Rail: Leading Environmentalists Push Back Against Sierra Club, Endorse Cayetano
Lingle Urges Supporters to Vote in Republican Primary
Djou: Our Polls Show us Ahead
Veterans in Politics Endorses Ed Case
Abercrombie Video Touts DoE, Financial 'Success'
Life Expectancy: Move to Hawaii if you want to live longer
New Name for The Gas Company
235,000 Hawaii Juror Questionnaires to be Mailed Out
'Pay to play' remains a reality in isle politics, corrupting all involved
Tad Ono, SA: "Pay-to-play" is getting a lot of attention during this election year, with charges of "smears" and "lies" hurled between opposing camps.
But this shouldn't be dismissed as a political attack by one group against another. Pay-to-play is real and has been part of Hawaii's political culture for decades.
I know because I am a retired engineer who managed the Hawaii businesses of two different engineering companies. I hope my speaking out will in some way give voice to my fellow engineers who have been robbed of their dignity, integrity and honor.
I retired in May of 2010 and witnessed favoritism in the A&E selection process on numerous occasions, practiced by previous administrations in both the state and city governments. Few bothered to challenge the awarding of contracts to those who "paid to play" because speaking out would guarantee no future work on government projects.
In 2002, the Legislature passed a bill to ban direct political contributions from government contractors and corporations to county and state elected officials who issue contracts. It was vetoed, even though supporters said it was the most significant campaign finance reform bill in decades. Then-Gov. Ben Cayetano said he vetoed the bill — which was supported by Watada and the attorney general — because legislators were exempt from the ban. Legislative leaders said the reason for the exemption was because the legislators are considered part-time and have no role in selecting contractors. The ban would have been a good first step, but the veto stopped any chance to weaken the pay-to-play culture.
A year later, after a change in state leadership (Lingle elected), there was a strong cry for reform of the state procurement system because there was widespread abuse in the preceding administration. I worked with a colleague on the steering committee of business professionals in making this reform happen. One of the most significant changes made in the law was to remove elected and appointed officials from the selection process. The reason is obvious. It was widely believed that elected and appointed officials abused the system, and gave contracts to those who contributed to their political campaigns.
Related: Pay to Play: Will Cayetano Retaliate Against Hirono?
Shapiro: Throwing mud at Cayetano is a failing tactic for rail hui
read … 'Pay to play' remains a reality in isle politics, corrupting all involved
Hawaii Co. Audit Reveals Nago’s “Overreaction to Minor Problems”
AP: An audit of Hawaii County's registered voter rolls found four people voted twice in 2010 elections and between 50 and 60 people were registered more than once, County Clerk Jamae Kawauchi said Tuesday.
Kawauchi says her office found no sign of systemic problems. She says a clerical error may be at fault, but she reported the four voters who cast ballots twice to the state attorney general's office during a meeting last week.
She said it's not up to her whether there will be an investigation into the matter, and declined to comment further.
read … Nago’s smoke dissipates to reveal a big fat nothing
33% of Voters Will Have new Polling Place
SA: About 1 out of 3 registered voters in Hawaii has a new polling place because of new district boundaries drawn up by the reapportionment process, according to the state Office of Elections.
Registered voters by now should have received by mail a yellow voter registration card giving them the address of their voting site, the elections office said. Voters who signed up for permanent absentee status were given their voting site, but instead received their ballot by mail.
About 2,900 registered voters on Oahu and Hawaii Island in small "pocket precincts" have no polling place and must vote by mail or at early walk-in sites, as a result of a new state law intended to reduce operating costs of the state Office of Elections.
Those voters should have received their absentee ballots by mail, the elections office said.
Elections spokesman Rex Quidilla said that so far he has received no complaints from the 2,900 voters who don't have a polling place on election day.
read … 2,900
Lingle Campaign Pushes Back Against UHPA Attack
PR: UHPA’s advertising expenditure to advocate for a candidate is nothing new. What is surprising is that the union leadership chose to skip the election at hand, and focus their attack on their candidate’s opponent in the General Election. It is also interesting the UHPA leaders would create a negative message that clearly is based on subjective opinion and is not representative of the entire memberships’ opinions.
read … `Subjective opinion’
Lingle to Co-Chair ‘Jewish Americans for Romney’ Coalition
H: Romney said in a statement released on Tuesday, "The Jewish community has made contributions to American society that stand in amazing disproportion to its numbers, and I am genuinely honored to have so many of its leading thinkers, diplomats, and political leaders support my campaign."
The coalition is co-chaired by the Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, former Hawaii Jewish Governor Linda Lingle, former Senators Norm Coleman and Rudy Boschwitz, and Adam Hasner, a Florida congressional candidate.
The group's advisory board of 39 included top advisers to his campaign who have served in previous Republican administrations, among them Tevi Troy, Dov Zakheim and Den Senor.
Romney also referred to his recent visit to Israel in his statement, saying that, "Having just visited Israel at a critical juncture in the history of the Middle East, Iam persuaded that now, more than ever, America needs to stand with Israel. I will extend the hand of friendship because our partnership is not merely a strategic alliance but a force for good in the world."
