Entries for 'Grassroot Institute'

... Keli’i Akina says House members should have aimed to pay off more debt instead of go on a record-breaking spending spree ....

... it is doubtful any of Hawaii’s proposed tax increases this year will, if enacted, achieve the goal of increasing state revenues. More likely, they will further damage the economy and prompt even more of our family, friends and neighbors to move away ....

... There are few things more nonsensical than encouraging doctors to leave a state during a pandemic, but that is exactly what the Hawaii State Legislature is doing .... 

... I have a 5,000-square-foot, five-bedroom house on half an acre with a view that stretches to a river, and that house costs me $539,000 ....

... the Hawaii Tax Review Commission conducts a systematic review of Hawaii’s tax structure ....

... Hawaii's Legislature is about halfway through its 2021 session, and if we're lucky, the good will outweigh the bad when it's over ....

... SB56 contains so many tax increases it's hard to fathom, yet at the end of the day, only one Hawaii senator opposed it ....

... A Maui bill to increase affordability requirements is the backdrop for a discussion on how current housing policy can be improved ....

... Like Hawaii, Alaska relies heavily on tourism .... 

... Alaska's tourism industry is in deep trouble because foreign cruise ships may not carry passengers between U.S. ports without a foreign stop ....

... the ALOHA homes program as currently envisioned in SB1 likely would result in an expensive, non-sustainable government project that would fail ....

... many tax increases, fees, and surcharges that have been proposed this legislative session. Hawaii residents are already among the most taxed in the country; the state has the second highest overall tax burden in the U.S. ....

... every proposal in the 2021 Legislature that would increase Hawaii's tax burden ....

... The governor’s continued exercise of extended unilateral power also has called into question the legality of the state’s emergency powers law ....

... The Governmental Accounting Standards Boards is considering letting states count loans as "revenues" to balance their budgets ....

... increasing Hawaii's tax burden at a time when its economy is in its worst depression ever ....

... lift zoning restrictions that hamper creative solutions to the lack of affordable housing ....

"...By requiring legislative approval for the extension of an emergency past a 60-day time limit, the bill would take a positive step toward protecting the balance of powers and the public trust...."

... The Jones Act prohibits that, too ....

... “Lockdowns Versus Liberty,” -- civil liberties in the time of an emergency ....

... Hawaii's economy is on the ropes right now, but that hasn't stopped some legislators from going all in with new tax-increase proposals ....

... Hawaii's Legislature needs to step in to prevent the extensive exercise of unchecked unilateral power, says the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii ....

... 2020 STARTED OUT like any other year, but ....

... Efforts to save money now will cost taxpayers more later while putting government employees and retirees at risk, says Grassroot Institute of Hawaii ....

... Hawaii’s population has been declining over the past four years ....

... Governor being coy in new budget about tax increases totaling $1 billion ....

... Respecting the state’s legal spending cap might have saved the state from having to consider furloughs for its employees ....

... How many individuals can boast of leaving a legacy for liberty? ....

...When businesses across the state are fighting for their lives, the state is about to levy an enormous hike in the unemployment tax.... 

...Failure to address the legally required increase could discourage employers from hiring back employees after the lockdowns....

... to get right to the heart of what it means to have a healthy economy ....

...to bail out Hawaii's politicians at the local level, who have been doing little during our prolonged coronavirus lockdowns to trim the state's extravagant spending, despite the collapse of the state's private sector and evaporation of its tax stream....

...At the county level, there could be some changes....

... As Hawaii struggles to rebuild its economy following the COVID-19 lockdown, we are faced with big questions about the future of our tourism industry. ...

... The state Constitution says emergency proclamations expire after 60 days, but Hawaii now is in its eighth month of lockdown ....

... “If you are going to get the cost of living down … you are going to have to get the Jones Act amended.”  -- Alaska Gov. Walter Hickel, speaking to the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce, Sept. 12, 1967 ....

...Two examples of the old way of thinking, both in Honolulu....

...Ocean cruising has been suspended during the coronavirus lockdowns, but when it resumes, the industry needs more freedom to benefit Hawaii....

...rehire employees according to a strict formula based on an occupancy ratio....

“...If all of us had to go back and work in the agricultural sector, we’re not as productive in that, and we would lose income....”

...Hawaii’s unfunded liabilities for infrastructure and public health benefits have increased so far this year to $97 billion....

...U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) used the recent three-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria's devastation of Puerto Rico to call for a lifting of the Jones Act....

...Hawaii’s negative migration of the past several years in a row is going to accelerate....

...Hawaii’s leading industry, tourism, has virtually disappeared; unemployment is at historic highs; hundreds, if not thousands, of businesses have permanently closed; state and county tax revenues have evaporated....

...When your state lacks sufficient housing, the last thing you should do is make building a difficult, risky and lengthy process. But that’s exactly what Hawaii has done....

... At the beginning of the year, our governor boasted about his efforts to put the state on a “sound financial footing.” What a difference a few months can make ....

...The state Land Use Commission has strayed from its core mission, leading to fewer homes and higher home prices for Hawaii residents....

...the road to tyranny can be paved with good intentions....

...The yo-yo nature of Hawaii’s lockdowns is destroying local businesses....

... The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii advises Maui planners against adding more regulations if they wants more housing ....