When bureaucracy grows, housing does not. That’s because more bureaucracy nearly always results in more regulation and delays — and I hope someday soon the majority of our policymakers in Hawaii will figure this out. The latest bureaucratic wrench to be thrown into the gears of homebuilding, especially on Maui,
This commentary was originally published originally in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Aug. 3, 2022. _____________ Candidates for political office in Hawaii have suddenly started talking about a policy option that has been kicking around for years: Exempt food and medicine from the state general excise tax (GET). The reasoning is that such an exemption
Ted Kefalas, left, and Todd Apo The housing situation on Maui is the worst in the state, according to Todd Apo, a former Honolulu City Council member who these days is vice president of community partnerships at the Hawaii Community Foundation. Apo is also the point man for the foundation’s House
A new Hawaii Business magazine survey echoes prior polls showing the 1920 maritime law fares best when operating in the shadows A new survey commissioned by Hawaii Business magazine shows more people in Hawaii know about the Jones Act than two years ago, and among those who know, most would like
Hawaii desperately needs to fix some of the problems that have been bedeviling us for so long, such as the housing crisis and shortage of healthcare personnel. But there is a right way to do so and a wrong way. The wrong way is for the governor to declare an emergency
“Wow.” That was Pamela Tumpap’s reaction to Tobias Peter’s July 13 presentation in Kahului on the “Tokyo model” of housing. Tumpap, president of the Maui Chamber of Commerce, said this past Tuesday on her KAOI radio show, “Business Matters,” that it was “really the whole presentation. … There was so much to
Two presentations in Hawaii earlier this month by Tobias Peter of the AEI Housing Center were among the best ever sponsored by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, and now everyone can see what transpired by clicking on the video below. A complete transcript of the event is also provided. Peter
Testimony from the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii helped convince members of the Maui County Council this week that a bill to impose a form of price fixing on new affordable housing projects should be reconsidered. Joe Kent, institute executive vice president, submitted written testimony regarding Bill 107 last Friday, then delivered oral testimony via
Except for maybe a few outliers, I think virtually everyone in Hawaii agrees that we need more affordable housing, right? So why, then, do we so often see such strident public opposition to new projects or zoning reforms that might expand the stock of housing for our families, friends and
The following is Joe Kent’s oral testimony before the Maui County Council on July 18, 2022, regarding Bill 107 (CD1). According the measure, it would establish “a new method of determining the sales price of an affordable dwelling unit to include the total housing costs associated with home ownership such
When bureaucracy grows, housing does not. That’s because more bureaucracy nearly always results in more regulation and delays — and I hope someday soon the majority of our policymakers in Hawaii will figure this out. The latest bureaucratic wrench to be thrown into the gears of homebuilding, especially on Maui,
This commentary was originally published originally in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Aug. 3, 2022. _____________ Candidates for political office in Hawaii have suddenly started talking about a policy option that has been kicking around for years: Exempt food and medicine from the state general excise tax (GET). The reasoning is that such an exemption
Ted Kefalas, left, and Todd Apo The housing situation on Maui is the worst in the state, according to Todd Apo, a former Honolulu City Council member who these days is vice president of community partnerships at the Hawaii Community Foundation. Apo is also the point man for the foundation’s House
A new Hawaii Business magazine survey echoes prior polls showing the 1920 maritime law fares best when operating in the shadows A new survey commissioned by Hawaii Business magazine shows more people in Hawaii know about the Jones Act than two years ago, and among those who know, most would like
Hawaii desperately needs to fix some of the problems that have been bedeviling us for so long, such as the housing crisis and shortage of healthcare personnel. But there is a right way to do so and a wrong way. The wrong way is for the governor to declare an emergency
“Wow.” That was Pamela Tumpap’s reaction to Tobias Peter’s July 13 presentation in Kahului on the “Tokyo model” of housing. Tumpap, president of the Maui Chamber of Commerce, said this past Tuesday on her KAOI radio show, “Business Matters,” that it was “really the whole presentation. … There was so much to
Two presentations in Hawaii earlier this month by Tobias Peter of the AEI Housing Center were among the best ever sponsored by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, and now everyone can see what transpired by clicking on the video below. A complete transcript of the event is also provided. Peter
Testimony from the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii helped convince members of the Maui County Council this week that a bill to impose a form of price fixing on new affordable housing projects should be reconsidered. Joe Kent, institute executive vice president, submitted written testimony regarding Bill 107 last Friday, then delivered oral testimony via
Except for maybe a few outliers, I think virtually everyone in Hawaii agrees that we need more affordable housing, right? So why, then, do we so often see such strident public opposition to new projects or zoning reforms that might expand the stock of housing for our families, friends and
The following is Joe Kent’s oral testimony before the Maui County Council on July 18, 2022, regarding Bill 107 (CD1). According the measure, it would establish “a new method of determining the sales price of an affordable dwelling unit to include the total housing costs associated with home ownership such