David Shapiro: Tidings to help put on your ‘It’s just what I wanted!’ face
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
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
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
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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
My uncle and aunt, Hank and Es, as they called each other, exemplified the emerging middle class after World War II. Read more
It’s the last Sunday in August and time to “flASHback” on the month’s news that amused and confused: Read more
Voters rebuffed a vicious $2 million campaign by the Hawaii Carpenters Union to defeat Rep. Sylvia Luke in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, in retaliation for her refusal as House finance chair to permanently extend the 0.5% excise tax surcharge for the union’s cherished Honolulu rail project. Read more
My first election night was 1964 in Hilo, featuring the race for county chairman between Democrat Shunichi Kimura and Republican Elroy Osorio, relative upstarts who would both go on to distinguished careers. Read more
State Rep. Patrick Branco is running for Congress as a candidate of fresh ideas, but his most prominent idea is an awful one: using disreputable tactics to solicit outside special interests to attack his opponent, former state Sen. Jill Tokuda. Read more