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The Myth of Demon Deflation!
By Professor Ken Schoolland
As the recession deepens in Hawaii and across the nation, academics and journalists have joined in panic chorus to warn of the dreaded economic monster: DEFLATION! What's this? Falling prices. Is it bad? An army of lobbyists will try to persuade the Legislature and Congress that it is very bad. They will press lawmakers to prevent deflation with price controls, subsidies, and regulation.
Under the title "The Growing Threat of Deflation," Chris Isadore explained the alarm on CNNMoney.com saying, "The biggest problem with deflation is that when businesses need to continually cut prices to spur sales, they eventually respond by cutting production. That results in growing job losses, and could, in the worst case scenario, even cause a depression." (12-18-08)
I don't buy it.
(To read more, click here.)
GRASSROOT PERSPECTIVE
One America: An Open Letter to Our New President
By Jere Krischel
Dear President Obama,
With your inauguration behind us, I would like to share with you one very specific hope (and a corollary fear) I have. Although I did not support your candidacy, throughout the Presidential campaign, I greatly admired your rhetoric on race and race relations. As the first "hapa" U.S. President, you and I share the experience of struggling with the idea of whether or not we were "half" this or "half" that, or a "whole" something else. I believe the answer we both arrived at is that we are "whole" people. beyond "black" and "white." We are both simply "human."
One of the primary reasons I opposed your candidacy was your support for the Akaka Bill, aka the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act. You spoke on the floor before a cloture vote on the Akaka Bill put forth by both Dan Inouye and Dan Akaka, and acting as the "third Hawaiian Senator," you spoke in strong support of their bill. This, despite the fact the Akaka Bill promises to divide our homeland, the State of Hawaii, into two governments solely on the basis of race.
(To read more, click here.)
True Lies: Hawaii's Government Employees' Retirement System
By George L. Berish
As a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, I know almost everything taxpayers are told about the Hawaii Government Employees' Retirement System is false.
One lie is that employee benefits depend on, or are affected by, the $10 billion of assets earmarked by the state for their payment. In truth, the benefits are legally guaranteed by the taxpayers' full faith and credit. Losing the entire $10 billion would not cost any employee or retiree a single penny of benefits already earned, or a single penny of future retiree cost of living allowances (COLAs). The Unions even claim current employees would retain the right to earn more benefits under the current formula for life, and the Attorney General's silence blesses that claim. Instead, taxpayers would make up every lost dollar, continue annual contributions for new benefits as they are earned, and even make up any amount by which future earnings fall short of 8 percent thereafter.
(To read more, click here.)
FRESH PERSPECTIVE
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii created the Fresh Perspective column exclusively to publish the work of high school and college students. In addition to work appearing on GRIH’s website, their work is also submitted to Hawaii Reporter. Submissions are welcome from any interested young adult, and we will publish work that is clearly written and grammatically sound. For earlier Fresh Perspectives please click here. Please contact tom@grassrootinstitute.org for more info.
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GRASSROOT REVIEWS
Have you read a good book or viewed a good DVD on liberty or a free market subject recently? Let your follow GRIH members know and share your views with 'Grassroot Reviews'. Please send your book or movie review
to tom@grassrootinstitute.org.
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GRASSROOT TV
Grassroot TV at YouTube.com features videos relating to public issues in Hawaii and beyond, as well as statements from the Institute on various concerns facing our communities. We've loaded the library at the online TV station with new videos from The Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute, Americans for Tax Reform and more.
Please check out our News Conference video from the recent Beacon Hill /Grassroot Institute press conference releasing the new Akaka Bill Economic study.
Please visit 'Grassroot TV' at http://www.youtube.com/user/GrassrootHawaii.
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'GRASSROOT INSIGHT' PODCASTS
In our "Grassroot Insight" podcast series, GRIH Director of Communications Tom McAuliffe interviews VIPs, community leaders and special guests from the liberty and freedom movement. The audio interviews are available for download to your iPod or for listening via the Internet. This issue features Suzanne Marinelli of the State Legislature's "Public Access Room" discussing how citizens can participate in the legislative process, and GRIH Communications Director Tom McAuliffe speaking on the #1 morning radio talk show in Hawaii, "The Rick Hamada Show," about the new BHI/GRIH Akaka Bill economic study.
Click here to listen to Suzanne Marinelli of "Public Access Room".
Click here to listen to GRIH's Director of Communications Tom McAuliffe.
Please check out our other recent podcasts with:
• Hawaii attorney and activist Bill Burgess on the legal fight to keep Hawaii free and equal
• Paul Bachman from the Beacon Hill Institute on the new Akaka Bill study
• Senior Legislative Analyst Jack McHugh from www.michiganvotes.org
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LIBERTY EVENTS
Information on the Institute’s upcoming events, research publication dates and speaking engagements are always available and updated via our website. The Grassroot Institute has regular 'Members and Invited Guests only' meetings as well as public meetings on Oahu, Maui, The Big Island, and Kauai. Please contact our office for more details.
