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Budget & Spending

Action needed to lessen impact of Maui wildfires on economy, housing crisis

The resignation of the state’s first-ever chief housing officer shows “how difficult it is to get things done in government,” Grassroot Institute Director of Strategic Campaigns Ted Kefalas said last week during the Rick Hamada Program on NewsRadio 830 KHVH.  “It’s really sad because [Nani Medeiros] was somebody that was

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National expert on Honolulu rail: ‘I hope its future is short’

Brace yourself for a scathing assessment of Honolulu’s new “Skyline” rail project. National rail expert Randal O’Toole, author of “Romance of the Rails: Why the Passenger Trains We Love Are Not the Transportation We Need,” spoke on July 17 with Joe Kent, executive vice president of the Grassroot Institute of

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What the Honolulu rail has taught us

Photo by Charley Myers After years of delay, the Honolulu rail is finally open. Well, partly anyway. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that more than 71,000 people took advantage of the five days of free rides that marked the opening of the first 11 miles of the rail, officially named Skyline.

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Kent, Hamada explore the many ways lawmakers waste money

Housing, the Honolulu rail, the Aloha Stadium, homelessness and the 64% pay raise for Honolulu City Council members.  Those were some of the topics Institute Executive Vice President Joe Kent talked about during his latest visit with radio host Rick Hamada on News Radio 830 KHVH. Regarding the rail, Kent

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Governor’s budget cuts were ‘really good thing’ for Hawaii

The biennial budget passed by the 2023 Hawaii Legislature threatened to wipe out the state’s projected surplus by fiscal 2028. However, Joe Kent, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii executive vice president, said now it appears that Gov. Josh Green will be trimming $1 billion from that budget before signing off on

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Hawaii finances ‘unsustainable’ without economic growth

“Unsustainable.” That was the word Joe Kent, executive vice president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, used to describe Hawaii’s precarious financial situation during a presentation earlier this month at Chaminade University of Honolulu’s “People, Planet and Prosperity for a Sustainable Future Conference.” “My rule for government financing,” Kent said,

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Governor’s budget cuts wise and courageous

My colleagues and I at the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii are not shy about challenging the actions of public officials. It’s part of our mission to promote a freer, more prosperous Hawaii. But we also want to celebrate wins and give credit where credit is due — which is why

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Hill finds some gems amid Legislature’s overspending

Talking about Hawaii’s high cost of living was how Malia Hill, policy director of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, and radio host Rick Hamada eased into a conversation earlier this month about the Hawaii Legislature’s “distressing” 2023 legislative session. Appearing June 1 on the Rick Hamada Program on News Radio

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State needs to rein in wild spending

The following “Island Voices” commentary was published originally in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on May 28, 2023. _________ By Joe Kent and Jonathan Helton Government transparency in Hawaii took a hit this year when state lawmakers approved a state budget that burned through the state’s budget surplus and wildly exceeded the

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Governor is last hope to rein in state spending spree

The following commentary was published originally in the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle on May 20, 2023, ___________ The chaos that typically characterizes the final days of a Hawaii legislative session this year produced a state budget that exceeds the constitutionally mandated spending limit by 10%. Gov. Josh Green’s proposed budget would

Read More →

Action needed to lessen impact of Maui wildfires on economy, housing crisis

The resignation of the state’s first-ever chief housing officer shows “how difficult it is to get things done in government,” Grassroot Institute Director of Strategic Campaigns Ted Kefalas said last week during the Rick Hamada Program on NewsRadio 830 KHVH.  “It’s really sad because [Nani Medeiros] was somebody that was

Read More →

National expert on Honolulu rail: ‘I hope its future is short’

Brace yourself for a scathing assessment of Honolulu’s new “Skyline” rail project. National rail expert Randal O’Toole, author of “Romance of the Rails: Why the Passenger Trains We Love Are Not the Transportation We Need,” spoke on July 17 with Joe Kent, executive vice president of the Grassroot Institute of

Read More →

What the Honolulu rail has taught us

Photo by Charley Myers After years of delay, the Honolulu rail is finally open. Well, partly anyway. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that more than 71,000 people took advantage of the five days of free rides that marked the opening of the first 11 miles of the rail, officially named Skyline.

Read More →

Kent, Hamada explore the many ways lawmakers waste money

Housing, the Honolulu rail, the Aloha Stadium, homelessness and the 64% pay raise for Honolulu City Council members.  Those were some of the topics Institute Executive Vice President Joe Kent talked about during his latest visit with radio host Rick Hamada on News Radio 830 KHVH. Regarding the rail, Kent

Read More →

Governor’s budget cuts were ‘really good thing’ for Hawaii

The biennial budget passed by the 2023 Hawaii Legislature threatened to wipe out the state’s projected surplus by fiscal 2028. However, Joe Kent, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii executive vice president, said now it appears that Gov. Josh Green will be trimming $1 billion from that budget before signing off on

Read More →

Hawaii finances ‘unsustainable’ without economic growth

“Unsustainable.” That was the word Joe Kent, executive vice president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, used to describe Hawaii’s precarious financial situation during a presentation earlier this month at Chaminade University of Honolulu’s “People, Planet and Prosperity for a Sustainable Future Conference.” “My rule for government financing,” Kent said,

Read More →

Governor’s budget cuts wise and courageous

My colleagues and I at the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii are not shy about challenging the actions of public officials. It’s part of our mission to promote a freer, more prosperous Hawaii. But we also want to celebrate wins and give credit where credit is due — which is why

Read More →

Hill finds some gems amid Legislature’s overspending

Talking about Hawaii’s high cost of living was how Malia Hill, policy director of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, and radio host Rick Hamada eased into a conversation earlier this month about the Hawaii Legislature’s “distressing” 2023 legislative session. Appearing June 1 on the Rick Hamada Program on News Radio

Read More →

State needs to rein in wild spending

The following “Island Voices” commentary was published originally in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on May 28, 2023. _________ By Joe Kent and Jonathan Helton Government transparency in Hawaii took a hit this year when state lawmakers approved a state budget that burned through the state’s budget surplus and wildly exceeded the

Read More →

Governor is last hope to rein in state spending spree

The following commentary was published originally in the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle on May 20, 2023, ___________ The chaos that typically characterizes the final days of a Hawaii legislative session this year produced a state budget that exceeds the constitutionally mandated spending limit by 10%. Gov. Josh Green’s proposed budget would

Read More →