First Amendment: 14 Gay Marriage Laws vs Abercrombie
High Cost of Living Suppresses Dissent
CB: Big-box stores like Costco and the arrival of some chains like Safeway have brought down the cost of some items, although still not consistently to mainland levels.
But the core expenses for people living in the islands have grown markedly worse when compared to the rest of the country. Gas is three times more expensive than it was in 1993, electricity is four times more expensive and housing costs have doubled.
The “paradise tax” — the price people are willing to pay to call the islands home — is still high despite the efforts of Roth and others to get political and business leaders to take action to reduce it 20 years ago.
Politics and policy decisions, exacerbated by Hawaii's long history as a one-party state, have stifled meaningful public discussion and allowed special interests to control the marketplace and costs, Roth said.
The dearth of public debate on policy issues has created a relatively complacent society. And in part because of the high cost of living, people are so busy paying bills and eking out a living that they just accept it, he said.
read ... 20 Years Later We're Still Talking About 'Price of Paradise'
A Federal Government Shutdown Could Save Hawaii from Obamacare
CB: With Republicans trying to assuage Tea Party activists the vast majority of Americans by insisting on defunding Obamacare, they risk being blamed again for causing a shutdown, as they were in 1995. Though many conservative commentators these days are once again saying a shutdown would not hurt Republicans, the Atlantic noted that the 1995 shutdown, driven by Republicans set on weakening a Democratic leader, led to President Bill Clinton's landslide victory in 1996.
Schatz criticized Republicans in a written statement on Friday for complicating the debate by injecting the defunding of health reform into the budget talks. “I will refuse to engage in the process of political gymnastics designed to score small, short-term gigantic long-term wins at the expense of for the American people."
Meanwhile:
read ... A bunch of Democrat Talking Points
HMAA, UHA Under Pressure as State Sells HMSA, Kaiser Policies
SA: The state's smaller health insurers are countering the aggressive marketing campaign of the Hawaii Health Connector, the state's insurance exchange established as part of the federal law known as Obamacare.
Hawaii Medical Assurance Association and UHA (University Health Alliance), which have built a niche in the small-business market, have published paid advertisements to inform their customers that they can stick with the insurance they have rather than use the coverage offered through Obamacare.
"If you like your current health insurance plan, you can keep it," the advertisements say, quoting President Barack Obama, who pushed for the health insurance reform law.
The advertisements also say small-business owners will "probably not" see a decrease in medical insurance cost if they buy through the Hawaii Health Connector, and it is "highly unlikely" they will get any tax credits through the Connector.
read ... HMAA and UHA ads reassure customers they can keep policies under Obamacare
Push Renewed for $1.28/gal Soda Tax CB: ...reducing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. This can be done in a variety of ways, including by increasing the price.
The American Heart Association suggests increasing the price of sugar-sweetened beverages by a penny per ounce. This penny fee will reduce adult consumption of sugar sweetened beverages by 8-10 percent. The reduction in youth consumption is expected to be even more significant.
This sugar-sweetened beverage user fee would raise approximately $38 million in new revenue and could be used to fund and support childhood and adult obesity and health related programs in Hawaii....
The penny per ounce fee will reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, improve nutrition, and improve weight status and health, while raising revenue to support health initiatives.
read ... Tax Hike
Big Cable Pitchman Claims Electric Bills Will Drop
MN: ...The Public Utilities Commission has launched a study of the feasibility of a Maui-to-Oahu power interconnection. Plans call for laying a high-voltage cable 112 miles long and as much as 2,100 feet deep. Cost estimates for such a project have ranged from $600 million to $1 billion....
Valley Isle residents could see power bills drop, on average, from $100 to $170 per year over 40 years if the power transmission cable were built, he said. (Quick IQ Test: Where have you heard this before?)
"Regardless of the scenario, regardless of what kind of generation is added to the system, Maui customer bills would go down," beginning in the first year of operation, Gleason predicted.
According to NextEra's planning for the project, the undersea transmission cable could come on line as early as 2020.
NextEra, a company headquartered in Juno Beach, Fla., is one of two potential cable developers granted intervener status as part of the PUC's investigative proceedings. The other is Hawaii Interisland Cable, a joint venture of Pattern Energy Group and Bio-Logical Capital LLC.
read ... We've heard this before
Global Warming to be Excuse for Millions More in Spending
SA: When it comes to recognizing the impact of climate change, Hawaii has picked its preferred future. (Translation: You may not dissent.)
