Letting the Genie Out of the Bottle…for Our Keiki?
Hawaii Towns Ranked for Economic Diversity
Social Capital Index for Hawaii Counties
Funds for Treating Individuals with Mental Illness: Is Your State Generous or Stingy?
Elections: 300 Candidates Pull Papers
Rep McDermott Cancels Endorsement of Carroll for Governor
200 Hawaii GOP Delegates Approve Party Platform
CB: …the roughly 200 delegates to the 2018 Hawaii Republican Party state convention embraced the leadership of the real 45th president of the United States.
In their view, Trump’s successes include a federal tax cut that has returned an average of $800 annually to Hawaii taxpayers, national unemployment at just 3.9 percent and the potential for a historic agreement to officially end the Korean War 65 years after fighting ceased….
The state party platform, in contrast to Democrats’ state platform, includes positions on topical issues such as the following:
The Hawaii Authority for Rapid Transportation “is a questionable investment and a major drain on the taxpayers of Hawaii.” The GOP wants an independent forensic audit “along with a sensible review of the current and true” transportation needs of Honolulu.
Homelessness is a direct consequence “of poor enforcement” of existing laws, statutes and ordinances.
The GOP does not support amnesty for those who have violated immigration laws. “Requiring immigrants to enter legally through an adequate vetting process is just and vital to the safety of Americans.”
Convention attendees approved a resolution to oppose a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would allow the state to use property taxes for education….
Hawaii’s Republicans met on the same day that Oahu Democrats held their county convention at Moanalua High School. The Democratic Party of Hawaii’s state convention will take place Memorial Day Weekend in Waikoloa on the Big Island….
PDF: Platform and Resolutions as Approved by Convention
read … Convention
Hawaii GOP HQ to be Paid Off -- Congratulations to Chairman Ostrov and the entire Convention team who presented an exciting and fresh perspective on our Party’s mission to elect more Republicans to office in November and beyond. A major announcement at the convention was the improvement in the HRP’s financial status as well as the fact that we will be paying off the remainder of the mortgage on the HRP Headquarters at 725 Kapiolani Blvd. The building is co-owned by the Oahu League of Republican Women and the Hawaii Republican Party. The payment of this debt represents 8 years of consistent fundraising by the Capital Campaign Committee and more recently, the HRP Finance Committee. Congratulations to everyone for now having paid for a permanent home for the benefit of future candidates and the activities of the Hawaii Republican Party. -- Miriam Hellreich National Committeewoman Message to Hawaii Republicans May 7, 2018
Legislators waste healthy tax surplus to Help Hanabusa
Borreca: …Powered by the state tax dollars from a booming local economy (your pocket) and an ever-growing antipathy toward the current governor, Hawaii’s legislators ended this week with the not-startling news that they were mostly amazed at how well they did….
Veteran legislator Rep. Bert Kobayashi, a key member of the House Finance Committee, said it was the laying on of big bucks.
“We had money this year like never before….” Kobayashi said in an interview.
He pointed to $200 million in rental housing assistance (to Hanabusa’s PHOCUSED Cronies), $125 million for the Rainy Day Fund, plus $125 million in cash for flood relief.
“Plus I can count up to seven different $1 million budget add-ons,” Kobayashi said, cautioning that up for question is how the new money will be monitored and accounted for. (It won’t.)
Kouchi sees another reason: a Legislature detached from Ige and looking to move when the governor was cautious.
“We just said we just believe in our leadership, (Hanabusa),” Kouchi said in an interview.
The dissolved governor-Legislature partnership came into the clear when the four top legislative leaders — the Senate president, speaker of the House, and House and Senate finance chairpeople — signed on to a fundraising letter urging voters to contribute to U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa’s gubernatorial campaign against Ige.
Ige howled at the attack, saying “she has the power to control what happens at the state Legislature, and she can say what lives or dies.” It’s like a backroom deal, Ige said in a Honolulu Star-Advertiser report.
No, not a backroom deal, but as Kouchi said, the letter “was a fair description of reality.”….
read … Legislators use healthy tax surplus to move needle on social issues, and take jabs at Ige
Legal loopholes in medical death law
SA: …Now that the bill, which many legislators publicly admitted is flawed, has become law, the community can take a closer look at what we’ve gotten ourselves into without the diversionary rhetoric about patient safety and autonomy.
First, the Attorney General’s Office pointed out the law tips in favor of health-care providers who are bad actors because of vague language. “No person shall be subject to civil or criminal liability or professional disciplinary action for participating or acting in good-faith compliance with this chapter … ” It recommended deleting “good faith” to establish a clearer, objective standard for liability. This would have protected both physicians and patients, but this was ignored by the elected officials.
The Attorney General’s Office made it clear: “Good-faith compliance is difficult to disprove as one could simply claim that he or she was ‘acting in good faith compliance’ without additional evidence.” Good-faith compliance with the law means if the doctor makes a mistake, the doctor is off scot-free….
