Working for a better economy, better governANCE and a better society
Honolulu rail clearly a fiasco
There so many good reasons to be skeptical about Honolulu’s still-under-construction rail project that it’s surprising the City and County of Honolulu was even able to get this wildly over-budget undertaking off the drawing table. What are some of those reasons? Well,...
Democrats dominant in Hawaii because voters like their ideas
Democrats have been dominant in Hawaii for decades because they have been best at representing the state’s “marketplace of ideas.” This can be interpreted as unfortunate or an opportunity, or both, but the overwhelming presence of the Democratic Party of Hawaii...
Time for change at Hawaii’s airports
Hawaii’s Legislature is on the verge of enacting an enormously significant reform, and, assuming its enabling legislation is crafted carefully, it can’t come a moment too soon. Senate Bill 658, which now has survived third readings in both legislative chambers, would...
What you can do to help contain taxes
Taxes in Hawaii might be “revolting,” but don’t count on a Hawaii taxpayers revolt any time soon. The prospect of one was raised last month by an editorial in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, which noted with apparent alarm the “uncommonly heavy load of tax proposals...
‘Challenging and exciting times’
In his State of the State address to the 2017 Hawaii State Legislature on Jan. 19, Gov. David Ige said that while we can’t predict the future, it is clear that “we are living in very challenging and exciting times.” Looking for a moment at the glass as half empty,...
Keli’i Akina
This interview was originally published Sept. 11, 2015, in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Photo by Cindy Ellen Russell. Keli’i Akina is one of six plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed recently against the state of Hawaii and others seeking to stop an election and convention...
Dick Rowland: The Grassroot Institute founder promotes the cause of liberty
This interview was originally published May 6, 2011, in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Photo by Craig T. Kojima. ########## Richard “Dick” Rowland was 71 when he set up the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii with the goal of educating isle residents about...
Jamie Story
This interview originally appeared in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin on July 6, 2009. * * * * * * * * * * Jamie Story gets paid for promoting principles she believes in, which in her case are “smaller, more accountable government and greater individual...
Mark Coleman has been a journalist in Hawaii for decades, with an emphasis in business and economic reporting.