FOIA Request Reveals: Hawaii Prepaid Health Care Act Hangs by a Conference Call
“Reconsider, Rep. Hirono”
UPW Announces General Election Endorsements
Hirono Flip-Flops on Budget Cuts
Abercrombie Dismisses “Conspiratorial Hysteria” Doubles Down in Defense of PLDC, Legislators Hint at Amendments to Law
SA: Abercrombie dismissed critics in the environmental, Native Hawaiian and labor communities — including many who want the corporation abolished because of a potential threat to the environment — as the "usual suspects" who used public hearings this summer on the corporation's draft administrative rules to create "conspiratorial hysteria."
The governor praised the corporation's potential at several speaking engagements last week. His staff posted a detailed fact sheet on the governor's website explaining the corporation's powers. The governor also contacted key state senators to inform them that his commitment has not wavered.
"Is there something here? Is there something in this law that will enable us to do good things?" Abercrombie said in an interview at the state Capitol on Friday. "As opposed to the reaction of some people whose first thought is, ‘How can I stop this?' ‘What could possibly go wrong?'
"Let me characterize both the motives and the intentions of the people who drew up this law and who are tasked with implementing the law. Let me characterize them immediately with underhanded motives.'"
Abercrombie said opponents have appointed themselves as the public's voice and the "arbiters over what is appropriate or inappropriate in terms of development."
… Rep. Chris Lee (D, Lanikai-Waimanalo), one of just nine House lawmakers who voted against the creation of the Public Land Development Corp….said the Legislature could amend the law next session and add safeguards into the corporation "to make sure that there's going to be no foul play."
HE SAID THAT while there will be debate over repealing the law, opponents would likely need to get two-thirds' majorities in the House and Senate to achieve a repeal, since Abercrombie said he would veto a repeal bill.
State Sens. Donovan Dela Cruz (D, Kaena-Wahiawa-Pupukea) and Malama Solomon (D, Hilo-Honokaa), who were behind the law that created the corporation, have urged its five-member board to adopt a strategic plan that clarifies the corporation's powers and operating framework. The board is scheduled to consider the strategic plan and hear an update on the draft administrative rules at a meeting on Thursday.
Privately, some of the corporation's supporters at the Legislature are frustrated by the performance of Lloyd Haraguchi, the corporation's executive director, and have said they might wash their hands of the idea unless the corporation shows progress by the time the next session convenes in January.
Abercrombie has spoken privately to Senate Majority Leader Brickwood Galuteria (D, Downtown-Waikiki) and Sen. Mike Gabbard (D, Waikele-Ko Olina), chairman of the Senate Energy and Environment Committee, to reaffirm his commitment to the corporation despite the public opposition.
Abercrombie said the corporation's administrative rules could be improved, and that lawmakers may want to consider amendments to the law, but he questioned why anyone would consider a repeal before a single project is developed.
"You've got to put it in practice first to see what it is," he said. "Give it a chance. Give it some breathing room and see how it works."
The governor said he doubts critics are interested in improving the law, "because their attitude is, no matter what you do, no matter how you change it, you can't change it good enough to suit us."
"Because the only way that would work, is that you would agree with us in the first place that you've got to pass anything you want to do past us first. We've got the imprimatur first."
Abercrombie said some of the "vicious commentary" from critics — including a missive from Frankel last week that told Donalyn Dela Cruz, the governor's press secretary, to "Stop lying to the public!" — has not moved him to reconsider the corporation.
"My support? It gets stronger," the governor said. "When I see people out there pushing people around. When I see people out there saying ‘We get to decide.' What do you mean we get to decide?
"The legislators ran for election. I ran for election."
Related: Lawyer to Abercrombie, Dela Cruz: Stop Lying to the Public about PLDC
read … Abercrombie Doubles Down, Legislators Begin to Crack
Three Debates for Djou-Hanabusa?
CB: For Djou, his campaign presence was limited by the fact that he was deployed to Afghanistan with the U.S. Army Reserves from September 2011 until March of this year. Though others kept the campaign alive during his absence, the campaign was effectively suspended and Djou himself could not directly raise campaign funds.
