September 23, 2010 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Thursday, September 23, 2010

September 23, 2010 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 2:21 PM :: 10272 Views

Gubernatorial Debates? Abercrombie says “It’s not my job”

Shapiro tells Hawaii media how to spin debate story

Nov 2: Focus on kids--abolish the current BoE

Aiona/Finnegan campaign releases transportation and health plans

VIDEO: New RGA ad highlights Aiona’s education plan

CNBC VIDEO: Djou on Summers’ resignation, House GOP policy agenda

Full Text: House Republican Caucus "Pledge to America"

Fred Rohlfing’s Island Son Presents an Alternative View of Hawaii Politics

Woodward: Obama at odds with military commanders

Aiona: No new taxes

WHT: "You're not going to get a tax increase from our administration," Aiona said, who touts himself as a fiscal conservative. "We will spend within our means to make government more efficient and we will make the adjustments we need to make without raising taxes."

Aiona also questioned how Democratic gubernatorial candidate Neil Abercrombie will pay for his "New Day in Hawaii" plan that calls for the creation of additional state departments, agencies and programs and services without raising the General Excise Tax.

"Does he know what these things cost? Where is he going to get the money from?" Aiona asked. "Small-business owners know if you want to increase programs or expand it takes extra revenue or a lot of cutting."…

On the topic of civil unions, Aiona said the issue should be decided by voters, not by Legislature and the governor, he said.

"I will submit a constitutional bill that will say 'marriage is defined between a man and a woman,'" Aiona said. "And the people will vote."

(West Hawaii Today is one of the very few media outlets in Hawaii not owned by Dan H. Case or Pierre Omidyar.)

Aiona pushes 4-day week for the state

Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona, the Republican candidate for governor, said yesterday that he would pursue a four-day, 40-hour workweek for as many state workers as possible to help reduce energy costs and relieve traffic congestion.

HNN: Aiona transportation plan calls for four-day state work week

CB: Duke Calls for 'Aloha Thursday' for State Employees

AP: Aiona Unveils Transportation, Health Plans

HFP: Aiona/Finnegan campaign releases transportation and health plans

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KHON: Aiona: Abercrombie ducking debate challenge

The Duke Aiona campaign says democratic candidate for governor Neil Abercrombie is ducking challenges from his republican opponent to appear in six debates before November’s general election.

(KHON is one of the very few media outlets in Hawaii not owned by Dan H. Case or Pierre Omidyar.)

Media begins negotiating debate format

Aiona, the Republican candidate, said on Sunday that he would still debate Abercrombie even if the former congressman rejects his specific outline. But he has made clear that he does not like the debate format adopted by Hawaii News Now in the primary, which included a live audience divided with partisans who at times were boisterous.

Other critics have questioned the breezy “lightning round” portion of the Hawaii News Now debate — where candidates were asked about the state song, the state flower and the state fish — as lacking in seriousness.

(This is good, Since Abercrombie is obviously too enlightened, conscious, and progressive, godlike even—he is just too important lower himself to discuss debates, so the media is doing the negotiating for him.)

Ian Lind echoes Shapiro on how to spin Aiona’s Debate challenge

Duke Aiona’s “challenge” calling for a series of debates with Democratic opponent Neil Abercrombie? Lame. Neil has been running a good campaign, he’s got momentum and visibility for his message. Why would he stop (or is that stoop, Ian?) in order to provide Aiona the visibility that comes with this kind of debate? If Duke feels like he lacks public recognition, could it be that he hasn’t done much of anything for the past eight years?

(What has Abercrombie done? … Neil Abercrombie 2009: A year of corruption)

Message: “We are enlightened, conscious, and progressive. We are smarter than you are. We do not need to dirty ourselves by speaking to the likes of you. We will rule over you as is our destiny. We are gods.”

Boylan: “It’s the most chaotic election we’ve ever had.”

Boylan spoke to CJR assistant editor Joel Meares earlier in the month about island politics, the local media, and today’s Hawaiian primaries, the last in the country before the midterms. This is an edited transcript of that conversation.

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Case: Don’t underestimate Aiona, Abercrombie got 15% GOP crossovers

I’ve always felt that people underestimated Aiona. Personally, I like Aiona, and I’ve worked well with him. I think he’s a very good up-close-and-personal politician. When I was out on the trail, I saw Aiona at far more of the Hawaii versions of the “rubber chicken” events than any other politician. That adds up over time. I don’t think he should be discounted….

The single biggest thing that was different was that only 15 percent of the votes were on the GOP side this time, compared to 30 percent in 2002. It’s glaring that people who were inclined to vote GOP in 2002 stayed over there to get Lingle through the primary. But in this race, they moved over. I think it is also pretty clear that Abercrombie got most of those votes.

Adrienne King endorses Aiona/Finnegan ticket

Please support the Aiona/Finnegan Republican ticket for Governor/Lt. Governor. I salute Lynn for her impressive campaign and her well deserved victory. There are also many great, new Republican candidates running for the State House and Senate and for the federal races as well. Please give them a good look and vote for the ones in your district. The Republican House and Senate candidates will be talking about their unified legislative plan for Hawaii’s future in the weeks ahead leading up to the general election. We’ll publish it on my website this coming week. We plan on keeping the website active through the general election. Feel free to comment and contact me via e-mail at adrienne@adriennesking.com or on Facebook.

Carlisle to bring ex-aide to City Hall: The mayor-elect says he will nominate his prosecutor's office deputy as managing director

Chin told Council members, "I'm not coming over here as a prosecutor. (He should be.) I'm coming over here because I really want to be at your service. I really look forward to being able to get to know you and I hope I'm able to earn your trust."

