Entries for June 2011

A flotilla is determined to sail to the Gaza Strip this weekend in breach of Israel's naval blockade on the Hamas-controlled territory. This decision comes in spite of growing international pressure to stop the campaign, damaged ships and fewer passengers than expected. 

As the nation celebrates its 235th birthday July 4, U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii invites the public to its 40th Annual Fourth of July Spectacular on Weyand and Sills Fields....

The Hawaii Meth Project today released findings from the 2011 Hawaii Meth Use & Attitudes Survey which revealed that, compared to a benchmark survey conducted prior to the launch of the Hawaii Meth Project, Hawaii’s young people are significantly more aware of the dangers of trying Meth and increasingly disapprove of trying the drug.

Emphasizing this, Gino Antoniello, VP, Transportation Systems and Equipment for SCOA explained: "Our protest--a first for us--was prompted by the conviction that our bid was improperly passed over in favor of another vendor with less experience and a questionable track record that lacked the proper legal qualifications to undertake a project of this scope."  ...Antoniello stressed that in starting down this protest path, the company did so with a readiness to go all the way.

ProPublica analyzed new data from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights along with other federal education data to examine whether states provide students equal access to programs — such as Advanced Placement or higher-level math and sciences classes — that researchers say will help them later in life.

As we saw at yesterday's press conference, President Obama is not going to lead on the debt ceiling issue. Nor is he going to compromise or play a mediating role. He is more interested in blaming others for his troubles, demagoguing other solutions and running for re-election. 

Beginning on July 1, with the start of the new fiscal year, we must implement the state budget as passed by the State Legislature. This included 5 percent in temporary pay reductions from June 30, 2009 salaries and an equal contribution of health care benefits for state employees.

"If governors and legislatures had truly balanced each state's budget, no taxpayer's financial burden would exist," said Sheila Weinberg, Founder and CEO of the Institute. She continued, "A state budget is not balanced if past costs, including those for employees' retirement benefits, are pushed into the future."

“If the community does not want this project it will not go through,” said Pattern Senior Developer Christian Hackett. “And we will pack up and leave.”

From CNBC America’s Top States for Business 2011....

The Obama administration said Tuesday that it had shelved plans for a survey in which “mystery shoppers” posing as patients would call doctors’ offices ….

With fellow Rep. Mazie Hirono already in the race, it's hard to see how Hanabusa wouldn't compete for the same pile of votes and risk giving the nomination to DLCer Ed Case in the Democratic primary.

The Obama Administration generally employs one of two strategies to legislate without—and often in spite of—congressional action: (1) administrative decree establishing a new federal rule, or (2) a refusal to enforce existing federal law. In five separate policy areas, the President and the federal agencies under his command have spurned congressional authority to achieve Obama’s objectives.

Since 2004 biofuels from crops have almost doubled the rate of growth in global demand for grain and sugar and pushed up the yearly growth in demand for vegetable oil by around 40 percent. 

A generic Republican candidate now holds a four-point lead over President Obama in a hypothetical 2012 election matchup. It's a fifth week in a row that the GOP candidate has been ahead and the widest gap between the candidates to date.

"They did listen to our testimony about the contributions that military personnel make, and about how they are part of the community," said Tom Smyth, president for the Hawaii chapter for the Military Officers Association of America. "I'm very pleased it came out the way it did." …

Bachmann said she plans to win decisive early victories in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina on her way to the White House. She promised to follow that with a national campaign – even in the heavily Democratic state of Hawaii.

 The state’s plan to bring Hawai'i’s prisoners home include expanding prison space in the state, creating alternatives to incarceration and reducing recidivism through community-based programs.

Today, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii announced the publication of the 2011 Pork Report, an examination of state spending that reveals the depth of government waste and inefficiency that has contributed so much to the State’s economic woes.

House Bill 1134 repeals Part V of the Hawaii Prepaid Health Care Act and Act 99, Session Laws of Hawaii 1994, relating to the future termination of the prepaid health care law. Further investigation is needed on whether approval of this bill would have unintended consequences to Hawaii’s Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) waiver.

HONOLULU – Lesley Jane Seymour, Editor-in-Chief of More magazine, will address delegates at Hawai‘i’s 8th annual International Women’s Leadership Conference (IWLC), taking place on September 20, 2011 at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel and Resort.

Ms. Kauhane replaces retiring DHHL Deputy Robert Hall, who is leaving the department on July 1.

Jan Gouveia was the vice president for Executive Operation at (Al Hee's) Waimana Enterprises (no conflict of interest here, eh Neil?) prior to joining the Abercrombie Administration in December 2010.

The nation’s two highest-ranking military commanders have gone on record raising serious concerns about President Obama’s flawed plan to bring 33,000 troops home from Afghanistan by September 2012.

