Ethics

Though 10 states have shirked their duties under national air quality standards for lead, environmental regulators have not cracked down, activists claim in federal court.

Personalized medicine is the future. It is where the science is going. It is where the technology is going. It is where doctors and patients will want to go.

Wind producers can even sell power when demand is low and still collect a profit because the pretax subsidy is higher than the average price for electricity....

First look at 2011 data finds rising prices drove spending growth for those with employer-sponsored insurance....

... environmentalists want to use the label to imply that organic foods are safer ....

In tripping over the YouTube video that was offensive to Muslims, the President seemed to validate other countries’ disregard for freedom of speech....

"And let's not hoist a large Islamic flag, and let's not be barbaric-talking. We will remain a front so that if the thing happens, we will benefit from the new happenings instead of having all of our organizations classified and exposed."

The official, head-to-head debates begin next week, but Sunday’s “60 Minutes” appearances by President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) provided a contrast in the ideas offered on the nation’s entitlements and spending crisis....

...Moreover, it is unlikely to be resolved by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act....

OBAMACARE AND HEALTH ISSUES IN HAWAII a special 90-minute discussion
Tuesday, September 25, 7 – 9 pm, at Boston Basil’s Restaurant & Pizzeria, 75-5707 Alii Drive (downtown Kailua-Kona)

• Senate: Veterans Job Training – Motion to Waive
• Senate: Foreign Aid Suspension
• Senate: Iran Nuclear Threat
• Senate: Continuing Resolution
• House: Student Loan Exemption for Deceased Veterans – Suspension
• House: Public Funding for Political Conventions – Suspension
• House: Welfare Work Requirements – Disapproval Resolution
• House: STEM Visa Program - Suspension
• House: Manhattan Project National Park – Suspension
• House: Energy Regulatory Rollback – Passage

... the tax credits have other, indirect effects: Increased sales of electric vehicles allow automakers to sell more low-fuel-economy vehicles ....

Occupy Wall Street's pathetic first birthday last week confirmed that the longstanding reports of the movement's death have not, in fact, been exaggerated....

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." -- George Santayana

...the goal was not only to improve efficiency and patient safety, but also to reduce health care costs.  But, in reality, the move to electronic health records may be contributing to billions of dollars in higher costs....

If Obama;'s 2013 budget is implemented, Hawaii will be obligated to pay $1,096,300,000 more for Medicaid....

Sunday will mark the start of the 100-day countdown to “Taxmageddon” – the date the largest tax hikes in the history of America will take effect....

The report singles out top Department of Justice officials for wrongdoing and contradicts sworn testimony by Attorney General Eric Holder.

 The law does nothing more than deceive people into purchasing non-GE foods, which aren't different from GE foods....

We need to elect leaders who are more concerned about America than their political party and will put aside partisan differences to work together to solve our nation's problems. 

A prosecutor cannot use a criminal prosecution against a political rival in an attempt to intimidate him.... Incredibly, they made tape recordings discussing their plans and they joked on those tapes about committing perjury if ever caught.

It's only through your generosity and support that we have the funds to be able to discuss the important issues facing our country today, and the need to elect genuine leaders, like Charles, who have the courage and the character to address those issues.

 Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and his Chinese counterpart, Defense Minister Gen. Liang Guanglie, told reporters here today they see progress and room for growth in the two nations’ military relationship....

Abercrombie is pursuing an appeal of the injunction on Basic Health Hawai'i, with a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals hearing scheduled for Tuesday in San Francisco....  

...this updated CBO estimate represents the first time that the Medicare payment reductions are accounted for in the full 10‐year budget window....

Savings promised by the government and vendors of information technology are little more than hype....

The belief that more imports equals less employment at home is false. It follows directly that the idea that trade deficits lead to higher unemployment is also false.

Democratic FEC commissioners argued that UPW did in fact coerce “employees to participate in the union’s political activities” in violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971....

• House: Minnesota Land Exchange
• House: Government Surveillance Authorities
• House: Sequestration Replacement
• House: Continuing Resolution
• House: Energy Department Loan Guarantees

Over the next 10 years, ObamaCare will reduce Medicare spending by $716 billion....

Forty visionaries signed a piece of paper 225 years ago today that became one of the most vital documents in the world: the U.S. Constitution.

$5.23 trillion in new debt vs. $1.68 trillion to the economy

Mazie Hirono voted last week to keep in place $1.2 trillion in automatic budget cuts that will hurt Hawaii’s economy ....

Issuing additional currency ... does little to raise the real GDP of the US, but does reduce the value of the dollar, and in turn increase the cost of commodities (which) will pressure profitability of businesses, and increase the costs of consumers....

Tren Urbano (or City Train) in San Juan, Puerto Rico is a perfect comparison with Honolulu's heavy rail....

 ... federal civilian workforce, where staffing levels and salaries would be docked more than 8 percent .... 

Obama’s strategy for this part of the world started out much the way Jimmy Carter’s did—with acts of conciliation and accommodation....

"It is firmly within the constitutional rights of American citizens and, contrary to the embassy's statement, within the free speech rights of all human beings to speak openly and critically about Islam...."

The high-tech buoy network faced $4.5 million in cuts in February, and Hirono opposed bipartisan House legislation to fully fund the critical system for FY2013....

Long-term care, which includes nursing home and hospice services for seniors, makes up a significant portion of Medicaid spending around the country....

Moody's announced recently that it would no longer accept state and local governments' pension liability figures at face value....

 ‘Obama, Obama, There Are Still a Billion Osamas!’ -- The chant on the streets, three years after Obama's Cairo Speech.

Budget negotiations during the 2013 Congressional legislative session will likely determine the direction of the US government’s Aaa rating and negative outlook, says Moody’s Investors Service....

...in Afghanistan, Charles saw the best and worst in humanity. He saw the selfless sacrifice of our American soldiers but also utter human depravity in Taliban insurgents....

Eleven years ago today, terrorists shattered America's sense of safety. Generations who did not remember Pearl Harbor suddenly knew the shock of an attack on U.S. soil....

...all U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff in observance of Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance....

insights to effective advocacy, organization and mobilization....

The average teacher in Chicago Public Schools—a district facing a $700 million deficit—makes $71,000 per year before benefits are included.

Lingle also called for Congresswoman Mazie Hirono, a current member of Congress, to answer for the 40,000 unemployed in Hawaii and 12.5 million unemployed across the country with a real plan to put our people back to work.

As of Monday, Ing will owe as much as $950 in fines and will be barred from receiving additional public funding until the report is filed and the fines are paid....