The Hawai'i economy is humming, jobs are plentiful, government treasuries are full to bursting and, according to the latest Advertiser Hawai'i Poll, a lot of voters are feeling the glow.

The immediate task for policymakers and other leaders is to resist the urge to sit back and enjoy the good times. Now is precisely the right time, while we have the tools and wherewithal, to make tough decisions about the future.

Sound planning requires that our leaders invest today with the future in mind so that we will be well-equipped to handle any downturn in our fortunes.

For starters, we need to put even more resources — human and physical — into our education system. Lawmakers have recognized this need, with fresh dollars for school repairs and for other educational improvements.

But the job is far from done.

If we invest wisely today in our schools and universities, they will be ready to take up the slack once the next downturn arrives. But it takes more than making our schools work efficiently; they must be offering an education that aligns itself with our long-term goals and needs. In short we must be in sync with our new economic realities.

Over the years, there has too often been a disconnect between what our schools teach and what our economy needs.

A second major area of investment is in work force development. This involves the schools, of course, but it also involves training in the trades and high-tech sectors that will come to replace at least part of our tourism-dependent economy.

In this area, the smart choice is to align work force development with the P-20 curriculum plan, which seeks to integrate our education system from pre-school through college. Our community colleges have a big role to play here.

A third area is in basic infrastructure, an issue that was clearly on the minds of those optimistic folks who responded to the Hawai'i Poll. They have jobs and their economic fortunes are up, but they worry about our harbors, our sewers, our roads and our increasingly crowded landscape.

We can and must fix things today so that when money gets tight, our physical infrastructure will be in good shape.

One obvious immediate choice is to get rid of duplication of services between state and counties, which only slows the pace and quality of our infrastructure improvements. At the same time, the permitting process must be streamlined so that investors have a reasonable chance to seize opportunity when it arises.

Finally, we must keep the quality of our environment at the forefront of our discussions and planning. This is the perfect time to further protect and enhance our natural environment, a goal that seems to be easily lost when the competition for resources gets tough.

The Hawai'i Poll found the majority of those responding saying they were holding ground or actually better off financially compared with five years ago. They were almost as optimistic that they will hold on to their gains or do even better five years from now.

Those are heartening statistics. But they won't be reality unless community, business, political and education leaders actually plan today for that better tomorrow. And that planning must recognize that even in good times, we cannot simply add resources, we must aim them at where future opportunities lie. That means some activities will have to go to make room for new priorities.

Economic development funding should be at a level that allows the state to plan for its potential rather than simply managing what comes its way. It just makes sense.