Obsession with Affordable Housing Blinds Lawmakers to Their Role

This year, there has been a great deal of “hot air” at the “square building” - the Hawaii State Capitol - that has focused on solutions for the homeless and the building of affordable housing.

The discussion isn’t new. In fact, the debate over affordable housing began during the Great Depression when the territorial legislature established the forerunner of today’s Hawaii Public Housing Authority.

Like every other problem lawmakers try to tackle, most believe the solution lies in spending more taxpayer money.

The problem is that when the state had a plentiful surplus, lawmakers did not spent it wisely.

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(Source: Hawaii Reporter)