Author Archives: garyhooser

Why bother being involved in government and politics when Hawaiʻi lawmakers are crooks? Why bother testifying at the legislature when the policy decisions are fixed and insiders with money are calling the shots? As a good friend once told me, … Continue reading →

The Hawaii Reapportionment Commission is hiding the truth about their practice of using the home addresses of incumbent legislators as criteria to be considered when re-drawing district maps. That’s what it looks like anyway. I welcome the qualified opinions of … Continue reading →

We must jump all over this – now. Senator Karl Rhoads, Chair of the Judiciary Committee has scheduled SB555 introduced by Senator Les Ihara, banning campaign fundraisers during the legislative session. The committee(s) on JDC has scheduled a public hearing … Continue reading →

Today, Thursday 02/17 there will be a floor vote on HB2510. It will be interesting to see who votes Yes in support of delaying the $18 increase until 2030, who votes No and stands firm with working people, and who … Continue reading →

Do you know firsthand of any corruption involving bribery of public officials or government employees occurring here in our community? I sincerely hope not, but if you do https://www.fbi.gov/tips It is our collective community’s responsibility to report if we know … Continue reading →

The House Labor Committee has finally scheduled Speaker Saiki’s minimum wage bill HB2510 to be heard this coming Tuesday and it’s absolutely essential that we flood the committee with testimony saying essentially – $18 by 2026 is the compromise Roses … Continue reading →

Below is a verbatim exchange between a reader and myself on both the minimum wage issue and the potential “inside baseball” political games. “Dear Gary, I apologize for my skepticism sir but I don’t believe Speaker Saiki truly supports a … Continue reading →

The State Senate and the Governor both are supporting SB2018, increasing the minimum wage in Hawaii to $18 per hour in 2026, phased in starting this October. Only the approval of Speaker of the House Scott Saiki is needed, and … Continue reading →

It’s time to begin a statewide conversation about term limits. Few are pleased with the status quo. Though our current legislative leadership possesses decades of experience, clearly that’s not enough. “We already have term limits, they’re called elections” is the … Continue reading →