Energy

With EPOD, in-person interviews would no longer be required, and customers could submit applications online or by phoning a new DHS call center. Customers could still fax or mail applications, if they prefer, and receive in-person help at community social service agencies, health facilities and remaining DHS offices across the Islands.

Before long, the demand for in-person contact with DHS would diminish significantly as residents realize they can receive benefits faster and without spending time in offices.

Other EPOD advantages include:

• Reducing the complexity of work and risk of error or fraud;
• Creating a highly efficient “production” type atmosphere;
• Equalizing workloads among eligibility staff; and
• Eliminating the “silo” approach that interferes with efficient teamwork to get the job done.

Encyclopedia Britannica defines corporatism as:  "The theory and practice of organizing society into 'corporations' subordinate to the state. According to corporatist theory, workers and employers would be organized into industrial and professional corporations serving as organs of political representation and controlling to a large extent the persons and activities within their jurisdiction."

Time lapse photos from five minutes of tsunami surge in Hilo Bay

Previous Chilean earthquakes have produced deadly tsunami on the Big Island.  A 1960 Chile 9.6 magnitude quake caused a 30-foot wave in Hilo while a magnitude 8.0 quake in Chile in 1946 prompted 60 foot wave that devastated Laupahoehoe, sent wreckage into downtown Hilo, and destroyed the railroad along Hawaii’s east shores.

A hearing (Hearing Notice) before the Senate Ways and Means Committee and Labor Committee has been scheduled on HB 2169 HD2, the Unemployment Insurance Tax bill, for this Friday, February 26, at 10:00 a.m. at the State Capitol in Room 211. This is the last hearing on the bill and the final chance for you to submit testimony.

Honolulu, Hawaii. The House Committee on Finance this evening advanced major tax and revenue generation bills that propose to raise needed revenue for the state and to help balance the state budget as required by law.  The committee deferred bills that propose to raise the General Excise Tax and to raise income tax for higher-income individual taxpayers.

First Congressional District candidate Colleen Hanabusa praised the U.S. House of Representatives today for approving H.R. 2314, the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2009.

Also Abercrombie floor speech, news release and media roundup of coverage on Akaka bill.

The election will be mail-in with a proposed ballot deadline of Saturday, May 22, 2010.  This tentative date is included in bid sheets issued or voting equipment by the Hawaii Office of Elections. 

Democratic candidate for governor of Hawaii Neil Abercrombie told KITV-TV that Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann is personally calling business owners to warn them against contributing money to Abercrombie’s campaign.

There’s nothing more troubling about the House voting on a fundamentally rewritten bill than the position made public by the Governor of Hawaii.  Something is very wrong when that Governor, a longtime vocal advocate of Native Hawaiian recognition, feels compelled to issue a statement last night, that she can’t support the rewritten bill.

Fifty-one years ago, 94.3 percent of Hawaiian residents voted to join the United States of America, surely this Congress owes the citizens of the State of Hawaii the ability to cast their vote on whether or not to create a new race-based governing body within their own state.  Hawaii voted to join the union as one unified state, if Congress is going to divide them, then the people of the State of Hawaii deserve to have their say.

"The House vote this evening is deeply disappointing.  We should stand together in opposition to racially divisive and discriminatory laws like this. The Native Hawaiian bill is unconstitutional and violates the national unity of E Pluribus Unum.  I will use all the tools available in the Senate to ensure that this bill does not become law."

Akaka Bill passes House (again).  Passage in Senate is doubtful as several GOP Senators have placed "holds" on bill or have pledged to do so.

• New, Undefined Sovereign Powers
• Immunity from lawsuits
• New Membership Criteria
• Lack of Definitions

Once Washington formally recognized the fledgling Native Hawaiian governing entity, that entity would have . . .

