With a new governor and a new Legislature now in place, Hawaii’s leaders have the opportunity to make a bold statement for government transparency and accountability. The only question is whether they have the political will to do so. Given the various scandals that have rocked Hawaii in recent years
Hawaii’s population has been declining for six straight years, and if policymakers don’t do something quickly to avert the looming increase in county property taxes, that is likely to continue. That’s because taxes are a key component of Hawaii’s high cost of living, which surveys show is the No. 1 reason people have been leaving. As
If I could propose one New Year’s resolution for Hawaii’s leaders, it would be this: Cut taxes in 2023. That should be a fairly easy resolution to keep. Throughout the election season, multiple candidates talked about the need to ease Hawaii’s tax burden, and new and established government leaders have
Mele Kalikimaka! In this space, I usually focus on the things we can do to improve Hawaii — how we can create more housing, improve the economy, expand healthcare access, keep government accountable and lower the cost of living. Today, however, in the spirit of the holiday, I want to talk
Photo by Charley Myers Hawaii property taxes are going up, and that’s not cool. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported this week that the latest property value assessments of all real property on Oahu went up by 12.4% compared with the previous year. And that’s just the average. On the North Shore,
Keli‘i Akina and Colin Grabow at the Institute’s Jones Act forum on Oahu, Dec. 7, 2022. Photo by Charley Myers As you might have heard, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii hosted two forums on the Jones Act this week on how we can make the Jones Act work for everyone.
Braiding someone’s hair shouldn’t make you an outlaw. But that’s exactly what can happen under Hawaii’s restrictive licensing laws. I bring this up because I noticed the Institute for Justice, based in Arlington, Virginia, just released the third edition of its “License to Work” study, which looked at state regulations nationwide and concluded
One of the most information-packed episodes of “Hawaii Together” I’ve ever seen aired this past Tuesday on the ThinkTech Hawaii, and I wasn’t even a part of it. It was hosted by my Grassroot Institute of Hawaii colleague Joe Kent, who was sitting in for me because I was representing the
Thanksgiving is at our doorstep and Christmas is just around the corner, but everything is not joyful. Considering Hawaii’s high cost of living and the nation’s record inflation, many Hawaii families are taking a hard look at their finances and calculating how inflation and recession will affect their holiday plans,
Most of the results are in from the election, and there are rumors of change in the air. Hawaii’s newly elected or reelected lawmakers have not yet taken the reins of government, but we still remember their campaign promises and are optimistic about seeing them addressed. Some people like to
With a new governor and a new Legislature now in place, Hawaii’s leaders have the opportunity to make a bold statement for government transparency and accountability. The only question is whether they have the political will to do so. Given the various scandals that have rocked Hawaii in recent years
Hawaii’s population has been declining for six straight years, and if policymakers don’t do something quickly to avert the looming increase in county property taxes, that is likely to continue. That’s because taxes are a key component of Hawaii’s high cost of living, which surveys show is the No. 1 reason people have been leaving. As
If I could propose one New Year’s resolution for Hawaii’s leaders, it would be this: Cut taxes in 2023. That should be a fairly easy resolution to keep. Throughout the election season, multiple candidates talked about the need to ease Hawaii’s tax burden, and new and established government leaders have
Mele Kalikimaka! In this space, I usually focus on the things we can do to improve Hawaii — how we can create more housing, improve the economy, expand healthcare access, keep government accountable and lower the cost of living. Today, however, in the spirit of the holiday, I want to talk
Photo by Charley Myers Hawaii property taxes are going up, and that’s not cool. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported this week that the latest property value assessments of all real property on Oahu went up by 12.4% compared with the previous year. And that’s just the average. On the North Shore,
Keli‘i Akina and Colin Grabow at the Institute’s Jones Act forum on Oahu, Dec. 7, 2022. Photo by Charley Myers As you might have heard, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii hosted two forums on the Jones Act this week on how we can make the Jones Act work for everyone.
Braiding someone’s hair shouldn’t make you an outlaw. But that’s exactly what can happen under Hawaii’s restrictive licensing laws. I bring this up because I noticed the Institute for Justice, based in Arlington, Virginia, just released the third edition of its “License to Work” study, which looked at state regulations nationwide and concluded
One of the most information-packed episodes of “Hawaii Together” I’ve ever seen aired this past Tuesday on the ThinkTech Hawaii, and I wasn’t even a part of it. It was hosted by my Grassroot Institute of Hawaii colleague Joe Kent, who was sitting in for me because I was representing the
Thanksgiving is at our doorstep and Christmas is just around the corner, but everything is not joyful. Considering Hawaii’s high cost of living and the nation’s record inflation, many Hawaii families are taking a hard look at their finances and calculating how inflation and recession will affect their holiday plans,
Most of the results are in from the election, and there are rumors of change in the air. Hawaii’s newly elected or reelected lawmakers have not yet taken the reins of government, but we still remember their campaign promises and are optimistic about seeing them addressed. Some people like to
