Entries for 'News Release'

“The Republican Party’s overwhelming victory in Virginia and New Jersey is a blow to President Obama and the Democrat Party.  It sends a message that America has had enough of more government spending, higher taxes and bigger government.  The people of this great country are saying no more broken promises and no more change for the sake of change.

"The Hawai'i Democrat Party, who has proven to be ineffective for the people of Hawai'i, should learn from Democrats across the country. These victories prove traditionally Democrat states like Hawai'i can and will vote for Republicans.”

Kona Gathering of Eagles: Sadly we must report to you that four brave aviation Marines, whose Squadron we have been supporting with donations of Kona coffee since last June have been killed in action in Afghanistan.

Editor's Note: On Maui, Kihei Elementary School PTA leaders are working against resistance from the HSTA and the DoE to re-open their school on Furlough Fridays.  Why would the union and bureaucracy oppose this plan?  The best clue is at the end of the letter:

"While the children are in their usual routine the rest of us adults can figure out what to do with the budget."

The DoE and HSTA need to create as much chaos as possible in order to stampede the legislature into raising taxes and raiding special funds.  They are working to stifle any discussion of the massive waste, fraud, and abuse contained within the DoE budget.  By coming up with a way to keep school open on Fridays, the Kihei PTA is getting in the way of this DoE/HSTA political game. 

First-class and priority mail for servicemembers stationed in Afghanistan should be sent by Dec. 4 for arrival by Christmas. The deadline for parcel airlift mail is Dec. 1, and space-available mail bound for Afghanistan should be sent by Nov. 21.  Officials recommend that parcel post mail to all military overseas locations should be sent by Nov. 13.

The undersea cable, which would connect the islands into one electrical grid to allow the integration of renewable wind power generated in Maui County for transmission to O‘ahu is part of a comprehensive energy agreement signed one year ago between the State of Hawai‘i and Hawaiian Electric companies to move the state away from its dependence on fossil fuels for electricity and ground transportation.

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle announced today she will travel to China to build on the State’s strategic efforts to strengthen Hawai‘i’s economic base by tapping China’s growing outbound tourism market as well as developing opportunities and partnerships in clean energy and international trade. 

This morning the City Council voted not to advance Bill 51 relating to a homeowners tax class.  After the vote, Mayor Mufi Hannemann hauled Council Chair Todd Apo into his office for several hours.  Late this evening, after all media had left the building, Apo, along with Councilmember Gary Okino, suddenly reversed their votes and voted to pass Bill 51.  Councilmember Apo had consistently been a leading opponent of establishing a homeowner tax class since it was first proposed last year.

As a practicing attorney, Nacino had the opportunity to prepare appellate briefs to the Hawai‘i Supreme Court, Hawai‘i Intermediate Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.... He worked for two-and-a-half years at the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office where he tried jury and non-jury cases involving misdemeanor and felonies at the District, Family and Circuit Court levels.... Before beginning his legal career, Nacino was a police officer with the Honolulu Police Department for approximately eight-and-a-half years.

The event will feature a presentation by national spokesman and former NFL football star, Riki Ellison, Founder and Chairman of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA) a non-profit organization which advocates the deployment and development of a missile defense system.  Mr. Ellison has is an expert in the field of missile defense.

Editor's Note: This is what happens when one accepts the framework artificially created by the DoE and HSTA. 

The Department of Education has not had a comprehensive audit of their entire organization, management practices and personnel administration since 1973.  The DOE always complains about lack of funds and yet, because the DOE has not been audited, neither they nor the taxpayers know where the DOE's two billion dollar budget gets spent!

According to the data, 49 States and the District of Columbia have lost jobs since stimulus was enacted.  Only North Dakota has seen net job creation following the February 2009 stimulus.  While President Obama claimed the result of his stimulus bill would be the creation of 3.5 million jobs, the Nation has already lost a total of 2.7 million – a difference of 6.2 million jobs.  Hawaii was projected to gain 15,000 jobs.  Instead the state lost 17,000. 

HONOLULU – Following the ratification by Hawai‘i Government Employees Association (HGEA) members of a new two-year contract, Governor Linda Lingle today announced details of a plan that calls for two furlough days per month for the next 20 months for state employees that will start on Friday, October 23, 2009.  To minimize the impact on the public, most state offices will close all or portions of their operations on two specified Fridays per month.

