Rebalance Hawaiʻi’s Upside-Down Tax Code To Achieve Prosperity For All
We are the third-worst state when it comes to taxing struggling working families.
An $18 Minimum Wage Won’t Raise Prices Dramatically
A living wage increase will go a long way toward providing financial stability for many in Hawaiʻi.
How The Build Back Better Plan Saves Money And Lives
The answer lies in an expansion of the strategy that held the line against poverty in 2020 and that helped America out of the Great Depression.
Choose Smart Justice, Not a Half-a-Billion Dollar New Jail
Instead of wasting our money on a project that will solve precisely none of the problems it is meant to solve, we should be investing that money in ways that uplift our communities and our people.
Honolulu Must Learn From Everglades Tragedy
Similar to what happened in Florida, we drained Waikīkī and opened ourselves up to the threat of flooding.
Automatic Voter Registration Will Open Door to More Young Voters
Young people do care. Yet, we do not fully participate in our democracy for the most pedestrian of reasons: not being registered to vote.
It’s Time for Publicly Financed Elections
We’ve created a system where money buys elections. Those who want to serve and represent their communities first need to acquire tons of cash. Without it, there is almost no chance of success.
Democratic Divide
What a clash between wings of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi at its 2018 convention tells us about hopes for an effective institutional counter to the rising fascism of the American Right.
House Committee Wins Rusty Scalpel Award for Hurricane Frankenbill
The House public safety committee voted to gut a criminal justice reform bill and replace it with a bill looking at hurricane-resistant school structures with no input from advocates or the community.
Millennials Need a Better Tool for Saving
Every year that we wait to set up a Hawaiʻi Saves program means less time to save and fewer dollars for retirement.
A Reasonable Gun Regulation For All Of Us
Both gun-control advocates and Second Amendment activists should support banning “bump stocks” and other rate-of-fire modifications.
Kupuna Caregivers Program Deserves Full Funding
Our state is the first to invest in the growing caregiving infrastructure.
Court Cases Reveal State’s Resistance to Honoring Hawaiian as Official Language
Two separate, pending court cases reveal a lack of respect for Hawaiʻi’s indigenous language as an equal and legitimate alternative to English.
Big Seed, Small World
Massive agribusiness mergers could threaten the democratization of food supplies and global self-determination.
10 Things Honolulu Needs From its New Police Chief
The appointment of new police chief is an opportunity for the Honolulu Police Department to regain the trust of the people it serves.
Former Sacramento Mayor Reenters Politics in Hawaiʻi After Dual Scandals
Allegations of sexual assault, shady handling of public education follow former mayor Kevin Johnson and his wife, former D.C. school system chancellor Michelle Rhee, as they remake themselves in Hawaiʻi politics.
Free Speech and the Importance of College Activism in the Age of Trump
As President Trump attempts to restrict First Amendment rights that challenge his authority, it will be all the more important for campuses to remain bastions of free speech and free thought.
Breaking Public Trust for Private Profit
The land board’s acquiescence to corporate control of Hawaiʻi's resources represents the state’s continuing failure to uphold its fiduciary duties.
Rep. Tom “Sledgehammer” Brower Named Housing Committee Chair
Brower’s disparaging words and dehumanizing actions toward those experiencing houselessness in Hawaiʻi make him a controversial choice to chair the committee.
Will Gabbard’s Affinity for Rightwing Regimes Extend to Trump?
From Netanyahu in Israel to Modi in India, Tulsi Gabbard seems to have no problem supporting brutal and racist regimes.