Hawaii Reporter

REPORT: City Status of Land Use on Oahu

2012-02-24T18:44:23-08:00

REPORT FROM THE CITY DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND PERMITTING - The City Department of Planning and Permitting has just released its annual report on the status of land use on Oahu, as of 2010.

The document focuses on population trends, housing construction activities, land use approvals, golf course construction, status of major improvements to City infrastructure, and other trends relating to the City’s eight regional plans. The information is intended to help the City Council, private development community, and interested citizens understand how growth is occurring and how the development objectives of the City are being met.

Some of the highlights of the 2010 report:

Population in the eight planning areas is trending generally in the direction envisioned in the Oahu General Plan.
More than 60 active housing projects of 25 or more units will add slightly more than 47,000 units to our housing supply when completed in the coming decades. The report provides an update on each of these projects. Most of the projects are located in Ewa, where the second city, Kapolei, is growing.
Job growth also is projected to increase most rapidly in Ewa, where its share of Oahu’s jobs is expected to almost quadruple to 103,434 by the year 2035. The service and retail sectors are expected to contribute mostly to that increase.

“This report shows where the real estate and job markets are active, and where they are not,” said David Tanoue, DPP director, “For those interested in long-term regional trend, or just where new housing and jobs are going to occur in the near future, this is a good resource.”

You can review the 26-page report at the DPP website, www.honoluludpp.org

HEARINGS FOR NEXT WEEK/RAIL AND TSUNAMI DEBRIS JUSTICE

2012-02-24T18:34:59-08:00

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE MEASURE

Budget Committee Chair Ann Kobayashi has scheduled our resolution 11-349 that requests the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) to compensate the community inundated with rail construction debris - for a hearing on February 28 @ 9 a.m. See agenda here. Please provide testimony. Your assistance and cooperation is greatly appreciated.

REFUSE COLLECTION DISPARITY

Many townhome and condominium complexes are not in receipt of city refuse collection services and have to pay higher maintenance fees for private refuse collection. I have been asked to fight for these homeowners and create a special class of property tax - to offset the expense. I came up with Bill 6 to address this disparity - and this measure will also be heard in the Budget Committee this Tuesday. Instructions to send in testimony can be reviewed in the agenda.

TSUNAMI DEBRIS CONTINGENCY PLAN

I have another resolution being heard - reso 12-15 to address what is going to happen to all of the debris coming from the floating trash pile that is to hit Hawaii's shores - from the tsunami/earthquake that hit Japan. See agendahere. Let's make certain the plan is not to dispose of all the trash on our side of the island . . . if so, we want to be compensated!

AND DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT MY PARKS COMMITTEE AGENDA:

Here.

Aloha, Sears Ala Moana

2012-02-24T18:32:33-08:00

Sen. Sam Slom

BY SEN. SAM SLOM - The announcement on February 23 that Sears will sell its flagship Ala Moana Center store, with 300,000 square feet of space, to General Growth Properties sometime in 2013 was sad news. The loss of this great retail store and its historic significance will circulate through our community—especially among those of us who actually worked in that store.

Ala Moana Center probably would not have been completed and opened when it was, in August 1959, (a week before Statehood) without Sears as a major anchor. The company took a big risk relocating there.

The wide variety of goods and support of local vendors was unprecedented in Hawaii. Sears was and remains, an important institution in Hawaii.

While I was a student at the University of Hawaii Manoa, I applied for a job at Sears as a part-time employee during the Christmas holiday in 1961. It was a job that was much sought after because of wages and working conditions and not so easily attained in those days. Applicants were interviewed, tested, and competed for a limited number of available openings.

Men wore suits and the training was vigorous, even for limited part time positions. I remember being excited at being chosen to work that Christmas.

One of the things we learned then was not to refer to the store as “Sears,” but always as Sears Roebuck and Company. Training in customer service was extensive. The good reputation of the store was important and employees were an integral part of it.

There was something Sears had in common with the U.S. Army: prospective employees were asked what department they would like to work in, and usually were given something completely opposite.

A classmate and good friend of mine at the time, who also applied, put on his application, his first choice was appliances, but anything was preferable to men’s suits. You guessed it, he wound up in men’s suits. I had experience (from Mainland high school) in men’s suits but got lucky and was assigned to small appliances (radios, phonographs—remember them? and the like.)

I say lucky because there was a great deal of action in appliances around the holidays and I inadvertently learned I was credited with commissions. I was a pretty good salesman and my first check was five times that of my friend. (Eventually, I did not get commission as a part-timer but it was good while it lasted!).

I met many good people from management, to employees, during my tenure at Sears. I learned a great deal about retailing as well.

My fortunes continued as I was re-hired part-time the next year in hardware and later on, in suits.

In hardware, I learned a lot about tools and home improvement and that I should not be trusted with the paint mixing machines.

The suit department was interesting because that’s where local families came to get their young men their first suit usually, and to go off to Mainland colleges. It also was the first suit for many local adult men. In downtime, everyone learnd how to “snap” their cloth tape measures to keep occupied. Restocking pants shelves after a major sale was not as pleasant.

The main thing is I remember is I loved the customers—well, most of them—and the supervisors, well, most of them, who were helpful and assisting. All this and getting paid too.

Sears will be missed. Even though there are other Sears stores in Hawaii, and new competitors, the Ala Moana Store will always be special.

Mahalo Sears, for all the many contributions you made to our community. You will be missed but never forgotten.

OHA's Land Proposal Faces Next Stop in Senate

2012-02-24T17:26:10-08:00

REPORT FROM THE OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS - HONOLULU, HAWAII – The public will get to comment again Monday on the state's offer to resolve longstanding claims for past-due revenues owed to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

Two Senate Committees have scheduled a 10 a.m. joint hearing at the State Capitol on Gov. Neil Abercrombie's proposal to transfer 10 parcels of mostly waterfront property in Kaka'ako Makai valued at an estimated $200 million.

If voted out of the joint sessions scheduled by the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor along with the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, the measure's next stop would be the floor of the full Senate.

The proposal could potentially provide OHA with an economic boost to help fund community-based programs aimed at improving conditions for Native Hawaiians

Earlier this month, the Senate Committee on Water Land & Ocean Resources as well as the Senate Committee on Hawaiian Affairs approved the measure amid public testimony overwhelmingly in support of it.

New Rail Authority Director Could Receive Nearly $1 Million for Three-Year Contract; Final Vote Set for March 1

2012-02-24T18:24:58-08:00

BY MALIA ZIMMERMAN - Daniel Grabauskas, chairman and senior strategic adviser of the Bronner Center for Transportation Management and former general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, is the finalist for the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation’s chief executive officer position.

Grabauskas’ would be hired under a three-year contract, with an annual salary of $245,000, along with other perks that include a $36,000 yearly housing allowance and an $6,000 transportation allowance.

The total compensation package of $861,000 could rise to as high as $966,000 because it includes a $35,000 annual performance bonus.

A statement from HART said as chief executive officer of MBTA, “Grabauskas had oversight of a 6,100-employee operation, with an annual operating budget of $1.4 billion and an annual capital budget of more than $500 million, with operations in 175 municipalities throughout eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. His work also included completion of several capital expansion projects, including an 18-mile commuter rail line.”

Originally HART’s board of directors did not plan to accept testimony on the nomination, but after taking substantial criticism for its lack of transparency, HART released a statement saying it will vote March 1 after taking public testimony at the in the Mission Memorial Annex Conference Room, 550 South King Street, beginning at 10 a.m..

Former Gov. Benjamin Cayetano, who has been an opponent to the city’s plan to build a $5.3 billion elevated steel on steel rail system from Kapolei to Honolulu, is running for mayor in 2012.

