Hawaii’s healthcare crisis is dire. How dire? Keli‘i Akina, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii president, says the state has a critical shortage of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, the fewest hospital beds per capita in the U.S., and the 10th longest emergency room wait lines. In addition, the state’s hospitals and long-term
This commentary was originally published originally in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Aug. 3, 2022. _____________ Candidates for political office in Hawaii have suddenly started talking about a policy option that has been kicking around for years: Exempt food and medicine from the state general excise tax (GET). The reasoning is that such an exemption
Photo courtesy of Maui Now This news article was originally published in Maui Now on July 14, 2022. _____________ By Gaylord Paul Garcia Maui’s record home prices and the impacts that have resulted in displaced residents, are not unique, but there are potential solutions, according to a researcher from a
With Gov. David Ige declaring his intent to veto SB3089, which would reform Hawaii’s emergency powers law, it is now up to the public and the many legislators who supported the bill to convince the governor otherwise. Both the governor and our legislators need to hear from as many people as possible that
SB3089 was OK’d by the Legislature but the governor is threatening to veto the measure on grounds that are not really germane HONOLULU, June 28, 2022 >> Gov. David Ige’s notice of intent to veto SB3089 is a grave disservice to the cause of restoring Hawaii’s traditional and constitutional balance
This article was originally published by The Maui News on Tuesday, June. 7, 2022. At right-center in photo above, Joe Kent is shown presenting testimony May 26 to the Maui County Council on its fiscal 2023 budget bill. _______________ Maui’s government is getting bigger while its economy is getting smaller, and that’s
Editor’s note: Some of the figures cited in the transcript for the proposed Maui budget were underestimated. The correct figures appear in brackets. ___________ It’s the perfect time to lower taxes. That’s what Joe Kent, executive vice president of Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, said Sunday morning, June 5, 2022, when
Photo by Sean Mitsui Especially praiseworthy was the passage of a bill that will limit the state’s emergency powers, if the governor lets it become law The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii presented its views on the 2022 Legislature this week to audiences on Oahu, Maui and Hawaii island, and the message was simple: The Legislature
Well, Joe Kent tried his best during a Monday morning interview with KHON2 reporter Dallis Ontiveros to explain the negative ramifications of Bill 41. But Honolulu’s mayor went ahead and signed the bill the next day anyway Approved 8-1 by the Honolulu City Council, Bill 41 essentially bans short-term rentals
A Washington Times article claims the 1920 law is “pro-American,” but with friends like the Jones Act, who needs enemies? It is a popular misconception that the federal maritime law known as the Jones Act supports American industry and jobs. A recent commentary in the Washington Times, for example, was
Hawaii’s healthcare crisis is dire. How dire? Keli‘i Akina, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii president, says the state has a critical shortage of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, the fewest hospital beds per capita in the U.S., and the 10th longest emergency room wait lines. In addition, the state’s hospitals and long-term
This commentary was originally published originally in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Aug. 3, 2022. _____________ Candidates for political office in Hawaii have suddenly started talking about a policy option that has been kicking around for years: Exempt food and medicine from the state general excise tax (GET). The reasoning is that such an exemption
Photo courtesy of Maui Now This news article was originally published in Maui Now on July 14, 2022. _____________ By Gaylord Paul Garcia Maui’s record home prices and the impacts that have resulted in displaced residents, are not unique, but there are potential solutions, according to a researcher from a
With Gov. David Ige declaring his intent to veto SB3089, which would reform Hawaii’s emergency powers law, it is now up to the public and the many legislators who supported the bill to convince the governor otherwise. Both the governor and our legislators need to hear from as many people as possible that
SB3089 was OK’d by the Legislature but the governor is threatening to veto the measure on grounds that are not really germane HONOLULU, June 28, 2022 >> Gov. David Ige’s notice of intent to veto SB3089 is a grave disservice to the cause of restoring Hawaii’s traditional and constitutional balance
This article was originally published by The Maui News on Tuesday, June. 7, 2022. At right-center in photo above, Joe Kent is shown presenting testimony May 26 to the Maui County Council on its fiscal 2023 budget bill. _______________ Maui’s government is getting bigger while its economy is getting smaller, and that’s
Editor’s note: Some of the figures cited in the transcript for the proposed Maui budget were underestimated. The correct figures appear in brackets. ___________ It’s the perfect time to lower taxes. That’s what Joe Kent, executive vice president of Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, said Sunday morning, June 5, 2022, when
Photo by Sean Mitsui Especially praiseworthy was the passage of a bill that will limit the state’s emergency powers, if the governor lets it become law The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii presented its views on the 2022 Legislature this week to audiences on Oahu, Maui and Hawaii island, and the message was simple: The Legislature
Well, Joe Kent tried his best during a Monday morning interview with KHON2 reporter Dallis Ontiveros to explain the negative ramifications of Bill 41. But Honolulu’s mayor went ahead and signed the bill the next day anyway Approved 8-1 by the Honolulu City Council, Bill 41 essentially bans short-term rentals
A Washington Times article claims the 1920 law is “pro-American,” but with friends like the Jones Act, who needs enemies? It is a popular misconception that the federal maritime law known as the Jones Act supports American industry and jobs. A recent commentary in the Washington Times, for example, was