Working for a better economy, better governance and a better society
Remember when U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye led the charge for Jones Act reform?
“If you are going to get the cost of living down … you are going to have to get the Jones Act amended.” Alaska Gov. Walter Hickel, speaking to the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce, Sept. 12, 1967[1] _________________ THESE DAYS it is almost a rite of passage for Hawaii...
An arcane federal law puts Young Brothers on the ropes
This commentary originally was published in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Sept. 28, 2020. _____________ Transporting freight between Hawaii ports just became significantly more expensive, thanks to a 46% rate increase granted in August to Hawaii’s monopoly tug and...
Under mounting pressure, Jones Act lobby claims the law is cost‐free to Hawaii
This article was originally published by Cato at Liberty on Aug. 24, 2020. ______________ By Colin Grabow Jones Act supporters in Hawaii can be forgiven for feeling a bit on edge these days. Last December Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii), citing the Jones Act’s impact on the...
‘Updating the Jones Act for the 21st Century’
“In a perfect world, there would be no Jones Act. … Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world.” Those are the words of Keli‘i Akina, president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, from his chapter “Updating the Jones Act for the 21st Century,” in the...
The Jones Act adds to Hawaii’s high costs, so update it for today’s world
This commentary was originally published Aug. 10, 2020 by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. __________ Hawaii already has one of the highest costs of living in the United States, and many economists believe the Jones Act only makes things worse. The federal law requires...
Perry interviews Akina about new Jones Act study
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii released its groundbreaking study on Wednesday, July 29, 2020, regarding how much the Jones Act costs Hawaii, and the next day institute president Keli’i Akina was interviewed by radio personality Michael W. Perry, about the...
An insider’s look at the federal Jones Act
One of the issues that has been very important to the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii through the years has been the protectionist federal maritime law known as the Jones Act. Following up on the release our our groundbreaking study, “Quantifying the cost of the...
Jones Act study boldly goes where no research has gone before
If you remember nothing else, remember these numbers: 1.2 billion, 5 and 9,100. No, those aren’t lottery numbers or the beginning of a Carnac the Magnificent skit. They are the answers to a question that we at the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii have been asking for...Jones Act costs Hawaii families almost $1,800 extra every year, new independent study shows
The following was issued as a news release on July 29, 2020. ____________ The new research shows the Jones Act overall costs Hawaii $1.2 billion annually, including 9,100 jobs and $148 million in taxes HONOLULU, July 29, 2020 >> The protectionist federal...