The HSTA union bosses and the top-heavy DoE brass chose the furloughs as a way to convince us that they are indispensable and to justify raising more taxes, including a 20% jump in state excise taxes. More taxes will only deepen the recession and make things worse.

The union and DoE bosses' strategy is backfiring. More and more parents are asking why we need the DoE and the HSTA when they put union elites and the bureaucracy ahead of the classroom teachers, the parents and the students.

HONOLULU - Lt. Governor Duke Aiona today launched the centerpiece of his new media campaign that will help him connect and interact with voters on important local issues online.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, TIKRIT, Iraq - Nearly 1,000 Soldiers of the 25th Infantry Division Headquarters will arrive in Hawaii from mid-October into early November after a year-long deployment to northern Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Crossroads will develop a comprehensive assessment of Maui’s present and anticipated healthcare needs, a comprehensive financial feasibility study and business planning for the proposed medical development at a site in Kihei.

On May 10, 1873, Damien arrived in Kalaupapa to meet the spiritual needs of the 600 residents. He soon realized that his presence provided much needed comfort to those suffering from Hansen’s Disease, and he served in different capacities, including doctor, carpenter, legal advocate and grave digger. He also organized religious associations, a children’s band and a choir. Through his work, Damien instilled pride and dignity in the residents of Kalaupapa, restoring the faith of the forgotten.

The homecoming ceremony will take place Sunday at 5:25 p.m. at Wheeler Army Airfield. Family and friends wishing to welcome the Soldiers home are encouraged check the 25ID Web site, www.25idl.army.mil, for the latest ceremony updates.

However more than ever, the Hawaii Christian Coalition will be heavily involved in the upcoming elections in 2010. We are presently opening chapters on Maui and Kauai, and ask that you stand with us as we continue to be a strong to protect Hawaii's families against rising taxes,and insuring that our Keiki's receive quality education in our school system. We will also be strong advocates for traditional marriage and protection of the innocent child in the womb.

New chairman Daniel Inouye (D-HI) requested 46 earmarks worth $330.8 million and received 35 earmarks worth $206.5 million in the final bill. Inouye has received $173,000 in campaign contributions since 2007 from the companies he requested earmarks for. The biggest donor among them is Lockheed Martin, which operates a major facility in Hawaii and donated $61,300.

the Hawai'i Republican Party is teaming up with the American Red Cross to raise money for relief efforts in American Samoa and the Philippines.  Please join us TOMORROW:

• When: Tuesday, October 6, 2009
• Where: Downtown Honolulu, intersection of King St. and Bishop St.
• Time: 11:00am - 1:00pm

While having no qualms with voting to take money from taxpayers in one of the worst recessions in history, Colleen Hanabusa somehow feels entitled to give herself and fellow legislators a pay raise.

"I welcome Colleen Hanabusa to the race.  Like Ed Case, Colleen has run for the 2nd Congressional District multiple times before and I respect that she will be an experienced candidate for this race in the 1st District. If Colleen wins her contested nomination, I look forward to debating her on the issues," stated Djou.

If you or others you know are interested in running as Republicans, please email us at youlikerun@gophawaii.com.

Hodges is asking the state and the unions to waive contract terms and regulations that may prohibit furloughed teachers from returning to work under private contract and to streamline approval processes so community volunteers can be mobilized quickly and effectively.

The discrepancies were due to errors in the recording of tax revenues collected in FY08 and FY09.  In FY09, $44 million was collected by the Department of Taxation as part of its Delinquent Tax Program.  This amount was incorrectly recorded when the Department of Accounting and General Services prepared its FAMIS reports.  A similar recording error of $800,000 also occurred for FY08.

Edward H. Kubo, Jr. – Current position: outgoing U.S. Attorney, District of Hawai‘i.  Prior experience: assistant U.S. attorney, District of Hawai‘i; deputy prosecuting attorney, Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, Honolulu; associate trial attorney, Carlsmith and Dwyer; law clerk, Kobayashi and Watanabe.

Hooser prefers that we hold hearings and community discussions to debate the type and size of government we should have. Lawmakers can hold such hearings during the next legislative session, or even schedule them now while the Legislature is on its break. Frankly, the Legislature should have held such discussions three or four years ago, when the State had money to invest in our long-term future.

