October 21, 2010 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Thursday, October 21, 2010

October 21, 2010 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 3:21 PM :: 13057 Views

Early Voting open TODAY: Find your polling place

Aiona: “My opponent has not said whether he will cut programs, raise taxes, or fail to deliver”

Ed Case: Appointed BoE “our most important vote”

FreedomWorks endorses Cam Cavasso for Senate

Hawaii Family Forum compares candidates for General Election

Hawaii Republican endorsements for County races, initiatives

NRO: GOP congressman Charles Djou hangs on in Hawaii

CD2 candidate Willoughby signs Death Tax repeal pledge

Debate: Hanabusa promises massive tax increase

Kauai Debate: Cut programs, raise taxes, or fail?

Memo to Obama: Calling voters stupid is not a winning strategy

At an April 2008 fund-raiser in San Francisco, Barack Obama let loose with his famous "they cling to guns or religion" line. Last Saturday at a West Newton, Mass., fund-raiser, the president said, "facts and science and argument [do] not seem to be winning . . . because we're hard-wired not to always think clearly when we're scared."

Memo to White House: Calling voters stupid is not a winning strategy.

Inflammatory religious video is disseminated by the Abercrombie camp

Aiona, during a news conference at his campaign headquarters, said yesterday the Abercrombie campaign is "spreading what I would call unconscionable, fabricated video attacking me and my personal faith.

"This politically motivated attack video takes quotes out of context, it splices videos together, and it manufactures patently false statements as they relate to a faith-based organization."

Abercrombie(‘s campaign), asked about his faith after the Island Values ads, said he was a confirmed (as an) Episcopalian (about 60 years ago). (Star-Advertiser still lying about this.)

Laurie Au, a spokeswoman for the Abercrombie campaign, acknowledged that the video targeting Aiona was "re-broadcasted by members of the Abercrombie campaign."

"Voters have been expressing concern that Duke Aiona is mixing religion with politics in a way that may not be appropriate in Hawaii today," she said in a statement. "Our social media team, by sharing this information, did not engage in negative campaigning.

AP: Aiona accuses rival of sharing deceptive video about religion

KITV: Aiona Decries 'Dirty Politics' In Social Networks: Abercrombie Defends Sharing Disputed Video

HNN: Aiona & Abercrombie accuse each other of negative campaigning

CB: Aiona Says He's Victim of "Despicable Attacks"

Progressives stroke themselves: Aiona can’t rise and shine while he’s ducking and running

WHT retracts lie about HD6 GOP Candidate Becky Leau

Candidate did vote: A letter from County Clerk Kenneth Goodenow Wednesday to Republican District 6 candidate Becky Leau certifies that Leau did vote in the 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008 General Elections, contradicting information provided to West Hawaii Today by Democratic Party sources that was printed in an article in Wednesday's newspaper. Goodenow said Wednesday such voter registration information is not typically available to members of the general public.

(Of course Democrat Reed Flickinger’s so-called “news” paper put the lie “Leau didn’t vote” on the front page and the retraction is buried. Propaganda operations by WHT have been integral to the Democrat takeover of Republican heavy West Hawaii.)

WHT LIES: Representative values “Moderator Sherry Bracken asked Leau to address questions about Leau's voting record. Leau said she registered to vote in Hawaii County in 2001, when she returned to the island, and voted in each General Election since. But voting records, which are a public record in Hawaii, provided to West Hawaii Today showed Leau had not cast a ballot in any election since registering in 2001.” (So was WHT given forged documents by the Coffman campaign—a crime? OR is WHT just lying? The County Clerk is the ONLY possible source of such records.)

PDF: Letter from Hawaii County Clerk

While most Democrats duck and cover, Abercrombie, Hanabusa embrace the Obama disaster

Dylan Nonaka, the executive director of the state GOP, said the decisions by Abercrombie and Hanabusa to turn to Obama show they are out of step.