Cayetano is critical of HART’s process: “There is a great deal of distrust of HART among the public. HART's reversal of policy is largely due to pressure by the public and news media reports,” he said.

Cayetano also is one of 7 plaintiffs who filed a federal lawsuit challenging the rail project because of its impact on Hawaii’s environment and cultural sites. A recent media poll conducted by the Star Advertiser and Hawaii News Now showed Cayetano in the lead for the mayor’s race and a growing majority of the public opposing the project.

Panos Prevedouros, a professor of engineering at the University of Hawaii, also opposes the rail project and is critical of HART’s decision.

He said there is an “astonishing disconnect between Mr. Grabauskas' excellent qualifications for leading multi-modal multi-jurisdictional agencies and tiny HART with its single mega-construction project. Very few of the selected CEO's actual talents and knowledge are relevant to the political, ethical, legal and technical difficulties of our city's rail project. This is a win-win for some. The current executive director Toru Hamayashu remains effectively in charge and Grabauskas has an easy couple a years at half a million dollars from local taxpayers.”

But Grabauskas already has strong supporters among rail advocates who say he is a proven leader in the transit industry.

Keslie Hui, chairman of the HART board’s Human Resources Committee, said “His leadership experience with one on the nation’s largest public transportation networks, his familiarity with navigating the federal funding process, and his passion for public service make him well-suited to lead HART at this important juncture.”

Mayor Seeks Council Approval of Wife's Travel

2012-02-24T16:51:33-08:00

BY JIM DOOLEY - Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle has asked the City Council to validate two free trips

Peter Carlisle

his wife took to Asia last year.

One of the trips, to public events in China and Taiwan, was the subject of a City Ethics Commission opinion last month which found no public purpose to the inclusion of Judy Carlisle in the official travelling party.

The second trip, to Nagaoka, Japan, was taken by the Mayor and his wife Aug. 1-4, 2011.

Before each trip, Carlisle sought and received Council approval to accept gifts of free travel and expenses for his wife.

He asked the Ethics Commission before the China trip if acceptance of the gifts on behalf of his wife was permissible, but didn’t receive the commission’s opinion until nearly a year after the travel occurred.

That opinion said that Judy Carlisle "was not a city officer or employee and her presence with the Mayor during the China trip was not necessary to accomplish a city purpose. “

The Commission recommended that “Mayor Carlisle reimburse the city for the cost of his wife’s China travel -- $3,300.”

In a letter this week, Carlisle asked the Council “to make a specific determination … that my wife’s travel was for a City public purpose.”

He asked the Council to make the same finding for the Japan trip.

“It is my belief that in accepting the offer of the gift of travel in both of these instances, the Council knew that the intent of the gift included my wife accompanying me on these trips, and that the Council found this an acceptable application of the gifts to the City,” Carlisle’s letter said.

The China trip included a five-member delegation from Honolulu: the Carlisles, City Council member Stanley Chang and two Office of Economic Development employees.

Only the Mayor and his wife went on the Japan trip. Nagaoka City paid $4,622.40 for the couple’s air and ground expenses, including meals.

In seeking advance approval of the trip last year from the Council, Carlisle said it would “provide an unparalleled opportunity to discuss ways to further cooperate in economic development, assist companies looking for business opportunities with Honolulu, and expand tourism to Honolulu.”

Another purpose of the trip, Carlisle said last year, was “to explore the possibility of a sister city relationship between our two cities.”

That relationship will be finalized next week when Nagaoka City officials will sign sister city paperwork during a visit here for the annual Honolulu Festival.

Hawaii Hot Spot for Human Trafficking

2012-02-24T18:27:24-08:00

BY MALIA ZIMMERMAN - Hawaii is a hot spot for sex and labor trafficking. So much so, that when Google.org awarded a sizable grant to the Polaris Project and International Justice Mission last year to work on the ground in 5 key states to help establish stronger laws against trafficking, the alliance chose Hawaii as the first stop.

Representatives from these groups who have dedicated $1.8 million to Hawaii's campaign, have joined Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery and Reps. Karen Awana and John Mizuno to push for six new bills they say would help "identify, protect, and offer assistance to victims of human trafficking."

They were at the capitol yesterday, reviewing the need for the proposed measures for 2012, which include:

"Safe Harbor Bill that allows for a mandatory referral of child victims to a licensed and trained child service provider.
"Vacating Convictions bill would enable sex-trafficking victims to file a motion to vacate all prostitution charges from their criminal records while they were held in captivity, illegally.
"Education and awareness would provide greater education to the public and youth of Hawaii on human trafficking and prevention.
"Victim Services State plan for human trafficking victims service would be created to address the needs of rehabilitating human trafficking victims.
"And a Steering Committee on Human Trafficking Measure would be formed to review and recommend public policy and a state plan for human trafficking victim services."
There also would be a mandatory reporting bill for medical professionals who encounter a trafficking victim.

The National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline that connects trafficking victims to services they require, has received an estimated 164 calls since December 2007 related to human trafficking in Hawaii. The Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery has documented many more.

Rep. Awana, who appeared at a press conference on the issue on Thursday, said it is important for lawmakers to address the issue and support activists trying to stop human trafficking. She called it “the worst form of treatment inflicted upon another human being.” Awana and Mizuno are asking other lawmakers in the House and Senate to support these measures and are optimistic they will pass. They already have received positive feedback from the respective committee chairs the bills have been assigned to.

James Dold, Policy Counsel for the Washington D.C.-based Polaris Project, works in all 50 states to strengthen anti trafficking laws. He said yesterday he has seen "first-hand how laws like these make a real difference for the lives of women and children who have been brutally exploited for the profit of others."

He added: “If all of these bills pass, Hawaii would have one of the strongest anti-human trafficking frameworks in the United States.”

With the help of the Polaris Project, Kathryn Xian and her non-profit organization, Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery, successfully lobbied for the first anti-human trafficking laws in Hawaii, including HB141 related to labor-trafficking and HB240 related to prostitution. These became Act 145 and Act 146 in 2011. The passage of these bills meant Hawaii was no longer one of just 5 states without any anti-trafficking laws.

Hawaii is first on the list, Dold said, not only because Hawaii has a trafficking problem, but there are activists on the ground willing to do what it takes to combat human trafficking and state lawmakers are open to making changes.

He said Illinois, Texas and New York are leaders in this effort, Virginia has seen tremendous improvement in the last year in terms of its legislation and legal tactics to combat various forms of slavery, and he is optimistic Hawaii will continue to strengthen its laws.

Hawaii Reporter has uncovered a number of stories about workers from Asia, mainly Laos and Thailand, trafficked to Hawaii to work on local farms. See the most recent series here:

Scammed In Laos, Trapped in America

After Oahu Farm Workers Fall Ill, State Inspectors Look Into Workers’ Safety, Food Security

Special Investigation: Laotian Workers Suffer Health and Financial Problems on Oahu Farms

Hawaii's Grim Financial State Set Decades Ago; Reapportionment Debacle May Become Less So Under Proposed Legislation; Maryknoll School Students Shine

2012-02-24T16:32:30-08:00

State Budget Director Kalbert Young - Photo by Mel Ah Ching Productions

Stage for Hawaii's Grim Financial State Set Decades Ago

Most of us weren’t born when decades ago, Hawaii’s politicians made deals with the local unions to provide generous health and pension benefits to government employees.

As Kalbert Young, director of the Department of Budget and Finance said yesterday, no one involved in those deals had to be accountable for what the deal is worth at the end.

Today the state taxpayers owe state employees at least $8 billion in pension benefits – and that is the sunny side of the equation, Young said.

