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OTHER VOICES: Think small to help resolve Kaua‘i’s housing crisis
If Kaua‘i County lawmakers would like to get ahead of the housing crisis curve, they should consider allowing homebuilding on lot sizes smaller than currently allowed. The simple truth is larger houses...
View ArticleHOOSER: Talking trash: two easy and important things you can do
Our one and only Kekaha landfill is approaching maximum capacity. Micro-plastics are being found in the guts of fish and other living things. The trash on the beach, at the side of the road, and...
View ArticleHOOSER: 3 steps toward 6 important priorities
Please don’t tell me it’s a waste of time, nobody listens anyway, or that you’re busy. You can be part of the solution or part of the problem. I ask that you please, please, please — today be part of...
View ArticleHOOSER: What can we do to stop the madness?
Innocent civilians: men, women, children, the very old, the very young, are being slaughtered daily. Whether it’s death by bullet, bomb or bayonet, people are being targeted and killed in their homes,...
View ArticleHOOSER: Policy, politics, ethics and avocados
Walking 5 miles a day provides valuable exercise of course, but it also gives me two hours of peaceful solitude and outdoor “thinking time.” Where am I going with this, you ask? How does this relate to...
View ArticleHOOSER: Yes, in my backyard!
Yes, in my backyard! Putting affordable housing in my backyard is totally fine, and if government just gives me a little help — I’ll build it myself. Like tens of thousands of homeowners across Hawai’i...
View ArticleHOOSER: Lawmaking 101 — tools of the trade
Rules and regulations, mandates, outright bans, plus financial incentives and disincentives. These are the primary tools used by lawmakers and administrators to accomplish public policy goals needed to...
View ArticleHOOSER: Hawai‘i — a blue state charade
Am wishing today, we were more like Minnesota. Yes, Minnesota. The 2023 Legislature in Minnesota, with only a one-vote “blue majority” in the Senate, accomplished in a single year more than our own...
View ArticleHOOSER: The policy and politics of gratitude
Being thankful and celebrating our own good fortune comes with an obligation to reach out to help others. In the past, as a way to celebrate, I’ve taken my children with donations to the food bank or...
View ArticleHOOSER: Zoom testimony returns to Kaua‘i County Council
Hooray! The Kaua‘i County Council is once again accepting remote public testimony “live” via the internet. Members of the public must sign up via email to testify no later than noon on the day prior to...
View ArticleHOOSER: Dems pass ‘cease-fire’ resolution
This past Saturday, the State Central Committee (SCC) of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i (DPH) unanimously adopted a formal resolution calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The...
View ArticleHOOSER: What law would you change or create?
Let’s talk law-making for a moment. If you could pass any new law at the county level, what would that be? Seriously: All four Hawai‘i counties have in its harter, a citizen’s right to initiative and...
View ArticleHOOSER: The politics of debate and dialogue
Either I’m evil or I’m ignorant was the message delivered to me recently via email. Another scolded me, saying she was offended that I had not responded to her email within three days. It seems...
View ArticleHOOSER: Challenges and opportunities in 2024
Bring it on. As the door to 2024 begins to open, I see sparkles of opportunity beckoning in the distance. The challenges facing our community while formidable, are certainly not insurmountable. We...
View ArticleHOOSER: The most important issue of our time
There’s nothing we can really do about it, the underlying issues are far too complicated, and we have far too many important problems of our own to deal with — said every enabler of every war and...
View ArticleHOOSER: Money buys influence
“Prior to appearing before the County Council or administrative agency, a lobbyist shall orally disclose his or her status as a lobbyist and the person on whose behalf the lobbyist is appearing.”...
View ArticleHOOSER: Opening day of the Hawai‘i Legislature
It’s easy to imagine the scene at the big square building in Honolulu, Wednesday Jan. 17, opening day of the 2024 legislative session. There will be “pomp and circumstance,” important people rubbing...
View ArticleVOICES: Kaua‘i needs curbside recycling now
Kaua‘i has a solid waste crisis. According to county officials, the current landfill will fill up before a new one is ready. More than half of the stuff used or consumed by Kaua‘i residents and 30,000...
View ArticleHOOSER: Do’s, don’ts and shoulds for Kaua‘i council
What power and responsibilities are specifically granted to the council and its members? The County Charter is essential reading for those serious about this question and understanding how the county...
View ArticleDemocrat takes stance against ‘Clean Elections’ bill
It’s a “can’t make this stuff up” kinda of day and the official start of the 2024 election season. While there will likely be 15 or more candidates ultimately running, as of Feb. 5 only one person Bart...
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