Lingle: I know We Have the Momentum to Win
Hirono Refuses to Answer for Actions Harmful to Hawaii
Hirono Hits Middle Class With Tax Hike
Omidyar Buying Influence: Resort Developer Pierre Omidyar founder launches leadership program
Omidyar Building Resorts: Protection of Lipoa Point must be a community effort
HNN VIDEO: Lingle vs Hirono Final Debate
KHON Survey -- Djou Leads 2-1
KHON: Who will you vote for in the race for the 1st Congressional District?
Charles Djou (R) (67.9%)
Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D) (32.1%)
read … Hanabusa vs. Djou: Who won the debate?
Lingle agrees with Cayetano’s stance on Honolulu rail project
PBN: “I don’t believe we can afford what has been put forward by the city,” Lingle said about the rail project.
Lingle, like Cayetano, favors an alternative. And while she didn’t say she supports Cayetano’s bus rapid transit proposal, she said she supported parts of what was called for in the past — most notably a 2.2-mile flyover above the Nimitz Highway from the H-1 freeway’s airport viaduct to Iwilei Road and downtown Honolulu.
Lingle also told PBN that if she is elected in November she would work to get the city the federal funds for another transit system.
The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, which is overseeing the project that is planned to go from Kapolei to Ala Moana Center, is currently working with the Federal Transit Administration to get $1.55 billion in federal funding.
Cayetano has said he would seek federal money for his bus system as well, and Lingle told PBN she believes the city could get such funding for anything it decides to build to address Oahu’s traffic woes.
“I think I do have an obligation [if I am elected] at a federal level to get those funds reprogrammed,” Lingle said.
SA: Hirono, Lingle differ on value of the president's jobs initiative
read … Stop Rail
Judge Slaps Down Abercrombie’s $700M Raid on Internet Travel Agencies
SA: Travel booking companies that sell Hawaii hotel rooms online do not have to pay the state hotel room tax, a state judge ruled Monday.
That means the state will not get the nearly $700 million in transient accommodations taxes it assessed Expedia, Hotels.com, Hotwire, Orbitz, Priceline, Travelocity and four other online travel companies for the tax years 1999 through 2011.
"We appreciate the judge's thoughtful attention and glad he reached the correct result," said Honolulu lawyer Paul Alston, who represented the companies in the appeal of their state tax assessments….
Even if the state intends to appeal his ruling, it cannot do so until he decides the other half of the online travel companies' tax appeals — for the millions of dollars in general excise tax the state says the companies owe for the same period.
Chang will hear arguments for and against the GET appeals in December.
Looking Pretty Foolish now, eh? Democrats: State Should Have Looted Orbitz.com for $500M to Give to Our HSTA, DOE Cronies
read … Online firms freed of hotel taxes
Star-Advertiser Endorses DelaCruz, Hee, Straight Democrat Slate for Senate
Best Comment: Yesterday, Honolulu's great metropolitan newspaper cited the following as criteria for choosing candidates: "...experience and voice in the Legislature is valuable...deep community roots and delivery for constituents... experience and clout serve his district well...breadth of knowledge and esteem among colleagues...". Today, using somewhat similar rationale to "...Add the desire to foster a broader marketplace of ideas in the state Senate, and choosing the right candidate..." they make it a clean sweep for the Democrat party, once again preserving the status quo.
read … Hypocrisy from Advertiser, its all about Gay Marriage for them
Cayetano’s Suit Should Be Laughed Out of Court
Best Comment: “Bottom line: it’s not enough to prove the ads were false; Cayetano has to prove the pro-rail group knew the ads were false or prove the ads were in reckless disregard for truth. If Cayetano were to win, about every single politician on the planet could be sued during election season. This suit is dead on arrival and should be laughed out of court.”
But just as they denounced PRP for opening Pandora’s Box, many Hawaii media and politicians are embracing censorship. For instance: Pay to Play: Will Cayetano Retaliate Against Hirono?
Hirono’s vote to kick our nation’s deficit problems down the road highlights her ineffectiveness in Congress.
They said it: “$109 billion in cuts are scheduled for January – so the Budget Control Act has become an issue in the November elections. U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono, a Democrat campaigning for U.S. Senate, voted for the law because she thought it would stabilize the nation’s fiscal situation.” [1]
Unlike Hirono, Governor Lingle would not have supported sequestration because “it is important to deal with the issues at hand, rather than kicking the can down the road as our current Congress has done too often.” [2]
read … NoHiroNo
Hirono was the only member of the Hawaii delegation to vote against funding the Department of Defense for FY 2011.
