Education K-12

Killed in the House, SB2646 would have designated two Hawaii surfing reserves, comprising surf breaks off Waikiki from Ala Wai to the War Memorial Natatorium and the north shore of Oahu from Alii beach in Haleiwa to Sunset beach.

MYTH: Ed Case said tonight he 'understood' DC and talked about his 'experience' representing Hawaii's other district. Case also attempted to defend his 148 missed votes, stating 148 was not that much.

FACT: Ed Case was rated one of the least effective members of Congress and missed numerous important votes:

“Two members of Congress ranked as some of the least effective – Rep. Ed Case [D-Hawaii] and Sen. Dan Akaka [D-Hawaii] – are battling over who has the worse rating on a national political Web site.” (Richard Borreca, “Case to Akaka, Akaka to Case: You’re ineffective,” Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 08/29/06)

The poll, conducted by the mainland Democrat polling firm Harstad Strategic Research, Inc., and paid for by the Democratic National Committee, shows amongst likely voters Djou actually does better than reported by the Honolulu Advertiser poll yesterday.  Among likely voters, the poll shows:

• Djou - 39%
• Case - 31%
• Hanabusa - 20%

See VIDEO clips from debate...

"Unlike my opponents, I am the only major candidate to live in the first Congressional district. Also unlike my opponents, I am not in this race for political gain; I am in this race to do what is best for the people of Hawaii.”

Last month the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee tried to raise Djou's negatives by arguing that his signature on Americans for Tax Reform's pledge meant he'd honored a "special interest group" to protect tax breaks for evil corporations.  ATR punched back immediately and nonpartisan groups fact-checked the ad, finding it wanting.  (And I'm told that the many D.C. groups that try to get GOP candidates to sign their pledges are on notice to behave the same way when one of those candidates get hit.)

It's a simple story of the conservative base engaging while the Democratic base squabbles or sleeps.

The result of the special election is likely to be interpreted as a national referendum on the state of play in advance of the November midterm elections. But, remember that Democrats -- even if they lose later this month -- are likely to win the seat in the fall due to its strong lean toward their party and the fact that it will be a one on one race rather than a three-way battle….

(Obviously the Washington Post doesn't know what "1986" means.)

Also this weekend, the Honolulu Advertiser released a poll showing that Djou’s message of “lower taxes, limited government and fiscal responsibility is resonating” throughout the district.  Here is just a sampling of recent headlines on the race . . . 

The last public poll done for this race by a local newspaper was conducted January 8-10th by the Honolulu Star Bulletin.  Since that poll, Djou has increased his ballot share by 19 points, while Case has dropped 9 points and Hanabusa fell 3 points, clearly showing momentum is on the Djou campaign’s side.

According to retired Congressman Neil Abercrombie, long time advocate for gay marriage,  “moral authority” should be the exclusive realm of the gay minority and state legislature.  The general public is of little concern to him and their “religious” views make their opinions illegitimate anyway.

With Charles Djou clearly positioned as the only Congressional candidate opposed to Gay Marriage and Gay Civil Unions, the CD1 Special Election will be voters' first opportunity to register their reaction to the Legislature's vote.  

"Hawaii voters have spoken very clearly in support of traditional marriage.  I am very disappointed that Colleen Hanabusa and the Hawaii State Legislature have clearly and blatantly ignored the will of the people of Hawaii on this issue.  Unlike both Ed Case and Colleen Hanabusa, my two major opponents in this congressional campaign, I will not ignore Hawaii voters and look forward to their judgment in our upcoming special election."

I told Leon he was being extremely rude and that I'm a senior citizen whose tax dollars pay his salary.  Leon was in a state of rage and acting outrageously!  I felt very much at risk physically so I left and literally ran back to Room 441 where I just came from and where I felt I could be safe.  Leon followed quickly on my heels and entered that office with me.  I was yelling for help and he was yelling the Sergeant-At-Arms was on his way.  The whole scene was positively bizarre!  When Kevin came in, I was shaking and in a very frightened state due to the actions of Ms. Cabanilla's aide.  Kevin asked him to please leave and he proceeded to speak with me and told me no one is going to make you leave the building.  We went outside and continued our discussion in the hall.  A female staffer from Room 441 brought me a bottle of water after asking me if I needed it.

The Obama Department of Justice has concluded its inquiry into anti-trust issues related to the purchase of the Honolulu Advertiser by owners of the Star-Bulletin.  The inquiry, which had been demanded April 20 by Senator Dan Inouye in a letter sent to the DoJ anti-trust division, found no reason for justice to block the sale.  Inouye had supported Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama in the 2008 Hawaii Democrat caucuses.

