May 13, 2010 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Thursday, May 13, 2010

May 13, 2010 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 1:36 PM :: 11605 Views

Poll: Djou ahead by 14 points as voters cast ballots

Duke Aiona announces campaign leadership team

Rothenberg Political Report: Hawaii 1 moved to Lean Republican

With more polls confirming that two Democratic candidates are dividing the Democratic vote and the DCCC announcing that it will not invest any more resources into Hawaii's 1st District, we're moving the race to Lean Republican and expect Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou (R) to win the special election later this month.

Our bottom line in the House remains the same. Substantial Republican gains are inevitable, with net Democratic losses now looking to be at least two dozen. At this point, GOP gains of 25-30 seats seem likely, though considerably larger gains in excess of 40 seats certainly seem possible.

DePledge: Important moment

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Former TV anchor files papers for US House seat

Former television news anchor Ramsay Wharton has filed candidacy papers for the Republican nomination for Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District seat. Wharton filed her paperwork with the state Office of Elections today.

HFP: GOP's Ramsay Wharton to challenge Hirono

http://www.ramsay2010.com/

Shapiro: Don't be surprised if Lingle vetoes HB 444

But from the standpoint of 2010 politics, it would be a surprise if Lingle allowed HB 444 to become law.

The immediate political consequence is that it would set her at odds with her lieutenant governor, James "Duke" Aiona, the leading opponent of the measure, and undercut one of his major issues in his already uphill campaign to succeed Lingle.

Aiona has been Lingle's loyal partner, and she wouldn't likely do that to him unless she had strong personal feelings on the issue that surely would have surfaced before now.

Lingle also will have an eye to her own political interests.

Shapiro: A civil turn on civil unions?

Legislator: Hawaii Civil Unions Vote was Flawed — I Was There

Democrat Burris: Lingle could learn from LBJ, Burns

Employer guilty of sexually assaulting boy worker

The boy told police Moisa performed oral sex on him in 2007 and 2008. He said the first time was when he started working for A's Party Portables in May 2007. The boy was 14 years old at the time.

Deputy Prosecutor Adrian Dhakhwa said the boy was shocked at first but later consented because Moisa paid him for the sex.

The boy told his friend he earned $1.25 for every toilet he cleaned and $5 side money every time he let Moisa perform oral sex on him.

(How long ‘til this guy gets hired at the Legislature?)

Combined newspaper to employ up to 500 workers

Dennis Francis, Oahu Publications' president, said yesterday that the company should retain about two-thirds of the Star-Bulletin's 300 workers and about half of the Advertiser's staff of 580.

"It will be a pretty good mix of workers from both papers," he said. "Some of the new hires will be onboard as early as the next week or so."

Francis has said he expects the size of the newsroom staff will be between the Star- Bulletin's 75-member staff and the Advertiser's 120-member staff. The Star-Bulletin newsroom in Waterfront Plaza is being redesigned to accommodate the larger staff, and Oahu Publications has leased additional space in the complex for its headquarters, he said.

The Star-Advertiser is expected to hit the market on June 7.

Honolulu City Council moves ahead on property tax hike

The City Council moved another step toward a budget that raises the property tax on non-occupant homeowners, but promised to look for ways to minimize the increase before a final vote.

The council voted 9-0 for the $1.82 billion operating budget in the second of three needed approvals

City Council seeks rail project financial details

Under the resolution, the council also is seeking a list of all city and contract employees working on the project along with their qualifications, and an updated list of rapid transit contractors and subcontractors.

Lobbyist for lawyers opposes immunity for property owners

Before the law, felons or their families could sue property owners if they were injured or killed while committing a crime on the property.

SHAPIRO: HSTA wanted to cause a crisis

…The question is, why didn't the Hawai'i State Teachers Association and its business agents on the Board of Education take this approach (pay cut instead of furloughs) to spare public school students and their parents the trauma of furlough Fridays?