Other Post Employment Benefits total as much as $15 billion. That includes healthcare insurance for government retirees, which the state pays as the bills come due rather than having a fund to guarantee the state can continue to cover these promised benefits.

Young made his presentation to Smart Business Hawaii members on Thursday morning at the Alan Wong Pineapple Room in Ala Moana Center.

Reapportionment Debacle May Become Less So Under Proposed Legislation

What is a "permanent resident?" Forty nine other states define the term under the federal definition but Hawaii has no legal definition.

The seemingly unimportant term actually is quite essential. It is the center of a Hawaii Supreme Court battle over redistricting - mainly how Hawaii's congressional district lines for the upcoming election will be reconfigured based on the new population count reported in 2010 by U.S. Census.

In 1992, Hawaii residents voted to keep only those claiming Hawaii as their "permanent residence" in the population count for the purpose of redistricting, but the amendment did not define the term.

So when the Hawaii Reapportionment Commission released its proposed maps for the 2012 election and beyond earlier this year, but included some non resident military, their dependents and non resident students, they were challenged by Big Island Democrats in the Hawaii Supreme Court.

At issue was whether the Big Island county would be allocated a new Senate seat to total four, and in the process, one would be taken from Oahu.

The Big Island plaintiffs won the case, but the Supreme Court did not define the term either. Now the reapportionment commissioners are scrambling to finalize the plan removing all non permanent residents, but are still trying to decide who exactly should be removed.

A Senate bill introduced by Sen. Sam Slom, (R-Hawaii Kai-Diamnond Head), will be heard Monday at 9:35 a.m. by the Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee to determine that very thing.

The bill, SB 212 RELATING TO LEGISLATIVE REAPPORTIONMENT, defines "permanent resident" for legislative reapportionment as "any individual counted as a usual resident of the State in the last preceding U.S. census and requires reapportionment to be done using data on the total number of permanent residents in the State."

Meanwhile Hawaii's political candidates cannot pull or file papers for re-election since the district boundaries are not set.

The public may submit testimony on the matter and attend the hearing in room 016.

Maryknoll School Students Shine

Students in Maryknoll School’s kindergarten through second grade recently learned how to properly fit and check their helmets and bikes before going on bike rides.

This opportunity was the result of the work of two seniors, Spencer Young and Ryan Hiranoka, who decided the theme for their senior project would be helmet safety.

The program also included information from the Kapiolani Medical Center and Hawaii Bicycling League’s BikeEd instructors. Through a grant provided by HMSA, the students also received helmets.

As a result of this presentation, Maryknoll is considering participating in the Hawaii Safe Routes to School Day Challenge.

The challenge is as easy as 1, 2, 3: 1) Pick a school; 2) pick a bikeable or walkable route; 2) pick up kids along that route the fourth Wednesday of each month.

For more information, visit www.PathHawaii.org/hui.

Submitted by Natalie Iwasa

Public School Teachers Pledge Support to Hirono, Hanabusa, and Hannemann

2012-02-24T15:24:33-08:00

REPORT FROM MAZIE HIRONO CAMPAIGN FOR US SENATE - The Hawaii State Teachers Association Board of Directors is pleased to announce their recommendations for the 2012 Congressional elections.

They have selected Representative Mazie Hirono in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate, U.S. Representative Colleen Hanabusa as the incumbent in the first congressional district, and Mufi Hannemann for U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii’s second congressional district.

“This is an important time to plan for Hawaii’s future and the many challenges we face. With a strong congressional delegation, we will have leaders that will be a strong voice for Hawaii’s children and working families,” said Wil Okabe, a teacher and current President of HSTA.

U.S. Representative Mazie Hirono has been an unwavering champion of education and labor. She supports many of the educational tenets we believe in and understands that funding and support for teachers is a critical part of Hawaii’s future.
U.S. Representative Colleen Hanabusa has been a strong voice for the middle class. She has been a reliable member of Hawaii’s congressional delegation and will continue to make contributions on President Obama’s initiatives.
Mufi Hannemann’s knowledge of issues important to Hawaii equips him to work toward bold solutions to put our nation back on track and to make contributions that will allow our children to choose to call Hawaii home. His existing relationships with current members of Congress give him a solid foundation from which to begin.

“Education is at the core of investing in our future. These candidates have the right values and vision to stand up for teachers and students in Congress. They recognize just how important good teachers are to our communities and our country and they will work to create new opportunities for students from pre-school to graduate school,” Okabe said.

Candidates seeking the HSTA recommendation completed a vigorous review process that included research of voting records, written responses on education issues, and an interview with teachers on the HSTA Government Relations Committee. After much deliberation, the Committee recommendations were approved by the HSTA Board of Directors. Teachers will be working hard to get out the vote for their endorsed candidates. They know their votes matter!

The HSTA Government Relations Committee and Board of Directors are composed of teachers from every island. They are volunteers who are elected by teachers from the Districts they serve. The President of HSTA is a teacher on release time from his assigned school and elected by all of the teacher members. HSTA’s teacher leaders set the course for action in the Association.

The Hawaii State Teachers Association is the exclusive representative of more than 13,000 public school teachers statewide. As the state affiliate of the 3-million member National Education Association, HSTA assists teachers with collective bargaining and contract issues, legislative advocacy, and provides professional development in curriculum and leadership. There are also 4000 retired teachers in an affiliate relationship with HSTA, the HSTA-R’s.

Record High January for Hawaii’s Tourism Economy

2012-02-24T15:22:31-08:00

Photo: Emily Metcalf

BY MIKE MCCARTNEY - The momentum of 2011 continued into January 2012 for a strong start to the New Year. Visitor spending for January 2012 reached $1.35 billion, up 13.9 percent over January 2011, making it the highest January on record for expenditures.

The gains in expenditures were seen across the major islands and in each of our major market areas, contributing $164 million more into our state’s economy, boosting arrivals 7.7 percent, while distributing the benefits of tourism across the state. A strong holiday season, combined with pent up demand for travel to the Hawaiian Islands, increases in airlift and a large delegation of convention attendees were all contributing factors to the increases seen in January. Kaua‘i lead the way in visitor arrival increases for January, up 10 percent over 2011, thanks to increased direct service and a charter flight from China.

The HTA is proud of the hard work and dedication of our visitor industry, demonstrated by the strong performance in January, which is a good indicator for the year to come. We will continue to work with our global marketing partners to drive demand, help sustain healthy airlift and support unique experiences throughout the Hawaiian Islands for both residents and visitors.

Mike McCartney is President and CEO, Hawai‘i Tourism Authority

State of the County: Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa

2012-02-24T15:19:14-08:00

Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa

BY MAUI COUNTY MAYOR ALAN ARAKAWA - Thank you for that introduction Mr. Luna.

Good morning and aloha to all of you.

At this time I’d like to recognize Council Chairman Danny Mateo, State Senate President Shan Tsutsui, as well as all of our honorable council members, friends from the state legislature, county directors and deputies and other distinguished guests.

You know, when this County building, the Kalana O Maui, was built in 1972 it was considered a monstrosity.

People asked, why would anyone want to build a nine story building in the middle of sleepy Wailuku town?

It seemed like a ridiculous idea at the time and a waste of taxpayer dollars.

And yet, four decades later, here we are.

Every floor is in use, every office space filled.

The point is, the people who built this building were thinking of their future, and ours.

They knew what needed to be done, and they weren’t afraid to do it.

People like Mayor Elmer Cravalho,

Council Chairman Goro Hokama,

Councilmembers Richard Cladito, Joseph Bulgo, E. Loy Cluney, Harry Kobayashi, Marco Meyer, Lanny Morisaki, Bernard Tokunaga and Yoneto Yamaguchi.