Interestingly, Inouye’s demand came immediately after the Advertiser’s April 18 endorsement of Inouye nemesis Ed Case, facing off in the May 1-22 Congressional Special Election against Republican Charles Djou and Inouye's favorite, Senate President Colleen Hanabusa.  Ed Case’s uncle, Grove Farm corporate attorney Dan H. Case, is among the Star-Bulletin minority owners participating in the takeover of the Advertiser. 

The House Republicans will be voting in favor of taking money from the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund when the bill comes to the House floor for a vote (SB2124). Throughout the session the Republicans suggested the bill be amended to borrow from the fund instead of raiding it. Earlier this month the House Republicans released their version of the budget.

"The House Republican's balanced budget and six year financial plan borrows funds from the Hurricane Relief Fund and pays it back in future years. That would be the responsible thing to do," stated Minority Leader Lynn Finnegan.

The conflict of interest of Hawaii print media is obvious.  Dan H. Case, the uncle of Democratic candidate Ed Case, is a minority owner of the Star-Bulletin and is now part of the group of investors buying the Advertiser. 

So, for the benefit of news-starved Hawaii readers, we at Hawai’i Free Press have assembled dozens of articles—including a few about the Hawaii gubernatorial race--from national media of all political persuasions for your reading pleasure. 

Ed Case said: "I’ve never ruled out the Senate.  If there is that opportunity, I’m not going to sit here at the end of 2009 and say I’m not going to be a candidate.”

"The rhetoric has certainly ratcheted up," said Neal Milner, a University of Hawaii political scientist. He added, "the stakes are very high, higher than for a usual special election, because the national Democrats are petrified that a Republican will win this seat in (President Barack) Obama's home territory."

"Djou benefits from the latter and I think that is quite possible," Milner added. "The DCCC must be going nuts."

A highly funded, Washington, DC lobby organization, Food and Water Watch (FWW), is mounting a frontal attack on Hawaii State policy that supports open ocean mariculture. They have rallied a motley crew of rag tag environmental groups, and paid many of them to attack a growing sector of our economy that is on the verge of showing the world a way to produce seafood that is environmentally responsible.

The House Republican Caucus today added $8.8 million for food and energy security initiatives to their budget proposal, which balances the state budget without raising taxes.

Cutting funding for the Office of Aerospace, however, could jeopardize the entire project.  In addition to millions of dollars of potential revenue lost, the cuts are seen as an embarrassment in the eyes of the federal government.  Although Hawaii has historically promoted the aerospace industry in the Islands, the recent budget cuts are sending a different message.

Upon Governor Lingle's request, President George Bush sent White House Council on the Environment James Connaughton to Hawaii to travel with a Hawaii delegation, which I was privileged to be part of, to Midway Island. Being appropriately impressed, James Connaughton went back to the White House and worked on the preservation status. Jean-Michel Cousteau accompanied us on the trip and produced Voyage to Kure, a documentary.

I was privileged to go, along with the Governor and my wife, to the White House for a small dinner at which time this documentary was aired. In a conversation after dinner, I distinctly remember the President of the United States looking at James Connaughton and saying "let's get it done", referring to the marine reserve.

Within months we were once again in the White House for a huge ceremony in which First Lady Laura Bush announced the President's signing of a Declaration of Memorial Status for the northwest archipelago.

Honolulu - Charles K. Djou, Republican candidate for Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District, questioned Senate President Colleen Hanabusa on Earth Day on her claims that she will hold Wall Street accountable given the Legislature’s failure to pass a proposal to use state bonds to finance loans for homeowners to install rooftop solar panels, solar hot water heaters and energy-efficient appliances.  The measure passed both chambers and had community support, but last-minute opposition from the Mortgage Bankers Association of Hawaii contributed to the failure of the measure.

VIDEO: Honolulu Special Election Congressional candidate Charles Djou appearing on the Sean Hannity show Wednesday April 21.

MYTH: It also mentions, “Djou supported cutting thousands of teachers, increasing class sizes across the state.”

FACT: This claim is FALSE. Charles Djou supports keeping teachers’ jobs and smaller class sizes. The DCCC does not show any evidence to substantiate this claim. In fact, according to Djou’s campaign website, “We need a reformed education system that puts children first. … Principals in turn must have the resources they need, including adequate funding and the ability to remove underperforming teachers. The cost of the Educational bureaucracies must be reduced to insure that education dollars are spent in the classroom and teachers have the tools they need to educate our children, including continuing teacher education and training. That’s how good school systems work. We cannot continue to limit our children’s potential in school systems that don’t teach.”

