Working for a better economy, better governANCE and a better society
18 ways to get Hawaii back on its feet
This commentary was originally published in Honolulu Civil Beat, April 18, 2020. ____________ Hawaii is leading the nation in per-capita unemployment right now because of government actions intended to stop the coronavirus. According to the state Department of Labor,...
How to navigate the ‘coronavirus recession’
This commentary was originally published March 15 in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. ___________ With the coronavirus causing havoc for both the U.S. stock market and Hawaii’s tourism industry, now is not the time for state lawmakers to be increasing spending, taxes or...
Honolulu P3s could violate city debt limits
This commentary was published originally Oct. 10, 2019, in The Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Honolulu policymakers are increasingly pursuing private-public partnerships for the city’s large infrastructure projects, allegedly to introduce efficiency or good financial...
‘Affordable in perpetuity’ chokes Maui housing supply
This commentary was originally published Sept. 10, 2019, in The Maui News. Maui County residents have long suffered from a lack of affordable housing, but county officials have continually denied permits to home developers who won’t promise that the units they build...
Testimony on ‘Community Workforce Agreements’ — Bill 37
This testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii to the Honolulu City Council Committee on Budget, July 24, 2019. RE: Bill 37 (2019) — RELATING TO COMMUNITY WORKFORCE AGREEMENTS. [1] Aloha, Chair [Joey] Manahan, Vice Chair [Brandon] Elefante and...
‘Smart’ spending cap would be wise for Maui
The Maui County Council is planning to increase property taxes to balance its proposed fiscal 2020 budget, but a far better option would be to impose a “smart” spending cap that would eventually bring its spending in line with its income — without raising taxes. A...
Testimony on short-term rentals – Bill 89
May 8, 2019 To: Honolulu City Council From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii Joe Kent, Executive vice president Re: Bill 89 — Relating to Short-Term Rentals Comments Only Dear Council Members: The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii would like to offer its comments on Bill 89,...
Council busybodies should work less to help residents
Maui County Council members say they spend more than 40 hours per week on the job, and some of them want higher salaries to account for that hard work. But, like Hawaii’s late small-business guru George Mason, founding publisher of Pacific Business News, used to say,...