We need to think like they did, otherwise we are wasting the resources of our taxpayers.

And these days - as our property values continue to decrease and our unemployment numbers remain stagnant - we can’t afford to waste anything.

That’s why for the past year we’ve been working toward making Maui County more efficient.

We started by installing PV solar panels on what will be two dozen County buildings.

Once the County Solar Rooftop project is complete it is projected to save us up to half a million dollars a year in energy costs.

We are trying to consolidate our resources, by acquiring more than 100 acres to create a new Central Maui County Baseyard.

This baseyard will enable the County to safely store a majority of our vehicles in the same area and save money by sharing garage space, tools and maintenance staff.

It will also enable us to move at least one baseyard out of a tsunami zone and allow departments to share other resources.

We also need to get away from the silo mentality.

We also need to rent less . . . and own more of our office space.

Currently the County spends about three million dollars a year in renting office properties for various departments scattered throughout our community.

We need to consolidate our personnel and create an asset instead of a continued liability.

We hope that the County Council shares our vision of a more efficient County, because we will need their cooperation to make it all possible.

Already we have done much for this community by working together.

You have helped us push forward important projects such as the Kaunakakai Fire Station, the Lanai Senior Center and the Kihei Police Station.

More importantly you have given preliminary approval for the funds needed to replace the Waikamoi Flume.

For years we have been losing thousands of gallons a week because the flume is old and leaks.

This is Upcountry’s most reliable and least expensive water source and we need to conserve every drop of it.

Please continue to support this project as well as others for our Department of Water Supply.

We will also need the Council’s help in making this County more business friendly when it comes to building permit applications.

The Department of Public Works has introduced some key amendments that would require departments to review and return or approve building permits within 30 days.

We met with more than a hundred consultants, engineers and architects in our permitting workshop last year, which was coordinated by our Department of Management, and we know these changes will make a difference.

We want to help business, not hinder it. The County should not be an obstacle when it comes to putting people back to work.

But we can’t do it alone. Besides the Council’s help we will need our state delegation assisting us as well.

Senator Tsutsui, you have been a partner, an ally and friend to Maui County. And we must ask for your help once again this year as we try to create a new industry.

There are several bills currently in the state legislature that call for an increase in the State’s film production tax credits.

However without the addition of infrastructure credits, companies will not have the necessary incentives to build a studio or sound stage here.

The State’s own numbers tell the tale.

Oahu, where the State built the Diamond Head Film Studio in the 90’s, generated more than 100 million dollars in film production spending last year.

In comparison Maui and the other counties combined generated five million dollars in film production spending.

Without the required facilities Maui, and the rest of the neighbor islands, are mostly used for shooting commercials.

Production companies that are actively producing a television series, like Hawaii 5-0, will never seriously consider Maui as a viable location until such facilities exist.

We need these facilities.

Please President Tsutsui, we need your continued help to pass a bill that addresses infrastructure tax credits as well as production credits for the sake of this new potential industry in our community.

Finally, I must address our congressional delegation and anyone else wishing to running for office in Washington D.C.

While you’re in town if you have a chance, catch a ride on one of our Maui Buses and check out the lines to get onboard.

The Maui Bus is one of the fastest growing public transit systems in the nation right now. Our residents trying to get to work have to compete for seats with visitors going sightseeing.

We have more passengers than we can handle, and we could use more federal money for buses and bus shelters.

We have been doing our best to prepare Maui County for the future but again, we can not do it alone.

Help us help ourselves.

You’ll find that we are very good partners. This administration has a good track record of doing what we said we would do.

We said we would open up the Paia mini-bypass 24-7 and we did.

We said we would get rid of Furlough Fridays and we did.

We said we would push renewable energy projects and we did. We approved more electrical permits for solar projects last year than any other time in the last 10 years.

We said we would start the County’s first curbside recycling pilot project and we submitted the funds for it last year.

You will see those funds again in this year’s budget.

We said we would improve our infrastructure and we are doing that constantly.

So far we’ve fixed bridges and upgraded sewer lines and improved pump stations.

When it comes to roads we almost doubled the amount that we repaved last year when compared to the year before.

We said we would work more closely with our Maui County Council members and we have.

They’re in my office, I’m in their offices and we talk to each other.

We may not always agree but we talk. And more importantly we LISTEN to each other.

I hope we continue to listen to each other for years to come.

We said we would help promote tourism and we are.

We went to APEC to meet with delegates from South Korea, Japan, China and other countries to find out how to entice their people to visit our islands.

What we learned there we are putting into action.

For example we want to develop a historical tour for Chinese visitors, one that explains the life of Sun Yat Sen on Maui, the man who become the Father of Modern China.

We’re also helping to put the events together that are bringing back visitors to Maui County year round.

Already we’ve brought Halloween back to Front Street and championship windsurfing back to Hookipa.

Now we’re looking at bringing championship kite surfing here as well, along with more University of Hawaii sporting events.

Want to meet Norm Chow? He’ll be here in April for the UH Green and White scrimmage.

We expanded the First Friday Wailuku parties to include Lahaina, Makawao and Paia, and might be looking at Molokai and Lanai next.

We’re looking at much more, we are looking at everything.

We’re supporting our visitor industry by also preserving Maui County’s natural beauty and cultural resources.

That’s why we’re using a million dollars of Open Space funds to preserve 64 acres of oceanfront property known as the Paukukalo Coastal Wetlands. We thank you council members for recommending this purchase.

This area once saw native Hawaiian fishponds, shrines, burial grounds and agricultural terraces, all right there between the mouths of Waiehu and Iao streams.

Besides being culturally significant the area is environmentally important as it provides a natural filter for runoff before it reaches the ocean.

We have lost too many of these lands already, and we must protect those we have left.

Speaking of land, we have to do something about our County parks.

Our parks are so popular they are being used every day by teams playing sports, families having parties, friends going diving and fishing and everything else under the sun.

That’s a good thing, in fact it’s great thing.

But these parks are so well utilized that our parks department is having a hard time maintaining them.

Some of them are in terrible shape.

For example, did you know that down at Keopolani Park we have 500 broken sprinkler heads?

We can’t fix that problem overnight and we can’t do it while kids play on the field all day.

Our staff is working on the problem but they need time.

More importantly we need uninterrupted access to our fields.

We need to plug, top dress, aerate and fertilize each field, then let the grounds recover before anyone can practice and play again.

So we need the community’s help, the help of soccer organizations, baseball teams and anyone else that uses our parks.

Please kokua when it comes to your team’s schedule and know that we may have to reschedule your sporting event just so we can take care of our fields.

This lack of park space will continue to be a problem until we can get our Central Maui Regional Park system up and running.

To all of the families, coaches and youth sports organizations, please come down and testify before your Council as to why we need 242 acres of parkland in Waikapu.

Once again we thank Senate President Tsutsui, who is working to acquire another 70 plus acres for a regional park in the same area.

That’s more than 300 acres of Central Maui parks for families that we hope to start building by 2013.

As we said before, we must plan for the future by working together.

But in order to succeed we must do one more thing:

We must be bold.

Because only by being bold can you take advantage of hope.

And only by being bold can you affect change.

Otherwise, the words hope and change are just that. Words.

Be bold, and let us work towards the goal of having our islands run on 100 percent renewable energy.

Be bold, and let’s stop renting and paying someone else’s mortgage and build our own facilities.

Be bold, and let’s build an economic engine by having a true film industry in Maui County.

Be bold. Work together. Plan for the future.

We can do this.

This is the Year of the Dragon, the year that the ancient Mayans predicted would bring about a new age.

Maui County is in better shape today than it was last year and the work must continue.

Let’s be bold together and build for the future.

