July 21, 2009 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

July 21, 2009 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 11:36 AM :: 7736 Views

Obummer: Hawaii dead last in voter turnout

New figures from the U.S. Census Bureau show only 51.8 percent of registered voters in the islands went to the polls in the 2008 presidential election.

What was more surprising to veteran political scientist Neil Milner was the lack of votes cast by younger people who many thought had mobilized to support Barack Obama.

Among eligible voters in the 18-24 age group in Hawaii, 25 percent voted, compared with 67 percent of those 75 and older, according to the bureau. Nationally, 48.5 percent of those 18-24 voted.

"Lots of folks assumed that because Obama was from here and because he was mobilizing youth votes, that would be higher," Milner said. (Dems say this every four years. It never happens.)

Lingle, Inouye trade barbs on layoffs

"I remain hopeful that we will not have to undertake large-scale layoffs," Lingle said in a statement. "I continue to believe furloughs or salary reductions are preferable to having some employees lose their jobs. My administration will continue to work tirelessly to achieve a resolution of collective bargaining negotiations."

Union leaders were not immediately available for comment.

But Inouye questioned whether Lingle needs to lay off employees.

Lingle, Kaauwai zap Inouye's "distraction"
In a statement released today, Senator Daniel Inouye asks, “Why should there be layoffs?” Good question. Governor Lingle’s furlough plan avoids layoffs.

Lingle busy with layoffs, talks and duel with Inouye

Call it the non-showdown at high noon. Gov. Linda Lingle and the four public worker unions were supposed to meet today, but one union said it would not be there and called it off.

Hawaii state employees on list of workers who may be laid off

The timing of the administration's layoff plans has raised suspicion among union leaders and leading Democrats that the Republican governor is using the layoff threat to pressure unions into accepting furloughs. (Which shows that Dems & unions are not thinking of anything other than politics.)

HA: State labor talks must be rooted in reality

Raising the excise tax is a bad move in a shrinking economy and from a purely practical standpoint, some now say, it may not offer a quick escape hatch, anyway. If such a tax hike were approved in special session, the governor would surely veto it; some lawmakers question whether the constitution would allow overriding legislation passed in special session.

It's time to end the stalemate. Everyone must now concede that the focus needs to be on achieving labor savings, and that any further cat-and-mouse games will only make those cuts more painful.

The longer that process takes, the deeper the budget hole and the more dire the cutbacks become.

Old ways of triangulating toward a solution, old-style stalling tactics and arguments are counterproductive and damaging. Everyone — taxpayers and the workers whose services they need and whose salaries they pay — deserves an end to this drama, now.

Lessees get boost in negotiating rent

The bill became law as Act 189, affecting some of the more than 180 businesses that lease land from Massachusetts-based HRPT Properties Trust. (Special bill targeting an OUT OF STATE land owner. Of course! It all makes sense now.)

However, the extent of the law's impact is questionable because of its somewhat vague language and a June 10, 2010, repeal date.

The law requires that a unique phrase in HRPT's Hawai'i leases referring to "fair and reasonable" rent be construed as being fair and reasonable to the lessor and the lessee.

Also, the type and intensity of use on the property must be considered when determining what's fair and reasonable under the law, which also applies to sublessees if sublessors benefit from the law.

Michael Steiner, who led the push for the legislation as executive director of the HRPT tenant alliance Citizens for Fair Valuation, said the law helps level the playing field for lease negotiations.

"HRPT is a monopolistic owner (Hmmmm. Can anyone think of any OTHER monopolistic owners?????) and their (efforts to double or triple tenant rents) threaten the economic viability of local businesses that employ hundreds of workers," he said. (This is exactly the same thing all lessors do every time leases come up.)

The company (stupidly) entered the market in 2003 when it paid the local Damon Estate $480 million for about 10 million square feet of land in Mapunapuna and Kalihi Kai plus a few other parcels.

(For some reason they thought they would continue to squeeze every last dime out of lessees just like Damon, etal always do/did. Duh! That only applies to in-state companies.)

'Mean' homeless report skewed (SB today)

National advocacy groups for the homeless rank Honolulu as the eighth "meanest" city in the nation, on the premise that the homeless should be allowed to lie down, pitch their tents, beg and urinate whenever and wherever they want. A more objective report four months ago by the National Center on Family Homelessness ranked Hawaii fourth best among states in care for homeless children, including state and local policies on homelessness.

Honolulu ranked among meanest to the "homelessness industry" (From July 17 News Read)

A new report ranks Honolulu the eighth-"meanest" city in the country to homeless people.

In its analysis of Honolulu, the report points to city parks initiatives, including recent park clean-ups and night closures that have meant homeless have to move elsewhere. The study also raised concerns about some City Council proposals, including one that would have banned sleeping at bus stops, and criticized a city program to replace bus stop benches with round stools to discourage sleeping.

The report was written by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty and the National Coalition for the Homeless. The city rankings analyze policies that were undertaken in 2007 and 2008.

The study ranks Los Angeles as the nation's meanest city, largely because of its high police presence in the Skid Row area.

The study said Los Angeles spent $6 million in 2007 to pay 50 extra police officers to crack down on crime in Skid Row, while it spent $5.7 million on homelessness services.

(That last line tells the akamai reader everything they need to know about the biases of the report's writers. This is a hustle by the homelessness industry demanding that homelessness be allowed to fester so they get more dollars.)

KNOW THE SCAM--READ THIS: The Reclamation of Skid Row, by Heather Mac Donald "The LAPD’s efforts are reviving America’s most squalid neighborhood—and the homeless industry is hopping mad."

State shutters 2 mental health clinics

A satellite mental health clinic in Kailua and an Oahu clubhouse to help people with mental illnesses rebuild their lives are being integrated into state facilities to eliminate lease rents.

(This is how the State cuts expenses without cutting union employees.)

Kauai Plastic bag ban, drinking curfew on tap Wednesday

Proposed Draft Bill No. 2321, co-introduced by Tim Bynum and Lani Kawahara, would encourage customers to bring their own reusable bags when shopping by requiring all retail establishments to provide only recyclable paper bags, biodegradable bags or reusable bags at checkout.

(Thus killing trees and costing retailers $$$ in a recession. Beneficiary: Waste processing companies whose machinery gets clogged by plastic bags.)

Maui News employees take 10% pay cut -- ratify labor agreement

WAILUKU - Employees ratified a labor agreement with The Maui News on Monday, accepting a 10 percent cut in wages and other concessions on health and pension benefits to help the newspaper survive depressed economic conditions.

Support for ratification came from more than 90 percent of the members of three unions representing 99 workers at the newspaper. The agreement extends the employees' contract to July 1, 2012.

"The members of our unions understand the effects of the weak national and global economy on business in Maui County, and this agreement shows we are willing to provide relief to the owners of The Maui News," said Wayne Cahill, administrative officer of the Hawaii Newspaper Guild and lead negotiator for the Hawaii Newspaper and Printing Trades Council.