Energy

Joe Bertram believes sexual predators are clogging up our prisons and should be out of jail, free to lure more of our innocent children. I believe they belong behind bars and away from our communities.  Bertram’s actions are not only disgusting, they are dangerous.

State House and Senate members passed a $4 billion tax increase on the people of Hawaii today on the eve of the largest anti-tax protest in the nation’s history.

The legislature wants every resident in the state of Hawaii to pay more for gas, and more in vehicle registration fees and vehicle weight fees (Senate Bill 1611).

The legislature also passed tax increases which could put hotel employees out of work by increasing the Transient Accommodations Tax. Leaders in the hotel industry say that this new tax would hurt the hotel business and their ability to compete with other tourist destinations, especially during a bad economy. (Senate Bill 1111).

A tax increase was also levied on Internet sales. (Senate Bill 1678)

Under Act 228, county permitting agencies were prohibited from issuing permits for demolition, construction or other alteration of such structures until after the building or homeowner provided the black-and-white photos to SHPD, which then determined if the structure could be modified or demolished. 

We can all agree that our State is experiencing one of the worst economic downturns in its history. This 2009 Legislature has made numerous efforts to remedy this situation. Unfortunately, these efforts have resulted in high tax increases and anti-business legislation that will hurt rather than help our floundering economy.

I will be joining hundreds of other hard working Hawaii taxpayers at 4pm on April 15 at our state capitol to display our objection to government taking the easy way out and sending us a bigger tax bill.  Families across the nation are tightening their belts to deal with these difficult economic times and instead of doing the same, all levels of government want to simply make these times harder and raise our taxes.  This is unfair and unacceptable.

For those who feel they're paying too much and have a yen to vent, there's an event tomorrow just for you (assuming that you're not one of those last-minute procrastinators and have the time to attend). The "Tax Day Tea Party" will be held 4-7 p.m. at the state Capitol.

Here's the call to action from the organizer's Web site, www.overtaxedhawaii.com:

"Many of our elected state legislators in Hawaii are planning to enact massive tax increases in the weeks ahead when the legislative session ends on May 7th. YOU CAN HELP STOP THEM.

Once you start getting up to times 40 yes it can be a really powerful psychedelic, you'll see things shoot, you won't remember your name you'll start drooling a little bit your hands will sweat a little bit," said Sochocki.

"They become afraid may jump off buildings may do things like most hallucinogenic substances," said Kamita.

Individuals involved in ceded-lands litigation Kuroiwa v Lingle have issued two statements in response to Duke Aiona on Ceded Lands: High Court decision leaves no winners:

Any general tax increases at this time will further damage the economy and prolong recovery. Higher taxes would be the straw that breaks the backs of many local businesses. Now is not the time to take money out of the economy.

SEVEN "Tax Day Tea Party" events are scheduled for Hawaii April 15  Here is a news release for the Hilo event as well as contact information and details for each of the seven events.

And after only eight days, all of the repairs were done, Pleas said. It was a shockingly quick fix to a problem that may have taken much longer if they waited for state money to funnel in."

Not just state money, state workers.  Two years to complete the project, the state said, whatever it was, and four million bucks.  And these people did it in eight days!  Ivan Slack said,  "'We can wait around for the state or federal government to make this move, or we can go out and do our part.  Just like everyone's sitting around waiting for a stimulus check, we were waiting for this but decided we couldn't wait anymore.' ... Now, because of their hard work, volunteers hope they'll be ready to send that positive message -- right in time for the tourist season."

Debating where to draw the line in corporate spending, with Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona, R-Hawaii and CNBC's Erin Burnett.  (Obama administration back-pedaling against Obama's condemnation of business travel.)

Douglas Suhm from Tacoma, Washington and Dr. David Teuscher from Texas were in Oahu testifying about tort reform and Senators Baker and Ige were disrespectful enough to stand up and walk out of the room.

A newly formed group, the Hawaii Republican Assembly, is sponsoring a tax protesting "tea party" at the state Capitol on April 15. While the group's fliers don't contain a blatantly partisan message, they do claim a "revolution is brewing in Honolulu."

The bogus bonds are not sold through an investment firm or brokerage house, as legitimate bonds are. They also purport to represent ownership in a fictitious Hawaiian nation named Ko Hawaii Pae Aina, sponsored by the Hawaiiloa Foundation.

The companies pushing the bogus bonds, several claiming to be affiliated with Native Hawaiian sovereignty movements, are targeting Native Hawaiian homeowners and others who are facing foreclosure.