The only answer I can think of was that HSTA and the BOE didn't want to avert a crisis; they wanted to cause a crisis to express their pique over the Department of Education having to sacrifice like any other state agency as revenues plummeted in the recession.

SB: Furlough Friday protesters will not be banned from governor's office during business hours (agit-prop circus continues)

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Shapiro: Signs of life in the local Republican primary

The 2010 election got some competition on the GOP side with House Minority Leader Lynn Finnegan's announcement that she'll run for lieutenant governor.

Finnegan, one of the party's few rising stars, will take on Adrienne King, an attorney and Tea Party activist, who has been campaigning for the job for months. Six candidates are running for lieutenant governor on the Democratic side.

Many in the GOP believe that Finnegan, a relatively fresh face in local politics who has been a smart and articulate spokesperson for the minuscule Republican minority in the House, would best balance the ticket with the likely nominee for governor, Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona.

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Djou outlines priorities in Congress

Djou: I don't know whether the DCCC or the (Republican National Committee) will get involved, but I am talking about The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News. These are organizations that have done stories on this race. That's what I'm seeing. My wife and I marvel every day that there's more in the national press than there has been in the local press! I say that judiciously, but if you are a resident of Washington or New York and all you had was local press, or The Hill or Politico, I think you would have a better understanding and read more articles on this special election then a resident subscribing to The Honolulu Advertiser and Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

It's hilarious, but it speaks to the conditions of what's happening with our local news media. But national attention is on this race.

Rate of ballot return indicates isle voters favor mail-in system

The one conclusion that the Democrat media never comes to—that the results indicate support for Djou…. So why would they want to favor mail-in balloting? …

Transparency? Read >>> Hawaii Chief Elections Officer: “Is it my job to get people to turn out and vote?”

Fraud? Read >>>> Vote By Mail: “Tool of choice for voter fraud”

Civil Beat now peddling irresponsible voting: Majority of 1st District Voters Likely To Be Unrepresented

Instant runoff voting, is used in some states, cities and several countries. Also known as preferential or ranked-choice voting, nonpartisan advocacy groups like Common Cause have pushed for instant runoff voting.

Here's how "IRV" works: Voters rank ballot candidates in order of preference — i.e., 1, 2, 3. If no candidate emerges with a majority, the lowest-scoring candidates are eliminated and the top preferred candidates then face each other in an instant runoff election — and sometimes more — until a majority winner emerges.

(This is a scam used by progressives/slavemasters to get themselves elected.)

CivilBeat EXPLAINED: Green hypocrites: Case & Omidyar's Maui Land & Pine tied to human trafficking

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Carroll fined $100 for campaign law violations

Commission Executive Director Barbara Wong says the panel decided Carroll should have filed an organizational report for his campaign committee in November 2008.

It also determined Carroll should have opened a bank account in April 2009, in which contributions could be deposited.

She says the fines grew from a complaint filed by Eric Ryan alleging 19 violations. The panel dismissed 17 of those.

Related: www.CitizensforCarroll.com

Candidate ~~wants~~ fakes plan to to decentralize state school system

Abercrombie explained that decentralizing the school system wouldn't mean breaking the state into smaller school districts, but rather having principals manage their own staff and resources -- much the same as a chief executive officer of a company would. Further, the state school superintendent would become a member of the governor's Cabinet.

(Neither of these things is within the Governor’s power)

REALITY: Abercrombie: My “emanations” will make DoE serve students first

Isle schools smart to surge forward with solar power

Hawaii is following the policies of several mainland school districts in launching a plan to get solar energy at rates lower than current electric bills. The state plan is to have solar panels installed on the roofs of four schools on Oahu and be expanded statewide, a move that is both financially and environmentally sound.

The state Department of Education has agreed to allow Hawaii Pacific Solar LLC to install panels by the end of this year at Kaimuki, Waianae, Aiea and Kahuku high schools, all of which needed roof repairs. The department plans to have panels installed later on schools on Kauai, the Big Island, Maui and others on Oahu.

