Passing on the General Excise Tax is Not Possible For Some
Kakaako Development Promotes Inequality
Lawyer, Lobbyist Money Makes up for Abercrombie's Lack of Brains
Borreca: You can run your political campaign on charm, luck, savvy or brains, but if you are a winner, the campaign will run on money....
The state Campaign Spending Commission ran the spreadsheets for the 2012 elections and filtered the top 10 races by cost per vote. Of those, the three highest cost-per-vote candidates lost. At the top of the list was Colin Hanlon, a Maui Democrat who spent $46,272 in an attempt to win an open seat in the state House. But he got only 347 votes, breaking down to a cost of $133 per vote....
Lawyers and lobbyists are the biggest donors to Abercrombie, according to the nonpartisan National Institute on Money in State Politics. The folks in the tassel-toed Guccis gave nearly $700,000 to Abercrombie....
The second biggest special-interest group to give money to Abercrombie was construction services, with donations of $500,000....
...although Democratic Sen. David Ige says he will mount a strong campaign against Abercrombie, there have not been the usual signs of a public fundraising effort. With lobbyists, contractors, real estate interests and unions all significantly donating to Abercrombie, there may just not be a lot left for Ige.
read ... Lingle, Abercrombie share talent for raising money
Abercrombie Demands DHHL Hire Supporters, Undermines Mission
SA: By law, the state, DHHL and the nine commissioners who oversee the agency have a fiduciary duty to run the trust solely in the best interests of beneficiaries.
But as an executive branch agency, DHHL operates as a state entity, subject to what is in the best interests of the state under the law. Its director, who also heads the commission, and the eight other members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Legislature, adding politics to the mix.
The problem, according to those advocating for change, is that what is best for beneficiaries doesn't often match and frequently conflicts with what is best for the state or governor.
"The trust has been subjugated to a state agency whose leadership is beholden to a political hierarchy that has resulted in the mission of the HHCA being underserved," Big Island police officer Ian Lee Loy, whose tenure as commissioner ended last month, said in an email to the Star-Advertiser.
Lee Loy, who like Tassill supports restructuring the framework for administering the trust, said the commission is unduly influenced by the state and is ineffective in fulfilling its trust responsibility....
The high percentage of exempt positions has contributed to DHHL's accountability and efficiency woes, Tassill and others say.
Exempt positions are not subject to the merit-based civil service system, and those holding the DHHL jobs can have contracts no longer than two years, according to state law. But because employees can be reappointed, some have been on exempt status for many years.
According to Department of Human Resources Development data, about 64 percent of DHHL's 193 full-time positions were exempt as of May....
Alapaki Nahale-a, an Abercrombie appointee who served as DHHL director and chairman from January 2011 to May 2012, was frustrated by the conflicting nature of the two positions and political pressure from the Abercrombie administration to hire supporters, according to those familiar with his reasons for resigning.
Kali Watson, who served as DHHL director and chairman in the '90s during Gov. Ben Cayetano's tenure, said the two-headed nature of the job created major conflicts that sometimes got him into trouble with his boss.
He recalled hiring non-union contractors who paid prevailing wages to build homes that cost beneficiaries as much as $20,000 less than had the same units been built by union contractors. Watson said he went that route because of his fiduciary duty to beneficiaries, but Cayetano wanted DHHL to deal with union contractors. "Without a doubt, that got me into political hot water," he said....
Cayetano told the Star-Advertiser his recollection was that nonunion contractors didn't pay prevailing wages and benefits as required by federal law.
read ... Conflict and Inefficiency
Green Energy Scammers Push More Rate Hikes
SA: Criticism from several fronts suggests that reaching that goal without overburdening customers will require that the company shift from its legacy business model — generating and selling power — to become more of an energy distributor....
in the short to medium term, alternative energy sources are out of reach of many customers, and the power companies have few ways to recover revenue lost to solar panels other than to raise rates for those still dependent on the utility for electricity....
In response to the critique, HECO spokesman Peter Rosegg said the utility is reviewing the report and underscored the goal as being "to chart a future path to provide our customers with reliable, clean electricity at the lowest possible cost."
Rosegg added that this is a significant challenge for utilities nationally.
"Just raising rates for those who cannot self-generate, while those who can do so leave the grid, is not acceptable to us, as a matter of community well-being and fairness," he said in a written response to the Star-Advertiser....
Best Comment: The so-called 'advisory group' was more like a futile effort in herding cats, 68 of them to be exact. Each of these 'cats' had their own agenda, didn't want to hear anything the utilities had to offer, and attempted to force their vested interests onto everyone else (ie: how can I get more of your money in my pocket). This was the worst possible way to conduct an IRP as the advisory group had no energy experts, more like energy wanna-be's. Ultimately, in the changing paradigm that is our collective energy future, there is only one stakeholder with skin in the game, and that is the utility. The advisory group had no skin in the process and if they had, would be doing everything possible to avoid accountability. They can talk a mean story, but when time for action comes, no-one is around. Mr. Freedman was also part of the problem and he shouldn't sign off on the submitted IRP plan as he did little to control its makeup other than to kowtow to the varied demands of the advisory group.
read ... HECO’s plan needs work
Golojuch Charges Against Legislators are the Future of Hawaii
Convicted Thief Michael 'Bitchbear' Golojuch Jr: I filed charges because these 11 Democrats actively worked against the Human and Civil Rights plank of the Democratic Party's platform when they filed House Bill 1020 and Senate Bill 1292.
