Author Archives: garyhooser

Responding to the DOGE and the Big Beautiful Bill by passing a law giving 4 Hawai’i politicians $50,000,000 to dole out to their friends in the nonprofit world – is a crazy bad idea. Allowing them to do it behind … Continue reading →

Walked almost 6 miles this morning. Though I join Claudette and friends in this daily ritual, my journey’s mostly done in the solitude of deep thought and contemplation. I started walking regularly, with a daily goal of 10,000 steps about … Continue reading →

The past few days (months) have been upside-down crazy. My own strategy for staying sane and not being totally stressed out is to keep showing up — virtually in writing and online, and in person when possible. Today, I’m asking … Continue reading →

Getting rid of Trump, while a worthy goal – will not stop the wars, nor end the insanity of now. The maniacal, grotesque actions by one individual, his unfettered abuse of power, and the tangible harm being inflicted across our … Continue reading →

Trust me on this. Or if you are a “trust but verify” kinda guy…Google it. Google, “Best smash burger Kōloa Kaua`i” or “Best hamburger Kōloa Kaua`i” and watch what comes up. For those that prefer a veggie option, try “Best … Continue reading →

I get the question every single day. The question, of course, is “What can we do to make our government (island, state, world) a better place?” I offer two suggestions, and I’ll expand on them here. The first: Think globally, … Continue reading →

With the active support of the United States, Israel has attacked Iran. Iran has naturally responded with retaliatory attacks. The whole mess could go nuclear. State legislators in Minnesota are being gunned down in their homes. Across the continent, other … Continue reading →

There’s lots of ways to serve, and lots of ways to help make the world a better place – but you gotta show up, you gotta “do politics” and you gotta take ownership of your own government. Only 269,912 people … Continue reading →

When we catch elected officials doing the right thing in difficult situations, let’s lock them into a PFL. It’s important we catch the new ones before they decide “going along to get along” is the best path forward. I’ll never … Continue reading →

The words of former State Representative Roy Takumi have been keeping me awake at night. It was 2003 and I was a brand-new Senator, preparing to vote on my first state budget. That’s when Roy told me, “Never forget, Gary, … Continue reading →