Reclaiming Freedom in Hawai‘i: A 4th of July Reflection on Power, Emergency Rule, and What Liberty Really Means

As fireworks crackle across the islands this Independence Day, we celebrate freedom. But in 2025, we must ask ourselves: How much of that freedom remains intact?

Most Americans don’t realize how subtly—and how "legally"—freedom has been eroded over time. A pivotal moment came in 1933, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared a national emergency during the Great Depression and amended the Trading with the Enemy Act (TWEA)—originally meant for wartime foreign adversaries. He used it to:

• Seize private gold from Americans

• Criminalize “hoarding”

• Control banking and foreign exchange

Even though the U.S. wasn’t at war, these powers were extended to citizens—setting a precedent for bypassing the Constitution under the guise of crisis. And while that “emergency” wasn’t officially lifted for decades, its legacy continues today under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

Hawai‘i in 2025: Still Governing by Emergency

That same spirit of centralized emergency control is alive and well in Hawai‘i today. During the pandemic, Governor Green (then Lt. Governor) helped craft the state’s prolonged emergency orders. In 2025, he continues to favor top-down, executive-driven governance, often at the expense of local input and individual liberty.

Governor Green signed or supported a slate of laws that expanded executive authority under the guise of crisis management. SB 1396, known as the “Green Fee,” raised the transient accommodations tax to 11%, adding a new 0.75% surcharge on all lodging—including cruise ships—allegedly to fund climate resilience projects. Yet without dedicated oversight, this $100 million annual revenue stream is funneled into the general fund, raising serious concerns about transparency and accountability. Meanwhile, a package of fireworks bills (HB 1483 & HB 550) responded to a tragic New Year’s explosion by imposing $300 fines, creating felony charges of up to 20 years, and allocating millions for an explosives lab and undercover enforcement—expanding drone surveillance and potentially criminalizing peaceful cultural celebrations. HB 427, the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity Act, granted the governor sweeping new emergency powers to control land, seize property, and deploy funds in the name of “biosecurity,” all without clear legal triggers or judicial safeguards.

Other 2025 measures signed into law have increased centralized planning authority in the name of housing, climate, and land use—sometimes fast-tracking projects through governor-appointed working groups or commissions, and reducing the voice of communities and counties.

It’s a pattern: declare a crisis, demand compliance, centralize power, and marginalize the people.

Meanwhile, in Washington…

At the federal level, Congress recently passed the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill”—a sprawling omnibus that mixes tax credits, housing provisions, green energy spending, and corporate subsidies. While marketed as progress, it’s another massive consolidation of federal control—an example of how both parties often abandon fiscal restraint and individual liberty in the name of national improvement.

It’s no coincidence that state-level leaders follow similar logic: solve every problem with more spending, more mandates, and less accountability.

What Liberty Really Requires

July 4th shouldn’t just be a celebration—it should be a recommitment to the values that inspired independence:

• Local control over distant decision-making

• Checks on executive authority

• Property rights and individual autonomy

• Skepticism of centralized power—no matter how well-intentioned

Our rights are not granted by government—they are inherent. They should not be suspended in times of crisis. They should not depend on political convenience.

This Independence Day, the Libertarian Party of Hawai‘i renews its commitment to:

• Ending emergency rule as the default governance model

• Defending property rights and individual choice

• Empowering communities, not commissions

• Promoting accountability, transparency, and consent

The more we own our land, our bodies, our decisions—and the less we outsource those to unaccountable institutions—the freer we become.

Let’s not just wave the flag this July 4th. Let’s live the principles it stands for.