by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D. | Feb 22, 2019 | Featured, President's Column, Taxes, Website
The road to hell is paved with good intentions … and tax increases. In November, a proposed constitutional amendment failed in the courts, eliminating property taxes as a source of funding for the state Department of Education. Now, the Hawaii Legislature is...
by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D. | Feb 15, 2019 | Featured, President's Column, Rail, Website
Across the country, people are getting fed up with large, expensive public works projects that siphon away taxpayer funds. In January, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo canceled a plan years in the making that would have shut down New York City’s L Train for tunnel repairs....
by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D. | Feb 8, 2019 | Budget, Economy, Featured, President's Column, Socioeconomics, Taxes, Website
After watching so many State of the State addresses, I’ve learned to regard them as something more than a summary of the state’s political outlook. In fact, they’ve started to seem a lot like wish lists. The governor outlines everything his party would like to get in...
by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D. | Feb 1, 2019 | Featured, Housing, President's Column, Website
Regardless of our political differences, there are a few things most residents of Hawaii can agree on: The cost of living is high, the sunsets are beautiful, and there’s not enough housing. The difficulty isn’t identifying the problem; it’s finding a solution....
by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D. | Jan 18, 2019 | Economy, Featured, President's Column, Website
The Hawaii Legislature convened this week for its 2019 session, and the continuing decline of Hawaii’s population seemed to be one of its top agenda items. Addressing his colleagues on the opening day, Senate President Ron Kouchi talked about how his “greatest passion...
by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D. | Jan 11, 2019 | Budget, Economy, Featured, Government Waste, President's Column, Website
Talk of recession is in the air, but are Hawaii legislators listening? I wouldn’t presume to predict the future, but there have been indications that an economic downturn might be in Hawaii’s future. Gov. David Ige in his most recent budget projected state revenues...
