Republican lawmakers now are looking for ways to punish election officials
It’s no secret that Republican state legislatures are working overtime to alter election laws in ways to twist American democracy to their favor. Having imposed rules that make it harder to vote and to discourage those who can’t vote in person, the newest point of attack is to threaten election officials with fines and jail time.
Oliveira: Shining a light on housing crisis
Everyday we hear about the housing crisis that communities are experiencing locally, statewide and across the nation: record median prices for homes, limited housing inventory available for purchase or rent, a steady widening of the gap between home prices and household income levels, island residents leaving the state because of out of reach housing costs, and a growing number of individuals and families that are at-risk or currently experiencing homelessness.
Your Views for May 8
Terrible roads
Alito’s draft ruling is so self-contradictory that it calls court’s judgment into question
The Supreme Court draft ruling overturning Roe v. Wade raises just as many arguments and counterarguments as the original ruling that Justice Samuel Alito excoriated in his opinion, leaked this week to Politico. Alito’s assertion that abortion rights don’t fall under the 14th Amendment, and that the Constitution makes no mention of abortion as a right, calls into question a wide range of other supposed rights for which no mention of any kind appears in the Constitution.
Cartoon for May 8
The Big Island as seen by Hawaii Tribune-Herald cartoonist Gary Hoff.
Supreme Court leak raises divisive questions
The leak of a draft United States Supreme Court ruling written by Justice Samuel Alito in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which would overturn past court precedents in favor of leaving abortion laws to the states, has ignited intense political debate over the future of abortion laws and the institution of the Supreme Court itself.
To our peril, the world isn’t taking climate change seriously
India’s record-breaking heat wave has been a footnote in the news cycle. I would hardly have noticed myself, but my fiance, a commercial airline pilot, checked the weather ahead of a trip this week to Delhi. He braced himself for steady 112-degree heat.
Blindfold, scales for sale. Cheap
The leaked draft of five conservative justices’ decision to overturn Roe v. Wade calls into question, like never before, the Supreme Court’s legitimacy in the eyes of the American public. Justices have long been united across philosophical lines in voicing their respect for precedent and established law. But now, everything is up for grabs.
Your Views for May 5
No thanks, Kahele
Inflation, recession and the 2022 midterms
With six months to go until the 2022 midterm elections, the economic indicators continue to deteriorate for Democrats. While unemployment remains low and the economy continues to grow (except for a recent hiccup that few take seriously), inflation is up dramatically, and interest rates are spiking.
Your Views for April 4
‘Antiquated morality’
Democrats should take a reform that’s there
A bipartisan group of senators reportedly is close to agreement on recommending reforms to a flawed, archaic law that former President Donald Trump abused in his attempt to overturn the 2020 election. The Electoral Count Act of 1887 gives the vice president a ceremonial role in approving state vote counts, but it is worded vaguely enough that Trump claimed, outrageously, that it provided Vice President Mike Pence authority to unilaterally throw out Joe Biden’s victory.
Wimbledon’s ban on Russian players puts punishment where it isn’t warranted
The decision by Wimbledon officials to ban top stars from Russia and Belarus from this summer’s premier grass tennis tournament is short-sighted and unfair, even if it might satisfy those who want to bring maximum pressure to bear on Russian leader Vladimir Putin for the atrocities his forces are committing in Ukraine.
The FDA rightly moves to extinguish menthol cigarettes
The Food and Drug Administration has proposed banning menthol-flavored cigarettes, potentially beginning in 2024. It’s a tragedy that it is taking this long, but it’s never too late to save a life — or in this case, potentially hundreds of thousands of lives.
Your Views for May 3
Battling disinformation
Remembering Madeleine, a self-remade woman
The overwhelming vastness of the famed National Cathedral seemed to shrink to mere expansiveness, as Washington’s famous names, including three presidents, filled its pews Wednesday morning to honor yet another eminent insider with yet another quintessentially Washingtonian farewell.
Like pet rocks and bell bottoms,1970s bad economic news is back to haunt Biden
U.S. gross domestic product shrank 1.4% in the first quarter at the same time inflation continued to soar. For older Americans, that combination conjures memories of 1970s stagflation, a nightmarish combination of double-digit inflation, double-digit interest rates, soaring gasoline prices and persistently high unemployment.
Your Views for May 1
Dear lawmakers
Blaming Biden only goes so far in explaining current global inflation woes
A new International Monetary Fund report suggests that the economic hiccups roiling American politics are actually being felt worldwide and probably have little or nothing to do with President Joe Biden’s leadership. Biden certainly isn’t blameless for at least a portion of the nation’s current inflationary spiral, but the monetary fund’s report makes clear that the entire world would be in economic turmoil regardless.
Elon Musk will change Twitter, and nothing will change
Our fellow Texan Elon Musk made a big purchase this week. You may have heard. Some billionaires buy yachts, jets or islands. Musk’s vanity purchases venture into uncharted territory: spaceships and social media companies. He paid $44 billion for Twitter.