Mahalo for supporting Touchdowns for Tatas

The seventh Touchdowns for Tatas on Oct. 23, 2022 at Dollie’s North Shore in Paia and on Oct. 30, 2022 at the Beach House in Kahana were a huge success!

Great fun was had by watching the NFL Sunday Night Football game with prizes given out at the end of each quarter. Marty Dread rocked both venues during and after the games.

Pink was the color of the week, with everyone sporting their Tatas pink attire. Pink ribbon beach balls graced the Beach House pool, and pink Touchdowns for Tatas T-shirts and hats were given out.

The online silent auction worked wonderfully, enabling people to participate even if not attending the events.

Touchdowns for Tatas Event Coordinator Dig Me Deb Patton is proud to announce the events raised $28,447, exceeding our best year in 2019! All net proceeds go to the Pacific Cancer Foundation of Maui, which provides support to cancer patients and their caregivers right here in Maui County.

Mahalo to Dollies and Beach House owners Jim Anderson and Seth Kuperman, and to the awesome volunteers for all of their help: Captain Steve Lawless, Rorri Gould, Cristina Almeroth and more!

Mahalo also to the Pacific Cancer Foundation staff at the event, Linda Puppolo and Maureen Harvey. A huge mahalo shout out to the KAOI radio group for their support, including Brenda Kualaau, Jack Gist and Chisa Kalani.

Mahalo to the Maui business community for really stepping up to support our events with great prizes! We especially want to thank the Andaz Wailea, the Beach House, Ben Caswell Photography, Blue Water Maui, Captain Steve’s Rafting Adventures, Dollie’s Pub & Cafe, Moana Glass, Sands of Kahana, UFO Parasail & Fishing Adventures, West Maui Parasail, Westjet and Whole Foods.

Touchdowns for Tatas was created by members of the local community coming together for the love of football while supporting a much-needed local nonprofit.

The Pacific Cancer Foundation helps our Maui County cancer patients and their caregivers with hands-on support as they move through their personal cancer journeys.

PCF helps with navigating doctors’ appointments and the health care system, travel arrangements and lodging, nutritional assistance, support groups, and connecting patients to community resources. Touchdowns for Tatas is proud to have raised over $100,000 for their cause!

DIG ME DEB PATTON, Event Coordinator, Touchdowns for Tatas, Lahaina

Winter in the Islands ’22

A wintery morn in the islands is dark and moist with rain… that quenches life with Beauty and brings Nature’s smells of ancient Hawaii Nei.

It might seem like a non-season to Malihini, but to Kama’aina, we aloha aina and malama Winter’s embrace of The Creator’s care with Aloha for all Life.

LINDA LYERLY, West Maui

Knowledge is key to Jones Act reform

As you might have heard, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii hosted two forums on how we can make the Jones Act work for everyone.

The featured speaker was Colin Grabow, a trade policy analyst at the Cato Institute, a Grassroot Scholar and co-editor of the book “The Case Against the Jones Act” — which includes an essay by me, by the way.

Many of you have heard me talk about the Jones Act before. In a nutshell, the 1920 law limits shipping competition between U.S. ports by requiring all goods moved between U.S. ports to be on ships that are built and flagged in the U.S. and mostly owned and crewed by Americans.

It’s a law that works great for the few U.S. shipyards, ocean carrier companies and mariners involved in domestic oceangoing shipping. But for the rest of us, especially those of us who live in places like Hawaii and Puerto Rico, it means higher prices during normal times and life-threatening product shortages during times of emergency.

Grabow gave two talks about the law — one on Oahu and the other on Maui. The Oahu talk, which I moderated, is already posted on the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii website, and what a great talk it was.

The format was for Colin to answer questions throughout, initially from me and then from the audience. The purpose was to make it clear how the law actually works compared with its alleged goals — and also how it might be changed for the benefit of the greater good while giving its protected beneficiaries a graceful way to eventually stand on their own two feet.

It was a tall order, but Colin did great, and so did the audience.

On Maui, my institute colleague, Joe Kent, moderated the event, which also turned out great.

A video of that gathering will be posted to the institute’s website within the next few days. Both videos also will be accompanied by full transcripts.

There was so much more about the Jones Act that Colin was able to explain in a relaxed and easily comprehensible manner. If you were unable to attend either of the events yourself, I hope you will take the time to view the videos on the institute website, since greater knowledge about the Jones Act is key to updating this failed law for the 21st century.

In fact, surveys show that the more people know about the Jones Act, the more likely they are to support its reform.

For the future of Hawaii, consider spending some time to learn more about the Jones Act.

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