Recently, Grassroot President Keli’i Akina appeared on Hawaii Public Radio to talk about the “Critical State of  Hawaii’s Unfunded Liabilities.”  With a funding gap singled out by numerous studies as one of the worst in the nation, Hawaii’s economic future depends greatly on what steps are taken to address the issue .  You can listen to Dr. Akina further discuss the problem on HPR’s “The...

J.N. Musto and Dr. Akina discuss the similarities and differences between Detroit and Hawaii in light of Detroit’s recent declaration of bankruptcy.

By Malia Hill Call it a partial win. For those of us who have been warning for years that public employee pensions were going to become an unsustainable drag on state finances, the Detroit bankruptcy is having some bittersweet repercussions.  When being right carries such severe fiscal consequences, there’s no joy in saying “I told you so.” There is, however, some optimism to be found in the fact that this may have been the...

This column was originally published here on Hawaii Reporter.   Scanning the week’s national news, views and clues with you and yours in mind By Malia Hill Quote of the Week: “The good news is that, according to the Obama administration, the rich will pay for everything. The bad news is that, according to the Obama administration, you’re rich. “–P. J. O’Rourke  Each week, we’ll be monitoring the web to find the...

by Mark A. Monoscalco The nature of the encroachment upon American constitution is such, as to grow every day more and more encroaching. Like a cancer; it eats faster and faster every hour. The revenue creates pensioners, and the pensioners urge for more revenue. – John Adams, February 13, 1775 President Adams probably would not be surprised at the rate that government retirees’ pensions are consuming revenue today, but the rest of...