Author Archives: garyhooser

Unknown's avatar

About garyhooser

This blog represents my thoughts as an individual person and does not represent the official position of any organization I may be affiliated with. I presently serve as volunteer President of the Hawaii Alliance for Progressive Action (H.A.P.A.) www.hapahi.org I am the former Vice-Chair of the Democratic Party of Hawaii. In another past life, I was an elected member of the Kauai County Council, a Hawaii State Senator, and Majority Leader, and the Director of Environmental Quality Control for the State of Hawaii - in an even earlier incarnation I was an entrepreneur and small business owner. Yes, I am one of the luckiest guys on the planet. Please visit my website AND sign up for my newsletter (unlike any email newsletter you have ever gotten, of that I am sure) - http://www.garyhooser.com/#four “Come to the edge.” “We can’t. We’re afraid.” “Come to the edge.” “We can’t. We will fall!” “Come to the edge.” And they came. And he pushed them. And they flew. - Christopher Logue (b.1926)

Flushing Out Big Money and Fear-Based Decision Making

Posted on April 26, 2026 by garyhooser

To a large extent Big Money controls who wins and who loses election to public office, and thus Big Money controls our government. Whether it’s criminal bribery, the legal corruption of “pay to play” campaign contributions, or the millions spent … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Title: WAM, MACRO, Updates, Acronyms, and how SHOWING UP WORKS

Posted on April 22, 2026 by garyhooser

Did your telephone call and email to WAM on the MACRO issue make a difference? I think so. Actually I know so. Mahalo plenty to each and every one of you for taking the time to show up, make the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

A message to friends – near and far, old and new, and those yet to be met

Posted on April 11, 2026 by garyhooser

Aloha, The rain just keeps coming. 
Fortunately, my ʻohana in Wailua Homesteads on Kauaʻi has escaped major damage, but the recent and ongoing storms have hit some of our friends and neighbors pretty hard. Seems a metaphor for the planet right now. We … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Is WAM meeting in secret on MACRO issue in violation of the State Constitution?

Posted on April 9, 2026 by garyhooser

I’d like to invite – no, I’d like to BEG attorneys, law students, and constitutional scholars to tell me I’m wrong about this – or not. See for yourselves; it’s all on video. The April 8th public meeting regarding HB1800, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Waiting for the next bomb to drop – This is what thinking globally and acting locally looks like.

Posted on April 6, 2026 by garyhooser

Both literally and figuratively, we wait daily for the next bomb to drop. The United States government is like a demented circus show, providing live, onstage, non-stop world entertainment with dark and deadly consequences. The President, without question, has crossed … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

To those of you who showed up on Saturday, I need to ask for 10 more minutes today.

Posted on March 30, 2026 by garyhooser

I’m not sure if you were able to make it or not, but the “No Dictators” gatherings held Saturday were an awesome example of our collective community “showing up”. I went home that evening and wrote, “The key to winning … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The key to winning is showing up.

Posted on March 30, 2026 by garyhooser

When we fill the room, we win. When we show up at the ballot box and vote, we win. In the 30 years I’ve been involved in government and politics, I’ve seen it happen over and over again. When we … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

For those serious about making positive change happen: Saturday March 28 – be there.

Posted on March 26, 2026 by garyhooser

Thousands of community members from across the islands are expected to join the upcoming “No Dictators Rally and Gatherings” on Saturday March 28th to mobilize against the Trump administration’s escalating abuses of power. (I believe the below info to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

To Kauaʻi friends who care about the homeless and would like to do something to help.

Posted on March 24, 2026 by garyhooser

Let’s send an email today that can really change lives   A few months ago, I wrote a column entitled “No Room At The Inn.”   Since writing that column, I haven’t slept well. At night, I lie awake thinking … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

This is what winning looks like. The back-story on SB3240.

Posted on March 24, 2026 by garyhooser

SB3240 is dead. You, the regular citizen on the street, decided to get involved – YOU read the bill, YOU submitted testimony, YOU called and emailed the committee members directly, YOU shared the “action alerts” and “liked” the social media … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment