Grassroots Institute President Keli‘i Akina tells host Michael W. Perry that data trumps "rabbit holes" and "scapegoats" in housing debate
Hawaii's most popular morning radio host, Michael W. Perry, invited Grassroot Institute of Hawaii President Keli‘i Akina onto his "Perry & The Posse" show yesterday morning to talk about the Institute's new report, "The 'outsider theory' of Hawaii's housing crisis."
After referencing Hawaii's frustrating economic problems in general, he asked Akina point blank: "Are out-of-state buyers, especially foreigners, really driving Hawaii's high home prices?" To which Akina answered: "Well, Mike, the data actually shows that people from the mainland and other countries are not a significant reason that our housing prices are going through the roof."
He said, "It's always a problem when our lawmakers want to make policy based on hearsay or rumors. But you know, sometimes there's a lot more than meets the eye. … That's why we published our report. We want to identify the real cause so we're not simply running down rabbit holes or marginalizing groups of people."
To hear the entire interview 6-minute interview, go here.
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