Entries for February 2012

The court held that "parents have a constitutional right to discipline children...."

the Schools Repairs check-off garnered $66,406 during fiscal year 2011 which was down from the $72,200 it picked up in the previous fiscal year 2010. Designated check-offs for Domestic Violence and Child Abuse dropped from $134,445 in fiscal 2010 to $129,045 for 2011.... 

His problem is with the "prohibitively high cost" of US-built ships and the impact of those costs on freight rates. The high costs of other aspects of a US-flag operation, such as the cost of an over-manned US-citizen crew with all its fringe benefits, get no mention....

• Romney - 39% (2,190 votes)
• Paul - 36% (1,996 votes)
• Santorum - 18% (989 votes)
• Gingrich - 6% (349 votes)
• Other - 1% (61 votes)

UHPA's board acted on the recommendation of its political endorsement committee, who interviewed Case and Mazie Hirono extensively....

...this morning, several bills were passed which would have long-lasting impacts on the integrity and preservation of our environmental resources; the Republican Committee members, Representative Cynthia Thielen and Representative Gil Riviere, were the sole voices in opposition....

On Monday February 13, 2012 the House Transportation Committee will hear House Bill 2277, which includes many of the proposals, previously introduced by Representative Marumoto

After passing through today's hearing, HB2865 will be voted on in a future House Session before it continues to the Committee on Finance.

On Monday, the House Tourism Committee will hear HB 2788 (Relating to Gaming) that grants a twenty-year license for one stand-alone casino in Waikiki (not in a hotel). This problematic bill also establishes the Hawaii Gaming Control Commission.

"The people of Hawaii know we've seen this type of inconsistent, ineffective behavior from Mazie before."

Horizon’s departure has left Guam with a single Westbound common carrier, Matson Navigation Company, which now operates as a true monopoly here....

The legislation was introduced in the Maryland Senate last week, and Governor O’Malley has made it a key legislative priority for 2012.

The NRA thanks all of our members for communicating with the members of the PGM Committee. As a result of your efforts, this bill was deferred by the committee....

Families and businesses have budgets, yet Washington doesn't -- and it hasn't for the last three years.... 

...it appears that Brown successfully lobbied for California to get $6 billion in cash and siphon off a total of $18 billion from the $25 billion mortgage settlement with the five largest U.S. banks....

...with Galileo K-12 Online technology in place and intervention plans implemented, the school saw a 31 percent increase in the percent of fifth grade students passing the statewide assessment in math....

As Budget & Finance Director Kalbert Young testified on February 3, 2012, before the State Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee, the depleted reserved funds led to the downgrading last year of the State’s credit rating....

Attorney General David M. Louie on Thursday formally joined a landmark $25 billion joint federal-state agreement with the nation’s five largest mortgage servicers over foreclosure abuses and fraud....

See the Chamber's ad here ....

When John F. Kennedy was President, just over a quarter of federal spending went to fund programs paying for some 21.7 million Americans to be dependent on Uncle Sam. But as high as that spending and dependence on the federal government was then, it has exploded today, with one in five Americans -- more than 67.3 million -- depending on Washington ....

“I’ve reviewed the Hawaii law, and it’s not much of a compromise. The Hawaii contraceptive mandate has many of the same features as the new federal mandate.”

"...governments have perversely immoral incentives to make sure as many smokers keep smoking as possible, because governments are hooked on cigarette tax revenue...."

To correct the threats to religious liberty and rights of conscience by the Obama administration, the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act has been introduced in Congress (H.R. 1179, S. 1467).

On Feb. 6, 2012, the Regents Candidate Advisory Council (RCAC) delivered to Governor Neil Abercrombie's office a list of candidates for the University of Hawai'i Board of Regents ....

All indications are that the Middle East is crumbling, and President Barack Obama's foreign policy is collapsing right along with it. 

Clinton was planning historic reforms during his second term. These were to include private accounts under Social Security and vouchers for Medicare.

Americans who rely on government receive an average $32,748 worth of benefits, surpassing the average American’s disposable personal income of $32,446....

Sen. Rick Santorum won all three Republican Presidential caucuses February 7 ....

“People always opt for more information,” says Giddings, “whether or not they have any idea what it means, or how they might use it.”

But for the trees, our good senator, can't see the forest. Here are some important facts the senator may have overlooked ....

...we would otherwise be obligated to pay $50 million to Tianwei this quarter....

Beginning in 2013, a tax will be imposed on the manufacture and importation of medical devices in an attempt to offset a portion of the $1 trillion cost of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act....

It is a rare moment indeed when faith denominations of all stripes unite together in common cause, and it is rarer still when that cause is a political one, with a sole piece of legislation as its principal target.... 

...Herkes was visibly not thrilled when citizens from all islands called and emailed committee members over the weekend to register deep and wide dissatisfaction with HB2652....

Rep. Gene Ward (R-Hawaii Kai – Kalama Valley) introduced HB 2240, which would offer a tax credit equal to 50 percent of the costs for a qualifying company to relocate its headquarters to Hawaii....

...permission to spend up to $184.7M on rail design build contracts....

• Senate: STOCK Act
• House: Fiscal Responsibility and Retirement Security Act
• House: Pro-Growth Budgeting Act of 2011
• House: Baseline Reform Act of 2011
• House: FAA Modernization and Reform Act

Americans following the current GOP brawl witnessed a series of attacks on Mitt Romney for the low effective tax rate he pays on his personal income.

the geniuses running state pensions lost $4.33 for every dollar public workers "contributed." However, the geniuses did manage to pocket $36.6 billion in "Other Expenses" for themselves and their pals in the process.

Today marks President Ronald Reagan's 101st birthday....

Marshall, who oversees the think tank’s Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society, took her presentation on the road. During a three-day tour of Hawaii she spoke to political science students at BYUH and to TEA Party groups in Kona and Hilo.

...the proportion of Hawaii residents identifying as conservative has increased by 3.4% to 31.0%....

U. S. Senate candidate Ed Case (D‐HI) today called out his Democratic opponent, Mazie Hirono, for false and misleading claims in her current television ad.

... we can be 100% free of our dependence on foreign oil within 10 years if we set our minds to it, by using our most abundant renewable energy source, geothermal energy, for our base load energy, sun, wind, and ocean, but HECO keeps stifling these technologies, especially geothermal energy, so it can continue burning oil and bi-oil for another 20 years to preserve its profits ....

Myles Kawakami, President and CEO of Hawaiian Carpet One/Ceramic Tile will present a discussion on the "Conservative Coalition" and how uniting the diverse demographics in our movement can lead to a reversal of the current situation in our State ....

Hilo 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11 Dept. of Education Annex, 450 Waianuenue Ave. Bldg. C, Hilo, HI 96720

Abercrombie has signed into law House Bill 608, which appropriates state funds to The Queen’s Medical Center to perform kidney and liver transplants and to the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii to maintain its chronic kidney disease management program....

...the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Hawai'i County as a primary natural disaster area resulting from ongoing drought conditions....

... down the drain ...

One would think that in an election year lawmakers would shy away from raising taxes and imposing new fees, but that is just not the case down at the state capitol building in Honolulu....