Environment

UPDATE: If you needed help with your ... uh ... "business", the Hawaii ACORN office is was located at 949 Kapiolani in Honolulu right next to the offices of the leftist Hawaii People's Fund.  But you can't pull on your beaverskin fedora and hop in your '73 Coupe Deville and cruise on over--because they've abandoned their office.  But be sure to thank Mazie Hirono for her support anyway.

One of the speakers, Michelle Rhee, is the chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools System, the seventh person to hold the post in the past 10 years.  Intent on reforming the D.C. school system, Rhee has fired non-productive teachers, principals and central office administrators, and proposes to make D.C. teachers the best paid in the country by partnering with private philanthropists to create financial incentives for improved teacher performance.  The daughter of immigrants from South Korea, in 1997, Rhee founded the New Teacher Project, which in 10 years has recruited 10,000 teachers for hard-to-staff inner-city schools in 20 states.

HONOLULU — Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, who earlier this year raised almost $660,000 for an expected gubernatorial campaign in 2010, refused Monday to disclose his positions on same-gender civil unions, gay marriage and abortion rights.

Hannemann campaign spokeswoman Elisa Yadao was asked to provide the mayor's positions on the three hot-button issues. She responded in an e-mail: "As Mufi is not an official candidate, we are not participating in stories featuring candidates who have announced their intention to run for governor."

"That's a pretty lame defense," said University of Hawaii political scientist Dan Boylan....

Many have wondered how ANYONE AS EXTREME AS Obama’s “Green Jobs Czar” Van Jones – a self-described “Communist” obsessed with racial conspiracy theories – could have been named to head a federal agency. David Horowitz described the radicalization of the Democratic Party as the appointment’s subtext. Closer to the fore, Jones owed his elevation to another new factor: the unparalleled influence of Valerie Jarrett.

To call Jarrett a presidential adviser, even a close adviser, is misleading. She is an alter ego, an inner conscience, a touchstone of clarity for both President Obama and first lady Michelle. In the frenzy of the presidency, she reminds both Obamas of their identity and deepest-held beliefs. In exchange, the president makes no decision without her and has said she can “speak for me.” Unfortunately, she is also a racially polarizing elitist.

“I appreciate the Department and Board of Education taking the lead in these negotiations, in coordination with my negotiation team, to work toward reaching an agreement with the HSTA that is in the best interest of teachers, our students and the general public, and that recognizes our growing budget shortfall.  My negotiation team, including the budget director and the attorney general, are currently reviewing the proposed contract and I hope to reach a decision soon."

“While the State has already reduced spending by over $2 billion over the past year, without impacting labor costs, the reality is we can no longer afford to maintain the current level of labor expenses.  I am continuing to work toward reaching a negotiated settlement with the public employee unions, rather than wait for a binding arbitration decision in December.”

Charles Djou: "But we need to do healthcare reform right.  The continued push for a massive $1 trillion government healthcare insurance program is the only key aspect of the address I disagree with.  Our nation should focus on real reforms that make sense without breaking the taxpayers’ bank including medical malpractice tort reform, allowing the inter-state sale of health insurance and equalizing the tax treatment of corporate and individual health insurance.”

As for the legislation's promise of "reconciliation," we are wondering what or who exactly is in need of reconciliation. When Hawaii accepted statehood in 1959, a mind-bending 94.3 percent of Hawaii voters cast ballots in favor of joining the union. They did so because statehood brought great benefits, not burdens meriting reconciliation.

If the Van Jones resignation is blamed on his statements about Republicans and 9/11, a great lesson will have been lost. As we argued in a previous column, "It's the communism, stupid." If people don't recognize the dangers of having a communist in the White House, then the nature of the scandal will not have been understood. Blogger Trevor Loudon of New Zealand broke the story on April 6 and has some thoughts on what happened and where this story is heading.

Since the June 11 House Committee on Natural Resources hearing on HR 2314, the Akaka Bill has been the subject of an intense battle--largely un-reported in the pages of the Honolulu Advertiser and Star-Bulletin, even as the various players battle it out with op-eds.  The August 6 hearing of the US Senate Indian Affairs Committee showed no progress in resolving the dispute. 

...because we have been suffering an economic decline over the past at least year-and-a-half, two years, it gives us an opportunity to prioritize our actions....  It means to put what’s most important first. And then what’s second important next, and don’t get these things mixed up....  It also gives us the chance to reflect on the fact that our actions have consequences.

