Entries for March 2011

The Board’s duties include overseeing the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, which investigates allegations of attorney misconduct and incapacity, and recommending appropriate action to the Hawaii Supreme Court.

Ninety-six. That is the number of days one must work each year in Hawaii to pay Uncle Sam before taking home their hard-earned dollars. That means the first three months of the year you work not for yourself, but for the government. This number includes federal, state, and local taxes, for a grand total of 26.3% of your income.

"...because of an unresolved situation with my law firm, I have decided to withdraw my nomination to prevent any distraction for the Abercrombie Administration and disruption for my family.”

“The explicit sovereign immunity and exemption from regulation provisions in the present bill allow the Native Hawaiian governing entity, and its leaders, to conduct activities anywhere in Hawai‘i (and potentially any other state) in a way that is inconsistent with State criminal statutes.... It is not clear how the State could enforce its interests against unlawful or irresponsible actions by the governing entity or its elected leaders or employees."  - Gov. Linda Lingle, March 24, 2010

(L-R): Abercrombie, Broken Trust, Sandwich Isles/OHA (From Broken Trust, pg 202)

On one hand, Section 4(a)(4) of the Senate Akaka Bill states: "Native Hawaiians have an inherent right to autonomy in their internal affairs (and) and inherent right of self-determination and self-governance (and) the right to reorganize a Native Hawaiian governing entity...."

But Section 8(a) recognizes only: "The right of the qualified Native Hawaiian constituents to reorganize the single Native Hawaiian governing entity...."

Who are allowed to become "Qualified Native Hawaiian Constituents" will be determined by a "commission" of nine members.  There are exactly nine OHA Trustees.

Governor Neil Abercrombie today announced his appointments to the new Board of Education (BOE).  The board consists of nine members – three from O'ahu, three at-large, and one each from Hawai'i Island, Maui and Kaua'i. 

The bill language makes the false claim that HPV vaccination results in "few or no side effects" when, in fact, there have been documented serious adverse effects worldwide, including many deaths. HPV screening prior to vaccination is not routinely done.

Public Policy Polling for Daily Kos/SEIU (3/24-27, Hawaii voters, no trendlines)

Did they leave a bunch of checks in the box ‘til March 1?  Anyone want to lay bets on March coming in as “surprisingly high" when CoR meets next time?

• Rep. Fontaine Address SB 1269 Retirement System
• Reps. Fontaine and Thielen Addresses SB755 Gambling
• Rep. Cynthia Thieln Address SB1274 Health Insurance
• Rep. Pine address SB1088 Baked Goods

...right now, our main concern is for the Japanese people and helping them recover from this tragedy. We encourage others to join us in supporting the 'Aloha for Japan' fundraising efforts....

In February, 2010, GAO was asked by eight members of Congress representing Hawaii, Arkansas, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa to review issues related to the migration of citizens of the Republic of the Marshall Islands(RMI), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and the Republic of Palau (ROP) to the U.S....

It has been almost eight years since the wars on terrorism began. Between March 29, 2003, and Dec. 31, 2010, we in Hawaii have lost 284 service members.

This year, we formally induct 16 service members into the roll for the Hawaii Medal of Honor. All 16 gave their lives for our freedoms in 2010.

This is the prepared text of Rep Tom Brower invocation given today before the State House.  Question: Which god is he invoking?

"I look forward to supporting Gov. Lingle," Djou told the more than 50 people who attended his two-hour speech. "I believe she will make a very good U.S. senator."

  Senator Dick Durbin Visits Mosque Foundation

To address an estimated state budget shortfall of more than $1.3 billion over the current fiscal biennium, the Department of Education (DOE) is in the process of closing down schools, explaining to the public that such steps will save a few hundred thousand dollars per school....

CD1(Blue): 47.6% Kerry 16/9/53/20 W/H/A/O
Most of Oahu, particularly the more Republican parts.

CD2(Green): 58.4% Kerry 29/9/42/20 W/H/A/O
South-eastern Oahu and all of the other Hawaiian islands.

We at Hawai`i Free Press would like to take this opportunity to speak up on behalf of “pessimism and civic decline” – they are better than tax increases.

After decades of drug-running, extortion and prostitution, the Mafia appears to have found a rather more ecological way of laundering their money: green power....

Waialua High, McKinley High and Kealakehe High School robotics teams won this year’s FIRST in Hawai‘i Regional Robotics Competition, qualifying them to move on to the 2011 FIRST Robotics Championship at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri, April 27-30. 

The state requested proposals March 1 for bids for the housing of 1,800 prisoners on the mainland for three years once the current contract ends in June. The deadline for bids is at the end of this month.

Philadelphia Inquirer expose on the same Gulen Cult which is now attempting to win favor in the Hawaii Legislature via HR30 and the nearly identical HCR37 and is attempting convert Mokapu Elementary School into a Gulen-controlled Charter School.