Things picked up considerably in the weeks leading up to the primary and especially after the election. Djou's Twitter account, for example (@Djou4Hawaii, 1,953 followers) has documented sign-waving appearances, group meetings and grassroots events. He's also talked politics, expressing outrage at the national debt now reaching $16 trillion.
"Our campaign makes multiple public appearances almost every day," said Djou. "We are willing and look forward to public televised debates. Our campaign is working with the TV stations to finalize schedules and debate details."
Hanabusa confirmed that, saying negotiations are ongoing with the three network TV stations to arrange debate dates. Thus far, only two debates have been set: on Hawaii Public Radio on Sept. 25 and Dan Boylan's PBS Hawaii show "Insights" on Oct. 25.
As for control of the U.S. House, Hanabusa does not think Democrats will win it back….
Djou could be helped by the anti-rail vote that wants to elect Ben Cayetano mayor of Honolulu. Hanabusa, meanwhile, has been spending a lot of her energies in Kapolei and Ko Olina, which used to be in the 2nd Congressional District but are now in the 1st District. Kapolei, of course, is where the rail project is set to begin construction.
read … Djou 2012
Open Congress: Hirono 16th Most Leftist Member of Congress
CB: “Congresswoman Hirono votes with her party 96 percent of the time,” the statement said. "Her actions and her words do not reflect a collaborative leader who can work with others, whose views may differ from her views.”
Is Lingle correct?
According to OpenCongress, a non-partisan resource for civic information, out of 1,551 total votes in the 112th Congress, Hirono voted with the Democratic party 95.3 percent of the time. That’s 1,478 votes with Democrats, leaving only 73 votes that crossed the aisle.
Out of all 190 Democratic representatives, OpenCongress ranked Hirono number 16 for voting with her party, making her one of the most consistently left-voting lawmakers in the House….
read … True
Two Caldwell-Cayetano Debates Set
SA: To date, only one televised joint appearance has been set: a forum Oct. 4 on PBS’ “Insights.” The Kokua Council also said Caldwell and Cayetano will appear at its Sept. 24 meeting.
Caldwell said he has agreed to all requests for televised debates and community forums. Cayetano said he remains undecided.
Meanwhile, Cayetano said he plans to deliver his transportation plan to the public in a series of 10 community meetings over the last seven weeks of the campaign.
Both candidates say they continue to work on fundraising efforts to help get their messages out.
Cayetano led all candidates in the primary, raising $995,000 for the campaign. He spent most of it, primarily battling the pro-rail group Pacific Resources Partnership, and had $108,000 at the end.
Caldwell’s fundraising got off to a slower start but he finished strong and caught up to Cayetano, raising $942,000 for the race. But he spent much of that early on just raising his name recognition. He entered the general election season with just $25,000 in cash on hand and he carries a debt of $244,000….
Cayetano’s campaign should be bolstered by the Supreme Court’s ruling, said one political analyst.
“It gives Cayetano another talking point, for sure,” said Neal Milner, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Hawaii. “It’s just another step in the direction of making people just a tad more skeptical about rail, and I’m sure that Cayetano is going to use that as another reason why rail is bad.”
The Supreme Court handed rail opponents a clear victory last month when it ruled a state agency violated its own rules by approving the rail project before an archaeological survey was completed for the entire 20-mile rail route.
“I think that a lot of people are going to miss the technicality of the decision and see it as more definitive than it is,” Milner said. “It’s going to delay rail for sure, whatever happens, but I think the way it works for the Cayetano campaign is that it gets him to have another way to frame the rail issue as being something that isn’t going to work.”
read … Debates?
HART to Stage October Surprise Against Cayetano?
CB: The Honolulu rail project has fallen behind its own timetable for a federal funding guarantee, and needs to get moving soon to get a deal signed this year.
It's now mid-September. The president's budget office should have finished its own review by now. But the packet hasn't even made it that far — it's still sitting at the Federal Transit Administration.
Rep. Colleen Hanabusa told Civil Beat Friday she expects the full funding agreement to reach Congress in early November — around six weeks from now.
