by Andrew Walden
In solidarity with the "up to 2 million" people who marched on Washington September 12, local rallies were held across the Hawaiian Islands.
RELATED: 9-12 March on Washington: "Up to two Million" in D.C. Protest Gov't Spending, Obamacare UK Daily Mail: "Up to 2 million" Lots of photos and video from DC.
Here are some of the local rally results and related local news coverage:
Hilo, Hawaii: TEA Party attendance 100 people
HTH: Dozens rally for reform (more photos, article tries hard to paint crowd as just a bunch of Republicans.)
"Hilo Tea Party" participants said they were protesting a range of ills, from excessive taxation to abortion to the Obama administration's health-reform initiatives.
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii TEA Party attendance 150
http://konateaparty.wordpress.com/2009/09/12/912-kona-t-e-a-party/
...and this from Kailua-Kona Sept 11....
Lahaina, Maui TEA party attendance 60
http://www.mauiteaparty.com/
Kahului, Maui TEA party attendance 100
http://www.mauiteaparty.com/
Organizers say, "We had a great time! everyone was excited and very upbeat!"
Maui News: Party serves up some tea (More Photos)
More than 100 protesters gathered outside the Queen Ka'ahumanu Center on Saturday afternoon to speak out against what they see as over taxation and a government that has exceeded what was envisioned by the Founding Fathers.
Lihue, Kauai TEA party 50 people:
Honolulu: Rally called on one day's notice drew 30 people contact info joefadrowsky@aol.com 226-0958. KHON-2 covered rally. PHOTOS: http://macprohawaii.blogspot.com/2009/09/honolulu-tea-party-express.html
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What's next? On a national level, Americans for Prosperity will hold a "Defending the American Dream Summit" October 2 and 3 in Washington, DC. And here in Hawaii a major showdown over taxes and spending--and maybe gay marriage--will be the focus of the next legislature--which reconvenes in January. Stay tuned...
MORE INFO: http://defendingthedream.org/beta/
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Un-surprisingly, some in the Hawaii Democrat media attempted to downplay the March on Washington with silly stories like the Advertiser's AP article: "Criticism of Obama health plan softening "
The Star-Bulleting editorialized for Tort Reform while straightfacedly giving Obama credit for the idea.
Here are some of the highlights.
Advertiser: 7.8% in Hawaii are uninsured
The news, along with the disclosure that there are 46.3 million uninsured nationally, was more fodder in the debate for health care reform.
It also provided a fresh spotlight on one of the more debated ideas being proposed by President Obama: a government-sponsored health plan that would help provide coverage for the uninsured.
"I'm very concerned about a public plan," said John Henry Felix, chairman and chief executive officer of Hawaii Medical Assurance Association, a Honolulu-based insurer.
"As one who's been in government, I'm very pessimistic about their ability to operate an efficient health care system."
Adv: 'Reset' a positive look at meltdown (Obamabots celebrate the opportunities the Obama crash is creating)
read more
SB: Tort reform worth trying (Prep work for next Legislative session)
Two ways have been suggested in dealing with the issue without capping awards. One is known as "early disclosure," or "Sorry Works," in which doctors admit their mistakes, apologize to families and make restitution through mediation. That has been adopted by hospitals in Michigan, Minnesota, Kentucky and other states.
The other notable alternative requires the potential plaintiff to put the case before an expert or a panel to stop frivolous cases from proceeding to court. That has been adopted in Florida, Georgia and Illinois.
Tennessee adopted that approach last year and its number of malpractice cases has decreased by 69 percent. Its insurance premiums are expected to drop this year by 2.5 percent.
read more