Environment

Congressman Djou articulated his concerns about the impact of Micronesian immigration to Hawaii on the City and County of Honolulu and the State of Hawaii's social service programs. Congressman Djou and Ambassador George both acknowledge that the status quo is not working.

Washington- The Obama White House promised this would be a summer of economic recovery, but after another disappointing month of high unemployment it is evident that is simply not the case. Now, Hawaii families can add another false promise to their growing list of grievances against Colleen Hanabusa's out-of-touch Democrat friends, whose runaway spending addiction has led the economy astray. With unemployment standing at 9.5 percent and over 130,000 jobs lost last month, Hawaii families are feeling burned by Hanabusa's Washington friends, whose trillion-dollar stimulus has failed to bring them out of this jobless recovery.

“To ignore the Hawai‘i State Bar Association’s rating for Judge To‘oto‘o, but not for Judge Leonard makes no sense and creates a double standard. 

“Judge Leonard is eminently qualified, as evidenced by the overwhelming testimony and support from the legal community. 

“Both the Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office and the State Public Defender’s Office – who take opposing sides in the courtroom – testified in her favor, saying she is fair.  That’s exactly the type of chief justice that should be on the bench – someone who both sides consider fair." 

“Democrats in the Senate have tried every trick in the book to prevent Governor Linda Lingle from appointing the next Chief Justice. They put a question on the ballot to change the retirement age for judges which was voted down by voters and now they are trying to vote down an obviously qualified judge, with Judiciary Chair Brian Tanaguchi telling the media after the hearing that the five men on the list were all qualified. This is height of hypocrisy."

But Pelosi agreed to offer her support when the Abercrombie camp sought to counter a tough ad that attacked Abercrombie’s attendance record in the House, his March resignation from Congress to run for governor, and calls him a “follower.”   (Gee. I wonder where they got THAT idea?)

“His early resignation cost President Obama critical support for healthcare and Wall Street reform,” the ad says. “Neil says to look at his record. We agree.”

Three months after Rep. Charles Djou (R-Hawaii) won a key special election in one of the blue state's two House districts, the RGA is signaling that it thinks it can win that state's governor's race too.

The TV and radio ads are 100 percent positive and don't mention Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona's (R) Democratic opponents. They feature Aiona himself and talk about his efforts to control drugs in the state.

“In these tough economic times, people want ideas and solutions.  Duke Aiona’s creation of the Drug Court is an example of finding a better way to improve lives.  People want their leaders to be positive, not divisive and negative.  That’s what Duke’s whole life has been about.” 

This Tuesday voters in Missouri, by a 40-point margin, approved a ballot measure rejecting the individual mandate at the core of President Barack Obama's health care law. Asked what the vote meant to the White House, press secretary Robert Gibbs said: "Nothing." Yesterday in San Francisco, federal judge Vaughn Walker gave the exact same weight to a California ballot measure that affirmed marriage as an institution between one man and one woman. Specifically Judge Walker overturned the California Marriage Protection Act after concluding, as a matter of fact, that the majority of Californians who voted to protect marriage were bigots who had no rational basis to define marriage on their own terms.

JUDGE: THE RIGHT TO MARRY PROTECTS AN INDIVIDUAL’S CHOICE OF MARITAL PARTNER REGARDLESS OF GENDER...

DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIPS DO NOT SATISFY CALIFORNIA’S OBLIGATION TO ALLOW PLAINTIFFS TO MARRY...

"The achievements in Hawaii's public schools this year are truly remarkable and inspiring, and we are especially pleased with the results coming from the 14 schools in our Alliance partnership that achieved AYP targets," said Babette Moreno, EdisonLearning's Regional General Manager for Hawaii.  "The outcomes are a solid testament to the work done in the schools by the principals, teachers, students, and our dedicated partners at the DOE – who are all helping students to learn."

...among the various concerns facing us today, the most important one is the right to life. Without this most fundamental and “unalienable” right, we need not worry about any other issues. Accordingly, we must identify who among the candidates running for office will stand firm in defense of this right, for all people at all times, regardless of the circumstances.

Hawaii Right to Life PAC has researched the candidates (and when applicable, ballot questions) and provides the following information to assist you, the voter, in choosing life with your vote. By each of us taking a principled stand with our vote, we can make a real difference to save countless lives and improve Hawai‘i Nei for generations to come.