Finally, the Attorney General’s Office suggested adding language into the law that health-care providers are not required to inform a patient about the option to obtain medication for the purpose of ending the patient’s life or refer a qualified patient to another health-care provider who is willing to participate in carrying out a qualified patient’s request if the current health care provider is unable or unwilling to participate.
Without this language in place, it will only be a matter of time before government compels health-care providers….
read … Legal loopholes in medical death law
Maui County Signs Contract to Hunt Down illegal vacation rentals online
MN: …The county’s Planning Department has signed a contract with LODGINGRevs to identify operators of illegal vacation rentals. Upon receipt of their list of operators, I am told enforcement action will be imminent.
The search for a vendor to assist with compliance began with the County Council’s appropriation of $80,000 last year. Although the Planning Department often receives anecdotal information of illegal vacation rental operations, pinpointing their location and enforcing against them has proven problematic.
Advertising often lacks exterior shots, property addresses or other location information to enable the department to identify and enforce against unpermitted operators. LODGINGRevs has the capacity, through computer algorithms and programming, to identify the location of properties or names of operators who advertise online. Planning will then cross-reference that information to rule out properties in permitted areas and properties with valid permits….
read … Stepping up enforcement efforts against illegal vacation rentals
Plan: Cut Carbon Emissions in Half by Becoming Homeless
SA: (Lets just skip to the comments) …"...on average, each resident contributes nearly 15 metric tons of global warming pollution annually..."
Such junk science is one reason pronouncements from organizations such as the Blue Planet Foundation should be received with skepticism.
According to a 2007 MIT analysis (ScienceDaily - Carbon Footprint Of Best Conserving Americans Is Still Double Global Average):
"While it may seem surprising that even people whose lifestyles don't appear extravagant--the homeless, monks, children--are responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions, one major factor is the array of government services that are available to everyone in the United States. These basic services--including police, roads, libraries, the court system and the military--were allocated equally to everyone in the country in this study...
But the "floor" below which nobody in the U.S. can reach, no matter a person's energy choices, turned out to be 8.5 tons, the class found. That was the emissions calculated for a homeless person who ate in soup kitchens and slept in homeless shelters....
Unlike some other attempts to quantify carbon-emission rates, Gutowski and his students took great care to account for often-overlooked factors, such as the "rebound effect." That's when someone makes a particular choice--for example, buying a hybrid car instead of a gas-guzzler--but then uses the money saved from their reduced gasoline costs to do something else, such as taking a long trip by airplane. The net impact, in such a case, may actually be an overall increase in carbon emissions."
read … Homeless
Random Mainlander Files Crackpot Lawsuit vs Coco Palms
KGI: …According to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by TGI, the basis of the suit is activity that started on March 16 at the Coco Palms site.
The suit cites alleged desecration of graves, prevention of the kanaka maoli to freely practice their religion, and a violation of the ESA by disruption of endangered waterbird habitat and possible death of endangered Koloa ducks.
Caudill declined to comment for this story.
Legal representation for the three individuals targeted in the lawsuit, though, say it won’t hold water in court because it wasn’t filed against the development company Coco Palms LLC.
“Though that may have been her intent, she sued my clients Tyler Greene, Chad Waters and Ron Agor individually, which, of course, is a violation of basic corporate law,” said Pierce Murphy, associate attorney at Silverman, Thompson, Slutkin and White, based in Baltimore, Maryland.
The lawsuit has no underlying claims, no merit and doesn’t belong in the court where Caudill filed, Murphy said.
“She claims a right to sue my clients under, among other things, the 19th century treaty between the Kingdom of Hawaii and the United States, which is about as realistic as if I were to sue you for violating the Treaty of Versailles,” Murphy said.
He filed a motion to dismiss Caudill’s suit because Hawaiian courts have already repeatedly ruled in favor of Coco Palms Hui LLC, and because Caudill lives in northern Virginia, in a suburb of Washington, D.C.
“I’m confident that the federal court in Virginia will recognize that Hawaii and its courts and government institutions are fully capable of managing Hawaiian affairs, that Ms. Caudill has no meaningful role in the same, and that her lawsuit must be dismissed,” Murphy said.
Murphy is defending two other clients in cases filed by Caudill in federal court, he said, in addition to defending Waters, Greene and Agor….
PACER: Caudill v Waters
read … Crackpot
New fissure emerges in Leilani Estates; lava fountains reach as high as 230 feet
SA: …The lava outbreaks in Leilani Estates remained active overnight with a new fissure emerging and lava fountains as high as 230 feet, according to Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
HVO scientists said early today that the latest opening appeared near fissures No. 2 and 7, the latter of which had stopped erupting by mid-afternoon Saturday….
HNN: All Leilani Estates Residents allowed to Retreive Belongings Sunday
read … New Fissure
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