Forty years ago our predecessors built this building.

Forty years from now what will future generations say about Arakawa, Mateo, Hokama, Pontanilla, Baisa, Carroll, Couch, Cochran, Victorino and White?

Hopefully they say, “They understood what needed to be done.

And they weren’t afraid to do it.”

Once again, thank you for allowing me to serve you.

And thank you for helping to make Maui County one of the best communities in the world.

Aloha and God bless.

Grassroot Perspective: Good as Gold, the Vanishing Student-Athlete, and More

2012-02-24T12:09:51-08:00

Scanning the week’s national news, views and clues with you and yours in mind

By Malia Hill

“The most important single central fact about a free market is that no exchange takes place unless both parties benefit.”— Milton Friedman

Each week, we’ll be monitoring the web to find the most interesting, challenging, or important items for those who are concerned about liberty, accountability, and big government. Here are some of the highlights from the past week:

Good as Gold

Just a few years ago, the notion of returning to the gold standard was only talked about in a few circles (and those were usually made up of economists, some of whom have an unfortunate tendency to make common sense seem complicated). Now, thanks in part to articles like this one by Ralph Benko, there is a growing movement that sees return to gold as a way to stabilize our economy and restore value to the dollar. Benko deals with a few myths about the gold standard (e.g. the notion that there’s not enough gold) and explains how a gold standard would help control government spending and grow the economy. And for those who want to know more than can be read in a short column, he even offers a free online version of The 21^st Century Gold Standard, which he wrote with Charles Kadlec. (Full disclosure: I know and work with Mr. Benko, but when you’re talking about a new gold standard, he’s one of the best guys around to explain it.)

Cents and Sentiment

It is a difficult question—that of whether college athletes should be paid in some way. On one side, there is the tradition of the student-athlete and true amateur, an ideal that hearkens back to an earlier, rosier era, and symbolizes for many some sort of classical perfection. On the other hand, there is the modern reality—the millions in profits, the use of scholarships and eligibility to handicap the value of the diploma that is held as ample reward, and the sporadic, confusing, and sometimes irrational NCAA rules and enforcement that could smash a player’s dreams for an infraction as minor as getting treated to a hamburger. As Doug Bandow discusses in this article, it’s a sensitive and difficult issue, but one that begs for a fair resolution even as the divide between those who rake in the dollars and those who do the actual playing grows larger and more embarrassing.

Government by Bureaucracy

So much of the arguments about the enactment of Obamacare have been based in theory and speculation. (Informed, well-reasoned, and logical speculation, but speculation nonetheless.) However, it’s time to let loose the I-told-you-sos. As Matthew Spalding, writing for the Heritage Foundation, points out, we have already seen the result of giving such wide and unspecified powers to bureaucrats. And we’ve barely gotten started. Not only is there the revelation that religious institutions would have to disregard their own teachings in providing health care insurance that covers contraception, abortion-inducing drugs, and the like, but cronyism and influence have already raised their heads in the way that exemptions have been granted. The heart of the objection to Obamacare was the fact that if the government can regulate inactivity (like the decision not to buy health insurance), then you have opened up the door to regulating anything. A point that the Administration seems to be rushing to demonstrate.

What if they gave a crisis and nobody came?

Ironically, part of the reason that Obamacare garnered the support that it did (other than various political tricks) was due to the widely held perception that health care costs are spiraling out of control and destined to get worse. This, of course, was often accompanied by the kind of heart-wrenching anecdotes that suggested that opposing Obamacare was only a step or so removed from snatching medicine out of the hands of sick children. But what if the reverse is actually occurring? What if health care costs are stabilizing (and even decreasing) even as care itself improves? That’s the argument made by J.D. Kleinke in the Wall Street Journal, who demonstrates that consumer behavior is part of the reason for the change. Score another win for the free market.

The White Rose

Courage. And faith and freedom. That is the heart of the story of Sophie Scholl, her brother Hans, and their friend Christoph Probst, who were executed 69 years ago this week for their participation in The White Rose, a group of students in Munich who protested Nazi rule and urged their countrymen to rise up against Hitler and the Nazis. As Paul Jacobs details in his column, for their courageous treason, the Scholls and Probst were tried and executed, even as their last words and acts demonstrated their willingness to die for freedom. It is a stark and moving reminder of the sacrifices that so many have made in the name of liberty.

Views expressed in this column are intended to promote creative thought, educate, and, we hope, prompt comment. Accordingly, thoughts expressed do not necessarily reflect the official position of Grassroot Institute of Hawaii or the author.

If you want to support the efforts of GRIH to promote individual liberty in Hawaii society, please support HERE.

Please let us know what you think about this reporting. We want to serve your needs, so include your recommendations. Send to maliah@grassrootinstitute.org

7,600 People in Hawaii Due for Federal Tax Refund from 2008 If They File by April 17; Mayor's Race, Abercrombie in National News; Berg on Rail, Re-election

2012-02-24T11:16:51-08:00

Photo: Emily Metcalf

7,600 People in Hawaii Due for Federal Tax Refund from 2008 If They File by April 17

Refunds totaling more than $1 billion may be waiting for one million people who did not file a federal income tax return for 2008, the Internal Revenue Service announced today. However, to collect the money, a return for 2008 must be filed with the IRS no later than Tuesday, April 17, 2012. That includes 7,600 people in Hawaii.

The IRS estimates that half of these potential 2008 refunds are over $600.

In some cases, people may not have filed their 2008 returns because they had too little income to require filing a tax return even though they had taxes withheld from their wages or made quarterly estimated payments. In cases where a return was not filed, the law provides most taxpayers with a three-year window of opportunity for claiming a refund. If no return is filed to claim a refund within three years, the money becomes property of the U.S. Treasury.

For 2008 returns, the window closes on April 17, 2012. The law requires that the return be properly addressed, mailed and postmarked by that date. There is no penalty for filing a late return qualifying for a refund.

The IRS reminds taxpayers seeking a 2008 refund that their checks may be held if they have not filed tax returns for 2009 and 2010. In addition, the refund will be applied to any amounts still owed to the IRS, and may be used to offset unpaid child support or past due federal debts such as student loans.

By failing to file a return, people stand to lose more than refunds of taxes withheld or paid during 2008. Some people, especially those who did not receive an economic stimulus payment in 2008, may qualify for the Recovery Rebate Credit. In addition, many low-and moderate-income workers may not have claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC helps individuals and families whose incomes are below certain thresholds. The thresholds for 2008 were:

$38,646 ($41,646 if married filing jointly) for those with two or more qualifying children,
$33,995 ($36,995 if married filing jointly) for people with one qualifying child, and
$12,880 ($15,880 if married filing jointly) for those with no qualifying children.

For more information, visit the EITC Home Page on IRS.gov.

Current and prior year tax forms and instructions are available on the Forms and Publications page of IRS.gov or by calling toll-free 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676). Taxpayers who are missing Forms W-2, 1098, 1099 or 5498 for 2008, 2009 or 2010 should request copies from their employer, bank or other payer. If these efforts are unsuccessful, taxpayers can get a free transcript showing information from these year-end documents by ordering it on IRS.gov, filing Form 4506-T, or by calling 800-908-9946.

Report from IRS

Mayor's Race, Abercrombie in National News

The Wall Street Journal has an article appearing yesterday that profiles Honolulu's mayor's race and how it may impact the city's plan to build a $5.3 billion elevated steel wheel on steel heavy rail system from Kapolei to Honolulu.

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie is also receiving national coverage for two issues: his decision not to defend Hawaii's civil union law, and instead side with the legal challenge trying to establish gay marriage in Hawaii; and in an article entitled "Rookie Governors: Who's Struggling" in Governing Magazine.

