April 2, 2010 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Friday, April 2, 2010

April 2, 2010 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 9:27 AM :: 11457 Views

LINK>>>VIDEO: Hanabusa campaign ad nailed for Legislative pay raise “deception”

Inouye: Rail is “project that goes on forever”

He added, "I would predict that in not too long you'll be dedicating a speed rail all the way from the Ewa side to Aiea."

Speaking to reporters afterward, Inouye said he felt the rail project had gathered enough momentum to survive a change in leadership at City Hall.

"You can't see everything through," he said. "There are certain projects that go on forever, like transportation. As long as you can start a program on its way, that should suffice.

"I can assure you that it's got enough momentum right now."

ADV: Barrel Tax is a “fraud” and a “scam”

The barrel tax making its way through the Legislature is a fraud, dressed up in language like energy independence and food security when it's actually just another way to add millions to the general fund….

The bill contains pages and pages of puffery extolling the importance of family farms and renewable energy and agricultural security and cheap fruits and vegetables and clean water and air. But just when you think the new tax will pay for all of that good stuff, you find out that it would also authorize the transfer of an estimated $22 million into the general fund to help balance the budget….

Let's be clear. Once the economy improves, we could support a modest barrel tax that would be used exclusively for the underwriting of renewable energy initiatives. But HB 2421 is a scam and the Democratic leadership should scuttle it before Lingle has to embarrass them with another veto.

RELATED: Advertiser sides with “sustainability” billionaires (It is also a fraud and a scam when it is spent for ‘renewable’ ‘sustainable’ ‘holistic’ and warm and fuzzy energy. But we’ll take this one step at a time.)

Speaking of fraud and scam: HECO woos isle biofuel suppliers (Chop down the rainforest to stop … uh … what were we trying to stop?)

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Public Union Leaders Angered Senator Kim refused GET Increase to feed HGEA

Yesterday, the Senate Ways and Means (WAM) Committee passed their version of the budget (HB 2200, HD1, SD2). We are very disappointed that the Committee refused to hear HB 2877 proposed by Senators Roz Baker and Carol Fukunaga to provide a modest temporary increase to the General Excise Tax, which would have helped provide adequate revenues to support necessary services and avoid further layoffs.

(Hawaii just can’t afford their make-work jobs any more.)

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Dem Legislators’ Reports blast gov's strategy

If Kim and Oshiro are concerned about Lingle pushing state tax rebates off until July or later to save money in this fiscal year, Kim also is proposing changes to tax payment schedules.

For instance, in House Bill 2600, Kim changes the due date for various state taxes from the last day of the month to the 20th day, which is expected to allow the state to collect an extra $21 million.

By raising a variety of other taxes ranging from the state tax on a barrel of oil to increasing the tax on cigarettes, Kim stayed away from raising the state's general excise tax, which is levied on almost all exchanges of money.

But that plan is already facing opposition within the Senate.

Sen. Gary Hooser, Democratic leader, says the biggest problem facing the state is the number of budget cuts, resulting in layoffs and halting of programs.

"The cuts and restrictions we are doing are far more damaging to our economy and the community," said Hooser (D, Kauai-Niihau). "We can't keep cutting."

But Hooser noted that Kim has refused to push forward a GET increase because the House will not approve it.

Linda Smith: Union Put Hawaii Teachers in Bad Position

It’s unfortunate that the union leaders put the teachers in a position to vote on a plan that they know will not be implemented.

Nearly half of the teachers – 49.6 percent – either voted against the union’s plan or did not bother to vote at all. This is far from the overwhelming support the HSTA claims their plan received. What is perhaps more telling is despite heavy efforts by HSTA to get their members to vote, the turn-out was far less than the 75 percent of HSTA teachers who voted for the original furlough plan.

