December 18, 2009 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Friday, December 18, 2009

December 18, 2009 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 10:46 AM :: 13238 Views

SB: Leftist Neal Milner lays down the Template for ignoring Republican candidates

The UH political scientist sees a dynamic campaign season ahead as Democrats compete....

Here's an entire interview consisting of lame excuses for newspaper coverage focusing on the Democrat primary race and ignoring Republican candidates. This underlines the importance of moving Hawaii's ILLEGALLY LATE Primary Election date up to April, May, or June.

At 68, his own political leanings remain "left of center and I'm sure that colors my perspective, because nobody is truly objective," said Milner, a frequent political commentator for TV news stations and other Hawaii media....

Q: Why is Abercrombie running now? After eight years of a Republican administration, now his friend is president and Democrats control Congress.

A: Exactly. If he doesn't do it now, he's never going to do it. It's not like he's going to give up his seat to a Republican. … If he thought there was a risk that a Republican could win his seat he might have had second thoughts.

Q: But isn't he taking that risk? Doesn't Charles Djou have a chance? (The Honolulu City Councilman is the leading Republican in the race for the 1st Congressional District seat Abercrombie is vacating.)

A: A chance, yea, but a very small chance. … The upside for Djou is that he's not running against an incumbent and he was smart enough to understand that this is such an uphill battle that he really declared for this race three years ago … But the downside is that the Republicans are in terrible shape here. …Voting is a habit and you have to work very hard to change the habit and there's no indication that's going happen. … Hawaii, statistically, is a very strong Democratic state and that doesn't go away just because you have a bright young candidate.....

The words "Duke Aiona" occur nowhere in the entire interview.

None of this is surprising from a leftist like Milner, but both newspapers allow themselves to be led around by the nose by this un-objective "observer".

read more

KITV VIDEO: Akaka Bill not moving as smoothly as planned

Tribal laws? Tribal courts? Civil rights for tribal members????

ADV: Congress, state need unity on Akaka bill

At the center of the state's protest are some more substantive changes. The amendment would give sovereign rights to Hawaiians up front, whereas past bills required negotiations with the state and federal governments to happen first.

Also, the bill now no longer addresses future claims that Hawaiians may make against the state or federal government — it leaves any definition or limitation on claims for separate legislation.

Also, there is new language refining how one qualifies as a member of a Native Hawaiian nation, to include cultural practices as well as ethnic heritage. Department of Justice lawyers favor keeping the recognition bill separate so that legal disputes over the claims language won't endanger the main legislation, an Akaka spokesman said.

Finally, lawyers maintain that defining Hawaiians in broader terms helps make the case that Hawaiians are a distinct people with national history, language and culture. This leaves the future government less vulnerable to constitutional attacks as a race-based entity, he said.

ADV: Trish Kehaulani Watson--The Akaka Bill

The problem with the Akaka Bill is not the bill itself, but how this bill has caused people to behave. It has resulted in a deep division in the community, but not because the bill is divisive, but because the bill's potential has made certain individuals greedy. The community sees this; division ensues.

What I find absolutely mind-boggling about the changes is that, according to Inouye's office, they come after discussions with the Council of Native Hawaiian Advancement. This is a nonprofit organization without any accountability to the Hawaiian community and an organization that many of us don't trust. It certainly has no place negotiating a matter of this great significance for us. CNHA does not represent Hawaiians. Where is OHA? Where is DHHL? Where is the Office of Hawaiian Relations? Where are the Civic Clubs?

I was originally going to write that nothing about the bill has been a sneak attack, because - let's face it - it's been coming for ten years. Yet, today I feel ambushed. There are far-reaching implications of making Hawaiians the equivalent of an Indian tribe and I want more than one day to think about them....

I don't trust CNHA. As a Hawaiian, I am not comfortable with CNHA standing out front, alone, advocating for these changes. If anything, that alone makes me seriously question these changes.

So until our leaders, including OHA, the Office of Hawaiian Relations, the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs and DHHL, step forward to say these were changes they were involved in and support - I'm not supporting the changes.

We need our leaders to step forward. We need to hear from them.

Hawaii revenue drop expected to add another $40M to deficit

The state Council on Revenues trimmed the state's revenue forecast yesterday, but the reduction was less than state lawmakers feared, and economists spoke optimistically about the state moving out of the recession. The council predicted state tax collections would decline 2.5 percent for the fiscal year that ends in June, compared with the 1.5 percent decline projected last August.

Companies want school buses to run

The Hawaii Bus Service Association said yesterday it has already collected more than 10,000 signatures from students and parents supporting emergency funding for public school transportation.

Commission defers decision on East Maui streams

PAIA -- The state Water Resource Management Commission decided on Thursday afternoon to postpone a decision in the contested case over 19 East Maui streams.

The deferral until March was still considered a win by Native Hawaiian groups.

And sugar growers and farmers on the other side of the water debate said they could probably live with compromises suggested by the independent board.

The commission, which is part of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, did vote unanimously on Thursday to reject staff recommendations that would have restored water diverted by Hawaiian Sugar & Commercial Co. to only one of the 19 streams.

Instead, the members, led by commission and DLNR Chairwoman Laura Thielen, choose to meet again on Maui in three months. At that time, Thielen and commissioner Dr. Lawrence Miike said they expect to hammer out a complicated compromise with their colleagues that finds a balance between the water needs of Hawaii's last sugar producer and the plaintiffs, who are Native Hawaiians, taro farmers and environmentalists.

