July 18, 2010 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Sunday, July 18, 2010

July 18, 2010 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 1:04 PM :: 11100 Views

$400M Medicare/Medicaid scam run by parent of Ohana Health Plan

KHON: Vote on Native Hawaiian government may come soon

HONOLULU (AP) - Native Hawaiians could finally be treated the same as the nation's other indigenous groups if Hawaii's senators can push a vote on the legislation during the next few weeks, before it's too late.

Unless the U.S. Senate votes before this fall's elections change the political climate in Washington, it could take years - if ever - to again line up so much support for a Native Hawaiian government, called a "nation within a nation."

Hawaiians are the last indigenous people in the United States who haven't been granted federal recognition…. (FALSE. Hawaiians have been federally recognized since 1920.)

KITV: Time May Be Running Out On Akaka Bill

REALITY: RS: Chances for Akaka Bill “nil” without GOP Support in Senate

Star-Advertiser plugs Mufi’s “Tent city for homeless?” (Seattle's disaster pitched as model!)

Michael Danner, who has worked with the Affordable Housing and Homeless Alliance (aka: “The Homelessness Industry”), visits a Windward Oahu site in an undisclosed location and works with residents to govern themselves and figure out ways to share the work of running the camp. Danner answered a Star-Advertiser query via e-mail.

"Basically my approach has been to live with them, so as to get to know them as much as is possible, before trying to offer my idea of help, which in reality may or may not be any help at all," he wrote. "Long -term, we do hope to be able to lease or buy land from someone ... or maybe some church that has land." … (That sounds EXACTLY LIKE TENT CITY 4 IN KING COUNTY WA.)

The National Coalition for the Homeless studied 11 camp communities on the West Coast for its "Tent Cities in America" report, published in March. Of that group, only two were unsanctioned, the remainder authorized either through local ordinances or zoning or other use permits.

Success has come in various forms. Some do well on public land located some distance from residences, avoiding the not-in-my-backyard opponents. Others, such as Tent City 4 in the greater Seattle area, has worked by relocating every 90 days within a network of church-owned properties. (THERE IT IS, CITED AS AN EXAMPLE OF SUCCESS!)

HERE IS THE REALITY: Homeless tent cities: Seattle’s decade-long nightmare coming to Honolulu?

MORE: Kapiolani Park: Homelessness industry takes Hawaii tourism hostage, Defeating the "homelessness industry" before it gets a grip on Hawaii

Gubernatorial rivals court carpenters union

Hannemann also asked carpenters to look beyond the September primary and consider which candidate would be better in the November general election, where the Democrats will likely face Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona, the leading Republican candidate. He said Republicans have been directing most of their attacks at him and he believes it is because they would rather have Abercrombie as the Democratic nominee.

"The Republican Party want(s) no part of my game," he said. "They don't want to run against me. They want to run against the other guy. They contrast better against him. They don't contrast as well against me."

Jonah Kaauwai, the state GOP chairman, said Republicans are not afraid of Hannemann. "We just want Mufi to tell the truth," he said. "He's trying to be somebody that he's not. He's just being his typical politician self.

"Neil has stood where he's stood and Mufi has continued to take the middle line, tying to be everything to everyone, but ending up being nothing to no one."

KITV: More Than Half Of Hawaii Carpenters Unemployed

Abercrombie Advertiser: LeBron has cautionary tale for Hannemann

Carlisle Wins Carpenters’ Endorsement

The Hawaii Carpenters Union has endorsed Honolulu Prosecutor Peter Carlisle for Honolulu mayor.

Ron Taketa, the union's financial secretary and business representative, said Carlisle is firmly committed to the city's rail transit project.

"He is fully committed to getting it built—from start to finish—and he supports the creation of the transit authority as part of getting it done," Taketa said.

Taketa also praised Carlisle's administrative and legal abilities.

Carlisle is running for mayor against city Managing Director Kirk Caldwell, City Councilman Donovan Dela Cruz, City Councilman Rod Tam and University of Hawaii-Manoa engineering professor Panos Prevedouros.

(This is a sign they may go for Abercrombie)

Data cast some doubt on Act 221's benefits

Eighty-two of 141 companies benefiting from state technology investment tax incentives had no full-time employees in 2008.

The other 59 businesses, including movie and TV producers, had 697 people on their payrolls, based on unemployment insurance records.

Those are the first figures released by the state showing the employment at companies benefiting from the program, which provides a 100 percent tax credit for investments in a qualifying technology businesses.

The fact that 58 percent of the companies benefiting from the credits had no direct full-time employees is suspicious, said former state Department of Taxation tax research officer Tu Duc Pham.

"A lot of these (companies) might be fake," he said. "There should be a special task force and do an investigation."

Hawaii Cannabis Ministry founder ordered held without bail

U.S. District Judge Alan Kay agreed with prosecutors that Roger Christie should not be released on bail or to a halfway house because he remains a danger to the community.

With Christie sitting motionless in a white jumpsuit, Kay noted he allegedly continued operating his marijuana ministry after federal authorities in March searched his home and office and confiscated cannabis.

A second search on July 8 allegedly found marijuana again at Christie's house, Kay said.

The assertion by Christie's defense lawyer, deputy federal public defender Matthew Winter, that Christie will avoid marijuana or other drugs if released was insufficient, Kay added in rejecting Christie's appeal of an earlier ruling by Magistrate Judge Kevin Chang.

But Kay appeared unmoved, saying, "You'd think the light would have gone on (with Christie) after the first search."

Kawahawa said Christie essentially ran a marijuana business and suggested he will start again if released. "Mr. Christie ... genuinely believes himself to be above the law," Kawahawa said.

Big Island Mayor's claim of frugality falls flat

Mayor Billy Kenoi claims Hawaii County departments are spending 35 percent less than when he took office, but a Stephens Media analysis shows otherwise.
While 13 of 20 executive branch departments and divisions have received budget cuts since the 2008-09 fiscal year, only three have been reduced enough to support Kenoi's often-repeated claim.
Seven agencies have seen budget increases and are now receiving 3.9 to 41.9 percent more money than was allocated in the operating budget Kenoi inherited when his term started Dec. 1, 2008.

Kauai Council refuses to post agendas, minutes, testimony online

Under the broken leadership of Chair Bill “Kaipo” Asing, the Kaua‘i County Council this week deferred for six months a resolution to establish a policy for facilitating open governance and Internet access to public documents.

What should have been a quick around-the-table approval instead sadly slipped into an inexcusable delay of an overdue prescription to improve the county’s level of openness. Conveniently, the council will reconsider the resolution in December — after the election.