On April 14, 2011 Hirono voted against funding the Department of Defense by voting NO on the FY 2011 Department Of Defense And Continuing Appropriations Act, even though the rest of the Hawaii delegation did vote for it (Hanabusa, Inouye and Akaka all voted YEA). [1] [2]
read … NoHiroNo
Prosecutor: Takata Appeals for Pothead Vote
What are your views on medical marijuana?
Takata: The Legislature has determined that Hawaii citizens have the right to possess and use marijuana for medicinal purposes. A Prosecutor is sworn to uphold the law, and that law will not be treated any differently.
Kaneshiro: I don't disagree with the concept of relief for seriously ill patients, but I think the medical marijuana act is open to abuse. Right now, approved conditions such as chronic pain can apply to almost anything.
read … Candidates for Honolulu Prosecutor Attack Each Other's Motives
Sierra Club, Blue Planet Foundation Admit the Problem With Gas is that it is Cheap
CB: LNG is seen by many as an inexpensive alternative to oil and the proposal has the support of the Abercrombie administration. State officials have said that even when shipping costs are factored in, consumers would save money with natural gas.
Jeff Mikulina, director of the Blue Planet Foundation, acknowledged that natural gas is an inexpensive energy option and that renewable energy has high upfront costs. But he argued that the gas company's initiative is a step back from the state's goal of reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
"It’s seductive to think that we can simply import a different fossil fuel that’s going to somehow be cheaper and still think that we’re going to achieve our clean energy goals," Mikulina said.
Robert Harris, director of the Hawaii chapter of the Sierra Club, said he also is concerned that investing further in fossil fuels will sidetrack Hawaii from shifting to renewable energy.
"There’s a limited supply of money for energy infrastructure," Harris said. "We’d rather see the dollars invested in clean energy."
read … About a Conspiracy to Keep Your Gas Prices High
Solar City Investigation May Snare other Solar Providers
SA: SolarCity's filing did not name any of the other PV companies being investigated. Officials for Provo, Utah-based Vivint Inc., which leads the Hawaii market in no-upfront-cost PV installations, said their company is not being investigated by federal authorities.
The Hawaii Department of Taxation is aware of the federal investigation, according to a department spokeswoman.
A SolarCity spokesman in California said the company could not comment beyond what was said in its SEC filing.
The Treasury's inspector general has asked SolarCity to provide documents dating back to 2007, including communications with other solar development companies and firms that appraised solar energy projects, according to the filing.
read … About the Coming End of this Scam
Abercrombie Relies on ‘Kitchen Cabinet’ Full of Lobbyists
Borreca: So far Abercrombie has seen two deputy directors of communications, two directors of communications and two senior policy advisers leave during the first two years of his administration.
Dela Cruz won't be going far; she is becoming director of communications for the state Department of Education. The current spokeswoman, Sandy Goya, will become director of school communications.
Last year, many key executives Abercrombie brought in to run the state left.
They include his chief of staff, the deputy chief of staff, the Health Department director, public housing director, human resources director, public safety director, the Hawaiian Home Lands director, the state civil defense deputy director and scores of other deputies.
Not being able to gather and keep a competent staff is a major problem for Abercrombie. After coming from representing Hawaii in Congress for 20 years, Abercrombie was not familiar with much of the history and minutia of the state bureaucracy. So for him, it was critical to have a steady staff helping him.
Instead, while his initial picks were top level, running a hiring hall instead of a government does not put you on the path to excellence.
Abercrombie has been able to rely on his kitchen Cabinet of lobbyists and long-time supporters to help place people in state government, but the governor has never had a serious discussion about his Cabinet vacancies and the role his unelected advisers play in his administration.
The struggle with communications continues to dog the Abercrombie administration, which after two years is still having a difficult time separating communicating with the electorate and continually campaigning for office.
A certain portion of every week is taken up with drop-bys at public schools, charity events and even low-profile meetings. Because Abercrombie is an entertaining and forceful speaker, there is the appearance that he is communicating. But he is actually just giving speeches.
