Nat’l Dems on Hanabusa: "We now have sweetness and light in Hawaii — or at least we don't have a lot of darkness."
Hannemann vs Abercrombie at Neighborhood Board meeting: “yelling, screaming, ranting, raving, finger-pointing and name-calling”
"There is a crystal-clear choice to be made," Abercrombie said at a candidate forum sponsored by the Waikiki Neighborhood Board at the Sheraton-Waikiki Hotel. "We can have everything just exactly the way it was and take credit for things the way they've been and have our faces fixed firmly into the past, or we can seize the future and have a vision of the future.
(So Hannemann represents the way things used to be, aka Broken Trust. and Neil “Broken Trust” Abercrombie represents Hawaii’s future? They agree on corruption, just disagree on which will reap the profits.)
"You can't be in Washington, D.C., for 20 years and say that you now have the requisite experience for this job," Hannemann said. "It's extensive executive experience. It's a collaborative leadership style. And you cannot lead by yelling, screaming, ranting, raving, finger-pointing and name-calling when you don't have your way."
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Hannemann continues to push tent cities, Abercrombie channels Pol Pot
KHON: "A couple of ideas we've thrown out there (is) we're open to a tent city,” said Hannemann. “A safe zone if you will…if we can get a community to step up.”
REALITY: Homeless tent cities: Seattle’s decade-long nightmare coming to Honolulu?
HNN: Abercrombie kept to a message of offering change to voters. "You want jobs? Then we gotta have self-sufficiency in energy," Abercrombie told the crowd. "We got to grow our own food….” (How’d that work out in Cambodia after Abercrombie and friends drove the US out of SE Asia?)
(Promising huh. Tent cities and farm labor: Hawaii Democrat’s glorious future.)
Djou: Raising $3.8 Trillion In New Taxes a Bad Idea, progressives attack
Djou's $3.8 trillion figure adds up. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that extending the Economic Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 and the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 would add $2.567 trillion to the federal deficit between 2011 and 2020 (Scroll down to Table 1-5).
Indexing the Alternative Minimum Tax would cost another $558 billion. The debt service on those two provisions would tack on another $594 billion and $125 billion, respectively. Add up those four numbers and you've got $3.844 trillion, which Djou was generous enough to round down to $3.8 trillion.
So Congressman Djou's math skills are up to snuff, but his use of the word "new" to describe the taxes is questionable. (Picky, picky, picky… They will seem ‘new’ on April 15th.)
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Federal Project Will Bring Hundreds Of Jobs, Eventually, Sort-of
A federally funded project at Honolulu Harbor that was touted as creating 635 jobs might not create that many jobs until five years down the road. And some of the jobs won't be new ones.
When Hawaii's two U.S. Senators Dan Akaka and Dan Inouye announced that $3 million in federal renovation funds would somehow create 635 jobs, KITV 4 News wanted to see how that was possible.
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Civil union opponents regroup after suit filed
A major opponent of a civil unions bill is considering its next move after a lawsuit was filed yesterday challenging the governor's veto of the controversial legislation.
"We're formulating that (plan) right now," said Francis Oda, chairman of the Hawaii Family Forum, which was vocal in objecting to House Bill 444 throughout the legislative session.
Oda said the group expected there would be a legal challenge regardless of whether the bill was approved or rejected.
"Even if 444 had been passed ... a challenge about civil unions not being equal to marriage was ready," Oda said. "So it's just part of the process."
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Akaka Bill compared to Monty Python's dead parrot
The Akaka Bill is rapidly becoming like the famous Norwegian Blue parrot in the Monty Python comedy sketch.
"He's a stiff! Bereft of life, he's resting in peace ... His metabolic processes are now history! He's off the twig! He's kicked the bucket, he's shuffled off his mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisible!" says John Cleese.
"No, no, he's not dead, he's, he's resting! Remarkable bird, the Norwegian Blue ..." argues Michael Palin.
Today the Senate is inching toward its August recess. All this year Inouye has predicted the Akaka bill cannot be taken up in the fall because there is too much to do before the November elections.
Now the Senate GOP minority may still be able to block the bill. If Akaka and Inouye try to delay the vote until next year, things will be more difficult because there will likely be more Republicans in both chambers after the election.
Although the Akaka bill would fundamentally change Hawaii, it is on no one's Washington radar. Only on slow days will conservative alarmists such as Michelle Malkin give it a toss; for the rest, it is a matter of whether Inouye and Akaka can find 60 votes and time in the next two weeks to conclude a decade-long debate.
The Senate is looking at starting the August recess either Aug. 6 or 13. If the bill has not cleared the Senate by then and moved back to the House for a second vote, this exercise may be pau.
(We at Hawai`i Free Press would like to thank Inouye for sabotaging the Akaka Bill by allowing Akaka and Abercrombie to rewrite it according to their dreams and delusions.)
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ACT 221 Scammers endorse Abercrombie, Carpenters back Hannemann
"Neil Abercrombie is the best choice if we are to heal from the divisiveness of the last eight years, make a recovery from the recession and diversify Hawaii's economy," said HVCA President Bill Spencer. (In other words, elect a Democrat Governor and they will start the fake tech tax dollar gravy train all over again.)
Abercrombie told the association earlier this month he would create a technology council to oversee his innovation agenda, and appoint a chief information officer to modernize the state's technology systems.
"We learned some hard lessons over the last eight years about taking a candidate's word, which is why we have taken the time to study the candidates, their plans, and make an endorsement for governor, the first we have ever made," Spencer said.
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Caldwell, Prevedouros File For Mayor, DelaCruz drops out of race
After filing his paperwork, Caldwell touched base on his four key points if elected mayor: job creation, an integrated transportation system, finding a homeless solution and government transparency.
Earlier in the day, University of Hawaii engineering
professor Panos Prevedorous filed his nomination papers. A few dozen sign wavers, who came out in support, draped him in lei. They said they are standing behind Prevedorous because he has a realistic plan to relieve traffic, address homelessness, and fix the sewer systems.
"This race is about who will manage taxpayer's money better," said Prevedorous. "The current city administration has already doubled property taxes since 2004 despite only 21 percent of it justified by increases in population and inflation and sewer fees went up 106 percent during this time."
A critic of the city's $6 billion rail transit project, Prevedorous said there are more efficient options for a mass transit system that would cost $2 billion.
But he said project spending needs to be practical with priority given to a legal agreement between the city and the EPA for a $7.2 billion sewer upgrade program.
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Enemy Propaganda from CB: Legislative Turnover? Not Going to Happen
At best, the Hawaii Republican Party may chip away at the 23-2 Senate majority and 45-6 House majority enjoyed by the Democratic Party of Hawaii.
But history suggests it will be a difficult, possibly futile exercise. Similar GOP efforts to present voters with a deep electoral bench in recent years has actually resulted in the loss of seats — even with the leadership of a Republican governor.
(Omidyar’s gay-atheist progressives are doing their best to demoralize GOPers. Anybody who listens to them deserves to lose.)
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Hawaii's Jews assess Abercrombie, Hannemann and more at Temple Emanu-El
Gubernatorial candidate Neil Abercrombie has agreed to the first "Meet the Candidates" event scheduled for Saturday night, August 21st, at 6:30. The event will be moderated by Hawaii Public Radio's Beth-Ann Kozlovich, a Temple Emanu-El congregant. Hawaii Reporter's Malia Zimmerman will also be on hand for some of the upcoming townhall style events.
Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, who will be running against fellow Democrat Abercrombie in the Primaries, will make his appearance on the following Saturday, August 28th at 6:00 pm. And as for other candidates? "We have word in to Lieutenant Governor Duke Aiona," Yurow said, "and I'm sure we'll hear from him very soon!"
"Meet the Candidates" will also feature other candidates in other races, including Mayoral: For information, visit the new Temple Emanu-El website
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Djou to speak at gay Republican event
The Log Cabin Republicans' national dinner - and preceding reception - will be held at Washington's Capitol Hill Club on Sept. 22. Other GOP politicians at the event will include Rep. Joseph Cao of Louisiana, Rep. Charles Djou of Hawaii, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida and Rep. Judy Biggert of Illinois.
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Aloha Update: Hawaii In the Final Running For Educational Funds
Many people around the nation labeled the Hawaii pick as a ”surprise pick,” which I am not too sure why. Our math and reading scores come in at a robust 48th and 49th in the nation. Maybe it is because the U.S. Department of Education has watched the Hawaii DOE waste money and make bad educational decisions time and time again.
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Teachers still have their furlough days
Today and Friday public school teachers will be on their first two furlough days of the 2010-11 school year, the teachers union said.
Although Furlough Fridays have been eliminated for public school students with all of their instructional days restored, most teachers still will have six furlough days, said Wil Okabe, president of the Hawaii State Teachers' Association. Those days would normally be teachers' planning/ preparation days with no students….
Okabe said the six furlough days applies to those teachers on a 10-month schedule. Those on 12-month schedules, which may include staff members such as student activities coordinators and registrars, will take 10 furlough days, he said.
(What a concept. Holding furlough days on non-instructional days. Of course this doesn’t make for much political drama does it HSTA/DoE/BoE???)
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SA: Fix immersion school testing
BUT THIS relaxation of the rules should only go so far. At some point students do need to develop competence with English-language examinations, a skill all will need as they move on to higher education or the workplace.
Helping to perpetuate native languages in this country is a worthy goal: The story of Hawaii, in which a nearly extinguished language has been rescued from the brink, shows how effectively immersion education fuels this success. But it shouldn't be forgotten that the fundamental purpose of schools is not to preserve a language—it's to educate children.
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Visitors to Hawaii up for seventh straight month
HONOLULU — Hawaii recorded its seventh consecutive increase in visitors in June, welcoming 625,522 last month, a 13.6 percent jump over June 2009, the Hawaii Tourism Authority reported Wednesday.
The June increase, coupled with higher average daily visitor spending, led to a 16.1 percent jump in total expenditures last month to $131.7 million.
For the first half of 2010, total expenditures climbed to $5.3 billion, a 7.8 percent increase compared with the first half of 2009.
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Judge delays Hawaii garbage shipments to Washington
A U.S. District Court judge today granted a temporary restraining order barring shipment of Honolulu garbage to a Washington landfill until at least Aug. 30.
Judge Edward Shea of the eastern district of Washington granted a request from the Yakama Nation and environmental groups who filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging the shipments.
Just like Hawaii’s eco-shake down artists, the mainland ecos wait until the last possible minute to sue, thus exerting the greatest possible pressure for a $ettlement.
ALSO: Nanakuli Park: Hannemann pounds Hanabusa in proxy fight between PVT Landfill and Waimanalo Gulch
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Koko Head Shooting teaches discipline, focus
It may not be everyone's idea of a family activity, but can 1,500 people be wrong? That was how many attended last month's Shooting Sports Fair at KHSC, learning about the different firearms via hands-on shooting opportunities.
"It's why we do the event, to let people find out if it's something they're interested in," said Harvey Gerwig II, president of the Hawaii Rifle Association. "If it's not their thing, that's OK. But many find out that they do enjoy it. It's a fun environment.
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Mililani Residents Vigorously Oppose Affordable Housing Complex: Hundreds Attend Neighborhood Board Meeting To Protest
“The infrastructure cannot handle the extra 800 to a 1,000 people they plan on adding to this neighborhood,” said Mililani resident Jay Walters.
“We’re too congested already. The traffic getting out of Mililani Mauka in the morning and getting back in the afternoon is just atrocious,” said Mililani resident Phil Hanson.
“The schools. In the middle school, there are 1,800 kids in a school built for 1,000,” said Walters.
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Kalihi Valley Homes Emergency Curfew Lifted
One person who was watching the meeting unfold was the head of the Mayor Wright Housing Project.
“We wrestle with a lot of things. There's gang fights with each other, or rival gangs,” said Fetu Kolio from the nearby Mayor Wright Housing Project.
Housing officials will begin holding public hearings across the state about the curfew concept. A special follow-up meeting with Kalihi Valley Home residents will be held in a month and a half .
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Jury to deliberate fate of accused spy
Jurors in the espionage trial of Noshir S. Gowadia were to begin deliberating this morning on the fate of the engineer who touts himself as the "father of the B-2 bomber," the premier U.S. warplane.
Gowadia, 66, is facing charges that he used classified U.S. defense information obtained in his decades of experience working for giant defense contractor Northrup Corp. (now Northrup Grumman Corp.), and as an independent contractor, to help the Chinese government develop a cruise missile capable of evading heat-seeking air-to-air missiles.
He is also facing charges that he sent classified B-2 information to the Swiss government and businesses in Israel and Germany, as well as money laundering and tax evasion.
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Hawaii one of “least lazy” states
Businessweek ranked states based on the amount of free time residents spend on physically inactive pursuits, such as sleeping, watching TV, thinking, socializing and surfing the Web. Laziest states after Louisiana are Mississippi, Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee. Most active states? North Dakota and Hawaii.
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