As Hawaii struggles to rebuild its economy following the COVID-19 lockdown, we are faced with big questions about the future of our tourism industry. There is no shortage of suggestions as to how to revive tourism, but realists know that it won’t be as simple as appealing to just one
I’ve been saying that Hawaii’s policymakers need to respond to the economic impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns with bold ideas. I should have clarified that by “bold ideas” I meant new thinking, not the relentless pursuit of the same old big government policies. In other words, instead of continuing the same
We’ve heard the mantra for many decades: Hawaii’s economy needs to diversify. But lately we’re hearing it even more, thanks to the collapse of our state’s biggest industry, tourism, due to the coronavirus lockdowns implemented in March that continue to this day. The idea of diversification, of course, has merit. It’s
Photo by Charley Myers When your state lacks sufficient housing, the last thing you should do is make building a difficult, risky and lengthy process. But that’s exactly what Hawaii has done by creating levels of bureaucracy that strangle development. On this week’s episode of “Hawaii Together” on ThinkTech Hawaii,
At the beginning of the year, our governor boasted about his efforts to put the state on a “sound financial footing.” What a difference a few months can make. That quote from Gov. David Ige’s State of the State address in January was a reference to the plan to pay down the
If you believe that there is something about stay-at-home orders and the closure of “nonessential” businesses that infringes upon our fundamental rights, then there is good news. A federal court in Pennsylvania has reached the same conclusion. U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV wrote that the “good intentions” underlying Pennsylvania
Nobody likes to hear, “We told you so,” but … For years, the Grassroot Institute had been warning state and county policymakers that their approach to spending and taxation was unsustainable, and that Hawaii was unprepared for a major crisis, whether economic or natural. Well, that crisis finally came, and
On Wednesday, I wanted to take a walk. Unfortunately, it turned out to be much more complicated than I thought it would. That’s because that same day, Hawaii News Now reported that Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, in his continuing attempts to stymie the spread of COVID-19, was about to issue a
Photo by Charley Myers When it comes to Hawaii’s coronavirus lockdowns, it seems like deja vu all over again. After clamping down in March on Hawaii’s economic and social activities, then gradually reopening ever so slightly, lockdown measures more strict than ever were imposed this week with the promise of
During “normal” years, late summer is when I usually talk about what Hawaii needs to do to improve its economy relative to other states. But this is not an ordinary year. This was brought home to me when I looked at the newest edition of “Rich States, Poor States,” the
As Hawaii struggles to rebuild its economy following the COVID-19 lockdown, we are faced with big questions about the future of our tourism industry. There is no shortage of suggestions as to how to revive tourism, but realists know that it won’t be as simple as appealing to just one
I’ve been saying that Hawaii’s policymakers need to respond to the economic impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns with bold ideas. I should have clarified that by “bold ideas” I meant new thinking, not the relentless pursuit of the same old big government policies. In other words, instead of continuing the same
We’ve heard the mantra for many decades: Hawaii’s economy needs to diversify. But lately we’re hearing it even more, thanks to the collapse of our state’s biggest industry, tourism, due to the coronavirus lockdowns implemented in March that continue to this day. The idea of diversification, of course, has merit. It’s
Photo by Charley Myers When your state lacks sufficient housing, the last thing you should do is make building a difficult, risky and lengthy process. But that’s exactly what Hawaii has done by creating levels of bureaucracy that strangle development. On this week’s episode of “Hawaii Together” on ThinkTech Hawaii,
At the beginning of the year, our governor boasted about his efforts to put the state on a “sound financial footing.” What a difference a few months can make. That quote from Gov. David Ige’s State of the State address in January was a reference to the plan to pay down the
If you believe that there is something about stay-at-home orders and the closure of “nonessential” businesses that infringes upon our fundamental rights, then there is good news. A federal court in Pennsylvania has reached the same conclusion. U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV wrote that the “good intentions” underlying Pennsylvania
Nobody likes to hear, “We told you so,” but … For years, the Grassroot Institute had been warning state and county policymakers that their approach to spending and taxation was unsustainable, and that Hawaii was unprepared for a major crisis, whether economic or natural. Well, that crisis finally came, and
On Wednesday, I wanted to take a walk. Unfortunately, it turned out to be much more complicated than I thought it would. That’s because that same day, Hawaii News Now reported that Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, in his continuing attempts to stymie the spread of COVID-19, was about to issue a
Photo by Charley Myers When it comes to Hawaii’s coronavirus lockdowns, it seems like deja vu all over again. After clamping down in March on Hawaii’s economic and social activities, then gradually reopening ever so slightly, lockdown measures more strict than ever were imposed this week with the promise of
During “normal” years, late summer is when I usually talk about what Hawaii needs to do to improve its economy relative to other states. But this is not an ordinary year. This was brought home to me when I looked at the newest edition of “Rich States, Poor States,” the