Gov. to Hawaii: Tear Down This Clothesline

Travel Blog  •  Pam Mandel  •  02.20.09 | 12:26 PM ET

From the Pacific Business News:

A similar bill, jokingly referred to as the “right to dry bill” passed the Legislature in 2008 but was vetoed by Gov. Linda Lingle.

House Bill 1273, introduced by several environmentally conscientious House representatives, includes language that says a residential board may implement “reasonable restrictions with regard to the placement of the clothesline so long as the restrictions do not prohibit clotheslines altogether.”

Ah, the politics of a tourism-driven economy. I’m going to stick my neck out and guess that the reason the gov vetoed the bill was hefty lobbying about aesthetics from resort developers and tourism boosters. “All that underwear is going to wreck our view!”

Confession: I’ve shot photos in any number of European towns of laundry drying on the line. The Italians seem to do a nice job making laundry aesthetic. I’d be hard pressed not to be giddy at the sight of a line full of Aloha shirts flapping in the Hawaiian breeze.


Pam Mandel is a freelance writer and photographer from Seattle, Washington. Her work has appeared in a variety of print, radio, and web publications and she's contributed to two guidebooks, one on British Columbia and one on Hawaii. She plays the ukulele, has an internal beacon that is surprisingly capable of locating the best baked goods in town, almost any town, and speaks German with a Styrian accent. Learn more on her personal blog at Nerd's Eye View.


3 Comments for Gov. to Hawaii: Tear Down This Clothesline

Michael Yessis 02.20.09 | 2:48 PM ET

I agree, Pam. I’d love to see those Aloha shirts fly.

Kaleolani G. 02.21.09 | 7:17 AM ET

While I agree that people should be allowed to put up clotheslines to dry their clothes, I disagree with why you think the Governor vetoed the bill. I believe it had more to do with the government regulating home owner’s associations rights to their own rules. They have rules they abide by and if you don’t like them you can vote to have them changed. I believe that’s what the Governor would rather have happen, then to have government tell them they have to change it. Then it could get into other problems with government then being able to tell them they have to allow people to post things on their lawn or allow everyone to use different house colors, against the associations rules.

Pam Mandel 02.21.09 | 12:42 PM ET

Kaleolani G - I did read something similar to your analysis elsewhere, but I’m suspicious enough of government to wonder what other motivations might be at work. I do think two things are weird - that clotheslines are legislated against and that government is spending time making legislation related to clotheslines.

Ours is in the backyard, not visible from the face, but our neighbors have to look at our laundry flapping in the breeze. They don’t seem to mind.

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