 “inherent power and authority to determine its own membership criteria, to determine its own membership, and to grant, deny, revoke, or qualify membership without regard to whether any person was or was not deemed to be a qualified Native Hawaiian constituent under this Act” (emphasis added)

“The HSTA’s latest action proves once again that the union leaders care more about money than educating Hawai‘i’s children.  Instead of accepting the generous offer of $50 million I proposed last November that will allow the immediate return of children and teachers to the classroom, the HSTA is spending their time on frivolous complaints."

A hearing for House Bill 2311, The Flag Bill, has been scheduled for this Wednesday, February 24 at 9:10 a.m.  

Should the Native Hawaiian governing entity unlawfully establish a casino despite Section 10(a) of the rewritten bill, then Section 9(c)(3)(H) of the rewritten bill could prevent the State of Hawaii from going to court to shut-down the illegal gaming operation....

This potential loophole is not an invented fantasy.  Over the years, there have been Indian casinos operating without state-approved compacts and in violation of state law.  If Congress passes the rewritten bill with this loophole, then the only authority that the State of Hawaii and its citizens could have to rely on to stop the illegal operation would be the federal government, which has been lax in acting on such matters.

The bill to establish a gaming commission to oversee casino gaming is moving this legislative session. If passed, the bill (HB 2251 HD1) would allow the gaming commission to issue one 5-year license to a casino gaming operation in a county with a population of more than 500,000. The bill also creates a wagering tax on casino gaming. (HB2251 HD1 - click to read bill). 

Well, I’m certainly pro-transit. I think a rail system in some configuration would be good for us; but I want to make certain we can afford it over the long-term.

I wanted to be able to look him in the eye and say, “Look, this is not politics. This is the most expensive transit project in the history of America.  Per-capita there is no system that has cost this much in such a small population base as Hawai‘i and people need to realize that. 

When I said that to him, he did not respond back or challenge that fact; and it is a fact.

“The basic problem as I see it, is that in the current version of the bill, the ‘governmental’ (non-commercial) activities of the Native Hawaiian governing entity, its employees, and its officers, will be almost completely free from State and County regulation, including free from those laws and rules that protect the health and safety of Hawai‘i's people, and protect the environment. ’Governmental’ activity is a broad undefined term that can encompass almost any non-commercial activity.

“This structure will, in my opinion, promote divisiveness and litigation, rather than negotiation and resolution. 

“I do not believe such a structure, of two completely different sets of rules – one for ‘governmental’ activities of the Native Hawaiian governing entity and its officers and employees, and one for everyone else – makes sense for Hawai‘i. 

“In addition, under the current bill, the Native Hawaiian governing entity has almost complete sovereign immunity from lawsuits, including from ordinary tort and contract lawsuits, and I do not believe this makes sense for the people of Hawai‘i.

By a voice vote, the House Rules Committee today authorized Rep Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) to introduce a “substitute amendment” which replaces the old version of the Akaka Bill (HR2314) passed in December by the House Committee on Natural Resources.  As a result of today’s vote, Abercrombie’s new version of the Akaka Bill will go directly to the floor of the House.

The Court held that the Congress cannot create an Indian tribe where one does not exist, but can rather, only recognize groups who have long operated as a tribe with a preexisting political structure . . .

Even though the House Rules Committee will take up this bill tonight at 5 pm and the full House may vote on the bill as soon as tomorrow, Natural Resources Committee Republicans are believed to be the only entity providing the public with the new legislative language as it is currently unavailable on the majority’s House Rules Committee website and Natural Resources Committee website.

“Bennett said the state's concerns about the Obama administration's language have been addressed by the parties.  However, he said, the state still has strong objections to clauses in the new draft that could give immunity from state law to the entity, its employees and officers while they are conducting government activity.”

“I let the Secretary know that we would be doing a separate, independent financial analysis of the plan for the rail, and I suggested to him that we take our financial analysis and the one that they will have done – that the government requires at the federal level – and share that information so we’re all working from the same set of numbers. They agreed that it’s important for the public to have really one set of numbers that they’re looking at. So when people want to judge whether it can be afforded over the long term or not, at least we're talking about the same numbers. I think that was very, very important today,” the Governor said.

