This commentary was published originally in the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle, April 18, 2020, page 10. ___________ If we want Hawaii’s economy to recover from the coronavirus shutdown, we have to put aside any possibility of a minimum-wage hike. As I write this, Hawaii is on Day Six of a statewide
The idea of increasing Hawaii’s minimum wage has never been a good idea, and with the coronavirus recession underway, it’s an even worse one now. Jacob Vigdor, professor of public policy and governance at the University of Washington, explained why during a webinar hosted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii on Tuesday, March 24, 2020,
Photo by Charley Myers Grassroot Institute of Hawaii – HB2541 Testimony March 12, 2020 3:15 p.m. Hawaii State Capitol Conference Room 224 To: Senate Committee on Labor, Culture and the Arts Sen. Brian T. Taniguchi, Chair Sen. Les Ihara, Jr., Vice Chair From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii Joe Kent, Executive
Minium-wage researcher Jacob Vigdor appeared on Keili’i Akina’s “Hawaii Together” interview program on Monday, March 2, 2020, to talk about what Hawaii can learn from Seattle’s recent increase in its minimum wage. In Hawaii, the state Legislature seems poised to increase Hawaii’s legal minimum wage to $13 an hour over
An expert on Seattle’s experience will address 2 Hawaii events HONOLULU, Feb. 23, 2020 >> Proposals to increase Hawaii’s minimum wage are back on the docket at the state Legislature, in an effort to make our state more affordable. And who doesn’t want that? It’s an attractive idea, but what could
This “Other Voices” commentary was originally published, without the footnotes, on Dec. 25, 2019, in The Garden Island newspaper. _________________ Just about everyone in Hawaii knows by now that we have one of the highest costs of living in the nation,[1] one of the most regressive tax systems[2] and a serious lack of affordable housing.[3]
Discussions about the minimum wage tend to overlook an obvious fact: Lowering the cost of living would make everyone’s pay go further, especially the less fortunate. How much further? Simply getting to the point where a dollar has its full spending power would be a good start. Using information from
Minimum wage hikes are often promoted as a way to help the less fortunate out of poverty. But are they really the best tool for the job? This week, I was privileged to be part of a panel discussion on the minimum wage, and how it fits in with the
Try as they might, Hawaii’s policymakers cannot mandate people into prosperity. In fact, their efforts to do so might only make things worse. For example, the Hawaii Legislature right now is contemplating two bills that would dramatically increase the state’s minimum wage, which currently is $10.10 an hour. One of
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 shelter keep going up
This commentary was published originally in the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle, April 18, 2020, page 10. ___________ If we want Hawaii’s economy to recover from the coronavirus shutdown, we have to put aside any possibility of a minimum-wage hike. As I write this, Hawaii is on Day Six of a statewide
The idea of increasing Hawaii’s minimum wage has never been a good idea, and with the coronavirus recession underway, it’s an even worse one now. Jacob Vigdor, professor of public policy and governance at the University of Washington, explained why during a webinar hosted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii on Tuesday, March 24, 2020,
Photo by Charley Myers Grassroot Institute of Hawaii – HB2541 Testimony March 12, 2020 3:15 p.m. Hawaii State Capitol Conference Room 224 To: Senate Committee on Labor, Culture and the Arts Sen. Brian T. Taniguchi, Chair Sen. Les Ihara, Jr., Vice Chair From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii Joe Kent, Executive
Minium-wage researcher Jacob Vigdor appeared on Keili’i Akina’s “Hawaii Together” interview program on Monday, March 2, 2020, to talk about what Hawaii can learn from Seattle’s recent increase in its minimum wage. In Hawaii, the state Legislature seems poised to increase Hawaii’s legal minimum wage to $13 an hour over
An expert on Seattle’s experience will address 2 Hawaii events HONOLULU, Feb. 23, 2020 >> Proposals to increase Hawaii’s minimum wage are back on the docket at the state Legislature, in an effort to make our state more affordable. And who doesn’t want that? It’s an attractive idea, but what could
This “Other Voices” commentary was originally published, without the footnotes, on Dec. 25, 2019, in The Garden Island newspaper. _________________ Just about everyone in Hawaii knows by now that we have one of the highest costs of living in the nation,[1] one of the most regressive tax systems[2] and a serious lack of affordable housing.[3]
Discussions about the minimum wage tend to overlook an obvious fact: Lowering the cost of living would make everyone’s pay go further, especially the less fortunate. How much further? Simply getting to the point where a dollar has its full spending power would be a good start. Using information from
Minimum wage hikes are often promoted as a way to help the less fortunate out of poverty. But are they really the best tool for the job? This week, I was privileged to be part of a panel discussion on the minimum wage, and how it fits in with the
Try as they might, Hawaii’s policymakers cannot mandate people into prosperity. In fact, their efforts to do so might only make things worse. For example, the Hawaii Legislature right now is contemplating two bills that would dramatically increase the state’s minimum wage, which currently is $10.10 an hour. One of
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 shelter keep going up
