There appears to be broad agreement among the public and political leaders that the record 10 million visitors to Hawaii in 2019 was near the maximum we can comfortably handle, and that we must better manage tourism to preserve our quality of life. Read more
News of incomprehensible violence driven by psychopathic grievance has become so commonplace in our country that we’re almost numb to it. Read more
Most disturbing is a suggestion by City Council Budget Chairman Calvin Say that the high assessments were the result of pressure from lawmakers or public worker unions to increase the revenue pool for collective bargaining pay raises. Read more
It’s a new year, and we at Volcanic Ash continue our tradition of starting fresh by offering public officials we may have offended in 2022 inspirational quotations from the world’s great minds to lift them to greater heights. Read more
Before we forget 2022, let’s review its most befuddling news “flASHback” style: Read more
Nobody wants to read about political foibles on Christmas morning, so instead I share with you some of my favorite quotations about the holidays: Read more
The last time I went into a McDonald’s I was greeted not by a person to take my order, but by an ATM-like device where I selected my burger, charged it to my credit card and was directed to an unmanned counter to pick it up. Read more
Hawaii has relied on federal prosecutors to expose widespread official corruption that’s tarnished the state and all four counties, with local law enforcers contributing little to cleaning out the rot. Read more
A fair summary of David Ige’s eight years as Hawaii’s governor is that he didn’t promise much and didn’t deliver much. Read more
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It’s the last Sunday in November and time to “flASHback” on the month’s news that amused and confused: Read more
I disapprove of such behavior and know when to put my phone away, but if you’re thinking this will be a tirade against technology and antisocial youth, you would be wrong. Read more
Josh Green’s election as Hawaii’s next governor was an impressive show of strength by any measure. Read more
State legislators appear more primed than ever to legalize recreational marijuana in their upcoming session, and it could shape up as a big oversell. Read more
It’s the last Sunday in October and time to “flASHback” on the month’s news that amused and confused: Read more
The current ruckus over alleged election irregularities reminds me of a 1972 dispute when former Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi demanded a recount in his race against Andy Anderson — not because he lost, but because he didn’t win by as big a margin as he expected. Read more
State Rep. Gene Ward took issue with my recent dark view of our state and country’s discord and sent a thoughtful note arguing that “America is bigger and stronger than all of the wrinkles, disputes and differences between us.” Read more
My head these days is full of a song from my young folkie days called “The Merry Minuet,” written by Broadway composer Sheldon Harnick and recorded by the Kingston Trio in the late 1950s. Read more
Aloha Stadium Manager Ryan Andrews bashed Gov. David Ige’s decision to scrap a convoluted public-private partnership for a new stadium and entertainment district in Halawa, opting for a simpler path focused on the stadium. Read more
It’s the last Sunday of September and time to “flASHback” on the month’s news that amused and confused: Read more
Money has context only in relation to what it buys, and big numbers thrown at us — especially by government — often come with so much spin the context is hopelessly obscured. A couple of examples: Read more
Every election, some candidates call for local government to be run more like a business while others say it can’t be done because government is a different animal from private business. Read more