(No mention of Monday's Akaka Bill hearing in this news release.  A sign of gubernatorial displeasure with the latest version?)

With the discovery of oil the U.S. government became intensely interested in settling the land claims. In 1971, in a special convention of the Alaska Federation of Natives Association five hundred and eleven (511) delegates approved the final draft of a Congressional legislative settlement. Fifty-six (56) delegates voted against the settlement. (Delegates from the North Slope made up a disproportionate number of those opposed.) It is also worth noting that President Nixon, even before the vote of the Alaska Federation of Natives, had already signed the legislation into law.

The legitimacy of the vote, with five hundred and sixty seven delegates representing all Native peoples, was questioned at the time and is still. There were no village meetings; the vote was never ratified or debated by Alaska Native communities or individuals. The discovery of oil had moved the resolution of land claims to 'fast forward'. Many would say that the political process was hijacked.

Rep Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) is preparing to introduce a third version of the Akaka Bill in the US House to replace the existing text of HR 2314.  And, according to one source, staffers in the office of Senator Dan Akaka (D-HI) are writing an amended version of S1011 to introduce in the Senate in place of the bill passed by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.

On Monday February 22 at 5PM EST (12 Noon HST) the House Rules Committee will consider allowing Abercrombie to amend the old version of the Akaka Bill with the latest new version.

Three votes were not counted by the Chief Clerk- Representatives Tom Brower, Marilyn Lee, and Maile Shimabukuro.

Had these three votes been accurately counted and made inclusive with the fourteen votes that were counted, the total would have been seventeen votes.

Seventeen votes in the affirmative is what was needed to recall HB2311 from committee.

See the hands raised in the video . . .

WASHINGTON, D.C. – After House and Senate Committees approved two different versions of the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2009 (Akaka bill) last December, House Democrats have now released another rewritten version of this bill.  The House is expected to vote on the latest altered text next week.

Abercrombie admits the “15,000 jobs” created by stimulus in Hawaii claim comes from “a template going out all across the country” and explains:  "This kind of stuff is dysfunctional.  It further demoralizes the population.  It makes people sick of politicians.”   (Then why’d you vote for it Neil?)

HONOLULU, HAWAII - The state House of Representatives today passed on third reading a bill that would set new employer contribution rates for unemployment insurance. Unless legislation is passed, the rates will soar in the coming year due to the poor economy and high unemployment negatively impacting Hawaii’s businesses.

17 votes were needed. 

As of fiscal year 2007, Hawaii—like 19 other states—had failed to sock away any assets to cover this long-term bill coming due. Relative to the size of its payroll and population, it has one of the greatest burdens—$10.8 billion—of any state in the country.

“Once again the Democrat majority is writing bills behind closed doors without any contribution or consideration from the minority.  When the Native Hawaiian bill passed out of the Natural Resources Committee in December, it was clear there was more work to be done before the bill was brought before the full House and I asked that everyone have the opportunity to thoroughly review and comment on any changes—obviously that request hasn’t been met when the House is expected to be voting in a few days and we don’t even have a copy of the rewritten bill."

During Thursday's legislative session, February 16, H.B. 2311 will be recalled to the House Floor. The move will require 17 votes to recall it to the House Floor and 26 votes to keep it alive.  

"We are asking all veterans and patriots to call their state representatives and join us on Thursday at the State Capitol to show their support for this important legislation."  Rep. Pine stated.

Similar homeowner's association rules that hinder flag displays are being challenged across the country.  In 2009, one Virginia association gained nationwide attention when it ordered Army Col. Van T. Barfoot, a 90-year-old recipient of the Purple Heart and the Medal of Honor, to remove the flagpole from his home.

  ‘LAVA DOGS’, the 1st Battalion 3rd MARINES, and other forces deployed into Helmand Prov. AFG.  Lava Dogs are from Marine Corps Base, Hawaii and trained for Afghan combat at Pohakuloa last July. 