Could Sen. Dan Inouye be next?  The US Senate equivalents of the Waters charges could easly be brought to bear against him if the political will exists.  While Waters was allegedly seeking help for her husband’s bank, Inouye allegedly sought help for Central Pacific Bank.  At the time, CPB stock made up an estimated 66% of Inouye’s personal net worth.

“The Hawai‘i State Bar Association’s (HSBA) ‘unqualified’ ratings of Judge Katherine Leonard and Judge Faauuga To‘oto‘o are outrageous and are clearly not based on the legal experience and qualifications of these two highly qualified nominees,” said Governor Lingle.

“The State Bar Association’s review process was unfair, flawed, and conducted under a veil of secrecy, with no accountability to the public.  The HSBA has refused to state its reasons for its ratings.

“It is impossible to know whether there is political, gender or ethnic bias on the part of the HSBA, since they refuse to state their reasons. 

Adoption of national standards by states appears to be only an attempt to gain federal grants—not real reform. But in taking Washington’s money, are states sacrificing their educational autonomy for short-term budgetary security?

Just two-and-a-half months after winning his special election in HI-01, a new poll from Rep. Charles Djou's (R) camp shows he starts the general election in a rather strong position. In the survey, Djou led state Senate Pres. Colleen Hanabusa (D) 50-42%.

HONOLULU - Lt. Governor Duke Aiona today announced that he has raised more than $370,000 in the first six months of 2010, including more than 1,350 donations of $100 or less. In the last six months of 2009, Duke Aiona raised nearly 950 donations of $100 or less.

Aiona has raised more than $2.3 million during his gubernatorial campaign. Approximately 88 percent of his donations have come from Hawai`i residents.

Aloha State conservatives still have a 7% edge—28% to 21%--over liberals.  Hawaii’s 47% of self-identified moderates tops the nation. 

Mainland gay activists are doing everything they can to make sure that Hawaii remains under the thumb of child-molester advocate Rep Joe Bertram (D-Kihei) and HB444 sponsor Rep Blake Oshiro (D-Aiea).  The multi-million dollar Washington, DC-based Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund names Oshiro as one of its “featured candidates” pumping mainland gay money into Oshiro’s campaign as he faces off against a strong Democrat Primary challenge from Honolulu Councilmember Gary Okino, a firm opponent of HB444.

As Governor, I will:

• Cut red tape and unnecessary regulatory burdens
• Keep taxes low to promote a business-friendly environment
• Invest in human capital to compete in the global economy
• Develop new economic sectors in naturally competitive areas
• Transform Hawai`i into a world model for clean energy
• Accelerate infrastructure modernization projects: airports, harbors, highways, and broadband

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle today heralded the designation of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a World Heritage Site, as another major milestone in the continuing effort to protect and preserve one of the most historically and culturally significant resources of Hawai‘i.  Papahānaumokuākea was inscribed as a World Heritage site at approximately 3:30 p.m. HST on Friday, July 30, 2010.

Hawai‘i has become one of the least business-friendly states in America. Having served in the Hawai‘i State House and on the Honolulu City Council, I know that we cannot continue to punish businesses and still provide for a prosperous Hawai‘i.

But the anti-business policies that I fought in state and local government are dwarfed by the tax-and-spend agenda that I am battling in the United States Congress. It seems that for every problem facing our nation, the government’s answer is to spend and spend some more.

President Obama has quietly been reworking the country’s education system, doing an end-run around normal legislative procedure. With the U.S. Department of Education’s (DOE) funding doubled thanks to the so-called "stimulus," the Administration has little need or incentive to bother negotiating its education agenda through Congress. Instead, the DOE is using that windfall of funding and power to stage a significant overhaul of local schools; dangling grant money before cash-strapped states on the condition they adopt key pieces of the Obama education agenda.

Lambda legal staff attorney Tara Borelli: “Because of the way Hawaii’s constitution was amended in 1998, that amendment reserves for the legislature, the decision about whether to allow marriage equality for same-sex couples. So we aren’t able to ask the court for marriage equality, it’s a case instead that seeks access to the complete package of legal tools to protect families.”

Hawaii state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, who split the Democratic vote with former Rep. Ed Case in the May special election, is the party's presumptive nominee against Djou.

"We now have sweetness and light in Hawaii — or at least we don't have a lot of darkness," Hoyer said.