While Hooser is busy debating options, the Administration is facing up to our fiscal responsibility and obligation to the people of Hawai‘i by taking immediate steps to address the current financial crisis. Many of the decisions that are being made are not ones that we want to make, but we are doing what needs to done in order to ensure the State government does not run out of money, which will happen if we wait as Hooser suggests.

HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i 50^th Anniversary of Statehood Commission is proud to announce that its successful conference, “New Horizons for the Next 50 Years,” will be broadcast on ‘Olelo channels 49 and 52 throughout October and November. The one-day conference, which took place on August 21, drew more than 2,200 attendees to look back at Hawai‘i’s history and accomplishments and discuss the direction of the state for the next 50 years. 

HONOLULU – Almost 1,000 women and men from across the state were drawn to the sixth annual International Women’s Leadership Conference on Tuesday, September 22 to hear women leaders from eight nations share their stories of success. The majority of the event is now viewable online....

The brigade was instrumental in helping the Iraqi government during a pivotal period of security and governmental transition and infrastructure reconstruction. The Soldiers return home with 230 projects completed and 140 more in progress that are vital to the economic revitalization of this burgeoning nation. The Soldiers' efforts are affording the people of Iraq with a better quality of life by providing them with better power distribution and infrastructure; 67 new and renovated educational facilities; transportation projects to improve road and rail systems; and the revitalization of market areas to stimulate economic growth.

One of the speakers, Michelle Rhee, is the chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools System, the seventh person to hold the post in the past 10 years.  Intent on reforming the D.C. school system, Rhee has fired non-productive teachers, principals and central office administrators, and proposes to make D.C. teachers the best paid in the country by partnering with private philanthropists to create financial incentives for improved teacher performance.  The daughter of immigrants from South Korea, in 1997, Rhee founded the New Teacher Project, which in 10 years has recruited 10,000 teachers for hard-to-staff inner-city schools in 20 states.

HONOLULU — Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, who earlier this year raised almost $660,000 for an expected gubernatorial campaign in 2010, refused Monday to disclose his positions on same-gender civil unions, gay marriage and abortion rights.

Hannemann campaign spokeswoman Elisa Yadao was asked to provide the mayor's positions on the three hot-button issues. She responded in an e-mail: "As Mufi is not an official candidate, we are not participating in stories featuring candidates who have announced their intention to run for governor."

"That's a pretty lame defense," said University of Hawaii political scientist Dan Boylan....

The county’s projected budget shortfall is more severe than ever, the mayor said. The county already faces a $44.8 million hole in next fiscal year’s budget, which combines $33.8 million less in projected revenues and $11 million more in projected expenses.

Projected revenue losses include 10 percent of real property taxes, the county’s largest source of revenue, amounting to about $17.9 million. The county also expects to see a loss of interest on investments amounting to about $1.6 million.

If the state were to take the county’s $17.9 million share of the Transient Accommodations Tax on hotel rooms, the situation gets much worse, Mayor Kenoi said. Next fiscal year’s budget shortfall would be closer to $64 million without the county’s share of the TAT.

“That’s $100 million taken out of our budget over two years -- gone,” Mayor Kenoi said. “That is a real possibility.”

Finance Deputy Director Deanna Sako also warned that the Employer Union Trust Fund may add to the budget difficulties by increasing health insurance premiums for employees after Jan. 1.

“I appreciate the Department and Board of Education taking the lead in these negotiations, in coordination with my negotiation team, to work toward reaching an agreement with the HSTA that is in the best interest of teachers, our students and the general public, and that recognizes our growing budget shortfall.  My negotiation team, including the budget director and the attorney general, are currently reviewing the proposed contract and I hope to reach a decision soon."

The Governor’s action is in conjunction with a proclamation issued today by President Barack Obama ordering that the U.S. flag be flown at half-staff on September 11 in memory of the victims. By a joint resolution approved on December 18, 2001, the U.S. Congress designated September 11 of each year as “Patriot Day.”  This year, the President also declared September 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

Charles Djou: "But we need to do healthcare reform right.  The continued push for a massive $1 trillion government healthcare insurance program is the only key aspect of the address I disagree with.  Our nation should focus on real reforms that make sense without breaking the taxpayers’ bank including medical malpractice tort reform, allowing the inter-state sale of health insurance and equalizing the tax treatment of corporate and individual health insurance.”

Most Americans wanted to hear the president tell Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid and the rest of the Congress that it's time to start over on a common-sense, bipartisan plan focused on lowering the cost of health care while improving quality. 