I ... prevailed in the Democratic primary matchups (for example, Case 47%, Hannemann 35%, Unsure 18%), and did best among the Democrats in a general election against presumed Republican nominee Linda Lingle (Case 49%, Lingle 37%, Unsure 14%).

In the current Libya crisis...leadership has come from the president… of France.

Obamacare prohibits insurance companies from excluding children with preexisting conditions under any circumstances. This creates the incentive for parents to delay purchasing insurance for their children until they get sick, leaving insurance companies to pick up steep medical costs. Many insurers have thus opted to forgo offering these risky child-only policies rather than face the ruinous effects they could have on their ability to stay in business.

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Full Tilt Poker, one of the world’s top Internet poker sites—and potentially a key beneficiary of SB755--is now under Federal investigation for money laundering.

Hawaii jumps one spot to the top of the list this month. Leisure travellers are taking advantage of recent airfare sales to Honolulu, driving hotel demand and increasing rates....

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 The assumption that political and social progress will increasingly marginalize religion has dominated many academic circles. However, data on religious belief and practice in the U.S. and around the world defy that theory.

If the majority of the lawmakers and Hawaiian Electric Co. get their way under Senate Bill 367 — the bill designed to finance an interisland cable — the Oahu ratepayer will be solely responsible for the cost of the project, predicted to cost somewhere between $500 million to $1 billion.

Residents and business owners should report any damage to their property, home or business to Aloha United Way by dialing 2-1-1 (Monday through Friday) or to the State Civil Defense toll free line at 855-211-7456 (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday).

For years the Hawaii Republican organization has been controlled by Lingle loyalists—even Lingle herself.  But in 2009 Republican delegates elected Jonah Kaauwai GOP Chair.... 

The Commission on Water Resource Management is extending its nomination period until Wednesday, April 6, 2011.  The original application period (October 17 - November 22, 2010) ended before Governor Neil Abercrombie took office.

SB1078: Specifies that the benefits of the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund are subject to negotiation. Clarifies that a decision of an arbitration panel shall be final.

The Hawaiian Homes Commission gave final approval to a general lease agreement allowing Hawaii DeBartolo LLC to develop 67 acres for the Ka Makana Ali‘i Center in East Kapolei. Under the agreed upon terms, Hawaii DeBartolo will pay more than $140 million in rent, over the course of 65 years, to DHHL for use of the land.

Democrat members of two House Committees voted to gut a bill that would have helped parents buy school supplies for their children and inserted language to legalize gambling in Hawaii.

SB 755, which started as a proposal by Senator Carol Fukunaga to help school-age children, was completely rewritten behind closed doors.  Further, the bill was allowed to pass without the standard 48 hour notice to give the public time to comment on this measure.

Companies purchase hotel rooms from hotels at wholesale rates and sell them at marked up rates to consumers.  The Companies collect amounts sufficient to pay these taxes – based on the retail amount charged to the consumer – from the renters of the hotel rooms, but then fail to remit the full amount owed to Hawai‘i.

This legislation appears unlikely to make it out of committee. There is, however, an effort by a dedicated few to attempt to have the bill waived out of committee and put to a floor vote, so we must remain vigilant....

As defined, the offense of violation of privacy in the first degree involves the installation or use of “any device for observing, recording, amplifying, or broadcasting another person in a stage of undress or sexual activity in that place.” – Attorney General Louie

VIDEO from News Conference....

A long list of bad bills that will take away more of your liberty, freedom and money crossed from both houses of the State Legislature as crossover voting commenced on March 8 and 10.

If anyone could trade protocol for self-interest it's the uber-ambitious Hillary and her rock star hubby Bill. Both would like nothing more than to be back in the White House. And if for a second they smell Obama's vulnerability and a potential defeat by the GOP, don't be surprised if she pulls a McCarthy. It's a longshot, but these days in politics anything can and will happen. I can tell you one thing though: I've spoken to many Democrats who'd drop Obama and vote for Hillary in a heartbeat.

This Sunday, March 27, the NRA's state association, the Hawaii Rifle Association (HRA), will be hosting its annual members meeting at the Kokohead Shooting Complex at the "LIFE" shooting bay (first action shooting bay). 

We've been on defense for a long time and simply preventing bad things from happening is no way to actually turn our great nation in a new direction. Now, we're on offense in Congress. 

For the city of Kapaa in particular, it’s all too telling that a simple search for the phrase “Kapaa alcohol” on Google doesn’t turn up a list of fun bars to hang out at but rather a long list of drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers.

Hawaii residents ... have to pay the equivalent of overnight shipping for the slowest shipping times in the country. On average, an order shipped to Hawaii costs $19.17 and spends 4.57 days in transit.

Information required on the application for a casino license will include: 

A statement listing the names and titles of all public officials or officers of any unit of state government or county government in the jurisdiction in which the casino facility is to be located, and the spouses, parents, and children of those public officials or officers who, directly or indirectly, own any financial interest ....