ADV: List released of Hawaii school workers needed on restored furlough days

HSTA Propaganda: "Ball Belongs in Governor's Court" on Teacher Furlough Issue

Latest DoE gambit: Cut funding for Lahainaluna Boarding School

LAHAINA - The 174-year-old Lahainaluna High School boarding program is facing a serious risk of being shut down this fall….Lahainaluna's boarding program is budgeted at $601,196 for the current 2009-10 school year….

The Senate Ways and Means Committee failed to show support for the Lahainaluna work-study program earlier this week when it put together its final conference draft of House Bill 2200.

Baker, the former chairwoman of the Ways and Means Committee who now leads the Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, said she's working with her Senate and House colleagues to save the program from being cut.

McKelvey said he's doing the same, talking to his fellow lawmakers in the House, who have already decided not to approve the Senate's draft version of the state budget.

One of the arguments against the Senate's draft version is its failure to include funding for the boarding program, McKelvey said. "It looks hopeful, but I don't want to jinx anything," he said Wednesday.

SB: Camping ban holds promise of success (ACLU already has strategy to defeat)

Connie Mitchell, executive director of the Institute for Human Services, which offers shelter for the homeless, supports the new ordinances, saying that arrests of the homeless for camping in parks "may become a way treatment becomes a possibility" for "many chronically homeless and mentally ill persons."

(But the ACLU is already devising strategies to sabotage the ordinance… )

Open-sided canopies commonly used by picnickers for shade would still be allowed. The ordinance defines "tent" as "a collapsible structure consisting of sheets of canvas, fabric or other material attached to or draped over a frame of poles or a supporting rope."

However, Daniel M. Gluck of the ACLU says that could be a banner or sign, attached to a pole, with a message that is within the constitutional rights of free speech.

(The homeless will now be supplied with protest banners in the shape of tents. Or maybe the homelessness industry will stencil protest messages on the side of the tents the homeless are using now. Anything to keep the homeless homeless. And then the State Supreme Court will uphold whatever ruse the homelessness industry comes up with.)

The City Council approved an ordinance aimed at banning camping in parks in 1999 that was based on a National Park Service regulation upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1984. The court did not define camping, but the Honolulu ordinance defined it as "the use of a public park for living accommodations." Hawaii's Supreme Court struck that down in 2007, finding that it "vests virtually complete discretion in the hands of the police to determine whether a person has violated the regulation."

Bottle Tax could rise if Redemption Fund Raided

Hawaii consumers, under a 6-year-old Hawaii law, pay a penalty tax of 6 cents per beverage can and bottle, but can travel to state redemption centers scattered throughout the islands to retrieve up to 5 cents per container. The other option is to relinquish the tax to the state Department of Health’s beverage container fund, which has climbed as high as $54 million, but is now at just $6 million.

The fees are supposed to be readily available for consumers to recoup, but Hawaii lawmakers want to raid $1 million from that special fund as they try to close a $1.3 billion budget shortfall before the close of the legislative session, April 29. (HB 2542 SD 1, section 14.)

Tax Hikes on the table: Council plans to discuss solid waste plan Tuesday

"However, we will be coming forward in the next three to six months for increases in sewer fees, motor vehicle registration fees and certain user fees for solid waste," not including the bag fee, he added.

Tyson said the administration should consider raising property taxes to establish a dedicated funding source for solid waste programs if the pay-as-you-throw plan cannot be implemented.

Hospital plots recovery: Hawaii Medical Center would like to convert its two facilities into nonprofit companies

Hawaii Medical Center filed for bankruptcy in August 2008 after suffering operating losses of about $21.8 million since it was sold to CHA Hawaii and Hawaii Physician Group LLC. St. Francis owns 1 percent of HMC.

The hospitals laid off close to 200 workers after the sale. Hasham said he expects the hospitals to start hiring again once the bankruptcy case is closed. The company currently has about 700 employees.

House panel kills medical marijuana dispensaries bill

The idea is dead because the House Judiciary Committee refused to consider the measure before a legislative deadline Thursday.

