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Entries for 'Keli'i Akina PhD'
Friday, May 4, 2018 |
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Was 2018 Hawaii Legislature a success?
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 3:05 PM :: 5111 Views :: Hawaii State Government, Taxes
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...Saiki said that after passing last year’s rail tax hike, he feels like “the Legislature can do anything.”....
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Friday, April 27, 2018 |
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Let’s restore accountability at the Capitol
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 6:05 PM :: 4561 Views :: Ethics, Hawaii State Government
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...look at how transparency goes by the wayside at the end of the session....
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Thursday, April 26, 2018 |
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OHA Trustees Request Plan for Downsizing LLCs and Replacing Managers
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 12:01 AM :: 7256 Views :: Ethics, OHA
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...OHA Administration was tasked with reporting back on the feasibility and timing of such a plan by June 30....
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Friday, April 20, 2018 |
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Hawaii Legislature wants to vacuum up your tax savings
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 3:11 PM :: 3918 Views :: Taxes
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...In the latest edition of “Rich States, Poor States,” Hawaii ranked 45th overall. One of the biggest reasons for that low ranking was Hawaii’s high level of taxation....
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Friday, April 13, 2018 |
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Hawaii schools need flexibility, not centralization
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 2:09 PM :: 4964 Views :: Education K-12, Taxes
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...At a time when many advocates of education reform are promoting greater local involvement in schools, Hawaii appears to be moving in the opposite direction....
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Friday, April 6, 2018 |
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Mandatory paid sick leave wrong medicine for Hawaii economy
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 3:16 PM :: 5539 Views :: Labor, Small Business
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...There are currently three different bills still alive that would require local companies to give all employees paid sick leaves: HB 1727, HB 2598 and SB 2990 ....
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Saturday, March 31, 2018 |
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Is OHA the New Broken Trust?
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 9:26 PM :: 5785 Views :: Ethics, OHA
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...Findings made by the State Auditor regarding financial impropriety at OHA echo findings made in the investigation of Bishop Estate....
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Friday, March 30, 2018 |
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How much privacy for public employees?
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 4:35 PM :: 4884 Views :: First Amendment, Labor
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......HB1768 would disclose salary information about government workers in the form of ranges, as opposed to exact compensation....
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Friday, March 23, 2018 |
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Voter backlash no longer a threat to tax hikes?
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 4:12 PM :: 4022 Views :: Taxes
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...For years, it was conventional wisdom that as tax-happy as the Hawaii Legislature might be, it still would avoid raising taxes in an election year....
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Friday, March 16, 2018 |
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Bond funding scheme for rail shows need for audit
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 6:08 PM :: 4649 Views :: Rail
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...Caldwell wants the city to use $44 million of bond debt to pay for administrative costs related to construction of the city’s planned 20-mile rail system....
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Saturday, March 10, 2018 |
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State Audit of OHA is just the tip of the iceberg
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 11:35 PM :: 4438 Views :: Ethics, OHA
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...There is much more that needs to be examined, and that will be the purpose of the upcoming independent audit....
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Friday, March 9, 2018 |
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Janus: Abolishing mandatory fees could help unions
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 3:53 PM :: 5140 Views :: First Amendment, Labor
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...Will Hawaii’s public unions lose power if their membership dues become voluntary under a pending Supreme Court ruling in the case known as Janus v. AFSCME?....
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Friday, February 23, 2018 |
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State should speed up responses to information requests
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 3:30 PM :: 4750 Views :: Ethics, Hawaii State Government
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...Hawaii takes the longest in the nation to make decisions about transparency disputes....
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Tuesday, February 20, 2018 |
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Keli‘i Akina Urges OHA Board to Remove CEO
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 9:54 PM :: 6118 Views :: Ethics, OHA
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"...As fiduciaries, Trustees must act immediately...."
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Saturday, February 17, 2018 |
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Russian LNG episode exposes feeble Jones Act argument
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 12:01 AM :: 4189 Views :: Jones Act
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...why did LNG that arrived in Boston at the end of January come from Russia — and in violation of Obama-era sanctions against Russia?....
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Friday, February 9, 2018 |
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Minimum Wage: Good intentions don’t always equal good policy
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 5:38 PM :: 4904 Views :: Labor, Small Business
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...SB2291 would raise the minimum wage in Hawaii to $15 an hour by 2020....
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Friday, February 2, 2018 |
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Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Janus?