In what appears to be a deliberate new strategy, gay legal groups are targeting some of the states that have banned marriage by constitutional amendment. In Montana, (and now Hawaii) the ACLU sued the state for equal rights on behalf of several same-sex couples, arguing that even if marriage was foreclosed by law, the equality principles in the constitution still require that Montana offer all the rights and benefits of marriage to gay couples, short of the name itself.

In David Shapiro’s July 28 column, he implies that Governor Linda Lingle’s legacy will be narrowly defined by her judicial appointments. While Shapiro correctly points out that the Governor has appointed 3 of the 5 Supreme Court Justices, pending Judge Katherine Leonard’s confirmation as Chief Justice, 5 of the 6 judges on the Intermediate Court of Appeals and more than half of the Circuit Court judges, he is vastly overlooking the Governor’s many other accomplishments of her nearly 8 year service.

Congressman Djou’s amendment would’ve restored, through offsets, the necessary funding to one of the largest movements of military assets in decades while helping to maintain a robust military presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

Congressman Djou’s amendment would’ve increased funding for military construction projects necessary to realign Marine Corps forces to Guam.  The funds would come from offsets within H.R. 5822....

As Ian Lind notes, "Mainstream media haven't told us much about Chief Justice nominee's legal views" and "[t]he only thing I’ve seen about Leonard’s actual judicial performance and views was a review of Leonard’s decisions from the legal blog, Inversecondemnation.com." The only other coverage we've seen has been further references to our post by law blogger Charley Foster at Planet Kauai, and by alternative journos Hawaii Reporter and Hawaii Free Press. The only words we've heard from traditional media has been from the Star-Advertiser's Dave Shapiro, and then primarily via his Volcanic Ash blog.

Washington, DC — Congressman Charles K. Djou (HI-01) gave the following speech today from the floor of the U.S. House, advocating for a stronger and deeper relationship with the Republic of Korea...

Sen. John Cornyn,R-Texas – who co-sponsored MOVE – wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on July 26 saying he is concerned that the Department of Justice is allowing states to opt out of the new law. ...

"... according to recent information, the Department of Justice has expressed reluctance to protect the civil rights of military voters under the new law. All our men and women in uniform deserve a chance to vote this November, and the Obama administration bears responsibility for ensuring that they have it.

The Congressional Budget Office employs talented economists whose job it is to study every aspect of every bill and predict how much each will cost – or how much each will save – years into the future.

They are good, but they are not infallible soothsayers. Economic predictions that are off just a little in a year can become wildly inaccurate over the course of decades.... 

When costs are higher than or savings lower than predicted, the Truth in Spending Act creates a fast-track process to reduce excess costs through legislation.

HONOLULU - Lt. Governor Duke Aiona today issued the following statement regarding Mufi Hannemann's recent comments that his "opponents haven't spent one day in the private sector."

"Mufi Hannemann's comments are incorrect, and the record must be made clear on this matter. 

"I have not only worked in the private sector, but I have also owned my own business. ..."

“Hawai‘i’s Race to the Top application represents a collaborative effort among our Administration, the Hawai‘i Department of Education, non-profit organizations, legislators and community leaders."

“To stimulate the economy and help small businesses, I am proud to join my colleagues in co-sponsoring the Small Business Assistance and Relief Act. Whoever is in the majority—whether Democrats or Republicans—we need fiscal responsibility in Washington, D.C. and tax relief for every working family and small business to get our economy moving again.”

H.R. 5554, the Small Business Assistance and Relief Act, will help small businesses thrive by providing tax relief, reducing regulatory burden and boosting lending in the currently tight credit environment.

“After supporting a Democrat agenda that has buried Hawaii taxpayers under a mountain of reckless government spending and record-high debt, it looks like Colleen Hanabusa could once again support a job killing tax hike that would devastate the economy even further,” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain. “Small businesses are looking for some much-needed relief, but all they’re getting from Washington is the uncertainty that comes from the Democrats’ harmful agenda. If Hanabusa can’t finally stand up against the Democrats’ tax-hiking agenda, it will prove once and for all that her loyalties do not lie with Hawaii businesses and families.”

“Raising $3.8 trillion in new taxes at any time is a bad idea. Raising these taxes in the middle of an economic downturn is a terrible idea. The current majority in Congress has spent hundreds of billions of dollars to try and turn around the economy with the so-called ‘stimulus’ package. It has utterly failed.”

