Energy

In just two days from now, on Friday, May 8th, the 2009 legislative session will come to a close. The budget passed by the Legislature in conference committee late last Friday evening takes $566 million out of the pockets of our visitors and residents, in an attempt to balance the budget. Last Friday, legislators also voted to extend the legislative session by two days so that they would be in a position to attempt to override my vetoes of tax increases without having to call a special session.

Tomorrow, on Thursday, May 7th at 3:30 p.m., I will follow through on my promise to veto these tax measures because they would further erode our already weakened economy, cause greater loss of jobs, and discourage visitors from coming to Hawai`i.

I would like to invite you to join me at a rally to oppose a number of legislative bills that will raise taxes on the people of Hawai`i, hurt our economy and stall job creation.

Governor Lingle will veto the measures at the rally. 

Please join us at the State Capitol on Thursday, May 7, at 3:30 p.m. to express your opposition to this legislation and send legislators a strong message that their responsibility is to the public, not special interests.

Hawaii has no Christianity Day, no Judaism Day, and no Buddhism Day--but Hawaii's Democrat Legislators have decided to violate the "establishment clause" of US Constitution -- for Islam. 

Affirming that their desire to submit to Islam supercedes their adherence to the sacred principles of the US Constitution, by a 22-3 vote the Hawaii Senate approved House Concurrent Resolution 100 which designates September 24, 2009 as Islam Day.  The State House had earlier approved the measure.

The Governor’s Web address can be viewed starting:  4:15 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, 2009

The address may be viewed at:  www.hawaii.gov/gov

“This is a slap in the face to me, my mother, and the citizens of Hawai'i who expect our government to rise to protect them,” stated Melanie McLellan, foster daughter of Karen Ertell, who was brutally murdered and raped allegedly by her 15 year-old neighbor, Vernon Bartley.

HB 1404, which was gutted and replaced with new language, emerged this  morning with an increase in the state's General Excise Tax in an unspecified amount thought to be between one  half and one percent on top of the current 4 percent (4.5 percent on Oahu).

Today HB1404 isscheduled to have a conference committee hearing at 5:30pm in room 309. http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2009/hearingnotices/CONF_05-01-09_FIN1_.HTM

HB819, "Karen's Law," will be heard today at 3:30pm in conference room 229. "Karen's Law" has passed out of both the House and the Senate and is now sitting in conference committee.

Although the bill has been heard three times, an agreement over the final draft has yet to be made. If Karen's Law does not pass out of committee today, tomorrow will be the final deadline for the bill to pass out so that it may be voted on by a joint Legislature.

Please help us by getting signatures on the petition and bring them to the prayer rally on Sunday.  We will also be gathering signatures on Sunday.  If you have not done so already, please click the link below to send an email to your Senator asking him/her to stand firm against pulling the bill from committee.  Those of you who reside in Manoa, please encourage people to contact Senator Taniguchi and encourage him to remain firm in his commitment to leave the bill in committee.

When this subject came up last week in the House Judiciary Committee, an amendment to the hate crimes bill that would have excluded pedophilia from the definition of sexual orientation was defeated by Democrats along party lines, 13-10.

Rep Joe Bertram’s 30-year friend Mark Marcantonio isn’t the only convicted child molester helped out by the Maui Democrat. The Legislative staff directory for 2007 shows that Bertram hired convicted child molester Leon Rouse as a Legislative Aide for the 2007 Legislative session.

If your senator or representative is on the committee, it is imperative that you send them a message today urging them to keep health care out of reconciliation.  They are meeting THIS AFTERNOON, so time is of the essence.  By far the most important two are Kent Conrad and Allen Boyd, Democrats who have been skeptical about using reconciliation. 

Due to the state’s projected $2 billion revenue shortfall and decreases to the DLNR budget, it was not known when funds would be available to make repairs to reopen the road and park. The infusion of community volunteer energy made it possible for the park to be reopened sooner.

Thursday May 7 2009 State Capitol Auditorium 6:30-8:00 PM

HB519HD1SD2, includes the following section of the bill, which adds the provision of bringing women home first (On page 3, Section 2 (c), line 16): (c) The director of public safety shall return to Hawaii all women inmates that are detained or incarcerated in out-of-state prison or correctional facilities by December 31, 2011…”

Senate hikes Hawaii hotel room tax

Cataluna: Legislators need pay cuts, not retirees

Hawaii Legislature passes tax hikes on income, cigarettes

Tobacco settlement fund shift criticized

Democrats confident of prevailing on taxes 

Karen’s Law will be heard in conference committee Wednesday at 3:00pm in room 229. Please send testimonies in support of HB819....

My goal and commitment to you in 2010 is to help elect a Republican Governor, a member of Congress and more Republicans to the legislature, council races and Board of Education.  As Party Chairman, I will work to ensure that Republicans contest all Legislative seats so that Hawaii voters have real choices on election day.