Political analyst Neal Milner said Carlisle's selection of Chin seemed to be about picking someone he could trust.

CB: Mazie Hirono Against John Who? In 2nd Congressional District

In the 2nd district, incumbent Mazie Hirono, a former lieutenant governor, will face off against a first-time candidate and surprise winner of the primary, John Willoughby.

Willoughby, the Tea Party favorite in the Republican primary, surprised the more well known Ramsay Wharton and pulled out a 212-vote victory.

SA: Protect Hawaii health care law from Obamacare

The tax credit is intended as an incentive for small businesses to provide insurance to their employees, since the new federal law will not require it of any company. Unlike most other states, Hawaii does require all businesses to provide health insurance, so the tax credit essentially is an economic stimulus for, by White House estimates, 18,600 small businesses in the islands….

Questions remain about a clause of Hawaii's Prepaid Health Care Act stating that the law "shall terminate ... upon the effective date of federal legislation" for mandatory prepaid health care.

State Attorney General Mark Bennett has said he can foresee a legal challenge to Hawaii's law "only once the requirements of the national health care plan take effect and start to affect island residents."

That mandate, requiring all citizens to have health insurance, will take effect in 2014.

Hawaii collects more than $100M in back taxes

Under a partnership with CGI Technologies and Solutions Inc., the Department of Taxation applied computerized tracking technology to identify companies and individuals that failed to file some or all of their required tax returns. The state announced Wednesday that more than $100 million in delinquent taxes has been collected.

By the end of the contract period, which runs through June 30, the state estimates it will collect more than $120 million in back taxes.

(Sure is good thing the HGEA’s attempt to shut this contract down failed, huh? Otherwise there’s be lots of HGEA workers unemployed.)

KITV: Hawaii Collects More Than $100M In Back Taxes

TIME: Paradise Paradox: Why Life in Hawaii Leads to Early Death

Most of us think of Hawaii as the perfect escape from our stressed out and fast-paced lives. Island life, after all, seems so idyllic and relaxing.

But appearances may be deceiving.

Hawaii Gains Maximum Welfare Funding

The state will receive about $60 million more for the expansion.

Approximately 22,000 additional residents will now qualify for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps….

There are currently more than 145,000 residents in Hawaii who qualify for SNAP, state officials said.

CBS News plugs Hawaii 5-0 coast to coast

When Steve Baskerville cheerfully delivered the weather forecast for Honolulu during WBBM-Channel 2’s 5 p.m. newscast Monday, he wasn’t just shilling for the premiere of “Hawaii Five-O” that night. He was taking part in a well-coordinated plan to prostitute the newscasts of CBS-owned stations nationwide….

From New York to Los Angeles, CBS stations transformed their local newscasts into shameless infomercials for the prime-time drama series. News anchors at KCBS-TV in L.A. even wore leis on the air, according to a published report….

NLRB rejects complaints against Times

The National Labor Relations Board recently rejected all complaints and appeals by the Hawaii Teamsters against Times Super Market, capping off a bitter, three-year dispute between the labor union and the Hawaii grocery store chain.

RELATED? Friends of Duke

NCQA: Kaiser Permanente is Hawaii's highest-rated health plan

Kaiser Permanente Hawaii is No. 47 on the NCQA’s list of 227 private health insurance plans from across the nation. Hawaii Medical Service Association, also accredited by the NCQA, ranked No. 108…. The National Committee for Quality Assurance evaluated the health plans based on member satisfaction, clinical performance and accreditation …

Hawaiian Telcom passes last regulatory hurdle to exit bankruptcy

Hawaiian Telcom has passed its final regulatory hurdle in emerging from bankruptcy, with the Public Utility Commission’s approval Wednesday of the company’s reorganization plan.

Tech-firm CEO charged with girl's sexual assault

The chief executive officer of a local high-tech company faces charges of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl and is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

William Eugene Clisham, 75, of Waikele was charged with seven counts of first-degree sex assault and 12 counts of third-degree sex assault. He made an initial appearance in Honolulu District Court yesterday and was being held in lieu of $500,000 bail. A court spokesman did not know whether Clisham posted bail.

Lanai Solar Farm Says Mahalo For Upgrade

You think Hawaii, you think sunshine. But the skies over the islands are actually quite variable, and that can present problems for a solar operation. Now Xtreme Power says it’s helping a Lanai developer overcome the cloud challenge with technology that smooths and controls energy output, allowing Hawaii’s largest solar photovoltaic energy farm to reach its design capacity of 1.2 megawatts.

Key word: “Says” Xtreme Power: A Pig-in-a-poke For Hawaii Wind Farm

Council passes fireworks limits

Snobs win one. Will Caldwell sign it?

Council Passes Relief In Property Tax Mix-Up

Acting Mayor Kirk Caldwell has said he supports getting the refunds out as soon as possible. If he approves the proposal, the 247 homeowners will get a refund in the form of a check or a tax credit.

It could take several months to process the refunds. Homeowners may not see their refunds until January.

Kauai: Green vigilantes scour island

LIHU‘E — Concerned Kaua‘i residents are keeping tabs on possible environmental violations that could threaten the island’s fragile ecosystem.

Community members over the past week have reported abandoned fishing nets in Anahola, dead shearwaters on a beach in Ha‘ena and the chopping of old monkeypod trees in Kekaha.

Enriques breaks silence to media

Behind Enriques’ opponent stands Bob Jacobson and convicted drug dealer Ralph Palikapu Dedman whose mis-named Kau Preservation Inc received $20k from Jacobson leading to his ouster in 2008 elections.

REALITY: Revolution: New voters back Enriques