It is sad to see Gary Okino leave the Democratic Party. I happen to be a life long Democrat, but I don't put the party ahead of what is morally necessary for our community to thrive. To be truly Democratic, as its name implies, the party should welcome divergent views.

According to Council committee agenda, “The purpose of the proposed bill is to lower the home exemption from $300,000 to $200,000, for tax years beginning on or after July 1, 2011.”

The result of such a move would be to sharply increase residential property tax bills.  Calculated as a percentage, the tax hike would fall disproportionately on those whose homes have lower real estate values.

The proposed price hikes came in response to Act 26, which was passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor Linda Lingle in 2009. It mandated the Department to set breakfast and lunch prices at no less than half the cost of preparing the meals due to escalating food, energy and labor costs.

Board Chairman Garrett Toguchi called for the Legislature to repeal Act 26, and provide sufficient funding for the school food program....

...if the Obama Administration keeps selling their GM stock at the IPO price, the U.S. taxpayer will lose $10 billion on the deal, and that does not include the loans GM still owes, cash for clunkers, the Chevy Volt subsidies, or the millions of unseen costs the unprecedented intervention has inflicted on our economy.....

Complete list of Hawaii State Senate Leadership and Committee Assignments 2010-2011.

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle announced today that the State of Hawai‘i Department of Transportation – Harbors Division successfully sold $201.39 million of Harbors System Revenue Bonds to fund various capital projects for the State’s Harbors Modernization Plan and to refinance existing bonds for debt service savings. 

Since 2005, at least 479,000 personal records have been breached in the state of Hawaii – records on one out of every three residents – according to a report by the Liberty Coalition.

The Hawai‘i County Charter (Section 3-17) provides for the empanelling of a Reapportionment Commission every ten years, beginning in 1991, which means 2011 is a “reapportionment year.” Nine citizens (one from each Council district) will be nominated by the mayor and confirmed by the Council by March 1, 2011.

Our long national nightmare is over. Phusion Projects, the makers of Four Loko brand caffeinated malt beverages, announced yesterday that it will remove the caffeine from its products. Phusion’s decisions came just one day after Senator Chuck Schumer (D–NY) pushed the Food and Drug Administration to ban “these dangerous and toxic drinks.” ...

In the formally non-partisan winner-take-all race, Kahele, a Democrat, will face former GOP State Rep Bob McDermott, and Democrats Matthew LoPresti and Christopher Lewis.  But Kahele’s chances may hinge on voters, media, and opposing campaigns not having time to do research.  Kahele carries a lot of baggage, including a metaphorical steamer trunk loaded with the fragrant burden of Waimanalo Gulch.

What a disappointing start for Carlisle. It is too obvious now that he does not know anybody other than a group of downtown lawyers. So he made Managing Director a deputy prosecutor and reappointed the Mufi cabinet!

A new version of the Akaka Bill was introduced yesterday in the US Senate by Sen. Dan Akaka (D-HI).  In accordance with Senate rules, the new bill, designated S. 3945, was read twice on the Senate floor and then referred to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.    A text of S. 3945 is not yet available.

WSJ: Standard & Poor's Ratings Services cut its rating on Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. (HE) and its electric utility subsidiaries by one notch to the brink of junk.

Today, Tuesday November 16th, the Maui County Council will be accepting public testimony regarding a big proposed property tax increase. If you can make it you can sign in to testify by 1:30 pm on the 8th floor of the County building.

So much for Neil Abercrombie’s “more federal funds” refrain, eh? If this holds, Inouye will no longer be able to buy off his cronies and the corporatist state will starve.  Hawaii Democrats will be relegated to peddling marijuana, assisted suicide, and gay marriage as substitutes for pork barrel projects.

If a group of Honolulu city council members has its way, nonprofits that are exempt from paying more than $300 a year in property taxes will see their bills go up. Sparking the push to raise more revenue from nonprofits—as in other municipalities around the country—is an expected $100 million-plus gap in the city's budget.

President Barack Obama returned from Asia yesterday, and the headlines greeting him home are not kind. “Obama’s economic view is rejected on world stage,” reads The New York Times; “Obama, weakened after midterms, reveals limited leverage in failed S. Korea deal,” says The Washington Post; and ABC News declares, “President Obama Falls Short on G-20 Goals: Failure to Deliver on Key Trade Goals Reveals Limits of American Influence.” These headlines are only half-right: Yes, President Obama did fail to deliver on his agenda in Asia, but the culprit is not declining American influence. The problem is a losing agenda set by the President himself.

Honolulu - News articles report that Japanese billionaire Gensiro Kawamoto wants to establish an art museum on his Kahala Avenue properties.   Representative Barbara Marumoto (R-19th Dist. Kaimuki/Waialae/Kahala) is calling for a discussion of this issue at a Neighborhood Board No. 3 meeting.