HOOSER: Hoping for a quick return to normalcy
COVID numbers once again are on the decline! Hopefully, sometime soon, we can return to normalcy, gather again in groups with friends and family, eat out more frequently, and perhaps even testify in person before our government officials.
HOOSER: ‘Just any ole blue won’t do,’ litmus tests or not
With the 2022 primary election less than one year away, candidates from around the state are starting to step forward.
HOOSER: The myth of Democrats controlling politics, government
Hawai‘i is a blue state dominated by Democrats and the Democratic Party. Conventional wisdom though this may be, it’s only half true. And even the half that’s true is not really true. Dwell on that for a moment.
HOOSER: The Case against “Build Back Better Agenda”
Today, if you are a senior citizen on Social Security and Medicare, you have no dental, hearing or vision coverage unless you purchase it yourself.
HOOSER: Time for Coco Palms permit revocation, demolition
Twenty-nine years ago on Sept. 11, 1992, Hurricane ‘Iniki, the most powerful storm to strike Hawai‘i in recorded history, demolished much of Kaua‘i, including that property formerly known as the Coco Palms Hotel.
HOOSER: Hating on each other is not helpful
It’s time to take a deep breath, I think. Perhaps a second and a third are also in order. I would suggest taking a “chill pill,” but unfortunately too many are probably already headed down this path of self-medication. And the situation is not the least bit funny.
HOOSER: Land for affordable housing must remain a priority
Kudos to the Kaua‘i County Council for voting this past Wednesday to approve purchase via eminent domain of a 23.5-acre lot in Kilauea for affordable housing.
HOOSER: Just say ‘no’ to more wars, military expansion
The U.S. war in Afghanistan began on Oct. 7, 2001, with airstrikes against the terror group Al Qaida in retaliation for the Sept. 11 attacks on the twin towers in New York City. That attack killed 2,976 American civilians.
HOOSER: Time to put health over politics
We must keep our eye on the prize. This COVID thing must end or normalize at some point in the not-too-distant future. To be clear, by “normalize” I don’t mean we accept a pandemic that returns to overcrowded hospitals, shortages of ventilators and more deaths.
HOOSER: From Governor to Council, money by the numbers
The latest fundraising numbers posted by the Campaign Spending Commission tell an interesting story, both locally and state-wide.
HOOSER: Money needed to preserve Coco Palms site
The auction of the Coco Palms Hotel held this past Monday at noon on the courthouse steps was at best anti-climatic.
HOOSER: Time for moratorium on hotel/resort development
As a former member of the Kaua‘i County Council, I have resisted to a great extent falling into the role of an arm chair quarterback. Today however, I will venture down that path just a little bit.
HOOSER: Kaua‘i last in numbers of women on council
At the risk of entering the volatile realm of so-called “identity politics,” below is a male/female breakdown of those holding elected office at the state and county levels in Hawai‘i. The gender identification is drawn from references contained within the official county and state websites.
HOOSER: Union leaders push for roll-call vote
The price of poker just went up in the state House. The tension in that big square building on Beretania Street is palpable as 51 representatives are being put in a position of choosing which side they are on.
HOOSER: House tries ‘end-around’ on COVID rules
Today at 1:30 p.m., the state Legislature’s House Committee on Finance is holding a hearing on SB266.
HOOSER: Hawai‘i-based defense radar a bad idea
Expanding the Pacific Missile Range Facility via a new, $1.9-billion radar project that the Pentagon doesn’t want, says isn’t needed and will be obsolete before it’s even completed, is a bad idea.
HOOSER: State House thumbs noses at working class
The House of Representatives in Hawai‘i is essentially telling that man under the bridge: “too bad, too sad. Get a second or third job, or do whatever, just suck it up and stop complaining.”
HOOSER: Making law via the ballot box
What if Hawai‘i residents, fed up with the lack of leadership at the state Legislature, decided to take matters into their own hands and change the law themselves?
HOOSER: Political labels and the man under the bridge
A “radical centrist” is how I’ve recently taken to describing myself and my politics. Needless to say, I’ve taken flack from progressive friends on the left who see centrists as the enemy, blue dogs and regressive corporatists in hiding.
HOOSER: Respecting workers, employed and unemployed
Today on O‘ahu, representatives from dozens of community organizations are gathering at the State Capitol in a demonstration of support and solidarity with workers, both the unemployed and those on the front-lines working in stores, restaurants and offices everywhere.