Video of Ed Case speaking to Big Island GLBT group.

Quietly, with no media notice, a joint meeting of two House Committees met February 3 to consider HB 2241, confiscating "unencumbered" Ceded Lands from native Hawaiians and other beneficiaries and transferring them in advance to any Akaka Tribe created by Congress.

Wiwo...wiwo...wiwo.  

The sound floats on the winds of Ka Lae, this southernmost tip of Hawaii's Big Island, where Polynesian colonists first landed some 1,500 years ago.

Some say that Ka Lae is haunted -- and it is. But it's haunted not by Hawaii's legendary night marchers. The mysterious sounds are "Na leo o Kamaoa"-- the disembodied voices of 37 skeletal wind turbines abandoned to rust on the hundred-acre site of the former Kamaoa Wind Farm.

Laupahoehoe has voted to convert Laupahoehoe High and Elementary School (LHES) to a public charter school. League of Women Voters’ past president Sue Irvine and volunteers Margaret Drake, Marianna Scheffer were kept busy all day collecting secret ballots from parents and staff of LHES. One hundred forty five out of 180 voters cast their ballots in favor of charter conversion.  Only 35 opposed.

Challenged to stay in the US House in order to provide President Barack Obama with the deciding vote in favor of any Obamacare compromise, Neil Abercrombie has refused.  Naturally, the drama—which could be very damaging to Abercrombie’s standing among Hawaii Democrats—has played out with only the barest notice in Hawaii media.

Case in 2006 earned the hatred of Hawaii Democrats by implying that Senator Dan Akaka was feeble-minded, ineffectual, and too liberal.  In a repeat performance, on December 18 he told The Hill that Senate President Colleen Hanabusa "has no clue."  Now he cries to his friends at KITV: 

"People have to turn the campaign negative against you in order to advance.  They are going to try to tear you down.  I am not looking forward to that.”

Moody’s Investors Service, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Service and Fitch Ratings affirmed the State’s bond ratings of Aa2, AA and AA, respectively.  Standard and Poor’s Ratings Service cited one of the State’s credit strengths as, “the governor’s willingness to implement aggressive solutions to balance the fiscal 2010-2011 biennial budget given lower general fund tax revenue forecasts.”

(Good thing these got sold before S&P finds out about the Legislature.)

We share the goal of the Rise Above Plastics coalition to make Hawaii a litter free place.  However, we believe efforts to promote recycling and educate people about litter prevention are much more effective means to reduce waste and protect our environment.  No litter, including plastic, belongs in the ocean.  Plastics belong in the recycling bin—not targeted for bans or taxes.  Protecting our shore lines and eliminating ocean litter has no geographic or political boundaries, so solutions must involve international partnerships and be global in scope.  We can do our part by enforcing litter laws, encouraging and promoting recycling programs and remembering to reuse our own shopping bags regardless of their material type.

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle today nominated Lisa M. Ginoza to serve as an associate judge on the Intermediate Court of Appeals and Robert Mark Browning as a Circuit Court judge of the First Circuit (O‘ahu).  Their appointments are subject to Senate confirmation.

Gutfeld told Djou at one point: "Dude, I think you're going to win."

Because Hawaiians have no statewide initiative or referendum rights, the Aloha State earned a “D” on our recently released state-by-state report card on initiative and referendum rights. We like to think that the state’s poor performance will prompt action to give the people more of a voice in government by creating an open and accessible initiative process. Unfortunately, at least one talking head in the state doesn’t want the people to have a greater say in their state government.

Budget Director Georgina Kawamura, who submitted testimony stated that limiting the authority of the Governor and Executive Branch could adversely impact the State’s bond rating. The Governor’s authority to reduce expenditures has been cited by all three bond rating agencies as one of the State’s credit strengths and a determining factor in maintaining Hawai‘i’s favorable bond ratings.