Register today and join over 1,000 of Hawai`i's women from fields of business, marketing, media, health care, government, international relations, and community service at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel and Resort September 22, 2009.

Driving on roads in need of repair costs each Hawaii motorist an average of $503 annually -- $431 million state-wide and the third highest in the nation -- in the form of accelerated vehicle depreciation, additional repair costs, and increased fuel consumption and tire wear.

The report also finds a total of 43 percent of Hawaii’s bridges are deficient or obsolete. Twelve percent of the state’s bridges are structurally deficient and an additional 31 percent are functionally obsolete. In addition to deteriorated road and bridge conditions, 45 percent of Hawaii’s major roads are considered congested.

And according to the TRIP report, the fatality rate on Hawaii’s rural roads is nearly four times greater than the fatality rate on all other roads in the state.

Last week I thought we were close to reaching an agreement, but unfortunately, this was not the case. The HGEA’s current official offer amounts to a pay increase that would make our budget deficit worse.  Because of the way in which the public employee unions are structured, their rank-and-file members have not had a chance to hear about the State’s latest proposal. This is not right, because it is their livelihood that is at stake.

Most disheartening to me is the implication that union leaders would rather have members lose their jobs instead of having all their members share the sacrifice of furloughs.  Because of the setback in our negotiations, the State is preparing to proceed with binding arbitration with the white collar HGEA beginning tomorrow. The State will also start binding arbitration with the blue collar UPW, one week later....

Today I want to tell you that there will likely be additional layoff notices issued in the months ahead. The second round of layoffs will, by necessity, require a fundamental restructuring of State government. I wish this was not the case, but it is....

... we will roll back public assistance benefit increases... consolidate common administrative functions performed in each of our departments ... we will selectively begin eliminating some State programs that we could afford when times were good....

The Advertiser’s Aug. 30 article on the State’s investments in auction rate securities (ARS) contained several inaccuracies, including misleading statements by Legislative Auditor Marion Higa and Rep. Karl Rhoads. 

The State has not incurred any actual or real losses by investing in auction rate securities, and in fact we have been receiving the full principal and interest due on the ARS for the past 18 months. 

Mr. Say's comment to the unions, the governor and the county mayors, "Let us all work together and try to stop the bleeding" is pure shibai. I pose to him: What are he and the other legislative leaders doing to help our state fiscal situation?

The unions have all along said public employees are willing to "share in the pain" -- so why aren't our elected leaders doing their part to help the state's budget shortfall by exploring other options now, such as tapping special funds or early retirement legislation?

If the students who dropped out of Hawaii’s Class of 2009 had graduated, the state’s economy would have benefited from more than $1.6 billion in additional income over the course of their lifetimes, according to a new issue brief from the Alliance for Excellent Education.

With no known hate groups and a much-trumpeted spirit of aloha or tolerance, few people outside Hawaii realize the state has a racism issue. One reason: The tourism-dependent state barely acknowledges hate crimes.  Hawaii has collected hate crimes data since 2002 (most states began doing so a decade earlier). In the first six years, the state reported only 12 hate crimes, and half of those were in 2006. (All other things being equal, the state would be expected to have more than 800 such crimes annually, given the size of its population, according to a federal government study of hate crimes.)

Why did the city choose Makana O Kea Kua as the non-profit in charge of taking donations for the City’s Sunset on the Plains.  Makana O Kea Kua has a clean and sober home for convicts on 91-031 HAILIPO Street.  Residents complain that it housed sexual offenders.  Why was a political campaign allowed to be a sponsor and promoted through sunset on the plain using city taxpayer money?

But we now know that many of the senators who protected Fannie and Freddie, including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Christopher Dodd, have received mind-boggling levels of financial support from them over the years.

Throughout his political career, Obama has gotten more than $125,000 in campaign contributions from employees and political action committees of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, second only to Dodd, the Senate Banking Committee chairman, who received more than $165,000.

“In light of the additional $98 million revenue shortfall projected by the Council on Revenues yesterday and the unacceptable and unrealistic position taken by the Hawai‘i Government Employees Association on our Administration’s latest offer, we must take the difficult step of identifying additional spending cuts, including a possible further reduction in force,” said Governor Lingle. 

Multiple sources within the Hawaii Republican Party report Honolulu County Prosecutor Peter Carlisle has resigned his Party membership.  The sources report that Carlisle sent a short letter to Hawaii GOP HQ with his resignation late last week. 