About Abercrombie, the author writes:

"Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D), a longtime U.S. House Member, has had some trouble adjusting to the governorship. By late last year, he was declared the least popular governor in the nation by Public Policy Polling, with an approval rating of just 30 percent. It got to the point where several staffers left Abercrombie, including his chief of staff, his deputy chief of staff and his director of communications. His refusal to reveal the names of his judicial nominees prompted a successful lawsuit by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, and he failed in efforts to tax sugary drinks and increase the alcoholic beverage tax.

"His popularity seems to have recovered a bit of late, with a 39 percent approval rating this month in the Hawaii poll. The state's largest bond issue has pumped money into construction projects, and the state's pivotal tourism industry has experienced a slow but steady turnaround. Abercrombie has also managed to chalk up some policy successes with the help of a strongly Democratic legislature. He signed a bill creating civil unions in the state, an issue his Republican predecessor Linda Lingle had vetoed and which became a significant campaign issue. Also, he turned a $1.2 billion deficit into a positive general fund balance, thanks in part to aggressive union negotiations and government restructuring, among other initiatives."

Berg Drumming Up Support for His Re-election in Unconventional Manner

Honolulu City Council Member Tom Berg is trying to drum up support for his run for city council with an unconventional method. He is repeatedly contacting media and members of the public opposed to the city's plan to construct the $5.3 billion rail system, telling them they need to focus on his re-election, not just that of Ben Cayetano's run for Honolulu mayor, if they want to stop the rail project from being built. He also wants support for his plan to remove funding to manage the rail project from the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit, the semi autonomous city agency charged with overseeing the project.

In the most recent email, he writes: "In the event Ben Cayetano gets in- and there are not four councilmembers to back him up to sustain his veto (funding) of Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit - there is another option. By repealing HART and putting rail back into Department of Transportation Services - Cayetano, or any anti-rail mayor for that matter can then control the purse strings and stop the train...this is PLAN "B." Getting four council members in to back Ben is a longshot...and many want me out as well. It is imperative I get support from all to REPEAL HART- since my maneuver to place rail on the ballot was FILED= meaning rail itself as a subject matter cannot be put on the ballot - bill is dead and cannot be resurrected this cycle. But I CAN PUT HART on the ballot and that would be a huge message too- if repealed by the voters. KHON News covered my plan to introduce the charter amendment today as well. Here is the news story from TV."

CASTLE HIGH, KAHUKU INTERMEDIATE, & KAPUNAHALA & MAUNAWILI ELEMENTARY WIN SCIENCE FAIR; FLY TO GLOBAL CONTEST

2012-02-24T18:38:40-08:00

Graphic by Emily Metcalf

BY JORENE BARUT FOR THE DOE - KANEOHE, HAWAII – Castle High School senior Rebecca Weible and Kahuku Intermediate School eighth-grader Brittany Scott took first place in their divisions while Kapunahala Elementary School sixth-grader Camille Aiu placed third at the Windward District Science and Engineering Fair at Windward Community College. William Heyler, a sixth-grader at Maunawili Elementary, took first place in the Junior Display on February 11.

Weible’s win in the senior research division secured her a spot in the International Science and Engineering Fair to be held in Pittsburgh, Penn., in May. She was Castle High’s only entry. Scott and Aiu also advance to compete in the Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair to be held April 2-4 at the Hawaii Convention Center. In total, 179 students with 130 projects from 28 Windward DOE schools and one Windward charter school competed at the 26^th annual district fair. Thirty-nine of the projects advanced to the state fair.

Weible’s prizes include all airfare and lodging for the international competition. Scott, Aiu and Heyler received certificates and medals.

“Human Impact on Seagrasses” is the title of Weible’s project. Seagrasses are flowering plants, often with long narrow leaves, that grow in salt water marine environments and can resemble a meadow. They provide shelter for associated species, oxygen production and protection from erosion for coastal zones. They are in global decline due to human disturbance.

Weible plans to major in marine biology at U.H.-Manoa. Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology’s faculty member Mark Heckman, researcher Dr. Kimberly Peyton and summer intern Sara Sorensen mentored her at Coconut Island. “As I started to study seagrasses, I realized their significance, even if they are small,” Weible said. “They are so important to the overall ecosystem and balance of the reefs.”

Scott’s project, “Going Glucose Green for Fructose Fuel,” compared different processes for converting sugar into engery to determine the most effective. Aiu’s project, “Bouncing Polymer Ball,” tested different materials to find the most elastic. Heyler’s project was based on whether gray water could effectively irrigate radishes.

“The competition was pretty fierce and winning generates lots of school pride,” said Derek Minakami, Principal of Kaneohe Elementary School. In addition to these schools, students from Hau’ula, Waiahole, Pope, Heeia, Parker, Laie, Kainalu, Kailua Intermediate, Sunset Beach, Kahaluu, King Intermediate, Puohala, Kailua High, Olomana, and Kahuku and Kalaheo High took home awards or honors.

The Windward Oahu District is comprised of two complex areas – Castle/Kahuku and Kailua/Kalaheo. The district serves students in communities from Waimanalo to Waimea Bay with the purpose of providing high school graduates who are college and career ready.

Pritchett's Pen: Running Peter Carlisle out of town on a rail is the only option

2012-02-24T10:44:26-08:00

Running Peter Carlisle out of town on a rail is the only option.

As Island Republicans Gear Up for the March 13 Presidential Caucus, Congressman Ron Paul's Campaign Announces its Plan to Energize Voters

2012-02-24T10:38:11-08:00

garlinggauge.com/

Ronnie Paul will visit Hawaii to campaign for his father, Congressman Ron Paul, R-Texas, who is a Republican candidate for President.

Ronnie is Ron Paul’s oldest son of five children. He will be in the islands March 9 through 13 with Ron Paul 2012 Campaign Manager John Tate just before the state’s Republican Caucus, which is set for Tuesday, March 13, from 6 p.m. to

The caucus is expected to energize Hawaii Republicans, who for the first time in history, will be voting for their Republican Presidential nominee.

Besides Ron Paul, candidates on the ballot include Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum.

On the party web site, Hawaii's GOP said March 13 voting sites are set up for every 51 State House Districts as well as on the neighbor islands of Molokai, Lanai, and Hana, Maui, "so that every Republican in the state will be able to participate." They are organized as a Party-run Primary Election at the following locations: HERE.

To participate, voters must show a photo ID and either register as a Republican or have a Hawaii Republican Party card already in their possession.

The more votes the candidates receive, the more delegates they will be able to send to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida.

Mayor Carlisle is Not Honest, Transparent or Fiscally Responsible

2012-02-23T23:36:53-08:00

BY KIRK CALDWELL - We’ve all heard the typical politician speech before, and this morning a career politician gave just that. Mayor Carlisle talked about his record of being honest, transparent and fiscally responsible. But the truth is, he is none of these.

An honest and transparent Mayor wouldn’t hide the fact that he suspended the city debt guidelines, as was reported today. Peter Carlisle has demonstrated a total disregard for the public, and when I say public, I mean you, your family and your friends. It’s simply unacceptable behavior and Peter owes all of us an apology.

This is just the latest example of Mayor Carlisle’s lack of transparency and his failed leadership that is moving the rail project backwards.

Mayor Carlisle is also failing to listen to the people. These are crucial things a good Mayor must do and he is not. As Mayor, I will work harder to be completely transparent and honest, and I will ALWAYS make time to listen to the people. That’s why I’m out in the community meeting with folks everyday, to listen to their thoughts and ideas for the future of our city.

