What we can do to lower the cost of housing in Hawaii
The following is the cover letter we included when we sent two recent housing studies to all lawmakers throughout the islands, at both the state and county levels. Written by Joe Kent, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii executive vice president, the letter introduced “How...
New report calls for reform of state’s emergency powers
The following was a news release issued by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii on Jan. 18, 2021. ___________ Hawaii's Legislature needs to step in to prevent the extensive exercise of unchecked unilateral power, says the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii HONOLULU, Jan. 18,...
Why we issued a report urging reform of Hawaii’s emergency powers
The following is a slightly edited version of Keli'i Akina's foreword to the new Grassroot Institute of Hawaii report "Lockdown Versus Liberty: How Hawaii’s Experience in 2020-21 Demonstrates the Need to Revise the State’s Emergency Powers," released officially on...
‘Saving’ money now is going to cost us a lot more in the future
Saving money now is going to cost our children — and our grandchildren — billions of dollars. As part of the effort to address the state’s budget woes, intensified by the coronavirus lockdowns, Gov. David Ige last year suspended mandatory payments to the state’s...
Our 10 most-viewed stories of 2020
2020 STARTED OUT like any other year, with most politically active Hawaii residents focused during the first two months on the typical political tussles at the state Legislature. But as March rolled by, everything took a terrible turn. The advent of the coronavirus...
What is the Jones Act, and how does it affect Hawaii?
Delaying EUTF payments will add $8 billion to Hawaii taxpayer debt
This following is a news release issued by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii on Jan. 12, 2021. ______________ Efforts to save money now will cost taxpayers more later while putting government employees and retirees at risk, says the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii...
Last thing Hawai needs right now is more taxes
The commentary below was Keli'i Akina's weekly "President's Corner" column for Jan. 8, 2021. If you would like to have his columns emailed to you on a regular basis, please call 808-386-9047 or email info@grassrootinstitute.org. ______________ Wishing and hoping are...
Cut state spending, says sponsor of Hawaii’s 1978 spending cap
"You can’t spend money you don’t have, so you will have to make cuts. And I don’t see any other way to do it. You will have to borrow up to the hilt. And that you must do. But eventually you will have to pay it back. The last thing I would like to see are taxes...
Bucking the trend: How to put Hawaii on the road to prosperity
It was another rollicking conversation on "The Mike Buck Show" when host Mike Buck on Dec. 29, 2020, again hosted Keli'i Akina, president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, this time to talk about how Hawaii can recover from its devastating economic condition...
Why so many people are leaving Hawaii
The following recording from Dec. 23, 2020 features Hawaii radio host Mike Buck interviewing Keli'i Akina, president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, on The Mike Buck Show on AM 690 and FM 94.3, The Answer. It's about 20 minutes, and you can hear the whole thing...
Furloughs alone won’t solve budget crisis
The following recording from Dec. 18, 2020 features Hawaii radio host Mike Buck interviewing Keli'i Akina, president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, on The Mike Buck Show on AM 690 and FM 94.3, The Answer. It's about 20 minutes, and here's how it started:...