“The Council on Revenues’ lower revenue projection is in line with what our Administration has been anticipating.  That is why we have been taking steps to reduce government expenses and streamline operations.  The fact that the Council on Revenues has lowered its revenue projection for the seventh time since March 2008 is another reminder that we simply cannot afford to operate state government at the current level of spending...."

“I’m pleased with the over 200 people that turned out for the townhall discussion on healthcare reform this evening.  I think this forum offered a balanced presentation, educated all attendees, and showed the real concern the people of Hawaii have regarding the future of American healthcare,” stated Djou.

That glaring problems have continued for so long is a serious indictment of leadership. Someone should be held accountable … but that’s not possible.  In Hawaii’s one-of-its-kind governance system, the buck stops nowhere.

The economic stimulus funds build upon the five-point recovery plan my Administration launched last year and position Hawaii to re-establish the conditions for growth.  Our state Congressional delegation has supported this effort and their role is appreciated.

Finally, we believe key competitive grant opportunities will lay the foundation for a new economic base in the decades ahead.  That economic base will be built on swift, accurate communications of voice and data; clean, renewable energy that is domestically produced; harbors and transportation systems that are state-of-the-art; and a skilled, well-educated workforce that is ready to compete nationally and internationally.

The meeting will be in the cafeteria of McKinley High School on Tuesday, August 25th.  It will begin at 5:30pm and end at 7:00pm.

Governor Lingle speech--full text.  Zogby poll describes Hawaii at 50, Native Hawaiians: The next 50 Years, Shinseki speech, VIDEOS, more . . .

For years, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) has expended every resource to create a Hawaiian Indian tribe. Now, with its goal finally in sight, disputes over how much of Hawaii the Akaka Tribe should grab and how quickly to grab it threaten to torpedo the entire project.

While Hawaii is ninth in a Gallup's list of top liberal states, Aloha State conservatives have a 5% edge--29% to 24%--over liberals.  Hawaii is tied with Rhode Island as the top state for self-identified moderates at 43%.

In an August, 2008 interview with Maui’s Akaku Public Access TV, Roggasch claims there was no assault.  He also explains his belief that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States and is therefore ineligible to be President.  Like many “birthers” the Akahi group are “9-11 truthers” as well.  An entire page of their www.FreeHawaii.org website is dedicated to arguing the 9-11 attacks were "a time of reckoning" and "our fault".

“Statehood was a major turning point for our state, and 50 years later, we are proud of everything we have accomplished. I hope the residents of Hawai‘i will show their pride in our island home by attending local commemorations and learning more about our state’s history,” said Kippen de Alba Chu, chair of the 50th Anniversary of Statehood Commission.

There were 247 contributions from individuals and PACs. Of these 247 only 12 were for less than $1,000. 235 individuals and PACs donated more than $1,000 each. There were 33 contributions that were at the maximum of $6,000. There were numerous contributors who are in the same family that maxed out their contributions at $6,000 apiece.

SB: "Most of the cuts would come from revision of reimbursements for doctors, discounts for prescription drugs and elimination of co-payments for preventive services — changes that would affect providers, not beneficiaries."

So with Hawaii already suffering an MD shortage caused in large part by low medicare reimbursements, Obama is going to cut them even more. And that won't affect beneficiaries, just providers???  It will when the MDs leave Hawaii.  And this isn't a "cut"?

The bill says that the government agents, "well-trained and competent staff," would "provide parents with knowledge of age-appropriate child development in cognitive, language, social, emotional, and motor domains ... modeling, consulting, and coaching on parenting practices," and "skills to interact with their child to enhance age-appropriate development."

(This applies to Indian Tribes as well, so if the Akaka Tribe is ever formed, Hawaiian families will find themselves inspected by US Government social workers with the power to remove children from the home.  "Sovereignty", eh?)

(And who are we to pass up the opportunity???)

“I hope our employees adhere to the deadline we have set, because the possible consequences to them of ignoring the deadline could be the loss of any ability to bump into a different position,” Governor Lingle said.

“I am also very disappointed that the HGEA and UPW have failed to respond to the offer we presented on July 21, 2009. Unfortunately, the State’s deteriorating budget situation is getting worse, not better, and the amount the State can afford to pay in labor costs continues to decline. The unions’ failure to accept or recognize this is, in my opinion, not in their members’ best interests.”

You have only a few more days to enjoy the pause in the Gramscian War on the cultural and historic foundations of Hawaii Statehood.... So be sure to tune in tonight.

 IMAGE: CAT 4 Hurricane Felicia takes aim at Hilo, but is projected to weaken before landfall.

