State of stasis: The annual State of the State address from Hawaiʻi governors is a chance to share visionary thinking and propose bold ideas. All of the House and Senate leaders are in the House chamber, along with county mayors and council members and many more VIPs.
But Gov. Josh Green on Tuesday used the opportunity to recite a litany of past accomplishments and reiterate what we already know: affordable housing and cost of living remain our greatest challenges. Meh.
There was no inspirational rebuttal to President Donald Trump’s stunning slew of executive orders, for example. Green left that to his attorney general, Anne Lopez, who announced Tuesday that she and at least 22 other attorneys general are challenging the president’s move to end birthright citizenship, claiming it violates the constitutional rights of children born in the United States.
Green didn’t even say much about his signature policy desire for a climate change mitigation fee to raise $200 million a year to combat rising tides and dwindling natural resources. He pretty much left it up to the Legislature to make the call…