Family Brain Gain Seminars
Our movie nights are becoming very popular! At our most recent one, we had 35 adults and about 20 home schooled students -- with eight being prospective new GRIH members! The Acton Institute DVD "The Call of the Entrepreneur" was shown, followed by a presentation and discussion with local entrepreneurs Jim Wilkinson of Wilkinson Shake Roofing and Brandon Hughes from Cartridge World. Jim and Brandon, both born and raised in our Hawaii, described how they started their businesses and detailed major events and turning points. Jim's first job was the roof of his father's house 37 years ago (It is still water tight!). These presentations gave us perspectives on what it was like to start up a business decades ago and what it was like to start one only five years ago, and also on what it takes to continue to run a successful business.
"The program was very entertaining, yet profound. Both Jim and Brandon expressed appreciation that Acton Institute had made the effort to present the entrepreneur in a positive light and in such an excellent manner. They both found that a refreshing change to the conventional wisdom," said Dick Rowland, Founder of the Grassroot Institute. "This was a program that promoted the American Dream. We hope it perpetuated it and we're so sorry you missed it!" Each attendee also got a free copy of two important books, The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek and The Law by Frédéric Bastiat.
Our special thanks to Trinity Church and Pastor Todd Capen for absolutely essential and marvelous support. And as for Acton Institute, this is our second showing of one of your films -- thank you!
Join us for our February Brain Gain Movie Night!
Thursday, February 12,
7:00pm - 8:45 pm
Trinity Christian Church and School
875 Auloa Rd., Kailua, HI 96734
This month features reports by popular ABC News Correspondent John Stossel on government and international trade. In his decades as a reporter, Stossel has received numerous honors and awards. Stossel has also written two books, Give Me a Break and Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity. Stossel practices advocacy journalism, often challenging "conventional wisdom". The format for this evening will be short clips of his reports interspersed with lively discussion. You are welcome to invite friends and family. Please RSVP to Lora Burbage (LLburbage@yahoo.com) since space may be limited.
If you have any questions please call
Lora Burbage (772-0787) or Dick Rowland (864-1776). Donations to help defer expenses will be gratefully accepted.
Mahalo to Trinity Christian Church and School for their help and support!
"Li Zhao's The Foolish Things Idea Exchange"
Date: Sunday, February 8, 2009
Speaker: Rubellite Kawena Kinney Johnson
Topic: The Akaka Bill
Time: 6:00pm - 8:00 pm
Cost: $5 monthly (or $40 annual) membership donation. Heavy pupus.
Location: The Schoolland's, 94-1097 Alelo St., Waipahu, HI
RSVP by Feb. 7, 2009 to 808-676-0825 or lzs66@hotmail.com
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LIBERTY NEWS
 BHI And GRIH Release New Report
The Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University in Boston, MA and GRIH teamed up to create and recently release a new study on the economic impact of the Akaka Bill. A press conference was held recently with two TV stations, The Associated Press, and newspapers in attendance. "The Economic Impact of the Akaka Bill: Unintended Consequences for Hawaii" estimates that the Akaka Bill could cost the state up to $690 million per year in lost revenue. Speaking from BHI was Paul Bachman, Director of Research, and Sarah Glassman, Director of Operations. The new study was delivered to every Hawaii state legislator and selected members of Congress in Washington, D.C. The report was widely covered in local media, and even appeared on MSNBC.com. Please see a video of the press conference at Grassroot TV. The Beacon Hill Institute engages in rigorous economic research producing readable analyses of current public policy issues for voters, taxpayers, opinion leaders, and policy makers. Please visit www.beaconhill.org.
-GIR-
2nd Annual Sammies
 The Sam Adams Alliance is calling all government watchdogs and offering them a cash purse totaling $40,000! The Alliance's 2nd Annual Sammies Awards now have expanded opportunities to win. The Sammies were created to reward the hard and often unappreciated work of bloggers, filmmakers, open records champions, and other government watchdogs committed to advancing freedom and economic liberty. Awards include:
Best Video: $5,000 cash prize
Best State/Local-level Blogger: $5,000 cash prize
Sunshine Award: $5,000 cash prize
Modern-Day Sam Adams: $10,000 cash prize
Tea Party Award: $5,000 cash prize
Plus four brand new categories for 2009!
A red carpet awards dinner ceremony will be held in April. Winners will be flown to Chicago to receive their well-deserved honors. For entry, specific details and last year's winners, please visit www.samadamsalliance.org/sammies. Entry deadline is February 23, 2009.
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10,000 Activists in '09
The national school choice movement has launched an aggressive campaign to recruit 10,000 new activists. Coordinated by the nonprofit Alliance for School Choice, the School Choice Works campaign will promote the benefits of school vouchers and tax credit scholarship programs. The effort will coincide with the start of 2009 state legislative sessions.
(To read more, click here.)
Heritage/ALEC Founder Passes
 Conservative activist Paul Weyrich passed away in December. A leader with vision and initiative, Weyrich gave a voice to a growing conservative movement in America as a co-founder and the first president of the Heritage Foundation, founder of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), and later as chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation. He went on to found or co-found numerous other conservative organizations essential to spreading a broad-based, principles-grounded, grassroots-driven conservative movement. He may well be remembered as the man who gave social conservatives a seat at the policy table. Weyrich coined the term "moral majority" and broadened the mainstream conservative movement by bringing millions of devout believers into the political process. He will be sorely missed by all who care about America's future. Weyrich, 66, is survived by his wife, Joyce, five children, and several grandchildren.