Have as many people show up in the Senate gallery tomorrow, APRIL 8, AT 11:30 AM in RED SHIRTS for the possible scheduling of HB 444 FOR DECISION MAKING. TANIGUCHI WILL NEED TO ASK FOR A WAIVER TO DO DECISION MAKING THAT AFTERNOON OR THURSDAY MORNING AT THE LATEST.

I’ve seen some bad politicians. But State Representative Joe Bertram stands out. Just last week, Bertram went to court to help a child predator avoid prison-time. A 52 year old man tried to lure a 14-year old girl over the Internet for sex. And Bertram didn’t think he should go to jail. That hits close to home… Polly was 12 when she was killed. As she was kidnapped from her room, she asked her killer to please not hurt her mom. In the worst moment, my brave little daughter thought of protecting others. Shouldn’t we expect the same from our elected officials?

The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding ceded lands should not be looked at in terms of “winners” or “losers.”  Rather, it should serve as a clear reminder that we, as a community, must commit to reaching a fair and lasting resolution on ceded lands.  Despite the disappointment being felt by some, the U.S. Supreme Court decision does not in any way affect our Administration’s ongoing commitment to the Native Hawaiian community.

Karen’s Law, HB819 HD2SD2 was heard in the Senate Judiciary and Government Operations Committee today. Chair Brian Taniguchi passed out Karen’s Law. However he amended the law to only include murder in the first degree.

As Pan Am Flight 830 descended toward Honolulu and passengers finished their breakfast, a blinding burst of light washed over them. And then, "BOOM!"

Flight plan filed by North Korea shows missile heading straight for Hawaii. 

Plus latest updates from Japan, Korea, and NORAD....

BBC: North Korea had "ignored its international obligations, rejected unequivocal calls for restraint, and further isolated itself from the community of nations", Barack Obama said in a written statement.  (And he stamped his feet....)

(No word on how close it came to Hawaii or Alaska)

Karen’s Law is scheduled for a hearing before the Judiciary and Government Operations Committee this Monday April 6 at 10:00am in conference room 016.

“In this period of economic downturn when our government and businesses are striving to restore economic stability, the last thing we should do is implement policies or encourage behavior that jeopardize any industry, especially one that has such far-reaching impact on communities across America,” Hawai‘i officials wrote in the letter.

The increased scrutiny of business travel for companies that have received emergency funding as part of the federal government’s economic recovery efforts has caused increased downturn in business and convention travel nationwide. 

Increasing taxes on families and small business during a recession only compounds the pain people are already feeling and makes recovery more difficult.

State Rep. Joe Bertram III urged leniency Wednesday for a Makawao man who was sentenced for using the Internet to arrange sexual contact with someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl, saying the defendant shouldn't be sent to prison for an "imaginary crime." ...

"He showed up at the Maui Mall that day," Martin said. "To him, this was not imaginary. This was real." In an October 2007 online chat, Marcantonio talked about how "he had done this before" with a 15-year-old Oahu girl, Martin said.

ED NOTE: Front Page Magazine today posted the Hawai`i Free Press article "Barack Obama, born in Hawaii"--debunking conspiracy theories swirling around Barack Obama's Hawaii birth certificate.  The following was posted by an anonymous commenter "DadBode" in the comments section and we thought it was so spot-on and funny that it deserves wider exposure.  For readers working in State offices who have taken birth-certificate-related phone calls, this should be of special interest. 

The Hawai‘i State Legislature has filed a Motion for Leave to File an Amicus Curiae Brief in the case Sierra Club v. Department of Transportation (Supreme Court No. 29035), commonly referred to as Sierra Club II, or the Superferry case. A motion by the state for the Hawai‘i Supreme Court to reconsider the Court’s earlier ruling in the case is currently pending. If the Legislature’s motion is granted, the Legislature would be permitted to file a brief stating its position regarding questions presented in the case, and seeking clarification of key issues.

At the same time we have been working to close the budget gap, we have also been focused on ensuring that funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are used as effectively as possible in order to create jobs for Hawai‘i residents and boost our economy.

The White House has created a system of accountability for the distribution of federal stimulus funds to states. President Obama and his Administration decided the best way to ensure that stimulus funds are put to the best possible use, and for the intended purpose of stimulating the economy and creating jobs, was to use the nation’s governors as conduits for the funds and to hold them accountable for how these funds are used.

Your choices are not easy or pleasant, and they will not be popular, but they are yours to make....either work with me to adopt a version of the budget we have proposed, including $278 million in labor cost savings over the next two years, or resort to massive layoffs and tax increases....