With a Hawaii County internal investigation of Internet abuse by employees beginning to heat up as a political issue, perhaps the same people who chose to ignore now-mayor Billy Kenoi’s fundraising on behalf of Mafia murderer Malu Motta will become interested in questions about Kenoi’s possible campaign use of government computers, email accounts, office space, and telephones.

Before a boisterous crowd of approximately 20,000 in the Georgia Dome, the four Hawai‘i teams got down to business at the “Super Bowl off Smarts,” which started yesterday and wrapped up today.  They competed with close to 350 other teams from Brazil, Canada, Israel, Mexico, the Philippines and the U.S. mainland.  The competition challenged the students to use their critical thinking skills and knowledge of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to maneuver robots they built themselves around a playing field.

The Legislature’s brief argues that the court’s ruling has “dangerously undermined” the Legislature’s constitutional authority to craft precise laws that reflect its policy choices....

(Since TV news viewers are being treated to daily spin on the remarks at and after the Austin TX Tea Party by Texas Governor Rick Perry, here is a flashback to another elected official who spoke about secession....)  

KASTE: Democratic Senator Dan Akaka, himself a native, wants Congress to let Hawaiians re-establish their national identity. He says his bill would give them a kind of legal parity with tribal governments on the mainland, but he says this sovereignty could eventually go further, perhaps even leading to outright independence.  

Sen. AKAKA: That could be. As far as what's going to happen at the other end, I'm leaving it up to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Joe Bertram believes sexual predators are clogging up our prisons and should be out of jail, free to lure more of our innocent children. I believe they belong behind bars and away from our communities.  Bertram’s actions are not only disgusting, they are dangerous.

State House and Senate members passed a $4 billion tax increase on the people of Hawaii today on the eve of the largest anti-tax protest in the nation’s history.

The legislature wants every resident in the state of Hawaii to pay more for gas, and more in vehicle registration fees and vehicle weight fees (Senate Bill 1611).

The legislature also passed tax increases which could put hotel employees out of work by increasing the Transient Accommodations Tax. Leaders in the hotel industry say that this new tax would hurt the hotel business and their ability to compete with other tourist destinations, especially during a bad economy. (Senate Bill 1111).

A tax increase was also levied on Internet sales. (Senate Bill 1678)

Under Act 228, county permitting agencies were prohibited from issuing permits for demolition, construction or other alteration of such structures until after the building or homeowner provided the black-and-white photos to SHPD, which then determined if the structure could be modified or demolished. 

We can all agree that our State is experiencing one of the worst economic downturns in its history. This 2009 Legislature has made numerous efforts to remedy this situation. Unfortunately, these efforts have resulted in high tax increases and anti-business legislation that will hurt rather than help our floundering economy.

I will be joining hundreds of other hard working Hawaii taxpayers at 4pm on April 15 at our state capitol to display our objection to government taking the easy way out and sending us a bigger tax bill.  Families across the nation are tightening their belts to deal with these difficult economic times and instead of doing the same, all levels of government want to simply make these times harder and raise our taxes.  This is unfair and unacceptable.

For those who feel they're paying too much and have a yen to vent, there's an event tomorrow just for you (assuming that you're not one of those last-minute procrastinators and have the time to attend). The "Tax Day Tea Party" will be held 4-7 p.m. at the state Capitol.

Here's the call to action from the organizer's Web site, www.overtaxedhawaii.com:

"Many of our elected state legislators in Hawaii are planning to enact massive tax increases in the weeks ahead when the legislative session ends on May 7th. YOU CAN HELP STOP THEM.

Once you start getting up to times 40 yes it can be a really powerful psychedelic, you'll see things shoot, you won't remember your name you'll start drooling a little bit your hands will sweat a little bit," said Sochocki.

"They become afraid may jump off buildings may do things like most hallucinogenic substances," said Kamita.

Individuals involved in ceded-lands litigation Kuroiwa v Lingle have issued two statements in response to Duke Aiona on Ceded Lands: High Court decision leaves no winners:

Any general tax increases at this time will further damage the economy and prolong recovery. Higher taxes would be the straw that breaks the backs of many local businesses. Now is not the time to take money out of the economy.

SEVEN "Tax Day Tea Party" events are scheduled for Hawaii April 15  Here is a news release for the Hilo event as well as contact information and details for each of the seven events.

And after only eight days, all of the repairs were done, Pleas said. It was a shockingly quick fix to a problem that may have taken much longer if they waited for state money to funnel in."

Not just state money, state workers.  Two years to complete the project, the state said, whatever it was, and four million bucks.  And these people did it in eight days!  Ivan Slack said,  "'We can wait around for the state or federal government to make this move, or we can go out and do our part.  Just like everyone's sitting around waiting for a stimulus check, we were waiting for this but decided we couldn't wait anymore.' ... Now, because of their hard work, volunteers hope they'll be ready to send that positive message -- right in time for the tourist season."