Kirk Caldwell is a candidate for Honolulu mayor and the former city managing director under Honolulu Mayor Hannemann

Hawaii Needs a Public Bank

2012-02-23T23:32:01-08:00

Photo: Emily Metcalf

BY MARC ARMSTRONG - State Representative Gene Ward, R-Hawaii Kai, recently took to the floor of the state legislature to oppose creation of a State Bank of Hawaii. The idea of a public bank - using public assets to generate affordable credit and non-tax revenue to strengthen local economies - is new to Hawaii and not well understood by many, including perhaps some legislators.

Mr. Ward stated that publicly owned banks have operated mostly in undeveloped nations, which apparently was meant to imply they are not suited
to developed nations. He was in error. Public banks were, and continue to be, critical to the economic development of post-war Germany and have
successfully served Canada and Australia for decades. Japan's largest bank is publicly owned as well. These are hardly third world nations.

Referencing a discredited study in Massachusetts, Mr. Ward alleged that Hawaiians would need $3.2 billion to form a public bank. This is vastly
inflated. Washington and other states propose capitalizing their public banks for around $100 million.

The State Bank of Hawaii would not be a retail bank. It would not have branch offices, real estate, construction, ATMs, marketing, bonuses or commissions for officers and employees. Rather, it's a "bankers' bank" that would partner with existing commercial banks to increase their liquidity and strengthen local credit markets. Loans in which the state bank participates are originated and serviced by existing commercial banks and credit unions.

Mr. Ward characterized the State Bank initiative as a "bailout" for the banks because a public bank could serve as a secondary market for local bank mortgages. This misrepresents the function of the bank and misconstrues how credit markets work.

A public bank is not a Wall Street-style casino that leverages worthless assets and makes profits on derivatives, credit default swaps, sub-prime
mortgage scams and the other toxic financial products that have collapsed the national economy.

If the state bank participates in local loans, they must first pass the commercial bank's risk test and then a subsequent test from the public bank.
Its purpose is to increase local bank liquidity and thereby local bank ability to increase lending within local economies. That's the opposite of
a bailout.

Mr. Ward sites the enviable economy of North Dakota - its rising incomes, budget surpluses and the lowest unemployment in the nation - and suggests it is all due to the state's oil and gas industry rather than the successful 93 year history of the Bank of North Dakota. But the facts show otherwise.

North Dakota's neighboring states have similar energy industries and small populations, but nowhere near its prosperity. The operational profits of the Bank of North Dakota have contributed about as much to the state's general fund as taxes paid by the energy industry.

The striking truth about the proposed State Bank of Hawaii is that it could be a reliable money maker and a job creator for the state in perpetuity. The
well-respected Center for State Innovation projects that over a ten year period a State Bank of Hawaii would generate $71 million dollars of non-tax
revenue for Hawaii's General Fund, and about 3,000 new jobs.

As the bank becomes fully operational, these numbers would grow each year thereafter.

We agree with Mr. Ward that the benefits of a state bank will take some time to be fully realized. But depending on how the bank is capitalized, the time frame for profits to flow back to the state will reasonably take just a few years. But as analyses of other state's initiatives demonstrate, those
benefits build steadily and keep building. Lending activity on the other hand - the new stream of affordable credit to fuel economic development, job
creation and tax revenue from an expanding economy - can begin within the very first year.

We urge legislators to study the proven successes of public banking. A State Bank of Hawaii can strengthen local credit markets, generate jobs and public revenue and transform the Islands' economic landscape, serving Main Street instead of Wall Street. The time for a State Bank of Hawaii is now.

Marc Armstrong is the Executive Director of The Public Banking Institute, a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization that furthers understanding, possibilities, and implementation of public banking at all levels of local, regional, state, and national jurisdiction. More on the web at www.publicbankinginstitute.org

State Bank Set Ups is Costly, Bureaucratic

2012-02-23T23:31:28-08:00

State Rep. Gene Ward, emcee

The Hawaii Bankers Association reports setting up a state-owned bank, like the one suggested in HB 2103, is complex and potentially costly. The issue deserves thorough analysis. There needs to be proper vetting in order avoid burdening the state with more costly bureaucracy and a huge infrastructure startup cost.

Presently, there is no detailed business plan that addresses any of the implementation issues (startup time and diversion of funds; unknown funding source; state liability; policy conflict of social good versus profits; tying up of public funds, etc).

Per Hawaii Credit Union League, funds would be deposited into a state bank that would be insured by the state itself. Without the benefit of being insured by a separate entity, the state would be in an extremely precarious situation in the event of any financial difficulty within the bank or in the state.

DCCA's DFI offered "comments only", but those comments mostly warn of negative consequences. They stress that the creation of a task force is the more prudent approach.

• The bank's board of directors is appointed by, and serves at the pleasure of, the Governor. Unintended consequence: when a new governor is elected, the entire board will have to be reappointed.

• Bank advisory board -- as a policymaking group, its members should be aware of the federal management interlock act re: conflicts of interest. The act could limit their advisory board rulemaking ability. Rulemaking generally is by government agencies, versus policies generally made by private businesses.

• DFI doesn't have enough staff to do the bank's site exam. Usually site exams for a bank this size would take about 3 weeks.

• DFI would need new team of 10 additional staff to do the required quarterly reports. Reports takes 3 to 4 weeks to complete. Exam results are subject to federal confidentiality rules and only shared with specific board members of bank, not the general staff of any institution.

• The bill's 45-day timeline for application review is not sufficient.

Rep. Gene Ward is a Republican who represents Hawaii Kai.

More on the web at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVUmsYqEQhU

'Social Issues' From A Truly Conservative Perspective

2012-02-23T23:06:04-08:00

Photo: Reuter

BY CHRISTOPHER G. ADAMO - With Republican candidate Rick Santorum’s meteoric rise of recent weeks, the media has predictably gone into full attack mode against him. The new controversy of the day, repeated incessantly by the network anchors, is anything related to “social issues.” And even a casual association with them will be the “kiss of death” to aspiring contenders. Or so we are told.

Their ruse is as transparent as cellophane. Only a few weeks back, the only matter of importance to the chattering class was “vulture capitalism,” which was their characterization of Mitt Romney’s business practices while involved with the investment firm Bain Capital. And during Newt Gingrich’s brief moment in the spotlight, the liberal press was obsessively fixated on fidelity in marriage. In light of this obvious bias against anything that might generate momentum for the Republican ticket, their duplicity is having a significantly diminished effect during this campaign cycle.

Clearly, the liberal media/Democrat Party cabal will go to any lengths to distract the American people from such nuanced topics as the nation’s disintegrating economy, the malignant expansion of the federal government, its increasing intrusiveness in the lives of the American people, and their consequent loss of freedom. In essence, the daily commentaries from the liberal press must studiously avoid any honest assessment of American life under Barack Obama.

So it was no surprise that a speech made by Santorum at a theological institution in 2008, in which he described a satanic onslaught against this nation, is now getting nonstop coverage on the nightly news. Obviously, their intention is to paint him up as an out-of-touch paranoid, whose far-out beliefs, along with his “extreme” stances on such defining issues as the right-to-life of the unborn, render him completely unfit to hold the nation’s highest office.

Here again however, the myopic talking heads of the liberal media prove themselves to be completely hypocritical, and thoroughly out of touch with America. Against the backdrop of recent “spiritual” declarations from Barack Obama essentially claiming Jesus to have been a Marxist, his twenty year former involvement with the likes of the “Reverend” Jeremiah Wright and the militant bile of “black liberation theology,” promoted in Wright’s church, it would be extremely difficult to make Santorum look unreasonable. Furthermore, in contrast to the current winds of “moral relativism” blowing across this country and the ravages inflicted on the populace by such errant thinking, a simple and blunt recognition of the age-old contrast between good and evil is actually refreshing.