Even if stimulus had increased the DoE budget, it is dishonest to pick out a solitary provision of a $800B spending bill and declare that to be what Djou “opposed.”

By the same logic, if Charles Djou stopped Pueo Trucking from dumping a stinking heap of garbage--with a two dollar bill hidden in the pile--on the front yard of an elementary school, the DCCC headline would be “Djou blocks Hanabusa from donating money to school.”

In 2004, Case did not support a bill that would have lowered the total taxes paid by middle-class families with children and military personnel with children.  He voted against extending a $1,000 per child tax credit given to families with children and against allowing military personnel to include combat pay in their gross earning in order to calculate eligibility for the child tax credit. (House Roll Call 209, 05/20/04)

Another blast from the same DCCC which produced the “False” attack ad upon which this ad seeks to build.  Now the DCCC is attacking Djou over Obama's stimulus program--but they don't mention "stimulus' even once in the commercial, instead we are to believe it was all about saving teachers' jobs.

Hawaii is going down with its one party politics. Hawaii needs more balanced political checks and balances. There are simply too many Democrats and too many Lawyers. There are too few Republicans and too few Engineers. I wish to tip the scales by one.

Tax and Spend does not work. Too many wrong projects are being done at huge cost to taxpayers. Hawaii's affordability is moving in the wrong direction. More taxes and poor policies lead to accelerated brain drain, labor losses and unemployment.

  Former Abercrombie staffer George 'Skip' Roberts at GOP conference in Minnesota.

The Advertiser is being bought out by Black Press, owner of the Star-Bulletin.  Among Black’s local partners is Ed Case’s uncle, Dan H Case.  

Six hundred Advertiser employees are on tenterhooks waiting to see if they will be rehired by the new entity.  Their new bosses are still running the Star-Bulletin as the purchase passes through various procedural hoops.  Who will stay and who will go depends on the good will of Dan H Case, Black Press, and the other members of the Star-Bulletin Editorial Board.

Two sources with first-hand knowledge describe a series of September, 2006 post-Primary talks between Hanabusa’s defeated campaign and that of Republican Primary winner, State Senator Bob Hogue.  Although Hanabusa did not personally participate, the sources say her campaign’s leaders, including her now-husband John Souza, offered the Republican candidate extensive unofficial support.  One pro-Hanabusa union came on board with Hogue after receiving a commitment that, if elected, Hogue would work to increase immigration quotas from the Philippines.

“Case has hired well-respected Dem pollster Fred Yang, who was tagged as an advisor in the criminal complaint against ex-IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D). Yang was ‘Advisor B,’ who suggested Blagojevich leverage Pres. Obama's open Senate seat in order to win a top position at Change to Win, the labor federation headed by SEIU.” (Reid Wilson, “Wednesday’s Starting Lineup,” Hotline On Call, 04/14/10)

"While Hawaii taxpayers struggle amid a fragile economy, Ed Case continues to be complicit with the job-killing, tax-hiking policies of Washington Democrats by supporting the Democrats’ healthcare takeover. As the nation’s economy teeters on the edge of disaster, more and more jobs are shed each month and the national debt continues to climb to new highs, the last thing the people of Hawaii need is a representative with an insatiable appetite for taxing and spending. Unfortunately for Case, Hawaii voters don’t want another Pelosi rubberstamp in Congress – they want jobs," said Erin Kealoha, Communications Director, Hawaii Republican Party.

“Under this proposal, students, parents, teachers, other school employees, Department of Education officials, legislators and the general public would still be left with the looming uncertainty of the remaining six furlough days in the second half of the next school year. 

“Further, this plan once again pits education against other public services, as legislators struggle to find money in 2011 for the myriad of programs operated by the State. 

SB: The Hawaii rally was aimed squarely at state lawmakers—majority Democrats who approved this week an increase in the tax on a barrel of oil. The increase from a nickel to $1.05 per barrel is expected to increase the cost of gas and energy bills….

One candidate, Republican Charles Djou, attended the rally and took the occasion of tax deadline day to launch an appeal for votes....

“The people are frustrated with business as usual in our government. Our Hawaii public school system is not putting the children first which is an outrage. Tax increase bills are advancing in the legislature which will lead to more business failure. Home sales are down and many owners are facing foreclosure. Unemployment is higher than ever. What people want is stability and that’s the choice I represent for the voters."