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 9:17 PM :: 5482 Views :: First Amendment, Labor
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...a decision by the court’s nine justices that state employees can't be required to pay union dues could lead to some interesting outcomes in Hawaii....
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Tuesday, January 30, 2018 |
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OHA Audit: LLCs Refuse to Show Check Registers
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 7:02 PM :: 5971 Views :: Ethics, OHA
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...Trustee Keli‘i Akina urges LLCs not to obstruct audit....
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Saturday, January 27, 2018 |
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What is the state of our state?
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 8:26 PM :: 4356 Views :: Hawaii State Government, Hawaii Statistics
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...the 2017 Economic Freedom of North America report, ranks Hawaii a low 46th in the nation in terms of economic freedom, due to its high taxation, high regulation and high cost of living....
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Saturday, January 20, 2018 |
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Why is HS Student More Efficient Than State Government?
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 4:39 PM :: 5014 Views :: Hawaii State Government, Military
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...Within five minutes of the erroneous missile alert, Iolani School student William Heyler had tweeted to the world that it was a mistake....
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Wednesday, January 17, 2018 |
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‘Onipa‘a Kākou: OHA Trustee Keli‘i Akina on Native Hawaiian Resilience and Finding Unity in Diversity
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 4:22 AM :: 6386 Views :: Hawaii History, OHA
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...The main thing is that we all ‘E Hana Kākou,’ that is, work together to build a bright future for Hawaiians and all people.”....
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Saturday, January 13, 2018 |
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Why Freddy Rice Went to Court
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 12:26 AM :: 10979 Views :: Hawaii County , Akaka Bill, Hawaii History, OHA
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...Hawaii Island rancher Freddy Rice passed away on Jan. 5, 2018....
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Monday, January 8, 2018 |
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Overcharged: Why Healthcare Costs Too Much
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 9:39 PM :: 5934 Views :: Health Care, Cost of Living
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...would expansion of Medicare be good for America?....
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Friday, January 5, 2018 |
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Hawaii tax policy feels the heat
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 2:09 PM :: 5861 Views :: Hawaii State Government, Health Care, Rail
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...The administration just told New York and New Jersey they would have to fund their $13 billion Hudson Tunnel rail project on their own, backing out of an Obama-era promise to foot half the bill....
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Saturday, December 30, 2017 |
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Kelii Akina: My Vision as OHA Trustee
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 3:20 PM :: 4148 Views :: OHA
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...OHA must be seen as a valuable partner, not an opponent, to the broader community....
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Friday, December 29, 2017 |
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Federal tax reform a reason for cheer
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 3:00 PM :: 4236 Views :: Taxes
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...This week, an actress did something almost unheard of. She apologized for spreading misinformation about the new tax law....
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Thursday, December 28, 2017 |
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Kelii Akina: One Year at OHA a Report Card
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 6:58 PM :: 6309 Views :: Ethics, OHA, Politicians
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...I committed myself to doing three things for the sake of the Hawaiian people: First, ensure a full and independent audit of OHA. Secondly, guide OHA towards financial sustainability as well as growth. Third, watch to make sure OHA funds are not misspent but rather used to meet the real needs of Hawaiian people....
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Friday, December 22, 2017 |
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Should the government be your Santa?
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 12:24 PM :: 4671 Views :: First Amendment
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...Santa is an enthusiastic devotee of the surveillance state....
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Friday, December 15, 2017 |
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One Down—44 to go
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 1:21 PM :: 4998 Views :: Economy, Hawaii Statistics
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...Hawaii's extremely modest creep up the ladder of economic freedom....
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Tuesday, December 12, 2017 |
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Keli'i Akina and Malia Hill: DC Update
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 4:23 PM :: 4019 Views :: Jones Act
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...the Jones Act, Federal Regulation, politics in Washington, and other issues that impact Hawaii....
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Friday, December 8, 2017 |
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Airports Division spreads the red tape
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 6:47 PM :: 5197 Views :: Small Business, Tourism
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...The pilot program requires the rideshare drivers to pay 7 percent of each fare to the state Airports Division....
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Friday, December 1, 2017 |
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Serving the law can circumvent justice
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 7:56 PM :: 5482 Views :: Second Amendment, Drugs
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...legal marijuana users in the state have been receiving letters from the Honolulu Police Department ordering them to turn in their legally owned firearms....