That's what I've heard over the past several months, in talking to thousands of my constituents. 

Replacing your family's current health care with government-run health care is not the answer. In fact, it will make health care much more expensive. 

That's not just my personal diagnosis as a doctor or a Republican. It's the conclusion of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the neutral scorekeeper that determines the cost of major bills. 

When I spoke here last winter, this nation was facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We were losing an average of 700,000 jobs per month. Credit was frozen. And our financial system was on the verge of collapse.

As any American who is still looking for work or a way to pay their bills will tell you, we are by no means out of the woods.... 

...And while there remain some significant details to be ironed out, I believe -- (laughter) -- I believe a broad consensus exists for the aspects of the plan I just outlined....

Register today and join over 1,000 of Hawai`i's women from fields of business, marketing, media, health care, government, international relations, and community service at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel and Resort September 22, 2009.

Driving on roads in need of repair costs each Hawaii motorist an average of $503 annually -- $431 million state-wide and the third highest in the nation -- in the form of accelerated vehicle depreciation, additional repair costs, and increased fuel consumption and tire wear.

The report also finds a total of 43 percent of Hawaii’s bridges are deficient or obsolete. Twelve percent of the state’s bridges are structurally deficient and an additional 31 percent are functionally obsolete. In addition to deteriorated road and bridge conditions, 45 percent of Hawaii’s major roads are considered congested.

And according to the TRIP report, the fatality rate on Hawaii’s rural roads is nearly four times greater than the fatality rate on all other roads in the state.

The proposed restructuring of the County Council does not exclude anyone of power or leadership. Each council member continues to head a committee....

Last week I thought we were close to reaching an agreement, but unfortunately, this was not the case. The HGEA’s current official offer amounts to a pay increase that would make our budget deficit worse.  Because of the way in which the public employee unions are structured, their rank-and-file members have not had a chance to hear about the State’s latest proposal. This is not right, because it is their livelihood that is at stake.

Most disheartening to me is the implication that union leaders would rather have members lose their jobs instead of having all their members share the sacrifice of furloughs.  Because of the setback in our negotiations, the State is preparing to proceed with binding arbitration with the white collar HGEA beginning tomorrow. The State will also start binding arbitration with the blue collar UPW, one week later....

Today I want to tell you that there will likely be additional layoff notices issued in the months ahead. The second round of layoffs will, by necessity, require a fundamental restructuring of State government. I wish this was not the case, but it is....

... we will roll back public assistance benefit increases... consolidate common administrative functions performed in each of our departments ... we will selectively begin eliminating some State programs that we could afford when times were good....

The Advertiser’s Aug. 30 article on the State’s investments in auction rate securities (ARS) contained several inaccuracies, including misleading statements by Legislative Auditor Marion Higa and Rep. Karl Rhoads. 

The State has not incurred any actual or real losses by investing in auction rate securities, and in fact we have been receiving the full principal and interest due on the ARS for the past 18 months. 

If the students who dropped out of Hawaii’s Class of 2009 had graduated, the state’s economy would have benefited from more than $1.6 billion in additional income over the course of their lifetimes, according to a new issue brief from the Alliance for Excellent Education.

Why did the city choose Makana O Kea Kua as the non-profit in charge of taking donations for the City’s Sunset on the Plains.  Makana O Kea Kua has a clean and sober home for convicts on 91-031 HAILIPO Street.  Residents complain that it housed sexual offenders.  Why was a political campaign allowed to be a sponsor and promoted through sunset on the plain using city taxpayer money?

“In light of the additional $98 million revenue shortfall projected by the Council on Revenues yesterday and the unacceptable and unrealistic position taken by the Hawai‘i Government Employees Association on our Administration’s latest offer, we must take the difficult step of identifying additional spending cuts, including a possible further reduction in force,” said Governor Lingle. 

“The Council on Revenues’ lower revenue projection is in line with what our Administration has been anticipating.  That is why we have been taking steps to reduce government expenses and streamline operations.  The fact that the Council on Revenues has lowered its revenue projection for the seventh time since March 2008 is another reminder that we simply cannot afford to operate state government at the current level of spending...."

“I’m pleased with the over 200 people that turned out for the townhall discussion on healthcare reform this evening.  I think this forum offered a balanced presentation, educated all attendees, and showed the real concern the people of Hawaii have regarding the future of American healthcare,” stated Djou.