"In my discussions with the FTA, I was always under the impression that their deadline, and it seemed to me that they would wait until that deadline, was like a week before the election," she said in an interview at her office.
"My understanding is that it would be right before the election that they would give the intent. That's when they have to, that's their deadline, is in early November or something. That would be the intent, intent. And I'm really clear about the intent. Not the award. And then the actual signing of the full funding agreement, that's 60 days later, which would put us right before the end of December. That's my understanding."
read … Where Is Honolulu Rail's Federal Funding?
New effort aimed at saving lives, money by housing homeless mentally ill
HNN: Those involved say the effort will ultimately save lives, but it will also save money. According to the city Emergency Services Division, unsheltered homeless are even among the EMS top ten users of 911, with many trips to the hospital by ambulance. "At 800 bucks a pop, you know, that is very expensive. And if you look at the list of ten, eight of those ten were homeless," said Colin Kippen, the governor's Coordinator on Homelessness.
"If you think about it, if we could put those folks into housing, and plan their medical benefits and get them squared away, you would save a substantial amount of money. Plus, you'd probably save their lives in the process," Kippen added.
"Often for example, if somebody's been hospitalized three times within the last year, that shows that they're at a higher risk of future hospitalization and not just at risk of death, but also a much higher user of services -- when I say services, I mean health services -- which ends up costing us, as a community, a lot of dollars," said Anderson.
"I never thought that the best prescription a doctor could write is, 'Okay, you need housing and an aspirin,'" Anderson added, "because sometimes housing is the best medicine to, once again, save lives and save money."
Volunteer training took place Sunday at the State Capitol. Those volunteers will survey the homeless Monday through Wednesday, with the results reviewed by Saturday. The organization said the long-term goal will be to have the 100 most at-risk placed in permanent shelters over the next two years.
read … New effort aimed at saving lives, money when dealing with homeless
Beekeeper worried PLDC controversy will hurt his business
WHT: A Big Isle beekeeper known for his top-quality organic honey fears that public opposition to the state’s new Public Land Development Corporation could complicate or derail his plans for a long-term lease of more than 500 acress of state land in South Kohala.
The proposal by Richard Spiegel, owner and operator of Honokaa-based Volcano Island Honey Co., to obtain a 20-year, exclusive lease on 545 acres in the Puako Forest is among some of the requests that the PLDC placed on its agenda for discussion this summer.
Shortly thereafter, the newly created state agency came under fire at a series of public hearings on a draft of its administrative rules. In response to complaints that it was jumping the gun by discussing projects before its administrative rules were in place, the PLDC put all discussion on future projects on hold.
(Watch the beekeeper and ignore the billionaire movie mogul.)
read … Beekeeper
Star-Advertiser surrounds report of solemn 9/11 ceremonies with graphic of circus performers
ILind: The Star-Advertiser this past week produced what has to be one of the worst possible examples of newspaper layout.
In the print edition on Wednesday, Sept. 12, the S-A ran a double truck layout in the middle of the A section featuring an Associated Press story about the 9/11 ceremonies that took place the previous day.
But the 9/11 feature bled into, and was actually almost surrounded by a Cirque de Soleil ad and graphic.
Here’s a photo of the layout taken with my iPad. Apologies
read … Disrespect
Star-Adv: 27 Arrests in Waikiki Threatens Police State, Loss of Democracy
SA: Since July 1, there have been 27 individual arrests for peddling, according to HPD. Police have also targeted noise complaints and sidewalk obstruction. It's unfortunate that such increased action is necessary; but unless those who engage in sidewalk activities understand and follow the law, they should expect more complaints and more police response.
There is more at stake than the fate of hapless vendors. Waikiki is the main engine of Hawaii's tourist economy, and millions of public and private dollars have been invested in improving the Waikiki experience for visitors.
The city has an obligation to protect this investment. It must do what it can to preserve the aesthetic appearance of Waikiki, promote the safety of pedestrians in a crowded area, and help maintain a prosperous merchant community, which pays a premium for the location and provides a stable source of tax revenue. A flood of street vendors who pay no rent or taxes crowding the sidewalks would be contrary to these interests.