During the most recent legislative session, the Republicans in the State Legislature introduced bills calling for a periodic comprehensive review of the DOE. Despite the groundswell of support from parents, students, and teachers for the Republican bills, the Democrat Majority in the Legislature allowed these bills to expire in committee without any explanation. What are they afraid an independent auditor will find? As Lieutenant Governor I will support Duke Aiona's goal for an independent audit of the DOE. An independent audit has not been conducted since 1973. The audit must be comprehensive, and include examining financial and management practices, and personnel administration. I will fight to make sure the audit is released to the public.

In 2009 the US House Energy and Commerce Committee nailed Sandwich Isles as one of the nation’s “10 worst abusers” of Universal Service Fund (USF) tax dollars—which every telephone customer pays with their monthly phone bill.

SIC’s cables run to Hawaiian Homelands properties-most of which are unoccupied and are not going to be occupied anytime soon.  The cost per actual user of broadband services is estimated at $278,000 per customer.

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle today appointed Caroline S. Wong to the Board of Education to fill the seat vacated by Breene Harimoto, who resigned last month.  Wong will serve on a temporary basis until a new member is elected in the November General Election to serve out the remaining two years of Harimoto’s term.  Her appointment takes effect immediately.

The legislation penalizes entities that assist Iran in importing refined petroleum or in maintaining or expanding Iran’s domestic refining capacity. These sanctions penalize foreign financial institutions that do business with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, aid Iran’s nuclear program or support Iran’s sponsorship of terrorism. I was proud to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in supporting these sanctions.  

The bill that I co-sponsored has now become law, signed by the President on July 1, 2010.  

We've done an informal survey of the 2010 output of the ICA (and the Supreme Court in reviewing the ICA's work) to pick out those cases in which Judge Leonard authored the opinion, or served on the panel in an interesting case. We tried to focus on published opinions, but there were several unpublished opinions which also caught our attention. Here are the results, in reverse chronological order:

Each legislator has been scored based on his or her performance in the 2010 legislative session. Scores indicate the percentage of votes in which legislators voted in favor of limited government and greater individual liberty. While a few legislators seized the shortfall as an opportunity to make tough spending decisions, the vast majority voted to continue for the status quo-excessive spending and even higher taxes for the people of Hawaii.

Hawaii’s natural advantages continue to mask its political failings.

Setting snark aside, there is a real issue here: Is it appropriate for a state to require parents to declare their races so they can be stamped on to their children’s birth certificates, where they will remain in perpetuity? As of 1993, only five states had such policies in place. Now, over 15 years later, we have a multiracial president in the White House. Is it still necessary to insist upon racial identification on birth certificates — or is it time to discard such policies as outdated and counterproductive?

What valid purposes are served by such policies? Don’t they just exacerbate the problem of excessive race-consciousness in this country? To quote the wise words of Chief Justice John Roberts, “[t]he way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.” And the way to stop discriminating on the basis of race is to stop knowing or caring what race a person is. [FN1]

Ms. Leonard, who turns 51 next month, joined the Intermediate Court of Appeals after Governor Lingle nominated her in November 2007 to fill a vacancy created by the death of Associate Judge John Lim.  She was confirmed unanimously (23-0) by the Senate and took her seat in January 2008.

The FTA has said that the City’s current financial plan is insufficiently robust to warrant entry into the next stage, Final Design. The Governor has said that she needs to see a plan that is robust enough to warrant entry before she will “accept” the Final EIS.

Mufi can continue this standoff by not having the City produce a new financial plan; Caldwell will do what he is told. Mufi can then continue to blame the Governor for holding up the project while deflecting blame from himself.

This case did not garner the broad public interest of the Superferry litigation, but the case could be more important. The core issue in the case was whether Hawaii's statewide zoning laws are "laws relating to environmental quality" which may be privately enforced, or whether they are classic Euclidean zoning laws which can't.

Bob Jones: Absent evidence otherwise, we have to take his word. It’s just hard for us skeptically-inclined old-timers in journalism to accept that a man with a City job and a history of doing “opposition research” didn’t even ask some high Hannemann campaign official if it was okay to portray Abercrombie as a brain in a glass jar controlled by former Gov. Ben Cayetano, as a “flailing gasbag” and his wife, the scholar Nancie Caraway, as “a witch.”

…And it’s just going to get nastier at least until the primary, perhaps beyond.

VIDEO of Djou interviewed on Fox News...