Working for a better economy, better government and a better society
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...
‘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...
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...
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...