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Entries for 'Keli'i Akina PhD'
Saturday, October 13, 2018 |
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#AuditTheRail, now more than ever
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 5:34 PM :: 4549 Views :: Ethics, Rail
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...the FTA has signaled its lack of faith in the project by withholding federal funds absent a recovery plan and setting a Nov. 20 deadline for the city to come up with $44 million — the initial payment on a $214 million obligation to HART....
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Tuesday, October 2, 2018 |
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Ray L'Heureux: A Vision for Changing Hawaii
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 6:29 PM :: 5318 Views :: Politicians, Republican Party
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...Out-of-the-box thinking for Hawaii's future....
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Monday, October 1, 2018 |
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Finally! OHA Is Being Audited for Fraud, Waste and Abuse
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 8:02 PM :: 5506 Views :: Ethics, OHA
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...I am still deeply concerned about the amount of time it has taken to begin this audit....
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Saturday, September 29, 2018 |
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Stop Digging Deeper Pension Debt
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 6:50 PM :: 4462 Views :: Hawaii State Government, Labor
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...state policymakers are willing to commit to payments on the unfunded liabilities, but haven’t done much to curb the excessive spending practices that have led us to this point....
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Monday, September 24, 2018 |
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No way new tax won’t cost us
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 12:57 PM :: 4579 Views :: Education K-12, Taxes
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...advocates of the so-called education tax have been strangely quiet about how much it will be....
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Friday, September 14, 2018 |
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End 'gut and replace'
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 1:59 PM :: 2946 Views :: Ethics
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What’s in a title? If you’re a member of the Hawaii Legislature, opportunity....
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Friday, September 7, 2018 |
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‘Education tax’ a Pandora's box
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 5:26 PM :: 5644 Views :: Education K-12, Labor, Taxes
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...The best laid plans, we are told, often go awry ... “Especially when it comes to politicians counting on revenue from tax hikes.”....
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Thursday, September 6, 2018 |
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OHA Hires Auditor to Look at 'Fraud, Waste, and Abuse'
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 5:15 PM :: 7078 Views :: Ethics, OHA
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...After months of delay, OHA and its LLCs will be audited for fraud, waste and abuse....
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Sunday, September 2, 2018 |
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Akina: Don't Give up on OHA Elections
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 11:30 PM :: 3273 Views :: OHA
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...on August 11, of 286,041 ballots submitted, 41.3% were left blank in the race for the OHA Trustee Oahu seats, and 49.6% were left blank in the race for the OHA Trustee At-large seat....
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Saturday, September 1, 2018 |
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State tax first of many?
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 1:13 AM :: 5650 Views :: Education K-12, Labor, Taxes
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...In Hawaii, we are now looking at one of the most popular of all tax solutions: passing the costs to a nebulous “other.”....
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Tuesday, August 21, 2018 |
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Exploring an Uphill Battle
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 2:46 PM :: 5324 Views :: Politicians, Republican Party
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...Following a career in the U.S. Air Force and then in the tech industry, Steve Lipscomb decided to throw his hat into the rink and run in the Hawaii Republican primary for Lt. Governor....
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Friday, August 17, 2018 |
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How to get more for our money
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 11:57 PM :: 4104 Views :: Hawaii Statistics, Cost of Living
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...The real value of $100 in Hawaii is $84.46. That’s less than it was in 2016, when the real value was $85.62....
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Saturday, August 11, 2018 |
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New rail taxes after election?
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 4:09 AM :: 5060 Views :: Rail, Taxes
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...talk of “recovery plans,” new bonds and property tax dollars allocated to rail inevitably raises the spectre of new rail taxes....
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Tuesday, August 7, 2018 |
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What is Happening with OHA? Keli'i Akina Interviews Peter Apo
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 12:31 AM :: 4250 Views :: OHA
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...OHA Trustee Peter Apo speaks out boldly and reflectively on several hot potato issues, including audits and management of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs....
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Saturday, August 4, 2018 |
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OHA Needs a Clearer Vision
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 9:56 PM :: 3318 Views :: OHA
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...This is why I am adamant about making sure OHA is audited thoroughly and its internal policies revised....
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Saturday, August 4, 2018 |
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Together we can resolve Hawaii's pension crisis
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 8:10 PM :: 4467 Views :: Hawaii State Government, Labor
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... what works, what doesn’t, and what might help Hawaii move out of its position as one of the nation’s worst “sinkhole states” ....
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Friday, July 27, 2018 |
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Jones Act Blamed for High Consumer Prices in Puerto Rico
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 11:49 AM :: 4888 Views :: Jones Act, Cost of Living
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...What are the interests propping up this archaic legislation?....
