“Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” So reads the Eighth Amendment, part of the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution. Many of us hearing these words think about Death … Read More
A few weeks ago, we wrote about how the State’s procurement law was suspended by Governor’s Emergency Proclamation. We argued it meant standardless spending, and we were delighted to report last week that the issue was addressed in the most … Read More
For most of us, if we are asked how much money we have (perhaps by a bank or credit union that is considering lending us money), answering the question isn’t terribly difficult. Look up a bank account or two, add … Read More
Here in the City and County of Honolulu, lots of people are out of work, especially in the hospitality industry. At some point the economy will reopen, and people will start occupying hotels again. Then, according to a proposal before … Read More
Here at the Tax Foundation, we watch our state government, and we howl a lot. Often, we don’t know if our message is being heard, or if it’s being taken seriously. A few weeks ago, we complained that multi-million dollar … Read More
Let’s first start by stating the obvious. We’re in trouble. According to the latest forecasts put out by our Council on Revenues, we have a state budget hole of more than 2 billion dollars. This has to be made up … Read More
Imagine that you wake up one day to an awful toothache, and you march into your dentist’s office. But then your dentist says, “Well, you tell me your tooth hurts, but can you prove that you have a cavity?” “Um … Read More
Recently, the University of Hawaii announced that it was going to take steps to combat the anticipated budget shortfall caused by our economic shutdown and the consequent drop in tax revenues. Effective November 1, it will be paying its executive … Read More
We are feverishly trying to spend federal dollars for the common good and busily preparing for a historic election. There are, however, other huge projects in the wings where government agencies are setting up to spend record-setting amounts of money … Read More
On September 15, Governor Ige released his final list of bills he is vetoing from the 2020 legislative session. The list included House Bill 2124, which some people have called the “Revolving Door Bill.” Currently, the State Ethics Code, in … Read More