The office needs to hold weekly, open-ended news conferences, something every other governor has done.
read … Some Advice for the Hippie
Maui HSTA Leader: Abercrombie Cried and Lied
MN: In the case of the teachers, he crashed the union's state convention two years ago and asked to address those assembled. After he was allowed to take the podium, he stood there silently for a long minute or two, and mustered some tears. He then plaintively recounted how his mother, who was a teacher, would not have been fired for being pregnant with him if there had been a union to back her up. He would not forget that, he assured his audience, and he would back Hawaii's public worker unions.
He repeated the same performance to another union crowd two weeks later. And yes, he cried then, too.
So when he got his players to the table, he changed the game. The people who showed up were played like chumps.
The Hawaii Government Employees Association, which represents most of the state's white-collar employees who are not teachers, was the first to show its hand. And despite losing much of what HGEA came to the table with, the union settled, assured by Abercrombie that he would match any other public worker contract that was settled for better benefits and pay. Most favored nation status, it was called.
However, United Public Workers got a better deal after threatening to strike.
When HGEA found that UPW get a better deal, Abercrombie weaseled out of his promise by maintaining that UPW's contractual details did not apply to HGEA.
The dictionary definition has a welcher as "someone who swindles you by not repaying a debt or wager."
He welched. And, of course, he lied….
One thing likely not open to chance? Teachers coming aboard Abercrombie's next campaign should he decide to run for another term.
read … Must Read Entire Commentary
Dueling Videos in Pine vs Berg Race
Complaint dismissed against former Maui police officer After Files ‘Go Missing’
WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP) - A criminal complaint against a former Maui police officer has been dismissed because the time limit for a speedy trial lapsed when the document went missing.
Christopher Keoloha was accused of abusing his wife last November. But the document that was received at the Maui Police Department in February went missing and was found months later.
The Maui News reports that because the 180-day time limit for a speedy trial had lapsed by the time Kealoha was arraigned on Aug. 7, the charge alleging that he abused his police officer wife was dismissed Friday.
The state says it will refile the charge.
read … Refile
Hawaii County Bag Ban Rules Published
WHT: With just under three months before Hawaii County begins phasing out plastic bags at the store checkout, the Department of Environmental Management has created new rules for retail merchants and the public to follow.
The department plans to take its proposed rules out for public hearings in December.
Hoffmann said the rules are similar to rules already in place on Maui and Kauai. The Honolulu City Council has also passed a bag ban for Oahu, but it doesn’t go into effect until 2015 in order to give the stores and suppliers time to exhaust their inventories, said Retail Merchants President Carol Pregill.
The merchants, who generally opposed the bills, had lobbied unsuccessfully for a statewide law, to make compliance easier for companies with locations on multiple islands.
The public hearings are scheduled for noon Dec. 6 at the West Hawaii Civic Center and 1 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Aupuni Center in Hilo.
The draft rules allow plastic bags without handles for fresh produce and meats, and small paper or plastic bags without handles for loose items such as jewelry, buttons, beads, ribbon, nails, nuts and screws and prescription drugs. The rules also allow garment bags such as are used by dry cleaners.
The draft rules are available at www.hawaiizerowaste.org/reuse/plastic-bag-ordinance-and-reuse/#.UIXOfoZ410Q
read … Harassing the People
NIMBYs Harass Charter School
HTH: The Windward Planning Commission will consider authorizing a special permit on Nov. 9. The permit would be the project’s final regulatory hurdle and allow construction to begin.
Hong said he doesn’t think any fines should impact the commission’s decision.
“We were the victims of a crime,” he said. “We didn’t know what they were doing.”
Hong also said Connections has been victimized by the posting of bumper stickers, reading “No Connections in Kaumana,” at the Kress building last Thursday.
He said the school is considering it a criminal matter and is offering a $500 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people involved.
“School children should not have to come to school with this kind of harassment slapping them in the face every morning,” Hong said, also referring to signs protesting the project that were, according to him, intentionally posted along school bus routes.
Locks to the gate at the property also have been glued shut, Thatcher said.
Signs opposing the project have sprung up in front lawns near the site over the last few months.
read … Harassment
Garret Hashimoto Recuperating from Successful Surgery
Dear Friends of Aloha Pregnancy Center: Thank you for all your sincere prayers for our President Garret Hashimoto. Garret had a successful surgery and is now recuperating at home. He wants to express his gratitude for all your prayers and well wishes. Please continue to pray for a complete recovery and please continue to help Aloha Pregnancy save precious babies through your generous contributions.
God Bless, Carolyn Kobayashi, Administrator, APCCC
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