Photo by Charley Myers Another year, another attempt to reform the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Last year, the question was whether the Legislature should defund the HTA, which was established in 1998 to promote tourism to the islands. This year, some legislators have put forth a bill, SB1522, that would replace the
The following commentary was published originally in the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle on March 17, 2023. __________ Hawaii is a highly sought-out vacation destination. People all over the world spend their whole lives dreaming of visiting our paradise in the middle of the Pacific. However, the reality for those of us who
Wednesday was Gov. Josh Green’s 100th day in office, and I think it’s safe to say his honeymoon period with voters and the Legislature has come to an end. When he took office in January, the state was looking at a budget surplus of about $2.6 billion, and there was a lot of excitement
Photo from Gov. Josh Green’s Twitter post When a new policy proposal gets a heavy push from a popular new governor, people sometimes forget to ask the hard questions. That’s what the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii is for. On Wednesday, Gov. Josh Green took to Twitter to lobby for his
You shouldn’t have to win on “American Idol” to afford to move back home to Hawaii. But that’s the way it’s looking for more and more former Hawaii residents who felt they had to leave the state because of its high taxes and high cost of basic necessities such as
Authorities on good government will point out that corruption isn’t the only explanation for our frustration with local and state governance. Sometimes, the problems we see can be chalked up to inefficiency or incompetence. But no matter what the issue, the antidote is the same: transparency. That was the point
For months, my colleagues and I at the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii have been advising Hawaii policymakers that now is not the time to raise taxes. We have urged them instead to cut taxes, cut spending and use the state’s projected $10 billion budget to ease the financial stress on
Gov. Josh Green’s big tax plan, the “Green Affordability Plan,” promises to put $300 million back into taxpayers’ pockets, making it one of the biggest tax reductions in Hawaii history. But can the GAP live up to that promise? For the past several years, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii has urged
The following article was published originally on Feb 4, 2023, in the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle. ____________ Hawaii has been suffering from a doctor shortage for years. Right now, experts estimate we have an unmet need of 776 full-time equivalent physicians. The greatest need is in primary care, but some specialties
Gov. Josh Green promised strong action to address housing during his first State of the State address this week, and clearly he is trying to deliver. At one point during his speech, he even signed an emergency proclamation to create housing for the homeless. Few would argue with the good
Photo by Charley Myers Another year, another attempt to reform the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Last year, the question was whether the Legislature should defund the HTA, which was established in 1998 to promote tourism to the islands. This year, some legislators have put forth a bill, SB1522, that would replace the
The following commentary was published originally in the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle on March 17, 2023. __________ Hawaii is a highly sought-out vacation destination. People all over the world spend their whole lives dreaming of visiting our paradise in the middle of the Pacific. However, the reality for those of us who
Wednesday was Gov. Josh Green’s 100th day in office, and I think it’s safe to say his honeymoon period with voters and the Legislature has come to an end. When he took office in January, the state was looking at a budget surplus of about $2.6 billion, and there was a lot of excitement
Photo from Gov. Josh Green’s Twitter post When a new policy proposal gets a heavy push from a popular new governor, people sometimes forget to ask the hard questions. That’s what the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii is for. On Wednesday, Gov. Josh Green took to Twitter to lobby for his
You shouldn’t have to win on “American Idol” to afford to move back home to Hawaii. But that’s the way it’s looking for more and more former Hawaii residents who felt they had to leave the state because of its high taxes and high cost of basic necessities such as
Authorities on good government will point out that corruption isn’t the only explanation for our frustration with local and state governance. Sometimes, the problems we see can be chalked up to inefficiency or incompetence. But no matter what the issue, the antidote is the same: transparency. That was the point
For months, my colleagues and I at the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii have been advising Hawaii policymakers that now is not the time to raise taxes. We have urged them instead to cut taxes, cut spending and use the state’s projected $10 billion budget to ease the financial stress on
Gov. Josh Green’s big tax plan, the “Green Affordability Plan,” promises to put $300 million back into taxpayers’ pockets, making it one of the biggest tax reductions in Hawaii history. But can the GAP live up to that promise? For the past several years, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii has urged
The following article was published originally on Feb 4, 2023, in the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle. ____________ Hawaii has been suffering from a doctor shortage for years. Right now, experts estimate we have an unmet need of 776 full-time equivalent physicians. The greatest need is in primary care, but some specialties
Gov. Josh Green promised strong action to address housing during his first State of the State address this week, and clearly he is trying to deliver. At one point during his speech, he even signed an emergency proclamation to create housing for the homeless. Few would argue with the good