“We are excited about Charles’ campaign to change the direction of Congress.  Having made over 20,000 volunteer phone calls and knocking on over 15,000 doors in Mililani, Ewa Beach, Hawaii Kai, and everywhere in between, we have heard that Charles’ message of fiscal responsibility and government accountability is resonating with the people of Hawaii.  People are tired of elected officials who care more about themselves, than they do about the people they represent,” stated Dylan Nonaka, Djou for Hawaii campaign manager.  “Our strong finance numbers are one of several indicators of the growing enthusiasm and momentum for Charles in this special election.  Charles understands, however, that the only number that counts is the number of votes cast in the election.”

Hawaii Legislators want to raise the GE Tax by as much as 25%. They propose to raise the barrel tax on fuel 3000%.  But they refuse to even consider abolishing the BoE and placing the DoE under the direct control of the next Governor.  On April 15, Hawaii voters will have their say at rallies planned for Honolulu, Kahului, Kailua-Kona, Hilo and Lihue.  Here are the details and contact information for each rally. 

 “Lines that Divide: the Great Stem Cell Debate” will be broadcast on KALO-TV, channel 38 (cable channel 25).

On Wednesday, April 14^th at 10:30 a.m. a group of veterans will place about 100 small flags on the front lawn of the State Senate next to the replica of the Liberty Bell.

On Thursday, April 15^th, they will hold a Flag Rally at the State Capitol from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. (separate from Tea Party events) and will deliver petitions to Senate President Colleen Hanabusa asking her to pass language in any Bill that would ensure their right to fly Old Glory.

If you want to get familiar with the budget, this is a good place to start because it will allow you to make your own choices by simply placing an ”x” in the left column next to the  proposals. The fiscal impact of the proposal will then be added to the ending balance.

“I understand that times are tough for Hawaii families right now and I promise to work tirelessly to ease the burden of heavy taxes and excessive government spending and control,” said Charles Djou. “The age of the spend-and-tax mentality are over, Hawaii families need a Representative that will fight to rebuild Hawaii’s economy and create jobs. I’ve never voted for a tax increase, because I understand that crippling taxes only hurt small businesses and stifle economic growth. I will open Hawaii’s doors to new markets, which will boost Hawaii’s tourism and trade and bring millions of dollars in revenue to our sluggish economy.”

This is the reward to Matayoshi for holding the line against reform and protecting the HSTA....boost to 150% of highest Principal's salary, thus making her effectively tied to the HGEA's contract for Principals. 

Despite the continuing willingness of our residents to generously support our public education system, it has not produced meaningful improvements or demonstrable progress toward improved systemwide education outcomes.  The record is clear that the answer to the problem of an underperforming school system is not solely the amount of money being spent.  We have dramatically increased public education spending between the time I took office and the present, and our school system still fails to show meaningful improvement in national test scores.  We should not tolerate perpetuating a system that results in situations such as Nanakuli where only 14 percent of the children are proficient in arithmetic.

...Right now, the race is close: according to a Democratic source, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has conducted an internal poll showing Case at 32%, Djou at 32%, Hanabusa at 27%, and 9% undecided.

Hawaii Family Forum and Hawaii Catholic Conference is committed to urge the faithful to

1. Register to vote;
2. Be knowledgeable about issues and where candidates stand on those issues and
3. Motivate and get believers to go out and vote.

According to a high level source within the DoE, the Charter School Review Panel (CSRP), at its regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday morning, voted to bring a nearly immediate end to the school year for Puna’s Na Wai Ola/Waters of Life Public Charter School.  According to the source, the decision will take effect Friday, April 16 leaving parents to scramble to find alternate placements for their children in the middle of the semester and in the midst of HSA testing. The semester for Waters of Life's 80 students was originally to have run until May 26.

...to characterize Djou's opposition to raising taxes as protecting tax breaks that send jobs abroad is wrong. Any tax benefit can be eliminated and offset by a rate cut or by other benefits without raising taxes overall, and without violating the terms of that pledge. This attack ad is false.

When HB2877 was defeated earlier within this legislative session, homeowners that pay maintenance fees were relieved and saved from having to pay another tax increase. This new tax would have unfairly targeted homeowners that reside in condominiums and planned community associations by taxing their maintenance fees. 

Then on March 30, in the House Finance Committee, a bill that had nothing to do with raising taxes on maintenance fees - SB2401 SD1, was gutted and replaced with the language from HB2877, the measure previously defeated.

"This outside intrusion into a Hawaii political campaign is unprecedented and unnecessary.  There should be no need for a mainland Democrat group to be involved unless they are afraid of how the people of Hawaii will vote.  My position on issues is there for all to see, and the votes that I have taken are clear, honorable and correct.  For the DCCC to attempt to sway public opinion in this manner by defaming my character is clearly wrong."