National News

Jilly, I want you to know that Beau, Hunt, Ashley, and I are so proud of you....

Governor Abercrombie is in North Carolina attending the Democratic Governors Association meeting as well as the Democratic National Convention. The NGA announced its committees for the 2012 – 2013 year today....

“This is a very important step in implementing the National Ocean Policy in the Pacific,” said Dave Raney, Chair of the Sierra Club’s national Marine Action Team....

Government Accountability Office this week gave notice to the Administration that this type of law change must go through Congress....

Mazie Hirono has enabled this spending binge. She may be notorious for skipping votes—127 and counting so far this year—but she knows how to vote “aye” along party lines when it comes to more spending.

"For Democrats, there is no God in 2012 — at least as far as the party’s platform is concerned. Nor is there a Jerusalem." -- ABC News Sept 4

Obama’s Administration has already added almost $6 trillion to the debt. That means he is on track to triple Bush’s debt increase over eight years.

... over $50,000 for every American - including our children ....

As of today, the vast majority of American students have begun a new school year. As lunches are packed and carpool lines grow, Heritage reviews the good, bad, and ugly in education....

For the third consecutive year, State Budget Solutions examined state debt and calculated the total amount of debt that each state faces....

Hirono abstained from voting 23 times; Sen. Daniel Inouye abstained from voting nine times; Hanabusa abstained from voting six times; Sen. Daniel Akaka abstained from voting six times....

"Organized labor spends about four times as much on politics and lobbying as generally thought."

...Abercrombie and the governors of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas (CNMI), and Guam have signed a partnership agreement to assist the region in identifying coastal and ocean management priorities....

Lie Number Five: Health Reform Is Going to Make Medicare More Efficient....

The debate in Tampa this week raised a number of issues....

The resolution asks for the federal government to “consult with our tribal governments and indigenous communities for guidance in all policies that affect our way of life ....

Full text of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s remarks to the Republican National Convention on Aug. 30 in Tampa, as prepared for delivery.

"People are really eager to go to convention and get everything going." -- David Chang, State GOP Chair

Heritage defense experts call Obama's defense strategy "a strategy of hope": "a hope that big wars are a thing of the past; a hope that America's allies will do more; and a hope that fewer resources do not jeopardize the lives of American soldiers."

Since the passage of President Obama's health care law, hospitals are increasing their size by acquiring private practices.

I accept the duty to help lead our nation out of a jobs crisis and back to prosperity- and I know we can do this....

A survey by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) in July revealed that small businesses' top three concerns were taxes, regulations, and poor sales.... 

...according to the law's supporters, EMR adoption will yield cost savings. This conclusion, however, has not been definitively proven....

Federal subsidies in fiscal year 2010 for solar-generated energy were $775.64 per megawatt hour and $56.29 per megawatt hour for wind....

“This new Anti-Bullying Policy Yardstick helps schools identify which policies are driven by a narrow political agenda...."

Obama declared in his Saturday radio address that his proposed reforms “won’t touch your guaranteed Medicare benefits. Not by a single dime.”  This is incorrect. Obamacare cuts $716 billion from Medicare over the next 10 years....

Progressives admit to being "deeply suspicious of the claim that a health care system dominated by powerful vested interests and mystifying in its complexity can be tamed by consumers who are strapped for time, often poor, sometimes uneducated, confused and afraid." But just how valid are these concerns?

...this year marks the 100th anniversary of another Republican Convention embroiled in political drama of a different nature....

We must honor the promises we made to Social Security and Medicare beneficiaries and to those nearing that age," said Governor Lingle. “Our kupuna should not fear that their payments could be stopped or reduced during their lifetimes.”

Marco Mangelsdorf, who co-owns a company in Hawaii, ProVision Solar Inc ... has been fuming since he received a $138,000 tax bill in June from U.S. Customs, 250% more than what he paid for a shipment of Chinese panels he received in February ....

Governor Linda Lingle, candidate for Hawaii’s open U.S. Senate seat, called on the Republican National Committee to consider the diverse opinions of Party members related to a woman’s right to choose before adopting a proposed platform plank....

Since Heritage's Robert Rector and Kiki Bradley broke the story on July 12 that the Obama Administration had gutted the work requirements from the 1996 welfare reform law, the Administration has denied it.

California, Hawaii, Iowa, and New York today have been awarded Level One Exchange Establishment grants, which provide one year of funding to states that have begun the process of building their Exchange....

...the CBO said that if Congress does not act, the economy will shrink by 0.5 percent, and the unemployment rate will spike to 9.1 percent....

...under federal law, the U.S. Energy Department has to deem the exports in the national interest before these companies are granted permission....

Nearly one-third of America's doctors are already opting out of treating Medicaid patients—because their costs often outweigh what the program pays for care....

"These laws were often rooted in a naïve faith that patient consent, rather than underlying structural protection, is the be-all and end-all of patient protection." -- Big Brother

CAGW named Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye and Ranking Member Thad Cochran its August 2012 Porkers of the Month for including a $380 million earmark for the wasteful and widely-criticized Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS)

The health care system can't possibly deliver on the huge increase in demand for primary care services -- there aren't enough doctors....

Ryan v Obama on Medicare: Surprisingly, there's very little difference between the two plans.

The subsidy is already equivalent to 50 percent to 70 percent of the wholesale price of electricity. And that isn't the only special-interest treatment wind producers receive....

...a federal database of health-related breaches showcases an unsettling new strain of opportunism that is emerging as criminals try to exploit the industry’s shift to digital medical records....

Similar to health maintenance organizations (HMOs), ACOs are designed to bring hospitals, physicians and insurers together to reduce health care costs ....

Under rules proposed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), some working-class families would be unable to afford family coverage offered by their employers, and yet they would not qualify for subsidies provided by the Affordable Care Act....

GASB considered changes to address this issue. Recently, it approved a slate of reforms for this exact purpose, yet their changes could actually make things worse by omitting essential changes....

They have also increased the proportion of outlays gobbled up by administrators, says The Economist....

‘Impossible lack of diversity’ reflects ideological intimidation on campus....

She sponsored 49 bills between her election in 2006 and 2012, and zero have been passed into law.* We ask the people of Hawaii to join us to ‘do the math’. It all adds up to zero.”

What happens to our society if we lose all electricity? A new TV show premiering next month, Revolution, will explore that question....

Honolulu hosts 55 of America's 81 living Medal of Honor recipients this fall at the 2012 Medal of Honor Society Convention. Recipients from World War II up to the current conflict in Afghanistan will be in attendance.