 Aloha. I'm Kayleigh Akina, president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. Well, of course, any aficionado of the Robin Hood legends would be quick to point out that those in government are more accurately in the role of the sheriff of Nottingham than the legendary outlaw. And that's probably part of the problem. Because while many policymakers have absorbed the idea of taking from the rich to give to the poor, they haven't given quite as much consideration to the practical implications of their actions. There are, in fact, two bills here in Hawaii that purport to do just that. That is, help the poor at the expense of the rich. They're under consideration in this legislative session as House Bill 209 and Senate Bill 648. Both include a tax credit for low-income individuals and families. To pay for the credit, legislators are considering raising taxes on the wealthy. We're told that this is a, quote, fair taxation scheme. But what does it really mean to be fair when it comes to taxes? Wouldn't it be fairer still to take less in taxes to begin with from everybody? And why does the concept of fairness disappear completely when it comes time to decide which endeavors are worthy of government funds? Is it fair to spend tax dollars on something that the majority of taxpayers might not agree is valuable to the state? Is it fair to give out tax monies and grants to certain organizations rather than others? Despite the talk of fairness, there are no proposals in place that would lower taxes that have a disproportionate impact on the poorest segments of the state, such as the regressive general excise tax. Now that would help the poor. On the contrary, we're more likely to see surcharge after surcharge piled onto the excise tax as Hawaii continues to rely on it as a major source of revenue. And though fairness should cut both ways, don't hold your breath waiting for a bill that lowers taxes on the wealthy because it's the only, quote, unquote, fair thing to do. Well, to put it bluntly. When you're being told that taxes need to be fair, you're listening to an attempt to excuse a tax increase. With such language, politicians can pat themselves on the back and feel like they're helping the poor by taking from the rich. Well, of course, in the stories, Robin Hood was usually acting against corrupt government officials or protesting excessive taxation. That's a legend that people voting on these tax increases would do well to remember. Besides claiming to give to the poor to justify stealing from the rich doesn't actually help the poor. Well, let's do something that does help the poor. Ehana Kako, let's work together. I'm Keeley Ikeena with the Grassroot Institute.