These identical bills called for a constitutional amendment to define marriage only as between one man and one woman, in violation of Democratic Party rules.
The party platform states, "We support the rights of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex community to equality before the law, including the right to equal relationship recognition including but not limited to equal marriage rights both at the State and Federal level."
The party rules are very clear: You do not have to support the party platform 100 percent or even 10 percent, but you cannot actively work against the platform.
If every elected Democrat supported the party platform in its entirety, Hawaii would have a living wage for all workers; single-payer health care; marriage equality; energy self-sufficiency; taxed, regulated and legal marijuana; and excellent educational opportunities for every student from preschool to college.
Reality: If gay 'marriage' becomes law in Hawaii, this kind of 'political correctness' will be imposed on the entire state, not just the Democratic Party. Just like Canada.
More Reality: Canada 10 Years Later: Few Gay Marriages, Lots of Political Correctness
read ... What's Coming
Failing, DoE Changes the Test Again
SA: Hawaii is one of 37 states that received exemptions from NCLB’s law — important most notably because of the law’s looming 2014 deadline for schools to hit all their student achievement marks.
The Obama administration approved these exemptions on the condition that states opting out had a replacement strategy for holding schools accountable. Hawaii’s new method of evaluating school performance is called the Strive HI Performance System.
The difference is a matter of emphasis. Where AYP was primarily a measure of student proficiency in reading and math skills, officials said, Strive HI factors in test scores along with other indicators of the student’s readiness for college or career.
“It used to be just the test,” Matayoshi said. “It was AYP, you looked at those two subjects, the test, and if you’re a high school, only one of your grades is tested. (Grades) 9-12, only 10th grade is tested, and your whole school’s AYP is based on that. And you’re good or you’re not good, and that’s not the measure of a school.”
Instead of being held to national targets, schools are accountable to meet goals that are set for each school complex, based on their current performance. The idea is for schools to be rewarded for growth in achievement rates.
Strive HI measures also include end-of-course science assessments, absenteeism data and eighth and 11th grade scores on the standardized ACT tests in reading, English, math and science, said Stephen Schatz, assistant superintendent for the Office of Strategic Reform.
“Science counts now — science never counted before,” he said. “And ACT, and growth as well as achievement, college-going rate, graduation rate. So we’re trying to give this picture of a school’s health, which you couldn’t necessarily get from that 10th-grade score.”
read ... 2014 Deadline for Achievement
HOPE Pretrial to be Used to Let More Jailbirds Out
SA: HOPE Pretrial is a collaboration between Hawaii's Department of Public Safety and the state Judiciary. The grant money will cover staff at Public Safety's Intake Service Center to supervise and drug-test defendants, a part-time deputy prosecutor and public defender to handle violation hearings, as well as a deputy sheriff to apprehend people. It will also fund drug treatment, both inpatient and outpatient, for those who need it.
"With the intensive monitoring and the fact that they have to face the judge, like the HOPE Probation program, we are hoping this level of supervision will keep them on the straight and narrow," said Ted Sakai, director of public safety. "We are committed to improving public safety and making the most efficient use of taxpayer dollars, and we thank the Laura and John Arnold Foundation for helping us do just that."
The pilot program will enroll 50 pretrial defendants in the first year and may expand to 75 the next year. A starting date has not yet been set.
The effort will focus on people who are already on supervised release but may include some other defendants who can be released from jail with sufficient oversight and services, Sakai said.
MN: Child Molester gets 10 years from Judge, heads to Parole Authority for real Sentence
read ... Can be Released
Flossie fake-out still more authentic than new Pro Bowl
Shapiro: Despite persistently low approval ratings, Abercrombie added $859,483 to his re-election fund since January for a total of $3.3 million. He can weave straw into gold like nobody since Rumpelstiltskin.
A slip by U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa's aide raised suspicion that a drug industry group is helping her Senate bid in possible violation of federal rules against coordinated campaigns. The difference between the drug industry and drug cartels is that the cartels terrorize politicians while the industry just buys them.
Obamacare is scheduled to roll into Hawaii Jan. 1 with only two participating health insurers — HMSA and Kaiser Permanente — and HMSA is already warning consumers to prepare for "rate shock." The only shock around here anymore is when the rates don't shock.
read ... Straw into Gold
Freeing the markets
HTH: A new bill would make it easier for farmers markets to be set up in private subdivisions.
Introduced by Puna Councilman Zendo Kern, the legislation allows homeowner associations to establish markets without getting a special use permit.
The markets could host no more than 25 vendors and they would have to occur at community buildings or facilities maintained by the association.
Kern said he believes the special permit process is unnecessary for markets of that scale.
Those permits require approval through either one of Hawaii County’s planning commissions.
read ... Free the Markets
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