Committee Chairman Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu says he was worried that marijuana dispensaries would fuel illegal sales of the drug. He's also concerned about the state running up against federal drug laws.

The bill passed the Senate and two House committees before stalling.

Medical marijuana dispensaries will likely be considered again during next year's legislative session.

Alleged pot farmers await trial

Police executed a search warrant at Muhlhahn's Pikake Road home in Fern Acres on March 15, 2006, and allegedly found an indoor growing operation and 155 plants, as well as 1.1 grams of crystal methamphetamine, or ice.

(Just another medical marijuana patient. He was using the alleged mj to cure his alleged ice addiction, no doubt.)

No bidders on Hamakua land (harassed by shake down artists, nobody bids)

Yagong said investors are leery about spending money in the area because of the controversy surrounding the property. Hamakua residents oppose the sale and have asked the county to lease the land to small farmers to give them opportunities to return to the land. As a concession, Kenoi has provided some of the Hamakua land as an ag park in cooperation with the Hamakua Farm Bureau.

Native Hawaiians are also becoming increasingly vocal, claiming the land belongs to them and was illegally taken during the overthrow of the monarchy.
"No one wants to invest under these circumstances," Yagong said.

'Affirmative government' could foster public civility

The specter of partisans spitting on congressmen (anyone see a video yet?) with whom they disagree over health care — or hurling bricks through their office windows — should offend every American….

Continuing the same disagreeableness in politics risks the violent incivility of recent weeks or anarchical demagoguery that can only lead to disaster.

What about the party of "No" becoming the party of affirmative government? Perhaps we'd spot the angels again. (Apparently the Dems have no need to change anything here even though a deranged Dem voter has been arrested for threatening to assassinate Rep Eric Cantor. It really isn’t difficult to spot liberal hypocrisy. First clue: their lips are moving.)

Speaking of anarchical demagogy, the Angus Reid Public Opinion survey released March 17, 2010, shows that 33% of Democrats agree with Iranian dictator Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s statement that “The Sept. 11 incident was a big fabrication as a pretext for the campaign against terrorism and a prelude for staging an invasion against Afghanistan.” Another 12% of Democrats are “not sure”. This result is in line with a 2007 Rasmussen poll on trutherism that showed that 35% of Democrats believe Bush allowed 9-11 to happen.

The same liberals who are pointing fingers over the reaction to Obamacare LED the creation of this conspiracy theory among the US population.

Show me some political porn for Democrats

Derrick “I am not a Democrat” Depledge is just thrilled that the Republican Governor has slipped below 50% in recent polls. He can barely contain himself.

Lingle has been among the most popular politicians in Hawaii during her eight years as governor -- she won every state House district in her re-election campaign in 2006 -- but her job approval rating has fallen below 50 percent as the state struggles with budget cuts due to the recession.

Asked by the Star-Bulletin's Richard Borreca to rate herself, the Republican governor said she was hard working but would leave it to others to grade. She compared herself to President Harry Truman, a Democrat and fellow Missouri native, who was unpopular when he left office….

Nice try Derrick, but actually the governor compared her self FAVORABLY to Truman, who was in the 20s when he left office—not the 40s. Still, Depledge provides this hit of morphine, from David McCullough’s Truman biography, to numb Democrats’ pain….

For a while the mood overall seemed one of a death watch over his own presidency…."I wonder how far Moses would have gone if he'd taken a poll in Egypt?" he wrote privately, in an undated memo to himself. "What would Jesus Christ have preached if he'd taken a poll in Israel? ...It isn't polls or public opinion of the moment that counts. It's right and wrong."

A Democrat fantasy to distract them from the reality…

Census returns sixth lowest in U.S.

Less money to feed the corporatist entity.

Guard soldier 'wanted to serve'

A 31-year-old Hawaii Army National Guard soldier who died of non-combat-related injuries earlier this week in Iraq was remembered by family and friends as an independent, generous and loving man who also was "highly motivated" and "very patriotic."