Budget & Spending

A poem about Congress’ festive omnibus bill ‘Twas the week before Christmas, when all through the House, All the liberals were stirring, while conservatives groused. The wish lists were hung on the approps bill with care, In hopes that Obama would bless it with flair. The Members were nestled all

The formula in today’s title is not related to Einstein’s famous theory. Rather, it’s the story of an Existing business, always needing more cash (or more tax credits) and it now finds itself with zero and it’s in bankruptcy. You may remember Relativity Media from its efforts at the Hawaii

Ever wonder why think tanks that endorse fiscal restraint inevitably also promote government transparency? The Hawaii state budget–especially its projected expenditures–provide a perfect example. The Senate Minority Research Office recently completed an analysis of the state budget based on appropriations approved by the Legislature during the 2015 session. Almost immediately,

For several years, the Tax Foundation has been beating up on “special funds.” These are hundreds of little (and in some cases, not so little) pots of money sprinkled throughout Hawaii’s departments, agencies, and other governmental units. Each fund has a stated purpose, and the agency to which it is

by Paul Harleman On September 17th, 2014, the Senate Minority Research Office published an article[1] that raised serious questions regarding the financial sustainability of the state’s general fund. The article projected that the state would have depleted its general fund cash reserves as early as FY 2016, if no major

by Kelsey Winther When Election Day comes, voters never seem to get a chance to reduce government spending. Yet, there are always many options to increase it. One of the most common ways to increase expenditures is through authorizing the selling of bonds. This election is no exception. Two of