Blog
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii blog offers news and commentary on a wide variety of topics related to economic freedom and individual liberty. Come back frequently to see the latest from our staff, contributors and Grassroot scholars.
Waive Jones Act for Hawaii for Hurricane Lane
Federal agencies should take precautionary steps now to better assist Hawaii residents HONOLULU, Aug. 22, 2018 >> As Hawaii waits to see what devastation Hurricane Lane may bring to its shores, Keli‘i Akina, president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, is calling...
Hawaii ranked 2nd least-free state in U.S.
Its lack of personal and economic freedom has many residents heading for greener pastures HONOLULU, Aug. 22, 2018 >> Hawaii had the undesirable distinction of ranking 49th among all 50 U.S. states in terms of personal and economic freedom, in a new national study...
Hawaii’s cost of living makes $100 worth less
It’s the question that yields the very definition of “the cost of living”: How far does your dollar go where you live, compared to other places? In Hawaii, most people know the answer: It doesn’t go far. But do you know exactly how our state stacks up against the rest...
Resolve state pension woes to ease Maui budget
The following article was originally featured Aug. 15, 2018, in The Maui News. The Employees’ Retirement System of the State of Hawaii has unfunded liabilities of almost $13 billion — a dangerous amount that threatens the retirement benefits of state and county...
Rosy assumptions could be thorny for Hawaii ERS
Hawaii’s public pension unfunded liability, conservatively estimated at almost $13 billion, is projected to be paid off by the year 2043, but that end date could drag out far longer if the investments of the state’s Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) do not perform as...
New rail taxes in our future?
With budget shortfalls a continuing part of the conversation about the Honolulu rail, one question voters are asking is: “Are there more taxes in our future?” The answer is … maybe. Representatives of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) have said...
Maui Event: Build up or build out?
Should developers in Hawaii “build up” or “build out” to help ease the housing shortage in Hawaii? Randal O’Toole, land-use regulation expert and senior fellow at the Cato Institute, says higher-density zoning (building up) might not be the solution to the housing...
Together we can resolve Hawaii’s pension crisis
You've often seen me sign off with the words “E hana kākou!” The premise behind that motto (which literally translates to “Let’s work together!”) is that, despite our differences, we must work together to make a better Hawaii. We may be from different islands, with...
Report: How to resolve Hawaii’s public pension debt crisis
Grassroot Institute publicly releases report on fixing Hawaii's pension debt crisis The independent, nonprofit think tank debuted its findings July 31 at a presentation on Maui HONOLULU, Aug. 1, 2018 >> The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii has released its new report...
Jones Act supporters nervous
We talk a lot about the Jones Act and why it’s bad for Hawaii businesses and consumers. With so much evidence showing that the Jones Act is sorely in need of modernization, one can only wonder: What are the interests propping up this archaic legislation? To answer...
Fixing Hawaii’s pension crisis
Grassroot Institute to release report on how to fix pension crisis The independent, nonprofit think tank will debut its findings July 31 at a presentation on Maui HONOLULU, July 26, 2018 >> The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii will release a new report on Tuesday, July...
Ask about the Jones Act
As the Trump administration continues its efforts to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses and the economy, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii is working to remove one of the biggest economic burdens in Hawaii — the Jones Act. Last week, the Grassroot Institute...
An omen for Honolulu rail?
How are those rail ridership projections working out for you, Puerto Rico? https://www.civilbeat.org/2018/07/what-honolulu-rail-planners-can-learn-from-puerto-rico/
Grassroot Institute gives feds input on Jones Act
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii this week responded to a request by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for public input about the controversial Jones Act, the century-old body of federal maritime regulations that restricts competition in ocean cargo shipping...
Jones Act showing its age
Work together on ‘Janus’
Government employee unions around the country are grappling with the implications of the recent Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME (the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees), and Hawaii is no exception. The Court ruled in June that...