Blog
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii blog offers news and commentary on a wide variety of topics related to economic freedom and individual liberty. Come back frequently to see the latest from our staff, contributors and Grassroot scholars.
Kauai acts to spike pension spiking
Some advice for all our policymakers out there struggling with public pension liabilities: The first step is admitting you have a problem. The next step is getting real data on how bad that problem is. Only then can you begin working out how to address it. Which means...
Legislature pau, but tax mania lives on
Earlier this week I appeared on Michael W. Perry’s radio show to discuss what our lawmakers managed to accomplish in the just-ended 2014 state legislative session. And make no mistake, they were busy. The Hawaii Legislature approved 303 bills, among which were...
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,...
Akina rides again with ‘Perry & the Posse’
Hawaii radio personality Michael W. Perry once again hosted Keli‘i Akina, president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, on his popular KSSK show “Perry & The Posse.” Introducing Akina on his morning show this past Thursday, May 2, as “one of the people you...
‘Sticks’ won’t resolve vacation rental debate
Hawaii’s contradictory approach to short-term vacation rentals hasn’t been doing much to make anybody happy, and could, in fact, just be making things worse. For years, we’ve struggled with the question of how to handle the evolution of tourism. Short-term rentals...
Looking back: A housing boom, then a volcanic eruption
One year ago today, on May 3, 2018, Kilauea volcano on Hawaii Island began spewing lava that destroyed hundreds of homes and disrupted thousands of lives in areas that had been designated high-risk lava zones. On May 20, 2018, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii...
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,...
Let’s end ‘gut and replace’ at Legislature
This is the time of year when the Hawaii Legislature switches into high gear. As the last day of the session draws near, its focus switches to getting bills through the conference committees and to the governor’s desk. This is also the time of year when we realize...
Democratic process missing in action at Hawaii Legislature
The rampant use of "gut and replace’"and "Frankenstein" bills shows disrespect for the public HONOLULU, April 24, 2019 >> Hawaii lawmakers have shown little regard during their 2019 legislative session for transparency and the democratic process, completely...
More studies show Jones Act harmful to Puerto Rico
Two new studies have confirmed what observers of the Jones Act have known for years — that the century-old federal maritime law has long been harmful to Puerto Rico’s economy. One of the studies, conducted by John Dunham & Associates, found that the Jones Act has...
Hawaii residents voting with their feet
Would you vote with your feet? If economic conditions got bad enough, would you choose to live elsewhere? That’s a recurring theme in the most recent edition of Rich States, Poor States, the ALEC-Laffer state economic competitiveness index written by Jonathan...
Want higher wages? Try economic freedom
Try as they might, Hawaii’s policymakers cannot mandate people into prosperity. In fact, their efforts to do so might only make things worse. For example, the Hawaii Legislature right now is contemplating two bills that would dramatically increase the state’s minimum...
#AuditTheRail finally on track!
The Honolulu rail is now famous, but for all the wrong reasons. The question is: “What we are going to do about it?" With the project under federal investigation, news outlets around the country are writing about it, using words like “debacle” and “boondoggle.” Here...
#AuditTheRail finds champion in Heidi Tsuyenoshi
It’s been a long time coming, but thanks to new Honolulu City Council member Heidi Tsuneyoshi, representing District 2, it’s finally going to get done: a forensic audit of the city’s wildly over-budget and behind-schedule rail project. Tsuneyoshi met with Grassroot...
Akina decries Hawaii Legislature’s ‘backward budgeting’
The Hawaii Legislature has been considering a $16 billion budget for fiscal year 2020 that would spend more money than it’s projected to take in. As a result, it is scrambling to find new ways to raise tax revenue, and that, says Keli'i Akina, president of the...
Testimony on civil asset forfeiture bill — HB 748
This testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii to the Hawaii Senate Committee on Ways and Means on April 3, 2019. Re: HB748 — RELATING TO PROPERTY FORFEITURE Comments Only Dear Chair and Committee Members: The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii would...