Act 286 enacted in 2012 and now codified as Hawaii Revised Statutes section 226-109, sets up a policy framework to prepare the state for the impacts of climate change. It amends the Hawaii State Planning Act to include 10 climate-change adaptation priority guidelines, which were developed with input from various county, state and federal agencies, academia, the business community and the public. The act is integrated into Hawaii's statewide planning framework and serves as an umbrella policy for all state and county decision-making....
The state Office of Planning is currently collaborating with various state, county and federal agencies and non-government entities to implement Act 286, primarily through the statewide Ocean Resources Management Plan (Translation: We choose to act only where it is useful to other agendas.)...
What is needed now is investment in (Tax Hike to pay for) implementation of Act 286 and continued support of the projects, programs, and planning already started to address the impacts of climate change by the state and counties.
I agree with columnist Jay Fidell that our legislators and decision-makers are well briefed on the matter ("State can no longer ignore the threat of climate change," Think Tech, Star-Advertiser, Sept. 3); however, the state is not ignoring the call to action. (Translation: This could be a money-spinner for Act 221 scammers.)
For more information on the Ocean Resources Management Plan and examples of how government is working to implement the Statewide Climate Change Adaptation Policy, visit www.planning.hawaii.gov or call (808) 587-2846. (Be sure to ask them if Algore is enjoying his retirement.)
read ... Global Worming
Star-Adv: Let Get pay Hikes for All DoE Bureaucrats
SA: ...rather than focusing solely on a single individual — exceptional or not — the upcoming legislative debate about lifting the salary cap should include a discussion about the importance of providing a salary framework throughout the DOE's executive ranks that attracts and retains the best and brightest to lead Hawaii's public schools while simultaneously imposing clear and attainable benchmarks for improvement and accountability.
Lawmakers have rebuffed attempts over the past five years or so to lift the salary cap, despite evidence that Hawaii's pay lags in this area and despite well-reasoned arguments that the ongoing freeze deflates salaries throughout the department that merit adjusting.
But times are different now. With an appointed school board rightly highlighting public-school students' rising standardized test scores, increased enrollment in advanced courses and higher rates of college admission, legislators should be more open to raising the superintendent's pay as a way to reward performance, keep the right person in the job and recognize the value of a leadership position truly vital to Hawaii's future.
read ... Pay Hikes
Work on H-1 ZipperLane put on hold for evaluation
SA: Although work to repair the H-1 freeway in the Pearl City/Waipahu area will continue for several more months, the long-planned “PM Contraflow” lane — a ZipperLane headed west during the afternoon rush hour — may be ditched.
“That portion of the project is currently being re-evaluated,” department spokeswoman Caroline Sluyter told us last week.
In the meantime the department will be creating additional “auxiliary” lanes to help with the traffic flow.
The department didn’t give a reason for the second thoughts now.
“We plan to explain the entire situation if and when a decision is finalized,” Sluyter said. “This is something that is being weighed very carefully and with much discussion and consideration as what will be the very best decision regarding not only the cost, but also the traffic for both west- and eastbound commuters.”
The afternoon ZipperLane was to run 7.2 miles, from the Radford Drive Overpass to the Waikele exit.
When the department held its groundbreaking ceremony for the contra-flow project in June 2012, Director Glenn Okimoto said, “Every vehicle that uses the PM Contraflow will be removed from the normal traffic lanes, reducing congestion and travel times overall.”
Federal funds are to cover 80 percent of the project’s $82.1 million cost.
read ... Kokua Line
Sovereignty Fraudster Points Finger at OHA
ILind: The email arrived Wednesday afternoon via Pookela PR in Lahaina pitching a statement from the “Kingdom of Hawaii” regarding the OHA/Roll Commission campaign. It linked to a letter on stationary of “His Majesty King, Edmund K. Silva, Jr.” addressed to the governor, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, federal officials, and “citizens and subjects” of Silva’s claimed kingdom. It begins: Subject: Fraud....
For a brief moment I thought to myself, “he’s going to confess!” After all, here’s a guy who served time in Colorado for “theft by deception” who now claims to be king, derives benefits from that bogus claim, and I presume expects the rest of us to act as his subjects.
