Cost of Living

“All solutions which lower the cost of energy must be on the table,” said Aiona....

Two team members — Peter Savio of the Savio Group and Jay Iranon of Swinerton Builders — were both on hand as Aiona released the policy initiative to the local media....

The answer to the problem is multi-faceted and extremely complex....

"Instead of addressing the soaring cost of living facing Hawaii's middle-class families, Senator Ige and Governor Abercrombie piled on even more taxes...."

...the monthly out of pocket expenses for groceries has increased $130.80 since 2013....

A survey of older adults on Oahu ranks affordable home health care and housing among the greatest needs....

David Ige was one of the top-ranking legislators in charge of implementing the policies that have seen Hawai‘i burdened with bigger bills and higher taxes....

...The changes will affect more than 77,000 homeowners on the neighbor islands and 11,000 on Oahu....

A New Study Shows Hawaii Has The Second Worst Tax System Overall And The Third Most Overtaxed Middle Class....

"Which is precisely why the RGA ad, and others that may follow, might actually persuade voters to go Aiona’s way."

...Oahu’s water customers who end up paying the price for the BWS’ defective meters and billing errors would likely fare better if the BWS was subject to regulation by the Public Utilities Commission....

FLASHBACK: Ige Admits Abercrombie-Ige Agenda Isn't Lowering The Cost Of Food Or Energy....

...To keep the utilities running in a small apartment in Honolulu, you're facing a cost of around $285 per month....

The government was forced to raise the tax after they noticed that bag use was increasing as consumers began absorbing the cost of the bags....

Hawaii workers find they have to work harder while earning inadequate wages in order to keep up with the soaring cost of living....

“A single person can earn as much as $54,850 and qualify for housing assistance on Oahu. For a family of four, the cut-off is $78,300...."

BWS claims that the billing charge is justified to defray administrative costs associated with billing and cost recovery for installing the new billing system....

...Hawaii ranks as the worst place to make a living in 2014....

...A new report over the weekend on the growing doctor shortage is just the latest sign that the Abercrombie-Ige policy agenda is not working....

The states where $100 is worth the least are the District of Columbia ($84.60), Hawaii ($85.32), New York ($86.66), New Jersey ($87.64), and California ($88.57)....

...WalletHub assessed the affordability of homes as well as the conditions of the real estate market and community environment in the 300 largest U.S. cities....

...50,000 new units needed to be built between 2012 and 2016 to meet demands....

...electricity prices in Hawaii are nearly double those in the state with the next highest prices because Hawaii generates 75% of its electricity from petroleum and must rely on Jones Act vessels for all domestic oil shipments....

Former Hawaii state Sen. Fred Hemmings says politicians allowing monopoly control of Hawaii's energy market are largely responsible for high costs....

A few years ago, a Princeton prof and a renowned psychologist found that income of $75,000 a year is the threshold for daily happiness....

My plan reduces the affordable housing shortfall by 91% within seven years without raising taxes....

...Hawaii's power prices are among the highest in the nation as well. Not surprisingly, one of the big reasons for this is taxation....

Hawaii Appleseed has released a report, “Hawai‘i’s Affordable Housing Crisis: The High Cost of Our Affordable Housing Shortfall,”....

...a cost of living more than 50 percent higher than the norm makes it very difficult to make a decent living....

“By the end of the first quarter, we had worked through the high-cost crude inventory...."

...the EPA's new cap-and-trade regulations will make the poor a lot poorer....

...Baron and Budd negotiated a $3.7 million settlement on behalf of the State of Hawaii and a $1.6 million settlement on behalf of the State of Mississippi....

“In New Zealand we are trying to make new geothermal power stations work, competing with other forms of generation at probably 7.5 cents per KWh."

The six layers of land use controls ....

...Petroleos Mexicanos said it will export crude to the U.S. state of Hawaii for the first time and that the initial shipment will be delivered in July....

Despite claims to the contrary, relatively few Hawaiians would benefit from the increase....

...well over two thirds of the state’s generated electricity is used by commercial businesses and industry, which factor into the prices we pay for everything else....

HELCO rates are consistently more than 37 cents a kilowatt-hour, and often well over 40 cents, despite nearly half of the island’s electricity being generated from renewable sources....

Out of Reach 2014 reveals the drastic difference between what renters need to earn to afford rent and what the average renter actually earns....

...IDG officers and associates gave over $10,000 to Malama Solomon for her tightly contested 2012 primary race against Lorraine Inouye....

FACE said the increase is needed because Hawaii’s utilities are 110 percent higher than the national average, housing is 104 percent higher and groceries are 57 percent higher than other states...

Groceries in Honolulu cost 55.6% more than the national average; utilities 67.9% more....

Among the proposals being considered are a low-income credit; a food and excise tax credit; a low-income household renters’ credit; an earned income tax credit; and a special tax credit for seniors....

...residential electricity rates are three times the national average....

...topics include procurement training for BWS staff, prevention of disclosure of confidential information and the management of multiple change orders increasing the work and value of the contract....