Recent Congressional Votes

• Senate: Confirmation of Leon E. Panetta to be Secretary of Defense
• House: Jobs and Energy Permitting Act of 2011
• House: America Invents Act
• House: Authorizing the limited use of the United States Armed Forces in support of the NATO mission in Libya
• House: To limit the use of funds to support NATO Operation Unified Protector with respect to Libya

WSJ--The U.S. debt is now above its current limit of $14.3 trillion, a figure so large that it is nearly impossible for the average American to comprehend. Under the budget proposed by President Obama for 2012, the debt would rise to $15.7 trillion in 2021. The annual interest alone would be about $700 billion, and that would only increase with inflation. President Obama's proposed budget was so excessive and fiscally irresponsible that it was voted down in the Senate 97-0.

After the Audit became public, Cox called for Martin’s resignation as Chair of the Council’s Budget Committee. But the December, 2010 Community Benefits Audit hasn’t received much media attention. It almost became news June 21--but just before it was to be discussed on the agenda of that day’s Honolulu Council Recreation Committee meeting, Martin’s council ally Ann Kobayashi got up and walked out, denying the committee a quorum and ending the meeting.

“I don’t like the idea of the government snooping,” said Dr. Raymond Scalettar, an internist in Washington. “It’s a pernicious practice — Big Brother tactics, which should be opposed.”

Please come and join us in Makawao on Saturday, July 2nd for the Annual Makawao Paniolo July 4th Parade. TEA Party Maui plans to enter a patriotic float in the Parade....

Iran has also improved its launch capabilities, recently placing a data-gathering satellite into space with its powerful Safir booster rocket. The move will accelerate Iran's program for intercontinental ballistic missiles, bypassing the U.N.'s efforts to control the Islamic Republic and giving it the capability to hit the United States....

The new contract, at a cost of $45.5 million a year, begins July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2014, (in other words, until the next gubernatorial election)....

"One Member of Congress, Delegate Eni Faleomavaega from American Samoa, a co-chair and driving force behind the creation of the Central Asia caucus, particularly stands out. In the 2010 election cycle, two of Faleomavaega’s top organizational contributors had been under contract with the Republic of Kazakhstan...."

For over a year most of Hawaii’s pliant and un-inquisitive media have gone along with the ridiculous story that Koolina developer and Broken Trust player Jeff Stone was donating 300 Makaha acres to Hawaiian Homelands and Kamehameha Schools as “a gift from the heart….”

The new fiscal year begins on July 1st with a mission to change the direction of Hawai'i....Last night we held a community forum at Washington Middle School.... Stay tuned for details about more upcoming forums around the state.

The City’s Department of Budget and Fiscal Services (BFS) has rejected two bid protests regarding the awarding of the core systems contract for the Honolulu Rail Transit Project. BFS found “no procedural or legal violations in any aspect of the procurement” for the contract.

I have introduced resolution 11-109 to start the bidding process over again that could result in saving the taxpayers $250 million and put 150 residents here on Oahu to work building the rail cars.

The demographics for the zip codes 96821, 96822 and 96825 shows approximately 92,000 people.  "It's insane to think that Safeway and Costco can sustain a community and just Hawaii Kai...."

Representative George Fontaine, HD 11, Kīhei, Wailea, Makena, talks with Peter Rosegg with the Hawaiian Electric Company and Maria Tome, Renewable and Transportation Energy Program Manager /Hawaii State Energy Office about Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative.

We were doing a cleanup of Kea`au Beach Park along the Waianae coastline when past Councilman John DeSoto of this area gave a tour of what you see in the video....

Without policy changes, contributions to state and local pension systems in the United States would have to immediately increase by a factor of 2.5, reaching 14.2 percent of the total own-revenue generated by state and local governments (taxes, fees and charges).

This morning, in a scathing editorial entitled "The wrong reason for depleting the strategic oil reserve," the Post argues the White House is likely more focused on a "political emergency" and "the government should not tap the reserve absent a genuine crisis."

Three Progressive schemes Hawaii legislators are trying to implement--and ten more they haven't thought of yet....  

• Raising the retirement age for certain new employees from 55 to 60 years old, and for most others from 62 to 65 years old
• Increasing the number of years for state employees to be “vested” to receive retirement benefits from five years to 10 years.
• Raising the employee and employer contribution rates

Substantial discussions took place at the marathon June 3rd Council meeting concerning the borrowing of more than a hundred million dollars (Bill 40) for the rail system due to offset cash flow problems with the rail project and sagging tax revenues. 

"I have asked all departments to work together in a deliberate and thoughtful process that will identify programs that may be affected. In recent weeks, our administration began discontinuing financial support of programs that are valuable but can no longer be sustained, such as Vanpool Hawai'i and the State Pharmacy Assistance Program. These cuts and others that follow will be difficult but the financial constraints we face allow for no other course of action."

Our office held the meeting on rail because I believe the public has not had an adequate forum to sound off on the project’s blunders. 

This new study explains how states can most effectively drive economic growth, create jobs, and improve the standard of living for their citizens.

 A shared $1 million prize from the Dan David Foundation for his "profound contribution to humanity."

Vanpool Hawaii has announced a new monthly rate of $985 per vanpool group, effective Aug. 1. For a vanpool group of 6 or 7 passengers, that equals a per-person cost of approximately $164 or $141 per month, respectively, or less if shared between more participants.