The House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, co-chair of the coalition, urged all U.S. Jews, "Democrat, Republican, and independent alike, to give a serious look at Mitt Romney's candidacy."
Romney, he said, has been "an unwavering supporter of the state of Israel," who will "leave no stone unturned in the effort to keep Israel secure.”
read … Lingle connections will deliver for Hawaii
Useless and Insignificant: Hirono, Hanabusa Ignored as House Blocks Massive Tax Increase
TH: The House approved GOP legislation late Wednesday that would extend all current tax rates for another year, and also turned away a Democratic bill that would have allowed rates to rise for higher income earners.
The Job Protection and Recession Prevention Act was approved in a 256-171 vote that saw 19 Democrats vote with Republicans, highlighting division in the Democratic party over taxes. Only one Republican, Rep. Tim Johnson (Ill.), voted no….
read … House votes 256-171 to extend all Bush-era individual tax rates
Lingle camp raises $170,000 in 3 weeks
SA: Former Gov. Linda Lingle raised more than $171,950 during the first three weeks of July in her Republican campaign for U.S. Senate, bringing her total to $4.4 million overall.
Lingle, who has made a considerable investment to help drive GOP turnout in the August primary, reported $2 million in cash on hand….
read … Lingle camp raises $170,000 in 3 weeks
Trailing Gabbard, Hannemann Gives Campaign $150K
CB: Mufi Hannemann contributed $150,000 of his own money to make up a fundraising gap against Tulsi Gabbard with just weeks left in the Democratic primary likely to determine the newest member of Hawaii's congressional delegation.
Hannemann made the cash infusion July 24, according to a filing with the Federal Election Commission last week.
New filings submitted by both candidates show how much they pulled in and spent during the first three weeks of July, revealing Gabbard had a $120,000 cash-on-hand advantage before Hannemann dumped his own money into the race.
read … $150K
Sierra Club Spending On Wooley Mailers
CB: Most interesting so far in the filings is that the Sierra Club Hawaii PAC spent more than $8,000 on mailers to support State Rep. Jessica Wooley, a dissident, in her House District 48 Democratic primary matchup against Pono Chong, a top ally of Speaker Calvin Say’s. The PAC also spent almost $2,000 to promote Big Island hopeful Nicole Lowen, one of four Democrats vying for the District 6 seat.
The PAC raised nearly $17,000 between Jan. 1 and July 27 almost entirely from just six donors. The largest three were Hawaiian Island Solar ($5,390), Judith Flanders ($5,000) and Blue Planet Software ($3,000). The most an individual or organization can donate directly to a candidate for the Hawaii House is $2,000.
Meantime, Hawaii Solutions, created by two GOP leaders here, filed its report Monday. Former Republican Party Executive Director Dylan Nonaka was identified early on as strategy director, and former party chairman Sam Aiona is listed as chairman.
The Hawaii Solutions website says it “seeks to bring common sense to Hawaii’s political system by educating and motivating its citizens towards participation in the election process.”
The group raised $15,600 between Jan. 1 and July 27 and spent $5,600 in that time. Large donors included Chicago’s Tippy Wicker ($4,000), PVT Landfill President Alan Shigemura ($3,000) and Waianae Arcade owner Jake Kanemoto ($2,000). The largest expenditure was $1,400 for four weeks of radio advertising on KNDI….
Related: Henkin: Rumors of Hee-Wooley Affair “Scurrilous”
read … PAC Spending
HART: Piddling 840 Local Rail Jobs Created
HNN: In April there were 528 rail jobs created. Grabauskas says right now there are 1,400 people working on the rail transit. That includes city employees and all contractors. Of them HART estimates 60 percent are local and 40 percent are jobs are out of state. (1400 x 0.6 = 840 local jobs) When peak construction begins in about 18 to 24 months 4,000 people will directly be working on rail.
Related: Rail Jobs? Honolulu Construction Employment Down 6%
read … Remember they promised 10,000 local jobs?
Report: Move fewer Marines to Guam, but get it done now
MT: The Navy should deploy more amphibious ships and submarines to the Asia-Pacific theater, and the Marine Corps should rethink its plan to move 4,700 Marines from Japan to Guam, according to a new report by a Washington think tank.
The congressionally mandated report by the Center for International and Strategic Studies offers a number of suggestions to rebalance U.S. military forces after years of war and bolster combat capabilities in the U.S. Pacific Command area. Authors David J. Berteau and Michael J. Green, the center’s co-directors, propose a shift of forces away from Northeast Asia — Japan and South Korea — and more toward Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, and Australia. “The stakes are growing fastest in South and Southeast Asia,” they wrote.
The House Armed Services readiness subcommittee plans to take up the center’s “independent assessment” at a 2 p.m. (EDT) hearing Aug 1….
That MAGTF concept hinges on the Japan moves, which would send: 1,700 Marines to Guam, with another 3,000 rotating in and out via the unit deployment program; 2,700 to Hawaii; and 2,500 to Australia, according to the report. About 10,000 Marines would remain on Okinawa.