"It shows how out of touch Abercrombie and Hanabusa are," he said. "When every Democrat in the United States is running away from him, they are the only ones who are embracing his failed agenda."

Is Obama taking control of Hawaii Democratic machine from Inouye?

Shapiro: One top Democrat told me he didn’t believe a poll showing Abercrombie and Republican Duke Aiona in a dead heat because the poll had Obama’s local approval at barely 50 percent, which he thought was too low and demonstrated a Republican tilt to the survey.

My gut feeling is that while Obama’s local approval has dropped from the 71.5 percent of the vote the got against McCain here in 2008, it’s probably still high enough to be a net plus for the Democrats.

Can the same be said for Democratic candidates supported by our senior U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye?

Schatz may make a run for governor in 2018

One more reason to stop him now.

Gov., lt. gov. candidates debate on Kaua‘i

Aiona said in 2002 Forbes Magazine said opening a business in Hawai‘i was suicide. Since then the administration has made it easier for businesses, reducing fees. He said there’s still a need to reduce financial burden on Hawai‘i’s businesses.

Puna race is like no other

Fred Blas, who turned 63 this month, is a 5-foot-4 bundle of energy with a salt-and-pepper mustache and snow-white hair. He has distinguished himself as a force for good in the community, bringing with him a can-do spirit, and he hopes to do the same on the council.

Calvin Say’s CRG group sending out mailers in legislative races

As of September 18, the group reported raising $88,247.99 during this election cycle, spending $37,570.99, and ending up with $169,185.96 in the bank.

It’s last major fundraiser was in March 2009, when it took in $69,250 in amounts of $100 or more. The contributors list is heavy on lobbyists, lawyers, and PACs.

(This is how Say keeps himself in the Speaker’s chair. He spends on loyal legislators.)

Only charters gain students

Currently, the school system alots $3,641.62 per student per year, down considerably from last year. During the 2009-'10 school year, each student garnered $4,810.37 for his or her school, but budget cuts paired with a change in the accounting system have cut that 25 percent.

(The DoE takes in over $12,000 per student. Where does the rest go?)

Unions: Education's Kryptonite?

By now, many education reporters and experts have had the chance to see "Waiting for 'Superman'" and weigh in on it. The general consensus, reflected by the likes of The Washington Post's Valerie Strauss and well-known education critic Diane Ravitch is that it unfairly represents all public schools as bad and places undue emphasis on charter schools as the only alternative. (Clue: The elite’s ‘consensus’ is usually the opposite of the truth.)

The movie opens in Honolulu Friday, but several members of the Civil Beat team had the opportunity to attend a screening and panel discussion Tuesday night, sponsored by the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation. The grant-making foundation packed one of the screening rooms in Kahala Theatre with people and popcorn.

Drunk Driver Rep Riki Karimatsu hired by new Honolulu Prosecutor

In October 2007, Karamatsu plead no contest to drunken driving when he crashed his car on Moanalua Freeway and his blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.

He was sentenced to community service but avoided the two days in jail that prosecutors had recommended.

(Another recycled Democrat hack gets his sinecure so he can be positioned to lord it over you again in the future.)

Fired Deputy City Prosecutor hired by State Attorney general

BY JIM DOOLEY - Former Honolulu City Deputy Prosecutor Kevin Takata, ousted when new Prosecuting Attorney Keith Kaneshiro took office this month, was not out of work for long.

Takata is now a state deputy Attorney General responsible for prosecuting Internet crimes, cold case homicides and the pending manslaughter case against car dealer James Pflueger.

Teens pressure candidates for No. 2

Roosevelt High School senior Mark Aoki asked Finnegan and Schatz how they would ensure that he would be able to find a job and buy a home in Hawaii.

Finnegan, running mate of Republican James "Duke" Aiona, and Schatz, Democrat Neil Abercrombie's running mate, said they plan to focus on such areas clean energy, ocean and marine science, diversified agriculture and higher education to provide job opportunities.