Debating where to draw the line in corporate spending, with Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona, R-Hawaii and CNBC's Erin Burnett.  (Obama administration back-pedaling against Obama's condemnation of business travel.)

Douglas Suhm from Tacoma, Washington and Dr. David Teuscher from Texas were in Oahu testifying about tort reform and Senators Baker and Ige were disrespectful enough to stand up and walk out of the room.

A newly formed group, the Hawaii Republican Assembly, is sponsoring a tax protesting "tea party" at the state Capitol on April 15. While the group's fliers don't contain a blatantly partisan message, they do claim a "revolution is brewing in Honolulu."

The bogus bonds are not sold through an investment firm or brokerage house, as legitimate bonds are. They also purport to represent ownership in a fictitious Hawaiian nation named Ko Hawaii Pae Aina, sponsored by the Hawaiiloa Foundation.

The companies pushing the bogus bonds, several claiming to be affiliated with Native Hawaiian sovereignty movements, are targeting Native Hawaiian homeowners and others who are facing foreclosure.

Have as many people show up in the Senate gallery tomorrow, APRIL 8, AT 11:30 AM in RED SHIRTS for the possible scheduling of HB 444 FOR DECISION MAKING. TANIGUCHI WILL NEED TO ASK FOR A WAIVER TO DO DECISION MAKING THAT AFTERNOON OR THURSDAY MORNING AT THE LATEST.

I’ve seen some bad politicians. But State Representative Joe Bertram stands out. Just last week, Bertram went to court to help a child predator avoid prison-time. A 52 year old man tried to lure a 14-year old girl over the Internet for sex. And Bertram didn’t think he should go to jail. That hits close to home… Polly was 12 when she was killed. As she was kidnapped from her room, she asked her killer to please not hurt her mom. In the worst moment, my brave little daughter thought of protecting others. Shouldn’t we expect the same from our elected officials?

The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding ceded lands should not be looked at in terms of “winners” or “losers.”  Rather, it should serve as a clear reminder that we, as a community, must commit to reaching a fair and lasting resolution on ceded lands.  Despite the disappointment being felt by some, the U.S. Supreme Court decision does not in any way affect our Administration’s ongoing commitment to the Native Hawaiian community.

Karen’s Law, HB819 HD2SD2 was heard in the Senate Judiciary and Government Operations Committee today. Chair Brian Taniguchi passed out Karen’s Law. However he amended the law to only include murder in the first degree.

As Pan Am Flight 830 descended toward Honolulu and passengers finished their breakfast, a blinding burst of light washed over them. And then, "BOOM!"

Flight plan filed by North Korea shows missile heading straight for Hawaii. 

Plus latest updates from Japan, Korea, and NORAD....

BBC: North Korea had "ignored its international obligations, rejected unequivocal calls for restraint, and further isolated itself from the community of nations", Barack Obama said in a written statement.  (And he stamped his feet....)

(No word on how close it came to Hawaii or Alaska)

Karen’s Law is scheduled for a hearing before the Judiciary and Government Operations Committee this Monday April 6 at 10:00am in conference room 016.

“In this period of economic downturn when our government and businesses are striving to restore economic stability, the last thing we should do is implement policies or encourage behavior that jeopardize any industry, especially one that has such far-reaching impact on communities across America,” Hawai‘i officials wrote in the letter.

The increased scrutiny of business travel for companies that have received emergency funding as part of the federal government’s economic recovery efforts has caused increased downturn in business and convention travel nationwide. 

Increasing taxes on families and small business during a recession only compounds the pain people are already feeling and makes recovery more difficult.

State Rep. Joe Bertram III urged leniency Wednesday for a Makawao man who was sentenced for using the Internet to arrange sexual contact with someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl, saying the defendant shouldn't be sent to prison for an "imaginary crime." ...

"He showed up at the Maui Mall that day," Martin said. "To him, this was not imaginary. This was real." In an October 2007 online chat, Marcantonio talked about how "he had done this before" with a 15-year-old Oahu girl, Martin said.

ED NOTE: Front Page Magazine today posted the Hawai`i Free Press article "Barack Obama, born in Hawaii"--debunking conspiracy theories swirling around Barack Obama's Hawaii birth certificate.  The following was posted by an anonymous commenter "DadBode" in the comments section and we thought it was so spot-on and funny that it deserves wider exposure.  For readers working in State offices who have taken birth-certificate-related phone calls, this should be of special interest. 

The Hawai‘i State Legislature has filed a Motion for Leave to File an Amicus Curiae Brief in the case Sierra Club v. Department of Transportation (Supreme Court No. 29035), commonly referred to as Sierra Club II, or the Superferry case. A motion by the state for the Hawai‘i Supreme Court to reconsider the Court’s earlier ruling in the case is currently pending. If the Legislature’s motion is granted, the Legislature would be permitted to file a brief stating its position regarding questions presented in the case, and seeking clarification of key issues.