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Thursday, November 23, 2017 |
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Grassroot: Things to be Thankful for This Year
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 1:15 PM :: 5826 Views :: Hawaii State Government, Health Care, Jones Act
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...We are grateful for your partnership in striving for a Hawaii that leads the world in individual liberty and economic opportunity....
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Friday, November 17, 2017 |
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Understanding the Congressional tax bill
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 9:16 PM :: 3751 Views :: Taxes
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There’s a lot of news out there about the tax bills before the Congress, and nearly all of it is confusing....
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Thursday, November 16, 2017 |
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Pension pinches profligacy
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 8:00 AM :: 4887 Views :: Hawaii State Government, Labor
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...Hawaii’s county governments — and county taxpayers — are about to feel the pinch....
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Saturday, November 11, 2017 |
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Counties stuck with bailing out pension debt
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 1:11 PM :: 4566 Views :: Hawaii State Government, Labor
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...the state Legislature has discovered a new tactic for meeting its public pension financial obligations: passing the costs on to the counties....
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Sunday, November 5, 2017 |
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Akina--Let's Work Together for Hawaiian Charter Schools
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 2:20 AM :: 5765 Views :: Education K-12, Ethics, OHA
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Clearly, OHA owes our beneficiaries a sincere apology and a commitment to change our practices internally....
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Friday, November 3, 2017 |
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The Importance of Accurate Testimony
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 11:04 PM :: 5383 Views :: Ethics, Rail
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“The FTA will allow nothing less.” -- Kirk Caldwell
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Friday, October 27, 2017 |
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Right tools can dig us out of pension debt
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 5:48 PM :: 3976 Views :: Hawaii State Government
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Hawaii’s public pension system has an unfunded liability of $12 billion....
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Friday, October 20, 2017 |
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UPDATE: OHA Trustees Reject CNHA Grab for Charter School Funds
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 3:59 AM :: 8348 Views :: Education K-12, Ethics, OHA
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...the Resource Management Committee opted to instead give the grant funds directly to the charter schools, instead of to the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement....
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Tuesday, October 17, 2017 |
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Video: Kelii Akina on The State of Racial Harmony in Hawaii
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 4:24 AM :: 4086 Views :: OHA
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...Michael Lilly , Former Hawaii Attorney General, joins Hawaii Together with Keli'i Akina for a discussion on the history and current state of Racial Harmony in Hawaii....
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Thursday, October 12, 2017 |
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State of Hawaii Auditing OHA
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 1:49 AM :: 5241 Views :: Ethics, OHA
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...the state Auditor has already informed OHA of its preliminary findings....
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Friday, September 22, 2017 |
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Hurricanes Blow Jones Act Out of the Way
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 3:35 PM :: 4398 Views :: Jones Act
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"...we waived regulations, we waived rules, we waived the Jones Act restrictions to free up additional capacity."
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Friday, September 15, 2017 |
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Jones Act Waivers Prove Need for Reform
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 2:19 PM :: 3586 Views :: Jones Act
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The very fact that such waivers are standard in emergencies reveals something that the Jones Act lobby doesn't want people to understand....
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Saturday, September 9, 2017 |
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The Power of School Choice
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 7:58 PM :: 5269 Views :: Education K-12, OHA
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...This was my first back to school experience at the Kualapu‘u Public Conversion Charter School on the island of Moloka‘i....
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Friday, September 8, 2017 |
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Hawaii taxes block prosperity
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 10:40 PM :: 4156 Views :: Taxes
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Confucius said to the ruler: So long as when you get richer, the poor get richer....
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Friday, September 8, 2017 |
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Reso 17-199: Will Honolulu Council Back Rail Audit?
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 12:41 PM :: 5377 Views :: Ethics, Rail
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...the most recent version of the proposed resolution requests an “independent forensic audit” of HART operations and contract awards....
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Thursday, September 7, 2017 |
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Dropping college enrollment shows Americans are no longer buying the college lie
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 12:01 AM :: 5547 Views :: Hawaii Statistics, Higher Education
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...University of Hawaii college enrollment has plummeted by 15 percent in just six years, from a high of 60,300 students in 2012 to 51,300 as of 2017....
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Thursday, August 31, 2017 |
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Obamacare Could Bankrupt ERS
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 7:18 PM :: 5599 Views :: Hawaii State Government, Labor
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...a 1% increase in health care costs equals a $2 billion increase in unfunded liabilities....
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