Contractor Profit Grows under Hawaii’s 'Green' Initiative While Energy Costs to Consumers Rise

When Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle earlier this year announced a new administrator for the Hawaii Energy Efficiency Program, few residents realized that millions of their dollars would be “administered” through an appliance rebate program.

Labeled PBF – or Public Benefits Fund - the rebate program is funded by a new charge on all electric bills, including a portion that is siphoned off by one of the largest defense contractors in the nation.

A law passed during the 2009 Hawaii State Legislative session allowed the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to move the Hawaiian Electric Company efficiency programs to a third-party - a non-government administrator with access to a special fund collected from rate-payers.

The Public Utilities Commission promptly chose Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), the 9th largest defense contractor in the U.S., to oversee this fund. SAIC, a San Diego corporation, will receive an estimated $38 million over the first 2 years of its contract beginning July 1, 2009, according to the PUC....

This month, ECONorthwest won a competitive-bid contract to oversee rate-payer programs administered by Science Applications International Corporation.

Government and energy records show that layer upon layer of contractors are cashing in on the Hawaii energy industry, while energy costs for local consumers soar.

Hawaii -- 46th most efficient state-owned highway system

Since 1984, per-mile total disbursements on state highways have increased by 262 percent. In 2007, U.S. states spent over $109 billion on state-owned highways, a 10 percent increase over 2006. But not everyone is getting their money’s worth. Taxpayers in New York, Hawaii, New Jersey, California, Rhode Island and Alaska have the worst-performing highway systems in the nation.

The Reason Foundation study examines state highway systems in 11 categories, including congestion, pavement condition, fatalities, deficient bridges and total spending. The annual report is based on information that each state reported for the year 2007.

Proposed Kalaheo landfill site questioned

While the public meeting was the second of its kind in less than a month, the council’s discussion during its final regular meeting of 2009 was the legislators’ first opportunity to weigh in on the controversial proposal, first announced in late August when Carvalho signaled his support for the recommendation made by a 15-member advisory committee tasked with ranking potential sites.

In the months since then, Kalaheo residents have come out strongly against the siting. Kaua‘i Coffee Company, a subsidiary of Alexander and Baldwin, the current landowner of the proposed landfill site, has said putting a 127-acre landfill in the middle of its coffee operation would undermine its image and make it difficult for the company to compete.

(And we all know about the financial relationship between A&B and the Sierra Club)

Koke‘e admission charge plan might be short-lived

Although Friday the state Board of Land and Natural Resources authorized establishment of non-resident entry fees in certain state parks including Koke‘e and Ha‘ena, if a citizen-based movement is successful in adding a $1-a-day fee to rental vehicle charges at the state Legislature early next year, the admission plan might be scrapped.
That’s the word from Ron Agor, Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau BLNR representative.

KGI: BLNR member ‘sets record straight’

No surge in cruise ships

East Hawaii businesses that depend on the cruise ship industry will continue sailing through the doldrums of stagnant tourism in 2010.

Some neighbors irked by Hilo developments

Hualalai Court would consist of 47 attached townhouses to be built on a 3.3-acre parcel located on the mauka end of Hualalai Street, not far from the Hilo Police Station.

SB: Killing bill doesn't resolve B&B issue

Illegal bed-and-breakfast operations will continue indefinitely on Oahu following the City Council's rejection of a bill that would have limited their number. The Council should revise the proposal to assure effective enforcement of such a limitation — the key omission from what was intended as a compromise.

Construction starts on housing project for Waianae homeless

Housing Solutions Inc., the nonprofit developer of the 4.3-acre parcel for Sea Winds Apartments, says it is the only transitional housing project in its inventory targeted for couples without children.

Construction of 20 studios and 30 two-bedroom townhomes is expected to take 16 months. Sea Winds will be the eighth facility managed by HSI. It's seven other facilities have 646 units and house more than 1,200 men, women and children.

Harassment: Pine agrees to pay fine over campaign sign photos

(Here's the big crime) Pine stopped by Campbell High School last October with two campaign signs and took photographs with teachers. A teacher, according to the settlement agreement, asked a student to take pictures.

The student used a digital camera owned by the school and downloaded the photos on a school computer. The student e-mailed the photos to Pine.

(Some Democrat with too much time on his hands turned that into a newspaper article and a $1000 fine. We're still waiting on the article about Pine's Democrat opponent bringing sex offenders to live in the District at his chain of half-way houses...any day now it'll be sure to pop up in the pages of the Advertiser....)

Harassment: Palin shortens Maui vacation after fuss over 'McCain' visor

Palin continued, "Todd and I have since cut our vacation short because the incognito attempts didn't work and fellow vacationers were bothered for the two days we spent in the sun.

So much for trying to go incognito."

(TMZ has several paparazzi photos....Meanwhile The Obama prepares for HIS vacation....)

http://www.tmz.com/2009/12/17/todd-palin-goes-rogue-with-message-tee?icid=sphere_tmzcom_inline

http://www.tmz.com/2009/12/17/sarah-palin-joh-mccain-presidential-campaign-hat-blacked-out-hawaii-politico-incognito-?icid=sphere_tmzcom_inline

http://www.tmz.com/2009/12/16/sarah-palin-john-mccain-visor-black-marker-election-attack-book-alaska-going-rogue-barack-obama-hawaii-bikini-photos-photo-picture/

SB: Ahmed Ahmed battles bias with humor

SB's message: If you think Islamic terrorism is a problem YOU ARE A RACIST

REALITY: Hawaii “Islam Day” secretly marks September 11