Here We Go Again!

Mark Twain once said, “No man’s life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session.”

From Honolulu County Republican Party January 4, 2017

We are responsible for our State of Hawaii, each and every one of us has an obligation to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions.  If we will not stand up for our rights and the health of our state, then we should not be surprised when the cost of living continues to rise, when our young feel they have no choice but to move to the mainland, as we see our parental rights challenged by a questionable education system, as our elected officials ignore us and continue to spend our tax dollars without any thought or concern as to what this is doing to us, when we find there are too few elected officials who will stand up for our constitutional rights, when we find the values of our Hawaii are not our values but of those that rule us.  Is this the legacy we want to leave our children and grandchildren?   

Our State Legislature

We are just 13 days away from the beginning of the 2018 Legislative session and Hawaii’s leading Democrats expect a lot of discussion concerning more wealth redistribution, more regulations and more government bureaucracy limiting our freedoms. Here are some key issues to be aware of this year...

Universal Basic Income (aka Living Wage) or in other words redistribution of wealth! Universal basic income is often sold as protection against future unemployment. However, Universal Basic Income is nothing more than a lazy, socialist solution.

Democrat priorities for 2018 include:

• ensuring health care for all,
• raising the minimum wage...AGAIN,
• increasing funding for public education,
• raising income tax rates on the highest tax brackets (wealth redistribution).

More taxes to support their spending addiction:

• Property tax surcharge on second homes and investment properties over $1 million.
• A modest GET (general excise tax) increase, balanced by eliminating the tax on groceries and affordable rentals.
• Increasing various taxes on hotels and the visitor industry, such as car rentals, hotels and TVRs (transient vacation rentals).
• Legalizing and taxing the recreational use of cannabis (pakalolo) by adults.
• Institute “sugar tax” on sugar beverages and factory-made junk food.

Being Revived Again...look for the following bills to be revived in the 2018 legislative session:

Senate Bill 1129 - RELATING TO HEALTH (aka Assisted Suicide). If you believe polls, a recent Civil Beat Poll indicated that 63% of surveyed voters (843) support assisted suicide. We don’t believe it! While lawmakers are grappling with how to prevent suicides, which accounts for one person dying every two days in Hawaii, others are trying to legalize it!  What mixed messages are we sending and what does this lead to? Nothing pono for sure!

Senate Bill 280 - RELATING TO FIREARMS.  This legislation will prohibit gun ownership to those individuals placed on the “Terrorist Watchlist.” This is a secret government list, which a large number of Americans mistakenly end up on every year, being used to deny individuals their constitutional rights without due process of the law.

Senate Bill 898 - RELATING TO FIREARMS OWNED, POSSESSED, OR CONTROLLED BY PERSONS WHO POSE A SERIOUS RISK OF VIOLENCE OR HARM TO PUBLIC SAFETY. This bill will permanently strip an individual of their second amendment rights, not based on a criminal conviction or mental adjudication, but based on a quasi-criminal proceeding, while ignoring the normal rules of criminal procedure.

What to Look Forward To From Our Minority Caucus - The House Minority Caucus will be working to make our government and our state more accountable, affordable, and accessible to and for you.

Our Honolulu City Council

One of the more disturbing trends in our City Council has been the passing of laws and regulations that expand the ”nanny state,” raises our cost of living and rewards special interest groups.  Look for the following Bills to be discussed this year:

• Bill 11 DETERMINING THE COUNTY FUEL TAX RATES FOR THE CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU
• Bill 29 AUTHORIZE THE CITY TO CHARGE FOR CITY PROVIDED REFUSE COLLECTION SERVICES
• Bill 48 ESTABLISH A NEW "LUXURY APARTMENT UNIT" REAL PROPERTY CLASS
• Bill 58 ESTABLISHING AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING REQUIREMENT 
• Bill 71 RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH (Polystyrene Foam Ban)

Knowing the importance of an informed electorate, the Honolulu County Republican Party will be working to educate our members and the public on the important issues facing taxpayers in 2018. 

Let's make Hawaii affordable again!

Respectfully,

Brett Kulbis
Honolulu County Chairman

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