Working for a better economy, better government and a better society
Council busybodies should work less to help residents
Maui County Council members say they spend more than 40 hours per week on the job, and some of them want higher salaries to account for that hard work. But, like Hawaii’s late small-business guru George Mason, founding publisher of Pacific Business News, used to say,...
More studies show Jones Act harmful to Puerto Rico
Two new studies have confirmed what observers of the Jones Act have known for years — that the century-old federal maritime law has long been harmful to Puerto Rico’s economy. One of the studies, conducted by John Dunham & Associates, found that the Jones Act has...
Relax Maui zoning to allow more urban dwellings
For many Maui families, purchasing a home is a pipe dream. However, there may be an opportunity for them to realize that dream, if county residents would be open to reforming local housing regulations. Maui’s complex zoning laws act as a barrier to homebuilding,...
The hypocrisy of minimum-wage laws
Hawaii politicians are eager to raise the minimum legal wage — again. They have raised the minimum legal wage many times before, but they complain that it is never enough. The last increase in the minimum wage wasn’t enough because the prices of food, clothing and...
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...