There is one huge difference between the Senate bill and what the President kept referring to as my/our proposal: the Senate bill actually exists. For all the talk in Washington about Democrats in the Senate using reconciliation to pass a final version of Obamacare, one key fact has been overlooked: no reconciliation bill exists. Not in the House. Not in the Senate. Nowhere. It simply has not yet been written, and there are plenty of reasons to believe it never will.

PRECISELY AS PREDICTED:  In order to shield themselves from the accountability that comes wth RTTT, the HSTA, DoE, and BoE have successfully sabotaged Hawaii's application for RTTT funds.  Their methods: Furloughs, and the continuing cap on start-up charter schools. 

Representative Gene Ward (R-Hawaii Kai-Kalama Valley) pointed out 15 "Job Killer" bills in debate on the House Floor yesterday. The taxes and fees will draw up to $500 million from Hawaii's economy and potentially force more layoffs. At $30,000 per employee, $500 million removed from the economy is over 16,000 jobs.

Neil Abercrombie has finally stepped up to do something great for the American people—he resigned.  Rep. Mazie Hirono has pledged not to support the Senate version of Obamacare because it is not socialist enough for her taste.  So with your help, Hirono can stand strong in her rejection of Senate Obamacare (which is a huge giveaway to insurance companies) and Hawaii will produce a double win for freedom, justice and the American Way.

Two years ago, 37,000 people showed up to vote in the Democratic caucuses....  This year, if the House District 2 and 3 attendance is reflective of the whole, fewer than 2,000 people will have shown up Statewide.

It takes skill to drive away that many people, and the old-boy faction of Hawaii Democrats definitely has that kind of skill.  They don’t want idealistic liberal types interfering with their power games.

A permit allows a privilege conveyed to individuals or agencies to perform an activity not normally available to the general public.  A permit carries a responsibility to uphold high standards that will benefit society and protect our environment. To exempt a single State agency, in this case the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, from this obligation is inappropriate and conveys to them disproportionate powers without adequate public accountability.

Pearl Imada Iboshi, the current Deputy Director for the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, was presented as an example of the kind of people that would be prohibited from returning to a civil service position for one year. She was appointed by Gov. Linda Lingle. But as soon as Lingle's term is over, Iboshi will automatically lose her position.

Imada served as the state's chief economist since 1995 and has been a member of the Council on Revenues since 1997. Her highest level of education is a doctorate in economics from the University of Hawaii. Ward described her as an archive of information.

"Because of HB 1868, she won't be able to return to be the state's chief economist when Lingle's term is over," Ward said. "For a year, we're all going to lose her institutional knowledge and expertise. And it'll all be because of a silly, partisan rule that goes against logic and the best interests of the public."

On March 5th of last year, firefighter Travis Ulerick, of Dublin, Indiana, introduced President Barack Obama at a White House summit on health care. Upon hearing the first rumblings of dissent about the President's plan, Ulerick tells USA Today he thought at the time: "I definitely think it's going to have to be a huge consensus."

Concerned about continued liberal anguish over Neil Abercrombie’s abandonment of Obamacare, today’s Honolulu Advertiser instructs its readers not to discuss Neil Abercrombie’s “arrogance”, his “bad planning” or his “putting his own ambitions ahead of his constituents.”

While still fixated on race, national commentators are getting a little closer to understanding that the Akaka Bill will create a tribe which has nothing to do with representing Native Hawaiians.  Here are the latest examples of the conflicting description of the Akaka Bill as “race based” and the realization that because it has no blood quantum, the Akaka Tribe—or is it the Abercrombie Tribe--will exclude the vast majority of Native Hawaiians while admitting non-Hawaiians who just happen to be property developers.

After protests by veterans and exposure of the false vote counting, Cabanilla was forced to change her position.  On February 24 the bill passed the House Housing Committee and today was approved by the full House.

The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.

Rep Cabanilla’s office manager Leon Rouse is a convicted child molester and leading gay marriage advocate.

Obama promised to “cut taxes for 95% of workers and their families,” expand the Army by 65,000 and the Marines by 27,000, and enact “a net spending cut” for the federal government. Obama promised lower taxes, a strong defense and shrinking the size of government. No wonder independents in nine states that went for President George Bush in 2000 and 2004 switched their vote to Obama in 2008 (CO, FL, IN, IA, NV, NM, NC, OH and VA). But now those independents are beginning to reassess. Public Policy Polling (a liberal polling firm) notes that Obama now has a negative approval rating in every state that he flipped from the Bush column to his in 2008.

