Environment

“Daniel K. Inouye has spoken.”

...how is that 9 years have lapsed since the legislative directive to transfer the funds was given? Who is supposed to be overseeing these kinds of funds and how many more dormant funds from repealed laws exist?

Despite our strong opposition, Hawaii Senate Bill 218 relating to emergency contraception PASSED out of the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday. We were also disappointed to learn that when the senate judiciary committee approved the bill with a vote of 3 to 2, they also rejected our request for a "healthcare right of conscience" exception.

 The word change can simply mean, “something becomes different.”  Like a car tire that runs over a large pothole, and becomes flat.  But change can also mean “something is transformed.”  Transformation is an evolutionary process.  Like a caterpillar becomes a butterfly.  “Transformation” is a concept that will be discussed several times today as we review the challenges facing our city.

The U.S. Census Bureau today released more detailed 2010 Census population totals and demographic characteristics to the governor and leadership of the state legislature in Hawaii.

Within the last two-years, over 200 cities and 14 counties in California have banned or passed a moratorium on pot shops.  And now the dopey Hawaii Legislature wants to follow California's failed experiment.

...it is quite likely the 113th Congress that convenes in 2013 will find an even greater percentage of Senators who have yet to complete a full term than in the 112th - should at least five more senators announce their retirement or get defeated in their reelection bids.

Despite the member upheaval that the Senate has experienced over the past few election cycles, there are certainly still several state delegations with a wealth of experience in the nation's upper legislative chamber....

"The civil union bill here in Hawaii possibly contains some loop holes whereby undocumented people could in fact enter into a civil union here in Hawaii. I'm looking at that option for me and my partner possibly," Campbell said.

According to Abercrombie's proposal, the pension tax is expected to raise $112.3 million in revenues per fiscal year. At the yesterday's briefing, Ward asked Abercrombie how many citizens will be taxed by this measure. Abercrombie said the tax would hit 43,520 pensioners. The math says $112.3 million spread amongst 43,520 senior citizens amounts to $2,580.42 per person. Of course, the actual payment per person will be more or less depending on income.

"That’s why it is egregious for you to indicate that what I’m saying is that somebody with a sole total income of $37,500—that that is their sole income—that they would be asked under those circumstances to pay that.  But if anybody wants to try and manipulate the numbers for a personal political agenda in order to  try and score political points, let me tell you—this is one Governor that’s not going to put up with it." -- Abercrombie

Census 2010 Hawaii Data has been released.  See it here....

PRINCETON, NJ -- Residents of Hawaii gave native son President Barack Obama the highest average 2010 job approval rating (66%) of any of the 50 states, surpassed only by the 84% Obama received in the District of Columbia. Obama's lowest average state approval rating in 2010 was 28% in Wyoming.

The Governor’s proposal will require Hawai’i citizens, particularly our seniors to fork over more than $100 million, at a time when their families are struggling to make ends meet.  In total his budget will increase taxes by over half a billion dollars in the next two years.

Hawaii’s elected officials are ready to tackle every issue - except job creation and the deficit.  The first major action taken by the Hawaii State Senate was to become the only legislative chamber in the United States to eliminate the invocation.  The legislature has confronted issues ranging from decriminalization of marijuana, civil unions, bingo on Hawaiian Homelands and banning the sale of toy guns. 

If you search the word “label” on the Hawaii state legislative Web site, 30 results show up, thus confirming the fact that our lawmakers are definitely in the “label” business.

Math problem:  $844M deficit + $728.6M new spending = $1.5726 Billion dollars in new taxes, fees, and/or costs to government employees and retirees.  Cost of Abercrombie: Over $1000 per person in Hawaii.

This bill does not provide a healthcare right of conscience exception for hospitals or individuals who object to offering emergency contraception for medical, ethical, moral, or religious reasons. Those who refuse face penalties by state government and could risk discipline from their own employers. This sets a dangerous precedent by allowing the government to mandate what healthcare providers must do, violating individuals' constitutional rights and in effect practicing medicine.

In a survey of 1016 adults during 2010, Gallup found 50.0% lean Democratic while 30.4% lean Republican.   Every US state saw voters walking away from the Democratic Party since the 2008 election of President Barack Obama.   Hawaii Democratic numbers enjoyed the fourth largest decline.

Manufacturers' News reports Hawaii is now home to 1,200 manufacturers employing 21,922 workers.

After campaigning on a promise not to raise taxes and specifically not to raise the GE Tax, Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie this week has promised to sign any GE Tax hike approved by the Legislature. 

The Winter 2011 issue of The People's Pulse is based on statewide telephone interviews among a random sample of 700 adult citizens (400 Oahu, 100 each on Hawai‘i, Maui, and Kauai) from January 4-16, 2011.

The message to shut up and sit down is not being heeded by the Hawaii Family Forum. 

In its first quarter 2011 economic report, the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) forecasts a strong recovery in Hawai‘i’s economy in 2011 and economic expansion in 2012. DBEDT expects that continued growth in tourism and the recovery in construction in Hawai‘i will help the economy to head on to the expansion path.

