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Government Waste

Beware of Maui County’s ‘shiny new ball’

This article was originally published in The Maui News on Thursday, Nov. 29. Maui County Council members this month voted to “go vertical” and move forward on financing a proposed $81.2 million Wailuku Civic Complex, but policymakers would be wise to focus less on the expected benefits and more on the guaranteed

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Dubious claim behind tuition bill idea

A bill intended to help government agencies compete against higher salaries in the private sector by giving college tuition grants to state employees is based on a dubious claim, writes Joe Kent, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii vice president of research, in the Honolulu Star Advertiser. “Local government workers on average

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Public park model not working in Kakaako

Kakaako Waterfront Park was supposed to be the kind of scenic public space that leaps, unprompted, to the imagination at the words “Honolulu” and “park.” On the cusp of its opening in 1992, politicians spoke about how it was going to be “people-oriented.” The park would become a place where

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Hawaii Lawmakers Pass Illegal and Unfunded Bill

During a special session this summer, Hawaii lawmakers passed a bill that is both illegal and unfunded. The bill offers a $60 million severance package to union workers at the Maui public hospital system who will lose their jobs due to privatization, even though all the workers have already been

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Police Spending on Maui

by Andrew Slaven Crime in Hawaii has decreased since the 1990’s and some may say this is due to the growing police presence on the islands. However, police departments have actually been decreasing in size, relative to population. There are less police officers on the streets today per person than

Read More →

Does the Film Industry Need Taxpayer Subsidies?

In Hawaii, films that cost more than $200,000 to produce receive a 20-25% tax credit. “Calling them tax credits is a bit of a misnomer,” pointed out Marc Kilmer, analyst with the Advance Arkansas Institute, “A lot of the time, they’re simply checks.” In theory, these subsidies attract big budget

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Grassroot Institute Researcher Uncovers Excessive Police Overtime

Researcher Jason Hirose recently discovered that public officials in Maui County were abusing their power, with overtime resulting in significant personal growth. Hirose: “We looked at the payroll from July 2014 to June 2015, a one year period, and we found that of the 3,000 employees at Maui County, a very

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Local Resident Speaks Out About Government Spending

Choon James, a resident of Hauula, is currently having her land seized to make room for a new fire station. Joe Kent interviewed Choon as a part of The Grassroot Institute with Keli’i Akina, a radio show on KAOI 1110AM Maui and KKNE 940AM Oahu. Choon has put a lot of

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Can you Balance the State’s Budget?

Can you balance the State’s budget? A new tool made by the Senate Minority allows you to attempt to balance the State’s budget. Joe Kent and Paul Harleman, Senate Minority Budget Director, discussed the state budget on the Grassroot Institute with Dr. Keli’i Akina, a radio show on KAOI 1110AM Maui

Read More →

Beware of Maui County’s ‘shiny new ball’

This article was originally published in The Maui News on Thursday, Nov. 29. Maui County Council members this month voted to “go vertical” and move forward on financing a proposed $81.2 million Wailuku Civic Complex, but policymakers would be wise to focus less on the expected benefits and more on the guaranteed

Read More →

Dubious claim behind tuition bill idea

A bill intended to help government agencies compete against higher salaries in the private sector by giving college tuition grants to state employees is based on a dubious claim, writes Joe Kent, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii vice president of research, in the Honolulu Star Advertiser. “Local government workers on average

Read More →

Public park model not working in Kakaako

Kakaako Waterfront Park was supposed to be the kind of scenic public space that leaps, unprompted, to the imagination at the words “Honolulu” and “park.” On the cusp of its opening in 1992, politicians spoke about how it was going to be “people-oriented.” The park would become a place where

Read More →

Hawaii Lawmakers Pass Illegal and Unfunded Bill

During a special session this summer, Hawaii lawmakers passed a bill that is both illegal and unfunded. The bill offers a $60 million severance package to union workers at the Maui public hospital system who will lose their jobs due to privatization, even though all the workers have already been

Read More →

Police Spending on Maui

by Andrew Slaven Crime in Hawaii has decreased since the 1990’s and some may say this is due to the growing police presence on the islands. However, police departments have actually been decreasing in size, relative to population. There are less police officers on the streets today per person than

Read More →

Does the Film Industry Need Taxpayer Subsidies?

In Hawaii, films that cost more than $200,000 to produce receive a 20-25% tax credit. “Calling them tax credits is a bit of a misnomer,” pointed out Marc Kilmer, analyst with the Advance Arkansas Institute, “A lot of the time, they’re simply checks.” In theory, these subsidies attract big budget

Read More →

Grassroot Institute Researcher Uncovers Excessive Police Overtime

Researcher Jason Hirose recently discovered that public officials in Maui County were abusing their power, with overtime resulting in significant personal growth. Hirose: “We looked at the payroll from July 2014 to June 2015, a one year period, and we found that of the 3,000 employees at Maui County, a very

Read More →

Local Resident Speaks Out About Government Spending

Choon James, a resident of Hauula, is currently having her land seized to make room for a new fire station. Joe Kent interviewed Choon as a part of The Grassroot Institute with Keli’i Akina, a radio show on KAOI 1110AM Maui and KKNE 940AM Oahu. Choon has put a lot of

Read More →

Can you Balance the State’s Budget?

Can you balance the State’s budget? A new tool made by the Senate Minority allows you to attempt to balance the State’s budget. Joe Kent and Paul Harleman, Senate Minority Budget Director, discussed the state budget on the Grassroot Institute with Dr. Keli’i Akina, a radio show on KAOI 1110AM Maui

Read More →