Finnegan added that there is a need to improve the state's business climate by not raising taxes. "You don't do that by creating regulations that make it difficult for businesses," she said.

Web of Lies in Neighborhood Dispute

What do City Council candidate Rich Turbin and supermodel Kathy Ireland have in common? The same group of Oahu residents claims they’re both breaking the law. And that’s just the beginning.

It's a dispute that began long before Rich Turbin announced he wanted to represent District 4. But with something to lose – an election in less than two weeks – Turbin says it's time to set the record straight. That's what his naysayers say they want, too.

Neighborhood activists on Oahu insist they have proof that Turbin rents his Kahala and Haleiwa properties illegally, and Turbin is so upset by their claims that he's filed a police report. He says they're attempting to ruin his reputation and keep him out of office.

The police say there's nothing to investigate.

read more

College Hill has a vacancy: UH president Greenwood won't live in the home

Greenwood said the university is gearing up for a "substantial" fundraising campaign. No fundraising goals have been set yet. (Read those two sentences again slowly)

"You need to invite donors to come and discuss different things," she said. "There is no really first-rate venue on the Manoa campus. If you've ever visited Bachman Hall, it's probably not the place where you want to take your top-rated donors." (In other words, this is a great way to make sure donors don’t find out….)

The renovation's initial price tag was about $272,000. But termite damage discovered later added $100,000 to the cost. Wood flooring in the dining room and living room had to be replaced, and the lanai floor needed shoring up.

In 2001, College Hill underwent extensive renovations, which cost about $1 million. (Also for termites. It turns out that College Hill is actually a gigantic termite mound.)

University officials said making the home compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act would mean more costs. Instead, the university will restrict events to the building's first floor.

Mixed grade given for Hawaii's treatment of women in prison

However, the report by the National Women's Law Center and the Rebecca Project for Human Rights, gave Hawaii correctional system an "A" for having family-based treatment center as well as family-based treatment program as an alternative to prison.

(So obviously we need to bring them back and deliver them into the tender mercies of the UPW.)

Kahoolawe two decades after the last bombs

ANAKANAIA » The open wounds are visible several miles from the island -- strips of red earth cut by explosives, grazing animals, wind and rain, bleeding an estimated 2 millions tons of soil a year into the ocean.

55% off Groupon floods Honolulu restaurant with 800 new customers

There's no limit on the number of coupons sold in a day. By 8 p.m. Wednesday, 808 coupons had been purchased for the restaurant. Customers had only 24 hours to buy them until 12:00 a.m. Thursday.

Soul is bracing for an onslaught of customers Thursday. It’s bringing in extra staff and managers have stocked up on food inventory so they'll be ready for what they hope will be a busy day.

State's retail vacancy rate rose to 5.2% in third quarter

Hawaii's economy may be slowly improving, but the retail industry appeared to have a rough third quarter in terms of how much store space statewide was leased or vacated.

Hawaii's auto industry is facing an uphill battle

It's make or break-even in the Hawaii auto industry. The Hawaii Auto Outlook says as expected this year, the new car market is struggling to equal relatively strong sales last year. Registrations have declined 1% in the Third Quarter of this year. With overall car sales expected to level out at just under 35,000.

"Projecting 37,000 next year so 3 years in a row below 40,000 and that's pretty tough," said Dave Rolf of the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association.

HELLCO hikes rates on Maui, Hawaii

The rate for Maui has been reset at 29.29 cents per kilowatt-hour, up from 26.52 cents, and the Big Island’s rate has gone from 32.83 to 33.74 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Feds seek input on burial plan process

KAPA‘A — A 20-minute PowerPoint presentation evolved into a three-hour talk about a federal law designed to protect and preserve burial sites and other important cultural resources.

Roughly 20 ~~community members~~ professional activists gathered Tuesday night at the Kapa‘a Neighborhood Center to begin discussions on updating provisions of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990, where protocol, notification and final-dispensation are concerned.