Working for a better economy, better government and a better society
Let’s be reasonable about short-term vacation rentals
For years, Hawaii has had a strange approach to short-term rental properties, especially those operating without the required county permits. Some residents have decried their impact on our communities and the housing market. Others have depended on them to make ends...
Honolulu needs a spending cap, pronto!
As the new fiscal year approaches for the City and County of Honolulu, Oahu residents have found themselves in the middle of a tax-and-spend death spiral. Unsurprisingly, the over-budget and behind-schedule Honolulu rail project is at the heart of it all, raising an...
Why people are leaving ‘paradise’
The exodus continues. According to new figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of urban Honolulu declined in 2018 for the second year in a row, to 347,397, almost 1.3 percent less than the 2016 count of 351,883. People aren’t just leaving Honolulu....
Let’s get smart about government spending
When it comes to political promises about restraining government spending, there’s a saying that comes to mind: “Talk is cheap.” State and county policymakers can say they intend to keep spending at reasonable levels. They might promise to not let their spending...
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...