Regulation
Right diagnosis, wrong prescription
If you want to look for the silver lining in Gov. David Ige’s latest State of the State Address, you could say it’s significant that he isn’t ignoring our cost-of-living issue. Yes, acknowledging Hawaii’s notoriously high cost of living is like noticing our stunning...
‘Aloha’ increasingly means goodbye thanks to high taxes
With an 11% top rate, many Hawaii residents are looking for two tickets out of paradise. _____________ (This article was published originally on Dec. 27, 2019, in The Wall Street Journal.) _____________ “Why would anyone leave Hawaii?” Former Hawaii residents hear the...
Taking back our right to choose medicines
Health policy expert Dr. Jeffrey Singer of Arizona was the guest on the Jan. 20 edition of "Hawaii Together," the bi-weekly program on ThinkTech Hawaii hosted by Keli'i Akina, president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. In an episode titled "Making Prescriptions...
‘It’s no secret; everyone knows’ why residents are leaving Hawaii
A discussion about Hawaii's high cost of living was the starting point for Keli'i Akina's latest "Hawaii Together" program, which aired Monday, Jan. 2, on the ThinkTech Hawaii network. Malia Blom Hill, the Washington, D.C.-based policy director for the Grassroot...
Stop the exodus from Hawaii!
Figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau this week were true to expectations: During fiscal year 2019, Hawaii bade farewell to more residents than ever — a record 13,817, compared to the previous record in fiscal 2017 of 13,537. Overall, more than 60,000 residents...
Why Carol Collis left Hawaii
I lived on Maui for 10 years. I moved there from Laguna Hills, California, after losing my business. My husband Paul and I owned a restaurant there called Red Rock Chili Co. We created a concept and sold franchises. After the last store closed, I was offered a job to...
Exodus from Hawaii continued in fiscal 2019
This article was originally issued as a news release on Dec. 30, 2019. _________ The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii cites Hawaii's cost of living and lack of opportunities HONOLULU, Dec. 30, 2019 >> Hawaii once again suffered an annual population decrease in...
The Grassroot Top 5 articles of 2019
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii covered a lot of policy ground during the past year. Our writers and researchers produced reports and commentaries on the negative effects of the federal Jones Act, what can be done to help resolve Hawaii's public pension crisis, how...
Tear down Hawaii’s contractor licensing walls
Photo by Charley Myers It would lead to more people working in construction trades and making homes more plentiful and affordable. ##### By Mauloa Akina and Alex Duggan* (This article was originally published Dec. 12, 2019, in Honolulu Civil Beat.) Many reasons have...
Economic freedom in Hawaii takes a fall
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii urges state policymakers to reverse course HONOLULU, Nov. 7, 2019 >> Economic freedom in Hawaii dropped three notches to 40th place among all 50 U.S. states, according to an index published annually by the Fraser Institute based...
How to improve Hawaii’s business climate
Two of Hawaii’s top business journalists, Steve Petranik, editor of Hawaii Business Magazine, and Kam Napier, editor-in-chief of the Pacific Business News, shared their insights about Hawaii's business climate at a gathering on Friday, Oct. 23, sponsored by the...
Honolulu City Council’s PLA proposal is pilau
What happens when a government tries to fix a system that isn’t broken? Usually, the taxpayers pay the price. That is what might happen if Honolulu's mayor approves a measure that would restrict the use of nonunion labor on city contracts worth over $2 million. As...
How Hawaii can avoid ‘Troubled Waters’
This probably won’t surprise regular readers of my “President’s Corner” columns, but a task force of eminent Hawaii business and other community leaders has just issued a warning that Hawaii’s current rate of government spending is not sustainable. In a new report...
Competition brings Hawaii airfares down to earth
This commentary was published originally in Honolulu Civil Beat on Oct. 10, 2019. –––––––––––– By Josh Mason and Melissa Newsham Hawaii is one of the most regulated states in the country, but fortunately its regulatory powers do not include being able to exclude...
Council approves PLAs despite many concerns
This testimony by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii was submitted to the full Honolulu City Council on Oct. 9, 2019. It is similar to testimony submitted on July 24, except for a figure in the bill being increased from $250,000 to $1 million, then afterward to $2...
‘Rebel’ Ed Case urges Jones Act reform
There haven’t been many prominent Hawaii politicians willing to openly criticize the federal maritime law known as the Jones Act. Fortunately, there are a few notable exceptions, and it was my pleasure to interview one of those “rebels” on this week’s episode of my...
What Honolulu can learn from Houston about housing
Sometimes less is more. In Houston, the largest city in Texas by population, less zoning has resulted in more housing, helping it enjoy a significantly higher standard of living than Honolulu, as measured by the purchasing power of real wages. Find out more about...
Land-use lessons from Houston
Hawaii isn’t the only place experiencing a lack of housing. That’s an affliction we share with many metropolitan areas across the nation, such as San Francisco and New York City. Hawaii politicians have explored a variety of possible solutions to the problem, such...