This case challenged the State's title to the ceded lands because the federal government's title, which it transferred to the state at statehood was somehow less than absolute. That argument has now been put to rest: the federal government had "absolute fee" title to the lands ceded to it by the Republic of Hawaii. Statehood is "a uniquely sovereign" event, and means something.

If we can prove that there is an unbroken genealogical line of the royal family we can certainly argue that we should be able to govern monies and not be fettered with State administrations and the United States Constitution. 

Four high school robotics teams from Hawai‘i – Maui, McKinley, Moanalua and Waialua High Schools – have earned a spot in the FIRST Robotics World Championship that will be held in Atlanta, Georgia next month.

America's top military officer said on Friday that a rocket North Korea plans to launch next month has a range that could possibly reach Hawaii.

Asked if the North Korean rocket could reach the US states of Hawaii or Alaska, Admiral Mike Mullen told CNN: "In some cases, yes, they could probably get down to Hawaii."

Rallies planned for Honolulu, Kahului, Hilo Wednesday April 15.

As was the case with the two previous financial plans the Governor submitted on December 22 and March 4, the Administration’s most current plan balances the budget without further burdening Hawai‘i residents and businesses with general tax increases, without adding to Hawai‘i’s unemployment with layoffs or furloughs of state employees, and without making further cuts to public services or programs.  In addition, the Governor’s plan does not take any money from the counties, such as the Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT) or Honolulu County’s general excise rail transit tax. 

By an 18-6 vote, the full Senate defeated a motion to pull the bill from the Senate Judiciary and Government Affairs Committee, where it had stalled after members deadlocked 3-3 on advancing the bill.

The next step will be to get the Chair of the Senate Judiciary and Government Operations Committee, Brian Taniguchi, to hear the bill.  This will be the toughest committee to get Karen’s Law through as there is opposition to the bill with its committee members.

More than 1,000 high school students from Mexico, Philippines and four states, including Hawai‘i, will compete in the tournament that challenges teams of young people to solve a common engineering problem, using a standard kit of parts that includes motors, batteries and a control system – but no instructions.

Of the 34 teams in the tournament, 24 represent the state. The winning teams will advance to the FIRST Championships – called the “Super Bowl of Smarts” in Atlanta, Georgia, April 15-18. Honoka‘a High School was one of six teams to represent Hawai‘i last year in Atlanta.

But now, when collaboration and continued support is most needed to get us over the hump, some politicians have taken it upon themselves to propagate misinformation and distort a very clear record of accomplishment.

For those politicians and cynics, I have a message: Hawai‘i will be a world leader in clean energy, with or without you....

34 teams representing 24 Hawai‘i high schools from O‘ahu, Maui, Kaua‘i and the Big Island, eight teams from the mainland (California, Louisiana and Wisconsin) and two international teams from Mexico and the Philippines who will converge on the UH Mānoa campus to compete in what is called the “varsity sport of the mind.” The winning teams will advance to the FIRST Championships – called the “Super Bowl of Smarts” – in Atlanta, Georgia, April 15 -18.

Although the Senate Judiciary Committee ended with a tie vote (3-3), there is still ongoing discussions happening at the capitol in regards to a potential pull of the bill from committee for a vote on the Senate floor.

If the Supreme Court refuses to reconsider its SuperFerry decision, Councilmember Djou’s legal affairs committee will examine voiding all state laws that apply to just the City and County of Honolulu. 

What of last year's legislative attempts to smooth the way for Aloha Airlines as it lurched into insolvency? Under the court's equal protection analysis propounded in the Superferry decision, any such legislation could well be contrary to the court's new reading of constitutional restraints on the legislature's power to act.

The decision today by Hawaiian Telcom to ask the bankruptcy court to approve $6 million in bonuses for its employees is unconscionable, and we will oppose it in court.

Karen’s Law is now in the Senate, referred to Chair of Human Services, Suzanne Chun Oakland and Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Brian Taniguchi. It will be hard to get a hearing for Karen’s Law hearings without ample public support.

We are going to have to go out and find other employment for Alakai, for now.

Environmental and community-action groups such as the Sierra Club and Maui Tomorrow now find themselves in the crosshairs of many residents frustrated by recent developments with the Hawaii Superferry.

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle along with Castle & Cooke, First Wind Hawai‘i and Hawaiian Electric Company today announced an agreement that could lead to large wind farms on both Lāna‘i and Moloka‘i providing clean energy to O‘ahu. These wind farms would feed into an inter-island cable system currently being discussed that could ultimately interconnect the major Hawaiian islands for increased grid reliability, security and consumer and business cost savings through access to renewables.