The target is to have the three weekly flights operational sometime in 2012 in a three-class format of First Class, Business Class, and Deluxe Economy. The service level must be top-notch in order to attract this market, according to the China-based investor. The investor's vision is to begin operations using two Boeing 767/300 aircraft that would be serviced at Shanghai PVG airport at a special VIP Aloha section only for these Hawaii flights.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will be headlining the Hawaii GOP’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner.  The Party fundraising event will be held tonight at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Judge Browning’s assignment is effective March 4, 2011. He will succeed Judge Sabrina McKenna, who will be sworn in as an Associate Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court on March 3 at 4:15 p.m. in the Supreme Court Courtroom.

The rating agency, which used data from 2009, said there was cause for near-term concern about “a number of” pension plans and pointed to the “considerable pressure that these obligations will place on many government budgets”. The greatest risk would come at the local level since labour-related costs were a higher percentage of local government budgets, Fitch said.

Our legislators have been busy this session introducing many bills that ban unusual items, or impose taxes, fees, restrictions and mandates on specific product choices for the people of Hawaii.

On February 11, the Hawaii State House voted 31-19 in favor of SB232 Civil Unions.  But the result was a lot closer than it would seem. If the following seven races had been won by civil unions opponents, and all other State Reps voted as they did in the House on February 11, SB232 Civil Unions would have failed in the House by a vote of 25-26....

Please contact your state Representative and urge him or her to OPPOSE HB 441 and HB 834.

"Colleen Hanabusa and Mazie Hirono are simply two of the most ineffective members of congress in our nation today.  Not only did the two of them fail to stop an amendment eliminating federal funding of the East West Center, even worse, the two of them didn't even bother to show up for work and defend the center on the House floor during debate."

Mitsunaga and Assoc. gave $30,000 to fund Abercrombie’s Inaugural Ball—the top donor.

Oakland, CA voters testify against so-called "Instant Runoff" system now being proposed for Honolulu.

HB1346: Requires new televisions manufactured on or after 7/1/12, with a viewable screen area of 1,400 square inches or less and sold in the State to meet ENERGY STAR efficiency specifications.

The Hawaii State Senate today passed SB 232 as amended by the House.  The bill creates a new family structure called ‘civil unions’ which will be treated as equivalent to marriage.

Lambda Legal and the ACLU filed a lawsuit in July, 2010 after then-Governor Linda Lingle vetoed HB 444, the previous civil unions bill.  The remedy requested in that suit will be provided by this bill, meaning there will be no need for the lawsuit to continue.

How long have I been telling you that the revenues to pay for government are inadequate to pay the cost of government?

It has been at least ten years. Ten years, I think. In that time, the economy has gone down, up, and down—but each down has been deeper and has taken a toll, and each up has not been enough to restore funding levels…as a result government has suffered… It is now a Potemkin Village — a shabby Potemkin Village.

The arguments surrounding this emotionally charged issue are varied and complex. Cutting through the rhetoric and euphemisms brings clarity to this issue both from an ethical and moral perspective. It is with this in mind that Hawaii Right to Life has partnered with KALO-TV, channel 38 (cable 25) to broadcast Death as a Salesman: what's wrong with assisted suicide ...

• House: Patriot Act Extensions
• House: United Nations Tax Equalization Refund Act

• Representative Barbara Marumoto addresses concerns on HB1225, which would allow bingo. 
• Rep. Gene Ward addresses Civil Unions on Chamber Floor
• Reps. Riviere and Ward on Tax Credits HB566

"As soon as the governor signs the final bill, Hawaii should move swiftly to finish the job by ending exclusion from marriage itself..." --Evan Wolfson, co-counsel in 1993 gay marriage case, Baehr v. Miike

Just two months into his term, Neil Abercrombie has led Hawaii politics into chaos.  From the White House to Honolulu Hale, progressive Democrats are duking it out with the old boys. 

 "A study of 11 other state education lotteries showed that states are likely to decrease their growth of spending for education upon operating a lottery designated for that purpose."

"This decrease occurs regardless of the revenue generated by the lottery," Sanders added. "Meanwhile, states without lotteries maintained and increased their education spending more than states with lotteries."

"I'll tell you this: We vetted him as carefully as anybody could be vetted and looked into his background, his family, his relationships," said John Radcliffe, a lobbyist who was part of the transition team that reviewed Abercrombie's Cabinet picks.

Labor-Trafficking bill is SB960 with its identical House Companion HB577

Sex-Trafficking bill is SB959 with its identical House Companion HB576

"We already knew that bag taxes are an annoying levy that provide no environmental benefit; now we also know that they are an economically destructive job killer thanks to this new report. Unfortunately it is also D.C.'s poorest communities that are hit hardest by the bag tax," said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.

  Legislators say this is illegal!

Multiple renewable energy projects are in rapid development on every island, and plans include $multi-billion inter-island undersea transmission cables.

But if this is all supposed to feel so good, how come our electricity costs are going up up up and it feels so bad?