According to his campaign website, Ed Case "understands what excessive taxes and unnecessary regulation can do to our economic engine especially in tough times.”  But his voting record from 49 months in Congress shows that Ed Case voted 72 times for higher taxes or fees—on average one vote every 21 days. Case claims to be an independent "Blue Dog" Democrat, but most of the 72 votes were cast in lockstep with Rep. Nancy Pelosi's “progressive”-controlled House Democratic Caucus.

In an effort to dispel concerns that the creation of a race-based tribe violates the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause, Mr. Abercrombie added a six-page list of membership criteria that could include non-Hawaiian state residents. But the provision contains a self-destruct clause—as soon as the tribe is officially recognized, it can extend and deny membership based on any criteria it sees fit.

The latest attempt to force the U.S. economy to turn away from readily available, affordable fuels and leaving it to the tender mercies of untried, experimental and expensive technologies is a bipartisan effort by Sens. John Kerry (D-MA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Joseph Lieberman (I-CT). A legislative package from them, according to The Washington Post on Saturday, would individually cap how much traditional energy the main pillars of the American economy would be able to use. This would of course cripple our economy....

Big Island elected officials arriving to meet with Army representatives at Pohakuloa Training Area got a eye-opening surprise Wednesday morning  In addition to the usual gaggle of anti-Semites and 9-11 trooothers protesting against the military, they were greeted at the front gate by a dozen Big Island residents rallying to support the troops.

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.

Hawai'i traditionally hosts the largest Lincoln Day Dinner in the nation.  Attendees heard from Charles Djou, Candidate for Congress, Lt. Governor Duke Aiona and Governor Linda Lingle.  The keynote speaker was Karl Rove, former Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush. 

Stop Oil Seeps California has a documentary on the problem of natural oil seepage, which, according to the Natural Resource Council, is a far bigger source of oil emissions into the ocean than man-made oil spills. Allen’s group contends that along with more drilling for oil would come more control over these natural seepages. Their film, which was screened this week at The Heritage Foundation, is called A Crude Reality.

The day before yesterday's White House health care summit, Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) told reporters: "The only way this works is for the House to pass the Senate bill and then, depending on what the package is, the reconciliation provision that moves first through the House and then comes here." When Conrad was reminded that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has repeatedly insisted that the House will not pass the Senate bill until the Senate passes a second bill that fixes the first, Conrad replied: "Fine, then it's dead."

This was the dynamic that President Barack Obama was trying to alter with his eventually-seven-hour meeting. And judging by pretty much every major news outlet, he completely failed.

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.

Today's White House-sponsored health care summit is an insult to the intelligence of every honest American. President Barack Obama's communications minions are still trying sell his plan as an "opening bid" in the health care debate. But as Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus asks: "With whom is he bidding?

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 President told BusinessWeek: "[T]he irony is, is that on the left we are perceived as being in the pockets of Big Business. And then on the business side, we are perceived as being anti-business."

What the President fails to understand is that there is no irony here. It is entirely consistent for big government policies that favor select and politically connected big corporations to hurt the economy as a whole.

"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.

Flacking for President Barack Obama's "new" health care plan, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters assembled for yesterday's press briefing: "The president posted ideas of his on the White House website today. We hope Republicans will post their ideas either on their website, or we'd be happy to post them on ours, so that the American people could come to one location and find out the parameters of what will largely be discussed on Thursday." And this might have been a small bit of successful Obama administration gamesmanship on health care and transparency in government except for one small problem: reality. Not only do House Republicans already have their own health care plan, not only is it already available online, but the White House's own website already links to it!

• 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 Hauula Fire Station Relocation project siphon funds from the Community Development Block Grants to build this $10M project when those funds could go to help support Oahu’s struggling non-profits? Is this the right priority in today's economy?

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.”

The New York Times reported this past Friday that the White House is drafting, and will release this morning, a final health care bill they expect Congress to pass quickly. And this bill is specifically designed to pass without any conservative support:

Democratic officials said the president’s proposal was being written so that it could be attached to a budget bill as a way of averting a Republican filibuster in the Senate. The procedure, known as budget reconciliation, would let Democrats advance the bill with a simple majority rather than a 60-vote supermajority.

And a "simple majority" does not mean they need 51 Senators. The nuclear option the White House is now pushing, reconciliation, only requires the Obama administration to muster 50 votes before Vice President Joe Biden can cast a tie breaking vote in favor of a government takeover of health care.