Photo by Charley Myers
By Keli'i Akina
It looks like we could be on the verge of a new tourism policy for Hawaii.
Legislators have been dickering this past week over how much money the state tourism...
By Joe Kent
Hawaii has a record-high state budget surplus this year of $4 billion, and here are some of the ways our legislators currently are planning to spend it:
>> $250 million on tax rebates of $300 for each taxpayer who earns less than $100,000, and $300...
Many of the most draconian measures of Hawaii’s coronavirus lockdown measures have been lifted, but it still is important that we reform the state’s emergency-management law, according to Sandy Ma, executive director of Common Cause Hawaii, and Malia Blom Hill, policy director for the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.
By Keli'i Akina
Imagine your brother was facing a bad financial situation.
Things looked bleak for a while, and the family came together to help him out. Eventually, he got through it, thanks in part to generosity from his siblings. Now,...
By Keli'i Akina
Before our legislators vote on whether to increase Hawaii’s minimum wage, I encourage them to ask three very important questions:>> Who are we trying to help?>> Who would actually be affected?>> Is the minimum wage the best way to help low-income families?Clearly,...
The measure seeks relief from the law for oil imports from U.S. sources, because otherwise they are too expensive, which is why Hawaii is so dependent on foreign oil in the first place
HONOLULU, April 1, 2022 >> The Maui County Council unanimously approved today a resolution...
Photo by Charley Myers
By Keli'i Akina
We are finally breathing a little more freely.
As of Saturday, March 26, 2022, Hawaii’s mask mandate was officially lifted, two years after Gov. David Ige first declared a COVID-19...
Our latest tale of legislative drama starts from diapers.
Literally.
House Bill 2414 in this year’s legislative session proposes to enact a general excise exemption for diapers.
The bill recites that diapers are a large expense for Hawaii...
By Keli'i Akina
When you’re a hammer, the saying goes, everything looks like a nail. And when you’re a fan of big government, regulation is the go-to solution to every problem.
That may be why so many of our policymakers try...
By Keli'i Akina
It has been a whirlwind week at the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. But I’m not complaining.
International upheaval in Europe has brought significant attention to the Jones Act, which has long been a factor in Hawaii’s high cost...
