home for now. But the rest of the world is equally wonderful.
Ben Burnett is a business owner and former member of the Alpharetta City Council. He is a Republican.
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