October 26, 2009 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Monday, October 26, 2009

October 26, 2009 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 11:04 AM :: 6501 Views

Hearings on furloughs sought

A federal lawsuit filed on behalf of special education students was amended yesterday to require the state to hold public hearings on the plan to furlough teachers on 17 Fridays.

In addition, the families of special education students are asking the U.S. Department of Education to intervene so the students won't lose any more days of education.

Arguments will be heard by U.S. District Judge David Ezra on Nov. 5 on the amended lawsuit, which claims the state violated its own Hawaii Administrative Procedures Act, which requires a public hearing for any changes to rules.

(Slow countdown to the inevitable court ruling overturning furloughs--caused by the DoE/HSTA purposefully defecting their contract.)

HSTA hits back at HGEA: Pay cuts alone don't save enough money

(Calvin Say is blocking the Leg from a special session due to his concern that the HSTA will scoop up money which could be used to help the HGEA, UHPA, and UPW. Here is what the HSTA says, without even mentioning Say once....)

It's time for our elected officials to step up to the plate and demonstrate how much they truly value education and how much they really care about our kids. They are the ones who made furloughs necessary by failing to fully fund the education budget in the first place....We hoped to avoid furloughs altogether and tried our best to do so during our contract negotiations. The lack of funding made that impossible.

MORE OF THE SAME from SB Donnelley: More must be done to avoid Furlough Fridays

(Also not mentioned: Cutting waste, fraud, and corruption within the DoE. To HSTA is is all about the budget's top line figure--tax revenue.)

Teacher's win reflects well on schools

teachers like Lisa-Anne Tsuruda — Hawaii's winner of the prestigious 2009 Milken Educator Award — remind us ~~that many~~ of the good things the DoE prevents from happening in our schools.

Fundraising has down side in Hawaii economy

Advertiser attacks fundraising & volunteerism to support sports and other programs cut by the State. They are concerned about:

"...a possible shift toward an "American Idol"-style system of public funding that rewards popularity over merit....and...lack of a coordinated plan to ensure the community's giving pool is thoughtfully disbursed."

That is to say, a shift from "thoughtful" bureaucrats and legislators determining who has merit to the public making that determination--result is Legislators and bureaucrats lose political power. This is exactly why public contributions are preferable. Many Hawaii charities serve as a training ground for future Democrat candidates and a sinecure for candidates-in-waiting. Folks interviewed in this article seem disturbed that their favorite 'keep-the-poor-dependent-on-us' programs aren't getting the same kind of fundraising attention as high school athletics. Of course HS athletics teaches the value of hard work and team-work--and also teaches the desirability of winning whereas many government programs teach the desirability of losing and becoming a dependent.

"...lawmakers (could) reduce funding because supporters have shown a willingness to cover budget shortfalls out of their own pockets...."

Maybe voters need to "reduce" some of these lawmakers to unemployment.

And just in case you don't get the point: 'Volunteering' extra hours at work could get you fired

SB: Keep moving on rail

The mayor indicates that steps have been taken to keep punctual progress from backfiring on taxpayers.

(No mention of what those steps are....)

SB runs this Hannemann commercial: Hannemann administration not neglecting road repairs

250 positions in Hawaii saved or created by 'stimulus', data show

Federal contracts pumped $122.4 million into Hawaii's economy while saving or creating 250 jobs as of early October, according to a federal government Web site that tracks stimulus spending.

Overall, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is expected to infuse about $1.4 billion into the state and create or save 15,000 jobs over a two-year period, excluding tax benefits. However, job creation data released so far, which account for only 10 percent of that money, indicates that the number of jobs created or saved is well off that projected pace.

Gay & Robinson workers, retirees gather to remember

Most of the lands around the mill have already been leased out to the corn companies. (Which are under attack by OHA and the anti-GMO crowd.)

Will Maloney, president of Pacific West, is negotiating with the landowners to work out a lease for the mill as a part of Pac-West's (heavily subsidized) plans for alternative energy.

(Who needs an economy? We have government.)

Merger of 3 stations' newsroom operations faces watchdog (sic) group's opposition

Raycom Media of Alabama, which owns KHNL and K5, said the deal is necessary to prevent one or two of the three stations from going under during a severe downturn in the local television advertising market.

According to Raycom, the combined annual television advertising revenues has plummeted by 30 percent, or $20 million, during the past three years.

But community groups such as Media Council Hawaii, say the deal hurts consumers and violates federal laws barring the multiple ownership of television stations in a single market.

They are asking the Federal Communications Commission and other regulatory agencies to put a halt to the deal.

Greenhouse gas workshops planned

The task force is considering likely effects of existing laws in addition to projects in the state Clean Energy Initiative. State law calls for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels or below in the next 11 years.