In threatening the press for reporting the truth about an impaired lawmaker, a gang of Hawaiʻi senators traded their public obligation to transparency for tribal loyalty—and showed just how comfortable they've become with authoritarian tactics at home.

The 2025 Hawaiʻi legislative session ended with an ignominious whimper when it comes to good government reform, or “sunshine,” bills—the last of which died in conference committee the week before this cartoon ran.

Are you an unethical lawmaker willing to sacrifice the common good for your own personal enrichment and that of your friends and benefactors? Come on down and spin the wheel of extortion on “Quid Pro Go!”

A proposed package of pay raises for public servants would be a lot more palatable to voters if lawmakers hadn’t nixed a bill to make the legislature year round and ban side jobs.