-GIR-
Myth Busting
The Second Annual International Conference on Climate Change has been announced by The Heartland Institute. More than 70 scientists, economists, and climate experts with a skeptical view of climate change alarmism will gather in New York City March 8-10, 2009 to discuss why they believe the global warming crisis has been canceled—and whether a crisis ever really existed in first place. In preparation for the event, a new audio podcast has been created by the folks at Heartland featuring Lord Christopher Monckton, who illustrates how a small, well-organized, politically active, and highly motivated group of individuals has managed to peddle the scientific fraud of global warming to gullible and opportunistic politicians. Monckton is chief policy advisor to the Science and Public Policy Institute and former science advisor to the British Prime Minister. You can hear the podcast here and visit the conference website here.
GRIH will be sending representatives to the conference, and local events are also planned. See you in New York!
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Grassroot Media Hits
CBO No Go
Grassroot member Jimmy Kuroiwa of Honolulu was one of 15 plaintiffs in the landmark Arakaki v. Lingle case in 2002. He helped to challenge the existence of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs as a state-supported "race-based" institution. He recently took OHA to task in the Star-Bulletin with a Letter to the Editor entitled "OHA not being honest about Akaka Bill costs".
"[Crystal] Kua attempted to misinform us, but we all know that the Congressional Budget Office provides cost estimates to the federal government on any legislation. The cost estimates of the Akaka Bill by the CBO do not include the millions or even billions to the state of Hawaii and the four county governments, as the Beacon Hill Institute and the Grassroot Institute pointed out."
Correcting OHA
Grassroot Institute Chairman of the Board Jeff Crawford had a Letter to the Editor in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin recently. In "Any costs from bill should be repaid", he addresses OHA's mischaracterizations of the new GRIH/BHI study on the economic impacts of the Akaka Bill.
"If it is true, as Crystal Kua of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs states in her letter to the editor, that the Beacon Hill Study's estimates of the Akaka Bill costs are "misinformation," then why not put language into the Akaka Bill that provides for reimbursement to the state of Hawaii and her citizens if financial losses are suffered due to the bill's passage? Shouldn't the U.S. government pay for the consequences of passing this bill?"
Transfer of Wealth
GRIH intern Kristian Somi had a Letter to the Editor in Hawaii's third largest newspaper, the Big Island's Hawaii Tribune. In "Bad bailout plan", he writes about the recent state economic stimulus measures.
"Despite some spillover effects, the $1.8 billion stimulus package for Hawaii would merely be a transfer of wealth from all taxpayers to a few special interests -- such as politicians, union bosses and the construction industry. While some companies may experience a miniscule, temporary financial boost from these pork-barrel construction projects, the vast majority of people and businesses will see more economic harm than good as jobs disappear due to higher future tax obligations from deficit spending."
Doctor Knows Best
GRIH Board of Directors member Dr. John Corboy, president of the Hawaiian Eye Center, recently had an article at Hawaii Reporter asking, "How Many Superintendents Does it Take to Run Hawaii's School System?"
"...the Hawaii Department of Education (DOE) wants more money for administrators' salaries, because $100 to $150 thousand per year is not adequate to attract talent but that one of the reasons costs are soaring is that bureaucrats never spend our money wisely. As an example, we have for 21 (count 'em!) of these underpaid school superintendents."
And Finally...
Hawaii Reporter recently published several news releases from GRIH and articles from Grassroot Institute members. Please visit their site at http://www.hawaiireporter.com. In addition, the nationally recognized and popular site Townhall.com has recently picked up for national distribution many of the articles you read in Grassroot in Review.
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FAVORITE GRASSROOT BLOGS
Join the conversation and express your views! Use the links below to access these fascinating blogs.
Dash of Calabash
http://dashofcalabash.grassrootinstitute.org/
The Mystery of Hawaiian History
http://historymystery.grassrootinstitute.org/
Hawaii Sunshine Chronicles
http://www.sunshinechronicles.wordpress.com
Read what others have written and add your own thoughts. See you there!
-GIR-
NEED A GOOD SPEAKER?
From taxation to education and health care to transportation, the Institute’s staff is excited to address your group regarding the important policy issues facing all citizens of Hawaii. Call (808) 591-9193 to check availability and make arrangements, or e-mail us at tom@grassrootinstitute.org.
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SUPPORT GOOD PUBLIC POLICY IN HAWAII!
Please help us continue to provide independent research on issues important to Hawaii! The Grassroot Institute operates only through the generous donations of friends and benefactors from around Hawaii and the United States, and even the smallest of donations can be used to accomplish great things for the future of our beloved state.
Will you please consider becoming a supporter today? Donations are tax deductible and it's quick, easy and secure. Click here!
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Grassroot Institute is a proud member of the State Policy Network, Townhall.com,
Americans for Tax Reform, The Sam Adams Alliance and more.
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