Entries for 'Keli'i Akina PhD'

...After over a year of endless delays and obstacles, the independent audit has not even started....

...On Wednesday, the Court handed down its decision in Janus v. AFSCME....

...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....

...On Thursday, he introduced a bill that would even the playing field for taxis, to help bring their business model into the 21st century....

...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....

...Hawaii does not perform well on the annual EFNA Index, ranking 45th out of the 50 states in terms of economic freedom....

...how the state government’s housing policies have gone up in flames....

...Regulating Paradise: Land Use Controls in Hawaii....

...Hawaii’s Legislature did not approve a higher minimum wage this year....

...Myth 1: It doesn't matter how the money was spent, as long as it was spent on Hawaiians....

...Saiki said that after passing last year’s rail tax hike, he feels like “the Legislature can do anything.”....

...look at how transparency goes by the wayside at the end of the session....

...OHA Administration was tasked with reporting back on the feasibility and timing of such a plan by June 30....

...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....

...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....

...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 ....

...Findings made by the State Auditor regarding financial impropriety at OHA echo findings made in the investigation of Bishop Estate....

......HB1768 would disclose salary information about government workers in the form of ranges, as opposed to exact compensation....

...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....

...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....

...There is much more that needs to be examined, and that will be the purpose of the upcoming independent audit....

...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?....

...Hawaii takes the longest in the nation to make decisions about transparency disputes....

"...As fiduciaries, Trustees must act immediately...."

...why did LNG that arrived in Boston at the end of January come from Russia — and in violation of Obama-era sanctions against Russia?....

...SB2291 would raise the minimum wage in Hawaii to $15 an hour by 2020....

...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....

...Trustee Keli‘i Akina urges LLCs not to obstruct audit....

...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....

...Within five minutes of the erroneous missile alert, Iolani School student William Heyler had tweeted to the world that it was a mistake....

...The main thing is that we all ‘E Hana Kākou,’ that is, work together to build a bright future for Hawaiians and all people.”....

...This stereotype is clearly not the true picture....

...Hawaii Island rancher Freddy Rice passed away on Jan. 5, 2018....

...would expansion of Medicare be good for America?....

...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....

...OHA must be seen as a valuable partner, not an opponent, to the broader community....

...This week, an actress did something almost unheard of. She apologized for spreading misinformation about the new tax law....

...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....

...Santa is an enthusiastic devotee of the surveillance state....

...Hawaii's extremely modest creep up the ladder of economic freedom....

...the Jones Act, Federal Regulation, politics in Washington, and other issues that impact Hawaii....

...The pilot program requires the rideshare drivers to pay 7 percent of each fare to the state Airports Division....

...legal marijuana users in the state have been receiving letters from the Honolulu Police Department ordering them to turn in their legally owned firearms....

...We are grateful for your partnership in striving for a Hawaii that leads the world in individual liberty and economic opportunity....

There’s a lot of news out there about the tax bills before the Congress, and nearly all of it is confusing....

...Hawaii’s county governments — and county taxpayers — are about to feel the pinch....

...the state Legislature has discovered a new tactic for meeting its public pension financial obligations: passing the costs on to the counties....

Clearly, OHA owes our beneficiaries a sincere apology and a commitment to change our practices internally....

“The FTA will allow nothing less.” -- Kirk Caldwell

Hawaii’s public pension system has an unfunded liability of $12 billion....