I’ve been playing a new online game, but no matter what I do, I can’t seem to win. It’s a real-life simulation about getting authorized to build a house for your family. But I keep getting tripped up by Honolulu’s permitting process. The creative folks at Honolulu Civil Beat have
The following oral testimony was presented Oct. 27, 2022, by Joe Kent, executive vice president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, for consideration by the Hawaii County Cost of Government Commission. The testimony concerned the commission’s October 2022 report, which made recommendations on how to improve county government operations. To see Kent’s the
To: Honolulu City Council Tommy Waters, Chair Esther Kia‘aina, Vice Chair From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns RE: BILL 56 (2022), CD1 — RELATING TO PERMITS REQUIRED. Comments Only Dear Chair and Council
The written testimony below was presented Oct. 27, 2022, by Jonathan Helton, policy researcher for the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, for consideration by the Hawaii County Cost of Government Commission. The testimony concerned the commission’s October 2022 report, which made recommendations on how to improve county government operations. Also during the commission’s
Usually, when we say that “government” is responsible for the high price of housing in Hawaii, we are talking about bureaucracy: the rules, regulations, permits and barriers in general that make it difficult, time-consuming and expensive to build homes. But there is another side to the government’s role in the housing
The following commentary was originally published Oct. 15, 2022, in the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle. ____________ Hawaii has the highest level of government regulation related to homebuilding in the country. It also has the highest average home prices in the nation. This is not a coincidence. Multiple studies have established that
Greetings from 35,000 feet! Through the clouds below me, the Great Plains are rolling by. This bird’s-eye view of our nation is a metaphor for how my colleagues and I at the Grassroot Institute have spent the past week. Over the last several days, we have been meeting with members
Many people in Hawaii believe the best way to “solve” the state’s housing crisis is through greater government involvement. They believe this even though studies upon studies overwhelmingly show that such involvement is the primary cause of the crisis in the first place. The University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization,
The following written testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Maui City Council at his meeting on Sept. 20, 2022. _____________ To: Council of the County of Maui Alice Lee, Chair Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, Vice-Chair From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
The following is the transcript for a video that was posted Sept. 14, 2022, on the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii’s “Hawaii Matters” YouTube channel. To see the video itself, go to the end of the transcript. ___________ Why are Hawaii’s housing prices so high? Hawaii has the highest median home prices
I’ve been playing a new online game, but no matter what I do, I can’t seem to win. It’s a real-life simulation about getting authorized to build a house for your family. But I keep getting tripped up by Honolulu’s permitting process. The creative folks at Honolulu Civil Beat have
The following oral testimony was presented Oct. 27, 2022, by Joe Kent, executive vice president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, for consideration by the Hawaii County Cost of Government Commission. The testimony concerned the commission’s October 2022 report, which made recommendations on how to improve county government operations. To see Kent’s the
To: Honolulu City Council Tommy Waters, Chair Esther Kia‘aina, Vice Chair From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns RE: BILL 56 (2022), CD1 — RELATING TO PERMITS REQUIRED. Comments Only Dear Chair and Council
The written testimony below was presented Oct. 27, 2022, by Jonathan Helton, policy researcher for the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, for consideration by the Hawaii County Cost of Government Commission. The testimony concerned the commission’s October 2022 report, which made recommendations on how to improve county government operations. Also during the commission’s
Usually, when we say that “government” is responsible for the high price of housing in Hawaii, we are talking about bureaucracy: the rules, regulations, permits and barriers in general that make it difficult, time-consuming and expensive to build homes. But there is another side to the government’s role in the housing
The following commentary was originally published Oct. 15, 2022, in the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle. ____________ Hawaii has the highest level of government regulation related to homebuilding in the country. It also has the highest average home prices in the nation. This is not a coincidence. Multiple studies have established that
Greetings from 35,000 feet! Through the clouds below me, the Great Plains are rolling by. This bird’s-eye view of our nation is a metaphor for how my colleagues and I at the Grassroot Institute have spent the past week. Over the last several days, we have been meeting with members
Many people in Hawaii believe the best way to “solve” the state’s housing crisis is through greater government involvement. They believe this even though studies upon studies overwhelmingly show that such involvement is the primary cause of the crisis in the first place. The University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization,
The following written testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Maui City Council at his meeting on Sept. 20, 2022. _____________ To: Council of the County of Maui Alice Lee, Chair Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, Vice-Chair From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
The following is the transcript for a video that was posted Sept. 14, 2022, on the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii’s “Hawaii Matters” YouTube channel. To see the video itself, go to the end of the transcript. ___________ Why are Hawaii’s housing prices so high? Hawaii has the highest median home prices
To the Hawaii Legislature:
Hawaii families face skyrocketing healthcare costs and a shortage of doctors. Exempting medical services from Hawaii’s general excise tax would result in millions of dollars in savings for residents and help bring doctors back.