The department will pay 20 cents per kilowatt-hour, increasing to 33 cents over the 20-year contract, during which it expects to save $1 million. Each school is expected to save more than $3,500 in the first year, and the school district will reduce oil imports of more than 400 barrels of oil a year. The company, which will maintain ownership of the expensive panels, will benefit also through tax credits.

Somebody’s paying for this: What's Worse Than Energy Taxes? Renewable Electricity Standards

2010 SB: Abstinence leads to Planned Parenthood

(“This year” -- Planned Parenthood’s first two words in their SB Commentary today—and they are a lie.)

This year we learned some disheartening information: A report by the Guttmacher Institute found that in 2006 the national teen pregnancy rate increased for the first time in more than a decade, with nearly 750,000 teens becoming pregnant every year.

(Planned Parenthood pretending these 2006 numbers are new and still pretending they mark some kind of statistical shift as debunked by HFP January 8, 2009.)

Second, we must ensure that our teenagers receive medically accurate, age-appropriate sex education that gives them the tools to make responsible decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.

Last year, the Hawaii Legislature passed a law that required all state-funded sex education to be comprehensive and medically accurate, including information on contraception and condoms, as well as teaching kids about abstinence…..

(They think we have short memories…what did the SB have to say about abstinence education when it was before the Leg? ….look at next article they even use the same 2006 figures….)

2008 Flashback SB: Abstinence causes pregnancy, give us your daughters

Forget what you learned in biology class. In 1991 Hawai`i's teen pregnancy rate was 5.92%. In 2006 it was 4.05%. Sounds pretty good, but liberals are pointing to an increase from the 2005 rate which was 3.62%. And they've got a "study" which "proves" that abstinence caused it. But not to worry, they can help by 'educating' our daughters (and sons)....

Controversial Vexatious Requestor Bill Signed into Law

The so-called “vexatious requestor bill,” which enables Hawaii government agencies to deem those repeatedly asking for government records as “vexatious” so the agencies don’t legally have to respond, was signed into law by Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle on May 12, 2010.

Her signature was no surprise since it was her administration that requested the legislation. But the controversy over the legislation has made headlines around the nation.

Hawaii foreclosures rise in April even as recession eases

The increase in foreclosures in Hawai'i comes as the nationwide total dipped for the first time since the economy faltered more than two years ago, according to a new report.

Research firm RealtyTrac reported that 1,474 Hawai'i properties were in some stage of foreclosure in April. The figure was a little more than double the year-earlier figure of 684 properties, and was the highest this year next to the 1,302 properties in January. Only one other month had a higher count, and that was December at 1,534.

Survey: Hawaii credit card debt averages $9,105 per person

Hawaii reported the following average debt loads in April:

Home mortgage debt averaged $315,069, up from $307,619 in March;
Home equity debt averaged $68,820, up from $65,234 the month before;
Auto debt was $15,361, up from $14,862 the previous month;
Student debt was $27,153, up from $25,093 the month earlier.

The sample size for the monthly study was 1,750 Hawaii residents with active credit cards.

Honolulu cop guilty of marijuana, driving charges

A Las Vegas justice of the peace found Fujioka guilty Tuesday of the two misdemeanor charges and ordered Fujioka to pay $580 in fines and fees.

Prosecutors last month dropped a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge against another Honolulu police officer, 47-year-old Shayne Souza, after he pleaded guilty to obstructing a public officer.

Souza and Fujioka were arrested Aug. 15 in a van near a park several miles west of the Las Vegas Strip.

Also: Hawaii Co PD seeking accreditation

Marcos family wins three victories in Philippine elections

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Back in power, Imelda Marcos has a new title.

The 80-year-old won a seat in the Philippine House of Representatives.

Her son and daughter won their elections as well.

There's mixed reaction in Hawaii, where the family lived after being exiled in shame.