Of course, turning Waikiki into a quasi-police state won't advance these interests either. The city should also cast a wary eye on donations to HPD that might be construed as a "fee-for-service" arrangement, such as money specifically earmarked for cracking down on illegal activities in certain areas of Waikiki. In response to a proposed $75,000 gift to HPD for this purpose, the American Civil Liberties Union last year rightly raised questions about such deals being contrary to "a democratic system whereby police services are available equally to all."
SA: First Amendment protects vendors' sales at city parks
SA: City to host hearings on rules for commercial activity at parks
read … Looming Dictatorship
Medicaid: Uncountable chances for mistakes and fraud
MN: In October 2010, a front-page story in The Maui News detailed how Hawaii had reached an $82 million settlement with drug companies for overcharging for Medicaid prescriptions from 1993 to 2006.
Now, mind you, the story doesn't say $82 million is all the drug companies overcharged the state - this is merely the settlement amount. The drug companies didn't admit any liability, saying they were settling only "to avoid the uncertainty and expense of litigation."
The story cited an example where the Medicaid program paid $1,480 for an ulcer medicine that was available for $27.70….
That is the trouble with our health care system. So many dollars are going through it - and that money is increasing by double-digit percentages every year - that there are uncountable chances for mistakes and fraud.
As the story stated, the cost of prescription drugs in Hawaii's Medicaid program went from $45 million in 1999 to $117 million in 2004. We'd bet it has at least doubled again since then.
read … Fraud
PV company gets caught in global trade net
PBN: When a fisherman gathers in his net, any fish caught are likely to thrash about in a gasping panic once they’re brought up out of the water.
In a metaphorical sense, I experienced something similar recently when my company was caught up in a large U.S. government dragnet seeking to penalize American businesses that had been importing solar electric, or photovoltaic, modules from China.
read … Retroactive Tariffs
Sloth: Surf Bums Complain Bitterly About Intrusion of Workers
HNN: 53 by the Sea sits right on the waterfront, offering a breathtaking view of Diamond Head. The $16-million project includes two chapels, an Italian restaurant and a bar. The facility is near a parking lot for Kakaako Waterfront Park. Frustrated bodysurfers said contractors and workers have been taking up the stalls for months.
"When they started building this structure, the construction guys came in and they used half the parking," said bodysurfer Doug Palama.
"You have the workers for the restaurant, not only the restaurant, but for the wedding chapel. They got their portrait teams. They try to park in here. They don't want to go over and pay for their parking," said bodysurfer Mike Kaaukuu.
Ocean Investments said it's paying the Office of Hawaiian Affairs roughly $300,000 annually to lease the land
read … How Dare you interfere with my idleness
Lawmakers question need for 4-person American Samoa office in Honolulu; budget more than $300K
AP: PAGO PAGO, American Samoa - Some lawmakers in American Samoa are questioning the need for the territory's office in Honolulu.
The office has a staff of four and a budget of more than $300,000. It was established more than two decades ago and is overseen by the governor….
According to the budget, monthly rent for the office and parking is $5,400. The office's proposed budget for the 2013 fiscal year is $349,500, a $40,000 increase from the current fiscal year….
read … Samoa Office
RTTT, Failing School Closures Key Topic in Chicago Teachers Strike
R: Striking Chicago teachers fear that once they approve a new contract with the school district and end their strike, Mayor Rahm Emanuel will go ahead with dozens of school closings because of falling enrollment and poor academic performance.
The closing of schools and what happens to the teachers working in them has been a major issue in the bitter dispute, even though the disagreement over evaluating teachers based on standardized test results of their students has received more attention.
Urban school districts around the country are grappling with closing schools, including Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Washington, according to a study last year on school closings by the Pew Charitable Trust.
"If they fire us, we're done," said Rhonda McLeod, a special education teacher at Gresham Elementary and one of the union delegates expected to vote on Sunday whether to end the strike. "We're terrified. We don't need to be dumped to the wayside. We're not trash, we're teachers."
read … Just Like Hawaii
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