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Tuesday, July 24, 2018 |
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Kelii Akina and Gene Ward: Opening the Bottleneck at Hawaiian Homelands
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 12:28 AM :: 4481 Views :: DHHL
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...Rare insights into the problem of and solution to the bottleneck at Hawaiian Homelands....
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Friday, July 20, 2018 |
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Ask tough questions about Jones Act
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 5:52 PM :: 4027 Views :: Jones Act
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...OIRA asked the public to weigh in on how regulations in the maritime sector could be modified or repealed to remove unnecessary burdens, increase efficiency or simplify compliance....
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Thursday, July 19, 2018 |
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Grassroot Institute gives feds input on Jones Act
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 12:20 PM :: 3328 Views :: Jones Act
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...there is one set of maritime regulations and laws that costs consumers and businesses millions of dollars every year....
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Friday, July 13, 2018 |
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Work together to implement Janus decision
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 2:07 PM :: 4725 Views :: First Amendment, Labor
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Government employee unions around the country are grappling with the implications of the recent Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME....
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Tuesday, July 10, 2018 |
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Keli'i Akina Endorses Sam King for OHA
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 10:57 PM :: 5850 Views :: Ethics, OHA, Politicians
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...Keli'i believes Sam is the candidate who will unite Hawaiians and reform OHA....
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Friday, July 6, 2018 |
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Recording Employees: HART’s evasiveness troubling
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 5:32 PM :: 4796 Views :: Ethics, Rail
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...To date, HART officials have not publicly explained why it has been recording the meetings between the auditor and HART employees....
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Tuesday, July 3, 2018 |
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Akina: Where is the "Forensic" Audit OHA Trustees Promised?
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 9:49 PM :: 4203 Views :: OHA
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...After over a year of endless delays and obstacles, the independent audit has not even started....
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Friday, June 29, 2018 |
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Hawaii public unions must adapt to new reality
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 11:15 AM :: 5209 Views :: First Amendment, Labor
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...On Wednesday, the Court handed down its decision in Janus v. AFSCME....
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Tuesday, June 26, 2018 |
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Misunderstanding Economics: Interview with Paul Brewbaker
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 7:05 PM :: 4497 Views :: Economy
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...What do volcanoes, trade wars, and housing bubbles have to do with each other? These are just a few of the economic topics with which many of Hawaii's policymakers are woefully unfamiliar....
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Saturday, June 23, 2018 |
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Akina: Caldwell makes right call on ride-hailing
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 3:33 PM :: 4733 Views :: Honolulu County, Small Business
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...On Thursday, he introduced a bill that would even the playing field for taxis, to help bring their business model into the 21st century....
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Friday, June 15, 2018 |
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Never too late to ‘Audit the rail’
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 4:49 PM :: 5056 Views :: Ethics, Rail
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...The Grassroot Institute recently obtained a letter written by HART board member John Henry Felix to HART Chairman Damien Kim in which he also urged the board to call for a forensic audit....
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Friday, June 8, 2018 |
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As least we’re not as bad as California
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 2:05 PM :: 4489 Views :: Economy, Hawaii Statistics
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...Hawaii does not perform well on the annual EFNA Index, ranking 45th out of the 50 states in terms of economic freedom....
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Thursday, June 7, 2018 |
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A Housing “Boom” and a Volcanic “Bang”
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 12:57 PM :: 5122 Views :: Hawaii County , Land Use
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...how the state government’s housing policies have gone up in flames....
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Friday, May 18, 2018 |
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Good Intentions Pave Road to Hawaii Housing Crisis
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 1:28 PM :: 7552 Views :: Maui County, Homelessness, Land Use
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...Regulating Paradise: Land Use Controls in Hawaii....
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Friday, May 11, 2018 |
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Inflation Making Minimum Wage Irrelevant
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 1:54 PM :: 4336 Views :: Labor, Small Business
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...Hawaii’s Legislature did not approve a higher minimum wage this year....
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Sunday, May 6, 2018 |
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Why the State Audit is Good Medicine for OHA
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 2:26 PM :: 5092 Views :: Ethics, OHA
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...Myth 1: It doesn't matter how the money was spent, as long as it was spent on Hawaiians....
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Friday, May 4, 2018 |
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Was 2018 Hawaii Legislature a success?
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 3:05 PM :: 5020 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 :: 4430 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 :: 7124 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 :: 3837 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 :: 4881 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 :: 5451 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 :: 5696 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 :: 4791 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 :: 3952 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 :: 4580 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 :: 4368 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 :: 5041 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 :: 4666 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 :: 6019 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 :: 4128 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 :: 4829 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 :: 5384 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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