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The Grassroot Top 5 articles of 2019
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii covered a lot of policy ground during the past year. Our writers and researchers produced reports and commentaries on the negative effects of the federal Jones Act, what can be done to help resolve Hawaii’s public pension...
Honolulu City Council’s PLA proposal is pilau
What happens when a government tries to fix a system that isn’t broken? Usually, the taxpayers pay the price. That is what might happen if Honolulu’s mayor approves a measure that would restrict the use of nonunion labor on city contracts worth over $2 million....
Take longer view on Hawaii infrastructure
When friends visit the islands, I love to show them Hawaii’s beautiful mountains, beaches and sunsets, but I try to direct their eyes away from the state’s crumbling government infrastructure. The state’s disintegrating roads, brittle bridges and run-down...
Hawaii’s coming recession
Talk of recession is in the air, but are Hawaii legislators listening? I wouldn’t presume to predict the future, but there have been indications that an economic downturn might be in Hawaii’s future. Gov. David Ige in his most recent budget projected state revenues...
Beware of Maui County’s ‘shiny new ball’
This article was originally published in The Maui News on Thursday, Nov. 29. Maui County Council members this month voted to “go vertical” and move forward on financing a proposed $81.2 million Wailuku Civic Complex, but policymakers would be wise to focus less on the...