Hawaiʻi’s minimum wage is now $16 an hour. This hard-won raise is a down payment, not a solution. The data shows a true living wage is over $22 an hour for a worker with no children. The fight for a true living wage must continue.

Instead of ensuring a future for Pacific fisheries, Kitty Simonds and WESPAC have accelerated their decline. If we don’t demand change now, the next generation may inherent an ocean stripped of its life.

Hawaiʻi makes history as the first state to enact a green fee. Worldwide, tourists usually don’t mind paying these fees to offset their impact. But those who profit from the industry have long claimed the sky will fall as a result.

When we have money to fund tax credits for powerful film studios, but no money to invest in tax credits for our keiki, the lines between fictional exploitation and the dismal reality of life start to feel blurred. Are we not, in fact, living The White Lotus?