Either way, CSIS hopes that Congress and the Defense Department will end their impasse over plans for and the funding of the transfer of Marines from Japan to Guam.
The report recommends basing an amphibious ready group in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, because the existing ARG in Sasebo, Japan, “does not provide full coverage” for III Marine Expeditionary Force. Moving an ARG from the East Coast to the Asia-Pacific region would support and make “functional” the Marine Corps’ vision of four MAGTFs.
SA: Military needs to consult Hawaii
read … Guam?
Man once arrested in Hawaii attacks tourist in New York with hammer
AP: John Yoos, wearing his navy blue suit and his head shaved, said nothing at his arraignment as a prosecutor described a bizarre, unprovoked attack on a man who had no connection to Yoos beyond sitting next to him on a park bench.
Yoos has lived in New York for two years, his lawyer, Alyssa Gamliel, told a judge. He had been arrested once before, in Hawaii in 2008, in a case that involved failing to pay a fine, she said. The details of that case were unclear.
read … We had him
49lbs of ‘Medical’ Marijuana: HPD Officer’s Girlfriend Pleads Guilty
SA: Athena Sui Lee said in U.S. District Court on Tuesday that when she told her boyfriend, Honolulu police officer Michael Steven Chu, that she wanted to use marijuana to treat her health ailments, "he want do legal way; that's why we have medical (marijuana) card."
Lee pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to cultivate 48 marijuana plants and conspiring to possess to distribute 49 pounds of processed marijuana in connection with indoor growing operations in her Kapiolani Boulevard apartment and Chu's Mililani home. She faces up to five years in prison at sentencing in November.
read … 49 lbs
City Shells Out $600k But For What?
CB: We now have a copy of Chong’s “Charge of Discrimination” that’s dated Oct. 29, 2010. The problem is the main thrust of the complaint has been inked out.
What we do know from the complaint is that Chong was hired in May 1999. In 2005, he was injured on the job, but we have no idea how.
In the complaint, Chong says he was cleared to go back to duty in January 2010, but that a nurse in the Health Services Division refused to approve his return to work.
But as Chong begins to explain what the nurse did next, a black line crosses the page. He then notes that he “passed all tests” in August and was fired in October.
He said he believed he was “discriminated against because of my disability,” which he said is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
LINK: Jared Chong settlement
read … Unknown Cause, $600K Cost
100 At Grassroot Institute Dinner
SBN: Milton at 100. Last night, the Grassroot Institute, SBH and other local liberty organizations celebrated the annual birthday (100th) of the late Nobel winning free market economist, Milton Friedman. Symbolically, 100 people noted the impact Milton made on the understanding of economics. Reason Foundation's Lisa Snell was guest speaker.
read … Milton at 100
A Foundation of Lies – Hawaii’s ‘secret cult ‘ and this year’s Election
FKTP: Sweet , pretty ‘local girl ‘ ? A combat ‘veteran ‘ ? A Christian ? The right candidate to vote for for HI CD-2? How about a sworn to secrecy , initiated member of an extremely controlling, misogynistic , hard to leave , brainwashing , extremist Hindu sect , that tries to pose as ‘ Christianity ‘ and uses encryption and military style acronyms for all of it’s internal communications , and changes it’s name per the country it sets up in ? …….
Will the REAL Tulsi Gabbard please stand up ? Will the good people of Hawaii please WAKE UP , before they buy her shibai and cast their vote for her ?
Tulsi Gabbard and her father Mike Gabbard are BOTH initiated members , in good standing of the secret and deep rooted Hawaii and internationally based cult , the: Science of Identity Foundation
read … Butler Cult?
Esquire Names Case to ‘Best Dressed Candidates’ List
ESQ: Just because he's a candidate for Senate doesn't mean that Case is afraid to represent his district by wearing one of the most colorfully risky tropes in existence — the Hawaiian shirt. He's currently in a race to take over the seat being vacated by Daniel Akaka, and certainly isn't afraid of a suit and tie. Add a lei, though, and he looks ready for any campaign-trail luau.
Read … Esquire
Philosophy vs Bullying?
CB: Hawaii school officials may be reluctant to talk about the state's stunning statistics on bullying, but teachers say effective programs have been unearthed that could serve as models for the rest of the district.
Philosophy for Children, which promotes peace in the classroom, is one example. Kailua High School and Waikiki Elementary have successfully deployed it and educators point at a profound shift in the learning environment over the past decade.
Chad Miller, Hawaii's 2012 Teacher of the Year, said when he started working at Kailua, fights were a weekly occurrence. Eight years later, he said fighting on campus has become rare.
read … Morals
Delicious Sea Turtles to be Delisted?
EH: Today the National Marine Fisheries Service announced it will be taking public comment on the petition to remove Endangered Species Act protections from the Hawaiian population of green sea turtles. For details, and for a link to a copy of the Federal Register notice, see the lead item in our EH-xtra column at http://www.environment-hawaii.org.
To read the full FR notice, click here: NMFS Turtle Notice
read … delicious
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