But no, he isn’t referring to the obvious scam elements of his royal claims. He’s pointing fingers at OHA....
read ... Irony
$10M Plus in Molasses Penalties, Matson Balks
SA: Matson has agreed to pay for the clean up costs. But it declined comment today on potential penalties that may be assessed, saying the cause and the scope of the damage caused by the spill is still under investigation.
As a precedent, Harris cited the case of U.S. Port Royal grounding in 2009.
The Navy paid about $15 million in penalties and repair costs for the reef when the ship damaged thousands of square yards of centuries-old reef near Honolulu Airport's reef runway.
Harris says the damage from the spill is much greater.
"Tens of million of dollars are not out of the question," said Harris.
read ... Penalties
Maui County pays $7500 to settle Homosexual Rape lawsuit against Officer
SA: Maui County has paid $200,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a woman who was sexually assaulted in August 2008 by a police officer after her release from custody at the Lahaina Police Station.
In March 2010, Tracy Motelewski filed suit in state court against the county, the Maui Police Department, Kristopher Galon, the officer who sexually assaulted her, and Steven Gunderson, the officer who arrested her and stole $500 from her purse....
The county had previously settled for $7,500 a federal lawsuit filed by a man who said he was sexually assaulted by another Maui police officer who went to his home to respond to a report of a burglary.
Jeffrey Major said he was sexually assaulted in his home in Kihei in March 2010 by Lewis Gamble and, after he reported the incident to Maui police, said Gamble threatened, assaulted and made a false report about him while on suspension from the department.
The department fired Gamble but said it cannot release the details of the dismissal because Gamble is appealing.
A Maui grand jury returned an indictment in March 2010 charging Gamble with sexual assault, kidnapping, impersonating a law enforcement officer while on suspension, false reporting and assault. Trial is scheduled for November.
read ... Maui County pays $200,000
Nearly 4,000 Hunting Licenses in 2012
KITV: After reaching a peak in the 1980's of more than 14,000 hunting licenses each year, Hawaii had missed that mark by a lot recently, chalking up less than 4,000 registrations last year.
Meanwhile the state no longer collects a separate $10 stamp plus a $10 tag fee. Now they only collect $10 for the hunting license.
That reduction is no tiny drop in the financial bucket.
It is critical income because the federal government matches state money 3-1, turning every $100,000 into $400,000.
The matching money came from taxes on ammo, accessory and gun sales.
Read ... Hunting Licenses
Historic WW-II Barbers Point Housing District Decimated, Fire Drill Ghost Town
BP: Like the mysteriously dying trees, many historic Barbers Point WW-II Navy houses are being given apparently an "assisted suicide" by chopping holes in their roofs to speed up the call for their demolition and clear the way for the profitable land development yet to come.
read ... Barbers Point Ghost Town
1970 Flashback: Fong Beats Inouye Machine
CB: ...perhaps the most instructive lesson from the Inouye Files comes in the collection of news reports about the 1970 re-election campaign of U.S. Sen. Hiram Fong, the Republican who defeated Honolulu media executive Cecil Heftel. Inouye would have been expected to back the Democrat Heftel over a Republican, but Fong cried loudly and for months that Inouye brought a "vulgar racism" into the campaign by, as Fong said, making it a "local boy vs. Mainland haole issue."
Fong accused Inouye of pressing both Japanese-American and Caucasian voters to go against him in an effort to appease the haole power structure in Washington, D.C.
Just days after he squeaked out a victory, Fong told a roomful of business and civic leaders that Inouye "sent his boys all over the Island to ask his friends of Japanese ancestry to stick with him and vote for Cecil Heftel," according to a Star-Bulletin story.
There was such bad blood between the two that they had trouble working together. The Star-Bulletin had a D.C. bureau back in those days and reporter Frank Hewlett followed their relationship closely, his articles now part of the official FBI file. Fong barely spoke to Inouye when he first got to Capitol Hill, and refused to let the junior Hawaii senator accompany him to the stage for his swearing-in ceremony.
read ... FBI Files
QUICK HITS:
GMO to be considered by Hawaii Co Council Committee today
What ties Stowe VT church to a Hawaiian leper colony?
Kona Comm. Development Plan Action Ctte. public meeting 2 p.m. Wednesday
Law releases remains from legal limbo
Traffic light as H-1 shut for work
Hualalai Partners request back for review
A ship on a mission