Photo by Charley Myers This commentary was originally published in West Hawaii Today on Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. _____________ In some ways, the public health threat posed by the coronavirus is not our only worry. Just as important is whether our government has crossed a line that we can’t come
The following commentary appeared in The Garden Island on Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. ___________ Visitors to Hawai‘i probably experience sticker shock when shopping at our local grocery stores. But Hawai‘i residents are shocked by those prices every day, and for that they can partly blame the 101-year-old Jones Act. The
Honolulu Star-Advertiser photo This article was originally published May 23, 2021 in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. _________________ By Keli’i Akina and Tom Yamachika The time is fast approaching when we will learn if Gov. David Ige meant it when he said that tax hikes are “the last thing” our state needs right
This article was originally published in The Maui News on April 23, 2021. ______________ If you need more of something, the last thing you want is a lot of new regulations limiting how it’s made. That’s as true for affordable housing as it is for more mundane products such as
This commentary was originally published in Honolulu Civil Beat on April 9, 2021. ___________ But that could change if the government changed. If the government is supposed to be of, by and for the people, it’s doing a pretty terrible job. That’s one conclusion to draw from the 2020 National Community
This commentary was originally published in The Maui News on April 14, 2021. ______________ If state leaders ever hope to revitalize Hawaii’s economy, they need to follow the “golden rule” of budgeting: Make sure government does not grow faster than the economy. That would leave more money for Hawaii residents
The following commentary was originally published April 5, 2021, in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. ___________ If there is a theme to this year’s legislative session, it would be, “taxes, taxes, taxes.” Even before the 2021 legislative session began, there was talk about increasing taxes to make up for COVID-19 revenue losses.
This commentary was originally published in the March 20, 2021, edition of Hawai Filipino Chronicle. ___________ Hawaii residents were spooked last week by Senate passage of a bill that would increase the state’s highest personal income tax from 11% to 16% on annual incomes of more than $200,000, making it
Photo by Charley Myers This commentary was first published, with a different headline, on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021, in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. ________________ After almost a year spent in a state of emergency, it’s time for the people of Hawaii to get a bigger say in the state’s COVID-19 response. Gov. David Ige has
The following commentary by Keli’i Akina was originally published Jan. 23, 2021, in the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle. It was written before Gov. David Ige revealed he would not be including any tax proposals in his fiscal 2022 budget, except for a “fee” on sellers of sugary beverages. Certain legislators, however, have stepped in
Photo by Charley Myers This commentary was originally published in West Hawaii Today on Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. _____________ In some ways, the public health threat posed by the coronavirus is not our only worry. Just as important is whether our government has crossed a line that we can’t come
The following commentary appeared in The Garden Island on Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. ___________ Visitors to Hawai‘i probably experience sticker shock when shopping at our local grocery stores. But Hawai‘i residents are shocked by those prices every day, and for that they can partly blame the 101-year-old Jones Act. The
Honolulu Star-Advertiser photo This article was originally published May 23, 2021 in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. _________________ By Keli’i Akina and Tom Yamachika The time is fast approaching when we will learn if Gov. David Ige meant it when he said that tax hikes are “the last thing” our state needs right
This article was originally published in The Maui News on April 23, 2021. ______________ If you need more of something, the last thing you want is a lot of new regulations limiting how it’s made. That’s as true for affordable housing as it is for more mundane products such as
This commentary was originally published in Honolulu Civil Beat on April 9, 2021. ___________ But that could change if the government changed. If the government is supposed to be of, by and for the people, it’s doing a pretty terrible job. That’s one conclusion to draw from the 2020 National Community
This commentary was originally published in The Maui News on April 14, 2021. ______________ If state leaders ever hope to revitalize Hawaii’s economy, they need to follow the “golden rule” of budgeting: Make sure government does not grow faster than the economy. That would leave more money for Hawaii residents
The following commentary was originally published April 5, 2021, in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. ___________ If there is a theme to this year’s legislative session, it would be, “taxes, taxes, taxes.” Even before the 2021 legislative session began, there was talk about increasing taxes to make up for COVID-19 revenue losses.
This commentary was originally published in the March 20, 2021, edition of Hawai Filipino Chronicle. ___________ Hawaii residents were spooked last week by Senate passage of a bill that would increase the state’s highest personal income tax from 11% to 16% on annual incomes of more than $200,000, making it
Photo by Charley Myers This commentary was first published, with a different headline, on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021, in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. ________________ After almost a year spent in a state of emergency, it’s time for the people of Hawaii to get a bigger say in the state’s COVID-19 response. Gov. David Ige has
The following commentary by Keli’i Akina was originally published Jan. 23, 2021, in the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle. It was written before Gov. David Ige revealed he would not be including any tax proposals in his fiscal 2022 budget, except for a “fee” on sellers of sugary beverages. Certain legislators, however, have stepped in
