Entries for 'News Release'

"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.

That glaring problems have continued for so long is a serious indictment of leadership. Someone should be held accountable … but that’s not possible.  In Hawaii’s one-of-its-kind governance system, the buck stops nowhere.

The meeting will be in the cafeteria of McKinley High School on Tuesday, August 25th.  It will begin at 5:30pm and end at 7:00pm.

Governor Lingle speech--full text.  Zogby poll describes Hawaii at 50, Native Hawaiians: The next 50 Years, Shinseki speech, VIDEOS, more . . .

Six videos presented on the Sean Hannity program.  See them for yourself:

Yesterday President Obama responded to my statement that Democratic health care proposals would lead to rationed care; that the sick, the elderly, and the disabled would suffer the most under such rationing; and that under such a system these “unproductive” members of society could face the prospect of government bureaucrats determining whether they deserve health care.

“Statehood was a major turning point for our state, and 50 years later, we are proud of everything we have accomplished. I hope the residents of Hawai‘i will show their pride in our island home by attending local commemorations and learning more about our state’s history,” said Kippen de Alba Chu, chair of the 50th Anniversary of Statehood Commission.

PHOTOS Left: Sun at peak of warming, 1998.  After 10 years of cooling, 2008.  NASA reports that the absence of sunspots continues today. 

More than 400 record low minimum temperatures and 1,300 record low maximum temperatures (lowest high temperature) across the nine-state area that make up the Central region.  Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania experienced their coolest July on record. Kentucky, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Michigan each had their second coolest July on record, while Minnesota and Tennessee had their third coolest July on record.

(And who are we to pass up the opportunity???)

“I hope our employees adhere to the deadline we have set, because the possible consequences to them of ignoring the deadline could be the loss of any ability to bump into a different position,” Governor Lingle said.

“I am also very disappointed that the HGEA and UPW have failed to respond to the offer we presented on July 21, 2009. Unfortunately, the State’s deteriorating budget situation is getting worse, not better, and the amount the State can afford to pay in labor costs continues to decline. The unions’ failure to accept or recognize this is, in my opinion, not in their members’ best interests.”

You have only a few more days to enjoy the pause in the Gramscian War on the cultural and historic foundations of Hawaii Statehood.... So be sure to tune in tonight.

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle has appointed Kaulana Park to serve as the new director of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) and chairman of the Hawaiian Homes Commission.  Park, the department’s deputy director since February 2008, succeeds Micah Kāne, who will become a Trustee for Kamehameha Schools.  The transition will take effect on Aug. 12.

Governor Lingle also announced that she will furlough approximately 900 state employees for three days per month effective September 1, 2009.  These “exempt excluded” employees are all non-union employees, who are not covered by Judge Karl Sakamoto’s order barring the Governor from unilaterally implementing furloughs for union employees. 

(Sounds like union membership is detrimental to the interests of those emplyees who are being laid off.)

We have set up a new Health Care Action Center on our website that centralizes key facts and action items to keep you informed throughout the health care debate.

Please take this information and pass it on to others.  And follow the links to add your voice to our petition and speak out to your members of Congress.  Remember, only a few votes in Congress stand in the way of this “reform” becoming a reality.  Thank you for taking action with us!

Three years ago, a Statehood Rally was attacked at Iolani as police stood by.  Now this from Inouye: 

"The territory of Hawaii was annexed to the United States in 1898 by a joint resolution of Congress based on a treaty signed with the Hawaiian government.  For many years thereafter, many delegations of congressmen and senators visited the territory to consider the pleas submitted by generations of our people requesting statehood."

These lines are sure to aggrivate the phony "sovereignty" activists--drug dealers, mortgage scammers, child abusers and others paid by OHA to create an argument for the Akaka Bill by pretending to oppose it in favor of "independence".  But Hawaii's elite have decided to turn off the faucet on OHA's goons--for now.  What will happen AFTER Admission Day?

Please know that should I run, I will be a strong voice against tax increases, for moral values to protect our Keiki, and encouraging our community to have a stronger voice in the legislature.

“The NRCC is committed to working with Charles Djou as he continues to meet the rigorous goals of the Young Guns program,” said NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions. “With all that Charles Djou has accomplished in just a few short months, I am confident that he will be successful in his effort to regain a seat for Republicans and keep the Democrats accountable for their reckless anti-jobs agenda.”

Governor Lingle and I continue to believe that Judge Sakamoto erred in his legal analysis, and that the Governor has the right to implement the three-day-per-month furlough plan.  The State also believes Judge Sakamoto erred in deciding that he, rather than the Hawai‘i Labor Relations Board, had jurisdiction in this matter.  The State will shortly file an appeal and will seek expedited consideration of that appeal. 

“I, Dr. Chiyome Fukino, Director of the Hawai’i State Department of Health, have seen the original vital records maintained on file by the Hawai‘i State Department of Health verifying Barrack Hussein Obama was born in Hawai‘i and is a natural-born American citizen."

“We have an excellent relationship with Honolulu Fire Department, and it is really a shame the Mayor didn’t take the time to learn the facts about our past, current and future collaborative efforts before denigrating the good work of our state firefighters."

To ensure the Kulani facility will be used productively for the benefit of the state and the Big Island community, the Department of Public Safety is currently working with the Hawai‘i Department of Defense (DOD) on a Memorandum of Agreement for the land to be utilized for the DOD’s Hawai‘i National Guard Youth Challenge program.

The Hawai‘i National Guard’s Youth Challenge Academy program provides at-risk students who otherwise would not obtain a high school diploma with an opportunity to attend a 22-week curriculum designed to turn their lives around. Since 1995, over 2,500 students who have participated in the Youth Challenge Academy have earned their High School diplomas.

Prior to being appointed by Governor Lingle as an Intermediate Court of Appeals judge, Nakamura served as an assistant U.S. attorney from 1986 to 2004, where he focused on prosecution of federal crimes with emphasis on complex fraudulent schemes, tax offenses, environmental crimes and public corruption.

(SB Headline is "GOTCHA!".  After OHA's rent-seeking lawsuits begin, it will become more clear what that means.  For now everybody is celebrating ....) 

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle today praised the decision by the board of directors of the TMT Observatory Corporation to select Mauna Kea as the preferred site for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT)....

 "Having the most advanced telescope in the world on the slopes of Mauna Kea will enhance Hawai‘i’s high-technology sector, while providing our students with education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields." 

Hawaii Gathering of Eagles has forwarded 3000 lbs of donaterd Kona coffee to US military personnel stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.  More coffee is coming in and GOE is working to send it to several combat units.