December 29, 2009 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

December 29, 2009 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 12:20 PM :: 9845 Views

LINK>>> Lingle: HSTA/DoE furlough plan "not credible"

LINK>>> Pelosi enjoys privacy at Hualalai after Palin is hounded off Maui

Visitor arrivals drop 1.4%, spending down 2.2%

Total visitor arrivals declined 1.4 percent compared with last November, falling to 490,514. Arrivals by air decreased 1.4 percent while arrivals by cruise ships were 1.7 percent lower compared with a year ago.

With fewer visitors, there was a $17.7 million, or 2.2 percent decline in total spending by those who arrived by air, which amounted to $771 million. Average daily spending was down slightly, from $175 per person a year ago to $174.

The decrease in tourist dollars was the smallest dollar amount since March 2008,

University of Hawaii will reduce faculty pay by 6.7 percent

UH President M.R.C. "Marci" Greenwood said she decided to cut salaries because negotiations with the faculty union were at an impasse and time was running out to reduce the school's budget.

J.N. Musto, executive director and chief negotiator for the University of Hawai'i Professional Assembly, said Greenwood's decision violates an existing agreement and the union "will take action to protect the rights of the faculty and to preserve a legitimate collective bargaining agreement in whatever court or venue is necessary."

It may ultimately be up to a judge to determine what happens.

SB: UH president warns of layoffs and aid cuts

County officials who rely on TAT funds likely to fight to keep share

Expect the leaders of Hawaii's four counties to fight hard to keep the transient accommodations tax dollars that Gov. Linda Lingle is proposing be taken away from them.

County leaders have warned that cutting the revenue they get from the TAT, also known as the hotel room tax, raises the likelihood they will need to raise property tax rates.

(So the Counties losing their fight to keep TAT will become the Counties winning the fight to raise property taxes--and the Governor will be blamed for this legislative decision. That's a winning propaganda formula which benefits everybody except taxpayers and Republicans.)

Time to Contact Gov. Linda Lingle with Your Thoughts About Oahu's Multi-Billion Dollar Rail Project

The Governor has stated that she is going to carefully review this EIS and not rubber stamp something just because the city administration is in a rush to implement the first contract of more than $480 Million.

This review also requires input from the citizens. Please make your comments regarding any issue you might have with the rail transit plan and the EIS in particular.

Maui News Polls Obamacare

Would you like to see the Senate's version of health care reform become law?

Yes, with no changes in conference with the House. 7%
Yes, but with some changes in conference with the House. 31%
No; health care reform should be rejected. 56%
Some other opinion. 6%

HTH: "Good riddance to 2009, a lost year." (Obamanomics: Year One)

(so much for hope and change, eh?)

Proposed changes to state fishing rules spur protests (no PASH rights here, eh?)

More than 60 people waved signs and fishing poles in front of the state Capitol yesterday to protest proposed state rule changes for fishing and boating, especially restrictions on overnight camping on Kapapa Island in Kane'ohe Bay and other wildlife sanctuary areas.

The protesters said they want to protect traditional fishing practices and they fear their rights will be eroded by proposed restrictions on camping and new or increased entry, permit and mooring fees.

(The only time "traditional rights" are protected under Hawaii law is when they are being used as an excuse to shake down a developer. You won't see the NHLC or OHA or the Sierra Club coming to the rescue of these fishermen.)

Continuing the quest for affordable, sustainable housing

LIHU‘E — Living in a grass hut, tepee or igloo may not be ideal for most people, but these structures provide the fundamental concepts of sustainable living that have been around “a lot longer than we have,” said architect and sustainability consultant Peter Arsenault. (So THAT's what "sustainability is! BTW What is "sustainable" about an igloo in Hawaii?)

By using natural elements, these age-old homes are not only environmentally friendly, but are inexpensively made. In addition, they bring families and communities closer together which is the perfect recipe for “truly sustainable” and affordable homes, he said at the Dec. 17 “Sustainable Design in Affordable Housing” presentation hosted by the Kaua‘i Planning & Action Alliance and the Kaua‘i Association of Architects.

The same concepts can actually be applied on Kaua‘i, but the “government must take a stand” and work with others like KPAA to make it happen, Arsenault said.

“Ecovillages” are popping up all over the world, including Ithaca, N.Y., where two 30-home co-housing neighborhoods exist, according to the village’s Web site. Community members take part in activities such as growing their own produce on part of the 175-acre site (where more than 80 percent of the land is kept green) and eating meals with each other.

Here's the World Wildlife Fund definition of "sustainability" -- the Communist police state of CUBA (Are YOU giving money to the WWF?)

Business leader has green on his mind (after child is brainwashed, he becomes trash picker, police spy for the regime)

Williams got his first lesson on being green when his son was a 6-year-old at Kawaiaha'o Church School, which recycles cans, makes its own compost and has a pledge of allegiance to the earth. Being involved changed him, Williams said.

"Before this I wouldn't lift a finger to recycle," he said. "I had no interest in it."

Now he digs empty cans out of rubbish cans and calls himself "the green police" at work, he said.

EXPLAINED: MichaelCrichton.com | Environmentalism as Religion

Maui Land counting on its shareholders

The company, whose biggest owner is former AOL chairman Steve Case, had a net loss of $92.9 million through the first nine months of the year and is winding down pineapple operations that once were at the heart of its business. Maui Land has had three chief executive officers in the past year.

Details of Maui Land's finances were included in a filing at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday.

In it, company auditor Deloitte & Touche LLP, said it had substantial doubt about the company's ability to continue as a going concern should it be unable to stanch losses.

Kauai: Council committee to vet solid waste management plan

The plan now calls for the development of a $6 million Materials Recovery Facility to process recyclables, scheduled to be operational by 2012, and a Pay As You Throw refuse collection program that would charge those who produce more than a standard amount of trash, making the costs of solid waste management more “explicit” rather than relying on the county General Fund.

Also included in the plan are a Waste-To-Energy Facility that will be constructed by 2013 for between $46 million and $52 million and a curbside recycling pilot program that could expand island-wide in coming years.

ADV: Tighter controls needed for travel safety

The one thing we must NEVER do is "profile" young Muslim males paying cash for one way tickets and traveling without luggage for "religious ceremony." Because we all know that "profiling" is RACISM and it is better to allow planes to be blown out of the sky than to be a "racist". (Do YOU still have an instinct for self-preservation?)

Instead the Advertiser says...

"It's also time to clear the bottleneck blocking the confirmation of Erroll Southers as Transportation Security Administration administrator. GOP Sen. Jim DeMint, who has held up the appointment because he's concerned Southers may support unionizing TSA screeners, needs to allow the nomination to move ahead when the Senate reconvenes in January. The agency needs a chief, now, to implement needed changes.

(Yes! That's the solution! Unionize TSA workers and alQaeda will be brought to its knees! Obama is a genius and so are the Advertiser editors!)