Thanks for supporting the Sophie Swim

Thank you to all the participants in the seventh annual Sophie Swim — it was a blast! We had 194 swimmers this year — a record turnout! Congratulations to Noah Caiserman, our overall winner with an incredible time of 26:06, and our second best time that day was Jack Pope, who finished in 26:53.

We want to thank all the volunteers who helped out on the day as well as a special thank you to Sheila Murphy, Harumi Toscano, Kyoko Wills, Katie Zimmerman, Pamela Vera and Kitty Shimer, Debbie Patton (our emcee) and the Time Bandits, Eileen and Paula.

Special thank you to Tropic Water for keeping us hydrated, Finish Line Productions/Manu Shelley for the professional timing of the event and Coach Erica as official starter and race rules representative.

Mahalo to our water safety crew (Steve O’Donnell, Geoff Bogar, JP Milhilbauer, Mark Shimer, Nick Jackalone, Jackie Lane and Billy Guilermo), Captain Mark and UFO Zodiac, and Lashawna Garnier for the setting of the course.

Thanks to our Beach Spotters, Hallie, Joyce, Stacy, Bill, Nancy, Mo, Matt and Jess; and our finish line team of Dave, Jill, Debbie and Diane.

A huge mahalo to all those local businesses that donated fantastic gift cards and activity certificates for our winners and second place finishers –we really appreciate your generosity. The results of the swim with times are posted on the Facebook page as well as some pictures of the day at https://www.facebook.com/theSophieSwim; feel free to post your own pictures at #thesophieswim on Instagram.

If you would like any more information about The Sophie Foundation, you can access our webpage at https://SophieDeLoria.org.

Thank you to everyone who has donated to the foundation, so we can continue to support local keiki activities in Maui with an emphasis on swimming, arts and dance. We look forward to seeing you all again next year.

SUE & JD DeLORIA, Lahaina

125th Anniversary for 9/11 and Hawaii

Wilmont Kamaunu Kaha’iali’i, educator, historian of ‘Ike Hawaii and entertainer, had some unique perspectives of Hawaii and 9/11. According to Kaha’iali’i, “Sunday, September 11, 2022, will mark the 125th Anniversary of the Palapala Ho’opi’i Ku’e Ho’ohui’aina, also known as the anti-annexation petition. Approximately 21,269 kupuna signed their names in protest to the illegal and unlawful proposal of the Hawaii Republic, to annex the Hawaiian Islands to the United States.

“The proposed treaty of annexation was withdrawn, and a proposed resolution, known as the Newlands Resolution, was presented for Congressional consideration, to annex the Hawaiian Islands under a puppet government known as the Republic of Hawaii. Our kupuna courageously signed their names 125 years ago to secure the right of the Kanaka Maoli to exist as an independent sovereign nation forever.

“Let us remember the words of Kupuna James Keauiluna Kaulia, president of Hui Aloha ‘Aina, saying, ‘Mai maka’u, e kupa’a ma ke aloha i ka ‘aina, a e lokahi ma ka mana’o, e ku’e loa aku i ka ho’ohui ia o Hawaii me America a hiki i ke aloha ‘aina hope loa.’ ‘Do not be afraid, be steadfast in aloha for your land and be united in thought. Protest forever the annexation of Hawai’i until the very last aloha ‘aina.’ “

He inoa no na kupuna I ka Ho’ohui Aloha ‘Aina. E o na kupuna i ka wa mamua; we unite with you and accept the torch you have held aloft for 125 years. Let us go forward and onward until the last Aloha ‘Aina!

He Kanaka Maoli no Makou! E ola mau no Kanaka Maoli! E hala Kanaka Maoli!”

HUI ALOHA ‘AINA

Should sacrifices go just one way?

We are often told that citizens have a duty to make sacrifices and cooperate if we want to make Hawaii better. It’s all part of being “in the same canoe.”

But what about the government? Does the state have a responsibility to “go without,” if that would be better for the people? Should sacrifices and cutbacks go in only one direction? This isn’t just a rhetorical question. As inflation pushes prices higher, the calls for tax relief are growing louder. One of the most popular proposals is a general excise tax exemption for food and nonprescription drugs. Private practice physicians and the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii have also been urging a GET exemption for medical services.

The rationale behind the GET exemptions is simple: food and medical-related expenses are necessities, and the government should not levy taxes on things that are needed for basic health and survival.

In the case of food and nonprescription drugs, exemptions would provide some relief from Hawaii’s high cost of living. In the case of medical services, an exemption could make it easier for doctors in private practice to stay in business and thus help mitigate the state’s critical doctor shortage.

Some people, however, oppose these types of exemptions — and not because they lack sympathy for others who are struggling to survive in Hawaii. Instead, they worry that the exemptions would result in — yes — lower tax revenues. If we implement such exemptions, they ask, how will the state make up the lost revenues?

Well, this is simply putting the cart before the horse. Before trying to come up with new taxes to offset the proposed tax cuts, we should look at how much money the state is already bringing in. In fiscal year 2021, state lawmakers grabbed the counties’ share of the transient accommodation tax in anticipation of a big drop in revenues because of the coronavirus lockdowns. Since then, the state has actually been operating in surplus territory. For fiscal 2023 alone, state general fund revenues are expected to be about $464 million greater than in fiscal 2022, according to the state Council on Revenues.

In July, state Tax Director Isaac Choy estimated a GET food exemption for groceries would cost the state about $268 million in lost revenue. In December 2006, the 2005-07 Tax Review Commission estimated that exemptions for not only food and healthcare but also clothing and shelter would cost the state treasury about $501 million

In other words, the state’s revenue increase in 2023 could be almost enough to accommodate any “lost tax revenue” from GET exemptions for food and healthcare, and maybe even clothing and shelter as well.

In January 2020, a Grassroot Institute of Hawaii study estimated that excise tax revenues on for-profit healthcare spending in Hawaii amounted to about $222 million annually. It also calculated that an exemption for medical services would result in about a $1.4 billion increase in economic activity across multiple industries, and produce about $64 million in new GET collections.

Thus, in the case of a GET exemption for medical services, the state “loss” in tax revenues would amount to only $158 million. Out of an annual state budget of about $15 billion, that’s not much. It’s not hard to imagine that Hawaii’s lawmakers would be willing to spend $158 million in state funds in order to lower the cost of healthcare and address the doctor shortage. Is it really asking too much for them to not spend the same amount to accomplish the same goal?

Too often, Hawaii policymakers believe that the answers to our state’s woes lie in new government programs and spending millions of more tax dollars. They are usually more than happy to suggest that Hawaii taxpayers underwrite such projects for the greater social good.

But sometimes, the solution lies in doing less. Repeal regulations instead of creating new ones. Cut taxes instead of hiking them. In such situations, the government should do the right thing and make the necessary sacrifices.

Luckily, it looks as though this will be a moot point in the coming years, as the state is well able to afford the exemptions — any or all of them — due to booming revenues.

But even if it meant making a few spending cuts, the principle at stake — and the good that could be accomplished via exemptions — is still compelling.

These are exemptions that could help make Hawaii more affordable while addressing a major issue in healthcare access. That’s reason enough to make a few budgetary sacrifices.

DR. KELI’I AKINA, President/CEO, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii