Will Obamacare kill HHSC?
Gov Lingle appoints Figuera and Kouchi to Senate
Small Modular Reactors: Creating Energy Independence for Hawaii
VIDEO: Rep. Djou hosting job fair with 40 employers Thursday
DoE high schoolers have nation’s highest suicide rate
According to the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey data, Hawaii's high school students had the highest self-reported prevalence of considering suicide and attempting suicide in the nation.
"It's something that's been consistent going back at least 10 years and in some ways, worsening over time," said Dan Galanis, epidemiologist with the Injury Prevention Program at the Department of Health.
(When will the HSTA/DoE/BoE be held accountable for its tops-in-the-nation suicide rate in the same fashion that Apple and the military have been attacked for their below-average suicide rates?????)
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Mufi promises to “discuss possibility of increasing GE Tax” Star-Advertiser lies about it
HONOLULU (AP) - Hawaii's Democratic candidates for governor are debating tax increases, with Neil Abercrombie opposing a hike in the general excise tax and Mufi Hannemann saying it would be off the table initially. Abercrombie said Tuesday he's against raising the tax paid on most transactions in the state. Hannemann said he wouldn't raise the tax at first, but he would later discuss the possibility of increasing it depending on the needs of the state.
SA headline a bald-faced lie: Abercrombie, Hannemann won't raise GET (What part of “will later discuss possibility of increasing it” does the Star-Advertiser not want you to understand?) The reason is obvious. SA Editors endorsed Hannemann, therefore they must suppress knowledge of Hannemann’s promise to “discuss…raising it” because that information will suppress Republican turnout for Hannemann. Hannemann cannot win without Republican crossover voters.
TOTALLY RELATED: HGEA sends out letter defending Hannemann pick “He articulated his vision for the future and pledged support to work with HGEA to address critical issues,” Perreira said, adding that Abercrombie at times didn’t respond to questions and “lacked specifics for how he felt Hawai‘i should move forward.” (In other words, Hannemann isn’t afraid to say he will raise the GE Tax.)
KITV more honest: Governor Hopefuls Asked About Excise Tax Hike: Abercrombie Says No; Hannemann Says Maybe Later
AS PREDICTED: How much GE Tax Hike did Hannemann, Schatz and Caldwell promise HGEA?
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Panicked desperate national Democrats, unions pour money into Hanabusa campaign
(But Djou’s local strength means he still leads in Cash on hand.)
Hanabusa's contributors include PACs of various labor groups such as the Air Line Pilots Association ($2,500), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (5,000), American Federation of Teachers ($5,000), and United Food and Commercial Workers International ($5,000).
Her Hawaii contributors include Alexander & Baldwin ($1,650) and Hawaii Medical Services Association Employee PAC ($2,000).
As Democrats seek to maintain their majority in the U.S. House in the midterm elections, Hanabusa also received several donations from national Democrats, including $1,000 from U.S. Sen. Dan Akaka's campaign; $2,000 from U.S. Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich.; $1,000 from U.S. Rep. Joe Baca, D-Calif.; $250 from U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash.; and $2,000 from the Victory Now PAC, chaired by U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who also is chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
The DCCC was largely criticized by local Democrats for getting involved in the May special election by backing Ed Case.
(BTW. Unlike last spring when all the campaign news could be found only in national publications, this article appeared in the Star-Advertiser. That is because the Hawaii Dems are able to finally claim something positive for Hanabusa. How long will it take for SA to follow the SB and HA into oblivion?)
WE: Sinking with Obama, Democrats plan political triage
UK Telegraph: Even America's liberal elites concede that Obama's Presidency is crumbling
REALITY: Poll: Djou leads by 8% margin
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CB: Aiona did build Hawaii drug Court system
While James "Duke" Aiona was not on the committee, he was a member of a smaller advisory group that was "organized from the larger interagency committee to articulate the details of the plan and its implementation,” according to a document provided by the Hawaii State Judiciary to Civil Beat. “Working with unified purpose, the advisory group developed new partnerships between criminal justice professionals, State officials, and treatment providers. This concurrence of the committee resulted in an extremely successful planning process."
Aiona was appointed a state Family Court judge in 1990. In 1996, he became the first judge in the Hawaii Drug Court Program. On his website, he says he "spearheaded the innovative Hawaii Drug Court Program, becoming its first administrative judge and primary architect."
Aiona retained his interest in the issue after he left the courts and became lieutenant governor. In January 2005, Aiona unveiled the “Hawaii Drug Control Plan."
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RNC chair Steele hopes to rally Hawaii Republicans with visit
It's part of his Delaware to Hawaii initiative, where he's planning to rally up republicans in each of the 50 states.
"We have paid a lot of attention to Hawaii and our territories because they're very part of this overall re-emergence of the party," Steele said.
It's been a bittersweet ride so far this political season for Hawaii Republicans. The Charles Djou special election congressional win being the high, and the low being the recent spat between gubernatorial candidate Duke Aiona and HRP chairman Jonah Kaauwai, who called Aiona the only righteous candidate in the race in a letter to some within the Christian community and saying a vote for democratic opponents Mufi Hannemann or Neil Abercrombie is "succumbing to fear and advancing unrighteousness."
Aiona quickly responded, calling Kaauwai's comments "divisive."
"The letter was sent out to specific and meant for specific people within the Christian community, it's taken its news cycle, it is what it is and we're moving forward," Kaauwai said.
Kaauwai even received national attention for his comments. MSNBC's Keith Olbermann named Kaauwai the world's worst person of the day on Wednesday.
But riding the wave, perhaps from the Djou election, Hawaii republicans have shown a renewed interest in their party.
"There's a new brand of all ages, all ethnicities, all cultures, coming together to stand up for these values that we hold true, it's just an exciting time for us," Lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Lynn Finnegan said.
A shining example comes from the record number of candidates that have nearly every election spot filled with a GOP candidate squaring off against a democrat.
WaPo: National party chairman Michael Steele hits trail for GOP in Hawaii (WaPo article is a good example of liberal media trying to defeat conservative ethnic diversity and maintain Democrats’ death grip on black and Hispanic voters. Know thy enemy. Read it.)
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SA Hypocrites: Stop using religion to divide (repeats Abercrombie Episcopal lie)
The chief proponents of the gay-atheist-eco religion cast themselves as neutral arbiters looking down upon those ignorant squabbling Christians. And they think we are so stupid we will not notice. And in the middle of it they come out with this AGAIN … “The former congressman has said he was confirmed as an Episcopalian, but that's beside the point.”
Episcopalians deserve a formal apology for this insult.
REALITY: Hawaii media suddenly converts Abercrombie to Episcopalian
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Abercrombie Slams Hannemann For Using Religion To Divide: In New Ad, Christians Urged to Vote Hannemann, Not Aiona
Garret Hashimoto, chairman of the Hawaii Christian Coalition, told KITV last week the Hannemann campaign has been warning church groups Republican gubernatorial front runner Aiona might not win so conservative Christians would be better off voting for Hannemann who as governor would be more in tune with their issues than Abercrombie….
State GOP Executive Director Dylan Nonaka called Island Values a phony front organization for Hannemann.
"This is not a real organization. I mean, it is political. Obviously, they are saying it is not orchestrated, but we can see through this. It not an honest way to campaign," said Nonaka.
Nonaka said the GOP is continuing to urge Hawaii Republicans to vote for Republicans in the primary election.
Republicans are concerned if conservative Christians vote Democrat in the Hawaii primary election, it will take away votes from Aiona as well as 13 contested Republican primaries, seven of which have more that three Republicans vying to win.
"We have got plenty of people who need support in the primary," said Nonaka.
ANALYSIS: Will wandering Republicans be Mufi’s hope or Hawaii’s salvation?
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Shapiro: Hannemann's tactics ungodly
Some digging by Associated Press reporter Herbert Sample raised serious questions about whether Island Values was as far removed from the Hannemann campaign as claimed.
The central figure was attorney Ken Wong, the deputy treasurer of Island Values who was also a member of the Hannemann campaign committee. (Wong's name disappeared from Hannemann's website after the story broke.)
The AP reported that Wong, named by GOP Chairman Jonah Kaauwai as Hannemann's point person in wooing conservative Christians, had donated $3,000 to the Hannemann campaign, appeared at events for Hannemann's rail project and sat on the board of Hannemann's Pacific Century Fellows. (The logic behind Jonah’s pre-emptive strike against Hannemann’s campaign is becoming clearer.)
Joel Criz, president of Island Values, told AP he was recruited by Wong, adding, "He's with the (Hannemann) campaign and maybe he's the person who's organizing the faith-based initiatives relative to the campaign."
Wong referred AP's questions to former state Rep. Dennis Arakaki, who voiced a radio ad for Island Values, but Arakaki also said Wong recruited him.
It's ironic for supporters of a political candidate to make claims of superior godliness with tactics that are anything but.
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SA Profiles Hannemann, leaves out arrest, MMLG
Now that its endorsement is in, the Star-Advertiser profile of Hannemann doesn’t cover his early days in the same way that the Star-Advertiser profile covered Abercrombie’s hippy days.
The article also starts with this absurdity: “Mufi Hannemann knows it would have been easier for him politically not to push Honolulu's $5.5 billion rail project.” Of course the rail project is the basis of everything Mufi is doing. But one could also say “it would have been easier for him politically” to just not run for Governor.
RELATED: Hannemann arrested for assaulting police officer
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Abercrombie: Vote early before you find out the truth about me
"We want to vote early because we're already in phase two of the negative campaign so the quicker people vote the less time they'll have to spend any time with that kind of thing going on" said Abercrombie.
"I'm proud to say that this is the cleanest campaign in the United States. When you see what's happening elsewhere, whether it's California, Maine, or New York or Alabama, this place is paradise, political paradise" said Inouye.
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Complete list of Consolidated polling stations
Concerns are growing over this month's voter turnout as state elections officials continue to spread the word that there will be 97 fewer polling places across the islands for this year's elections….
Purpose? To push for all mail-in elections. Why? Vote By Mail: “Tool of choice for voter fraud”
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Honolulu Magazine: Trains Kill Buses
Twenty years of urban rail expansion in Los Angeles has done nothing to improve traffic and a lot to strangle bus service….
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City: "Idiot" version for rail EIS is award-winning
The city declined talking on camera but in a written statement explained the idiot version meant putting the more than 600 pages of the final environmental impact statement on a DVD in a less technical manner.
"The term used to describe the DVD guide was in reference to the two popular book series, "Idiot's Guide To…" and "For Dummies." Its description was not meant in a derogatory manner," said Toru Hamayasu, City Department of Transportation Services Deputy Director.
Hamayasu also points out that the idiot's version of the EIS won multiple awards for finding "innovative and efficient ways to reach and inform the public."
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HHS regional director Schultz visits Hilo Medical Center and talks reform
Herb Schultz, Regional Director at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Region IX, briefed members of the medical community and others on the upcoming healthcare reform initiatives and answered questions at Hilo Medical Center Friday (Sept 3)….
A number of the changes for healthcare go into effect on September 23, 2010 are part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
KGI: Feds visit Kaua‘i to discuss health care reform
RELATED: Will Obamacare kill HHSC?
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AP: Hawaii brothers guilty of ill-treating Thai workers
In about 120 letters supporting the Sou brothers, community members praised their importance to Hawaii's agriculture industry, their ability to provide up to 200 jobs at a time and their character.
Former Democratic Governor Ben Cayetano called the Sou family's immigration from Laos and creation of a farm a "remarkable success story.'' Former Democratic Governor John Waihee commended the family's skill in transforming sugar fields into diversified farming.
"They wish they hadn't done this and they are sorry for getting involved,'' said lawyer Eric Seitz, who represents Mike Sou. "Nobody was tortured, nobody was abused, nobody was physically threatened in any manner."
AP: Kona man pleads not guilty in human-trafficking case
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NYT: Forced Labor
A conspiracy indictment was brought last week against a Los Angeles company, alleging forced labor on a chilling scale. Six contractors are accused of a scheme to hold 400 workers from Thailand in virtual slavery on farms in Hawaii and Washington State. The Justice Department says it is the largest human-trafficking case ever brought by the federal government. Just as disturbing is how familiar the accusations are. (And even more disturbing is the number of prominent “progressive” Hawaii politicians and activists stepping up to defend convicted slavers of Aloun Farms because Aloun is “organic.”)
AUDIO: Listen to Radio Australia's Interview with Special Agent Brandon Simpson of the Honolulu FBI on HUMAN TRAFFICKING in HAWAII
Radio Australia: Hawaii migrant workers caught in human trafficking ring (interview with Melissa Vincenty, immigration lawyer representing 56 Thai labourers in Hawaii)
KFGO: ND man surrenders in traffiicking ring
RELATED: http://www.traffickjamming.org/
REALITY:
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The Nation: Federal Indictments in Human Trafficking Scheme
In May, The Investigative Fund's John Bowe dug into the world of legal human trafficking by companies feeding workers into this country's H-2A guest worker program. Now the target of that probe is under federal indictment.
Here is a little slice of what Bowe found: Green hypocrites: Case & Omidyar’s Maui Land & Pine tied to human trafficking case
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Lingle fills vacant senate seats
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Governor Linda Lingle made two appointments Tuesday to fill vacancies created by state senators running for higher office. Laura Figueira has been named to fill the vacant Oahu North Shore seat left by Robert Bunda. Ronald Kouchi was tapped to replace Gary Hooser's Kauai senate seat. Both Bunda and Hooser resigned to seek the lieutenant governor's office.
Figueira worked for Bunda for 14 years, including a six years as his chief of staff. She was a former aide to Cec Heftel when he was a US representative and is also active in several community organizations.
Kouchi served for 22 years on the Kauai County Council, including 12 years as the chair. He has worked for the Kauai Chamber of Commerce and also with the Kauai Visitors Bureau, and has served in other public and private sector roles on Kauai.
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Education Week provides the arguments HSTA will be using to neuter RTTT even more
(Know thy enemy, read his battle plan….)
a. The nation's leading civil-rights groups issued a statement in opposition to the Obama-Duncan vision of school reform…
b. The Los Angeles Times began a series of articles based on the value-added test scores of 6,000 elementary school teachers, which its reporters obtained from the Los Angeles school district….
c. The Economic Policy Institute released a paper co-authored by many of the nation's leading testing experts explaining why value-added test scores should not be a major factor in evaluating teachers….
d. Secretary Duncan's Race to the Top identified the second round of winners of the government's billions intended to reform schools by promoting more private management of public schools and more reliance on student test scores to evaluate teachers….
e. Renaissance 2010 may well be the template for Race to the Top and the Obama Blueprint. Catalyst summarizes the results: 100 new schools featuring "shaky budgets," "high teacher turnover," and "mediocre
test scores."
f. A recent Phi Delta Kappa-Gallup poll reported that public support for the Obama education agenda has dropped from 45 percent to 34 percent.
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Honolulu inflation rises 2.5%: Gas and electricity increases are cited for the jump from the first half of 2009
Honolulu's inflation rate accelerated during the first six months of this year, fueled in large part by rising gasoline prices and electricity rates, according to a recent government report.
(And Mufi just promised to raise them even more.)
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Hawaiian Airlines' traffic jumps 5.5%
Hawaiian Airlines Inc., a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings Inc., carried 787,854 passengers in August, an increase of 5.5 percent, according to a statement released Tuesday.
(That trick they pulled—getting rid of Aloha and suckering nearly everyone into believing Go! did it—sure has paid off.)
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Lehman Estate Files to Foreclose on Ritz Kapalua
The estate of bankrupt securities firm Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. has filed court papers to foreclose on Hawaii's Ritz-Carlton Kapalua resort, continuing the carnage in that state's hotel sector.
The luxury resort, which has two golf courses, has been owned since 2006 by a venture of Gencom Group and Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s Whitehall Street Global Real Estate LP. The venture has been in default on its $255 million mortgage for more than a year partly because of its ill-fated strategy to convert 107 units into condominiums….
However, like many developers that pursued projects that mixed condos and hotels, Gencom had difficulty selling the condominiums. Also, the hotel struggled along with other Hawaiian venues from the islands' lull in tourism. Only 34 of the project's 107 condos have been sold, according to people familiar with the matter. By the time the Lehman loan came due in 2009, the borrowers couldn't refinance or pay it, resulting in default.
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Rush Limbaugh, The Haney Project and Hawaii
Now, the first day I'm with Haney in Hawaii is last Tuesday, a week ago today. We're at the lower course of the Four Seasons on the Big Island….
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Old Farmer's Almanac: Global cooling to continue
The "Old Farmer's Almanac" also is forecasting a weak La Nina — a climate phenomenon marked by an unusual cooling of the sea surface in the tropical Pacific Ocean.
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More Candidate Profiles: Meet your Kauai County Council candidates