(And here's what would happen if a CAT 4 hit Oahu....)

A powerful hurricane would shut down Hawaiian Electric's grid for 30 days. Streets as far inland as Beretania and the H-1 freeway would be flooded. Debris would block roads. And homes would be damaged across the island of Oahu, if a powerful hurricane struck Oahu, officials said.  The imagined scenario officials have been working with calls for a Category 4 hurricane -- meaning a storm with sustained winds over 130 mph -- to make landfall at Kapolei.

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle has appointed Kaulana Park to serve as the new director of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) and chairman of the Hawaiian Homes Commission.  Park, the department’s deputy director since February 2008, succeeds Micah Kāne, who will become a Trustee for Kamehameha Schools.  The transition will take effect on Aug. 12.

Governor Lingle also announced that she will furlough approximately 900 state employees for three days per month effective September 1, 2009.  These “exempt excluded” employees are all non-union employees, who are not covered by Judge Karl Sakamoto’s order barring the Governor from unilaterally implementing furloughs for union employees. 

(Sounds like union membership is detrimental to the interests of those emplyees who are being laid off.)

In attempting to prove DU is dangerous, the activists have in fact proved the opposite. They have discovered what any junior high school physics student already knows -- the world is naturally bathed in background radiation. This background radiation is far stronger than anything depleted uranium could ever emit. DU radiation is literally too weak for them to measure.

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs will conduct a hearing on S. 1011, the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2009.  The hearing is scheduled for Thursday, August 6, 2009 at 2:15 PM (EST)  which is 8:15AM Hawai`i Time and will be held in the Dirksen Senate Office Building room 628.   UPDATE: Names of hearing tesifiers have been released.... 

If the Big Square Building comprises 100,000 square feet weighing 100 pounds per square foot, and that weight were made up of equal parts drywall, brick, and cement, the ten-million-pound building contains about 42 pounds of non-depleted uranium and 63 pounds of radioactive thorium.

Jim Albertini of the misnamed Malu-Aina Peace Center writes March 27, “We must not tolerate having any depleted uranium in our environment….” By this logic the legislature should immediately be shut down and quarantined as a toxic waste dump.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and National Economic Council Director Larry Summers both sidestepped questions on Obama's intentions about taxes. Geithner said the White House was not ready to rule out a tax hike to lower the federal deficit; Summers said Obama's proposed health care overhaul needs funding from somewhere....

Screaming constituents, protesters dragged out by the cops, congressmen fearful for their safety — welcome to the new town-hall-style meeting, the once-staid forum that is rapidly turning into a house of horrors for members of Congress.

On the eve of the August recess, members are reporting meetings that have gone terribly awry, marked by angry, sign-carrying mobs and disruptive behavior. In at least one case, a congressman has stopped holding town hall events because the situation has spiraled so far out of control.

We at Hawai`i Free Press care about voter participation, so here is a convenient list of upcoming Neil Abercrombie Town Hall events.  Don't be shy... 

Three years ago, a Statehood Rally was attacked at Iolani as police stood by.  Now this from Inouye: 

"The territory of Hawaii was annexed to the United States in 1898 by a joint resolution of Congress based on a treaty signed with the Hawaiian government.  For many years thereafter, many delegations of congressmen and senators visited the territory to consider the pleas submitted by generations of our people requesting statehood."

These lines are sure to aggrivate the phony "sovereignty" activists--drug dealers, mortgage scammers, child abusers and others paid by OHA to create an argument for the Akaka Bill by pretending to oppose it in favor of "independence".  But Hawaii's elite have decided to turn off the faucet on OHA's goons--for now.  What will happen AFTER Admission Day?

In the coming weeks and months, I will be leading our state’s efforts to formulate solutions to grow our high-tech industry and put us back on track. Your input and involvement in this new endeavor will be critical to our success.

If you share the vision of a thriving high tech industry in Hawai‘i, I ask you now for your help.  Please contact my office at ltgov@hawaii.gov and let me know if you want to be part of the solution.

Please know that should I run, I will be a strong voice against tax increases, for moral values to protect our Keiki, and encouraging our community to have a stronger voice in the legislature.

“The NRCC is committed to working with Charles Djou as he continues to meet the rigorous goals of the Young Guns program,” said NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions. “With all that Charles Djou has accomplished in just a few short months, I am confident that he will be successful in his effort to regain a seat for Republicans and keep the Democrats accountable for their reckless anti-jobs agenda.”