The existence of that evil entity to which Santorum referred is widely acknowledged by a huge majority of Americans. And though most people do not actually envision it as the comical, red-suited countenance appearing on those little cans of processed meat spread with excessive sodium content (Does anyone still make that stuff?), they nevertheless witness the tragic consequences of its labors around them on a daily basis. Something sinister operates in our midst, tearing down the institutions of a formerly great nation, from marriage to the family, to the community, and striving to supplant them with the empty promises of a depraved and hyper-regulated “brave new world” that is rightly to be abhorred.

Consequently, the people of this nation are keenly aware that the perils facing it, both from within and without, cannot be addressed solely in financial terms. Nor do they expect that such things can be indefinitely skirted by a national leadership that either ignores their existence or is too timid to take a bold stand against them.

The deepening squalor of this nation’s inner cities will not be fixed by further infusions of money from without, no matter how vast the sum, as long as the values of the people residing in them continue to degenerate. Likewise, the threats faced by this nation from its enemies throughout the world cannot be placated or otherwise wished out of existence. And any attempts to carry on as if they no longer present a potential for calamity will only increase the likelihood of them someday being again manifested as they were on 9-11.

Four years ago as Barack Obama made his way towards the White House, America was subjected to perhaps the most flagrant display of disingenuousness in its history. Voters were ensnared with empty assurances of a miraculous fix to environmental problems that never existed, concurrently with the dawn of social utopia. Not surprisingly, at least to those willing to objectively weigh the evidence, the actual results have been abysmal. On virtually every front the current state of the nation is quantifiably worse than when Barack Obama took office in 2009. And no amount of pretending otherwise will improve anything. Barring a genuine and principled change of direction, the American people can only expect more of the same.

Real conservatism requires an understanding of the underlying problems plaguing the nation, and the resultant will to boldly address them. In stark contrast, the objective of “fiscal conservatism” is ostensibly to manage the finances of the nation more capably, while studiously evading any entanglements with those issues of morality and values, such as abortion and same-sex “marriage.” But while many high-sounding excuses are offered in support of this strategy, in reality it results from either the cowardice or moral bankruptcy of its proponents. Over time the Alinskyite tactics of the left have been successful at intimidating many on the conservative side who recoil at the prospect of being labeled extreme or fanatical.

Of course these characterizations are always invoked at the discretion of the liberal accusers. And considering the degree to which the “mainstream” media presents its thoroughly jaundiced opinions as unbiased news, it is inevitable that only conservatives can be expected to incur such scathing allegations. It is therefore futile to deviate even slightly from the liberal agenda, if one expects to avoid being a target of leftist venom.

So for those on the right, only two options exist. They can thoroughly sabotage their entire cause by engaging in vain efforts to mollify their critics, which neither inspires their base nor improves their portrayal by the opposition. Or they can ignore the inevitable scorn and ridicule from leftist activists, remain true to their core principles, and rally the country to their cause.

Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle's 2012 State of the City Address

2012-02-23T22:56:24-08:00

Peter Carlisle

BY PETER CARLISLE - In December 1941 in Honolulu Hawai‘i at a harbor called Pearl, a surprise attack launched America into the fiery inferno of the Second World War. Out of the ashes of tyranny and the Holocaust rose America’s greatest generation.

The Greatest Generation describes Americans who lived through the Great Depression and then went on to fight in World War II or aid the war effort from home.

These people fought and labored not for fame and recognition, but because it was the right thing to do. Through their struggles, they rebuilt America into a superpower.

Judy and I are children of the greatest generation.

Judy’s father was a metallurgist and made aircraft parts. Her mother worked in an emergency room as a nurse. Her family was very frugal. Nothing was wasted or thrown away. To this day, my 92 year-old mother-in-law washes out plastic bags and folds tin foil for reuse.

My father suffered from yellow fever, malaria and dysentery as he fought in Italy; and returned with a Bronze Star and field commission as a warrant officer. My mother worked as civilian observer spotting planes.

After the war, they too, lived modestly. My father worked at a local newspaper for 40 years, making little money, while my mother raised us and handled our finances.

Our parents were typical of the greatest generation. They knew the debt they owed to friends, classmates, neighbors, and relatives, who sacrificed their lives in the war. There were so many that never returned home. The greatest generation honored that debt by building a country with the hope that it would last for generations to come. Put simply, they looked to the future.
And that is what we need to do right now.

Good morning, honored guests, friends, family and fellow city employees. Thank you for being here for the 2012 State of the City address.

Today, the city and county of Honolulu stands at a crossroads between being stuck in the paralysis and gridlock of the past, and taking assertive, responsible steps to propel this great city into the future.

We are now the 10th largest municipality in the United States with a population of over nine hundred and fifty thousand in 2010. At current growth rates, by 2020 Honolulu will pass the 1 million mark, and ten years after that we will pass the 1.1 million mark. That means roughly fifty thousand more people by 2020, and one hundred and fifty thousand more people by 2030.

I am going to tell you what we have done and will be doing to meet these challenges, but first I would like to showcase (actually, brag about) just some of the achievements of the dedicated workers of the city and county of Honolulu in the last year.

· Honolulu weathered a tsunami scare after a catastrophic earthquake in Japan.

· Honolulu successfully hosted the APEC summit under budget and without a single event-related arrest.

· When Hawai‘i Medical Center closed its doors, we added extra ambulances to help during the crisis.

· Due to the sound financial position of the city resulting from the hard work and difficult decisions of all departments, we have retained our coveted double-A-plus bond rating.

· The city and county of Honolulu was named one of the healthiest employers in the state.

· Honolulu was recognized as the number one Digital City in America, recognizing cities that best show how technology is used to save governments money and meet higher demands for service in an age of budget setbacks.

· Honolulu is one of eight cities to receive a Code for America grant to develop mobile applications to make our city more open, efficient and user-friendly.

· Two of our directors were featured on the covers of prestigious trade magazines. The title, ‘Protecting Paradise’ is accurate; it is what our city employees do, and do exceptionally well.

· Businessweek.com ranked Honolulu as one of America’s top three cities for overall quality of life.

· For the first time, the city earned a much coveted accreditation award for demonstrated excellence in public procurement.

I salute every member of the city team who contributed to this success.

This morning, I will be discussing 3 things happening now in the city that will leave Honolulu a better place for the next generation:

One: We are preparing Honolulu for the future,

Two: We are investing in infrastructure,

And Three: We are ending politics as usual and increasing citizen engagement.

‘Sustainability’ is the capacity to continue and keep going.

As your Mayor, I believe it is my duty and obligation to prepare Honolulu for the future by tackling her challenges with common sense and old-fashioned financial planning.

To leave a better world for our children, we must save more and pay down debt, keep a close eye on expenditures, and invest prudently in core infrastructure.

Simple and straight forward. I know many of you from all generations agree with these principles.
Right now in this time we have a unique opportunity to transform Honolulu into an even greater place – a model for cities across the nation and even across the globe.

This means executing a plan that repairs our neglected infrastructure, provides decent housing, helps people move around, keeps people safe and secure, and maintains Oahu’s unique natural strengths, just to name a few.

Before I took office in October of 2010, the city’s borrowing for capital improvement projects was, in a word, unsustainable, and had to stop. For every one dollar we borrow, we have to pay back a dollar and seventy cents over time; this debt service pretty much doubles the cost. Together with then budget chair Ernie Martin and the city council’s support last year, we reduced the non-essential capital improvement projects funded with general borrowing by sixty-five million dollars.

Next year, thanks to our budget and fiscal services department taking advantage of low interest rates and debt re-funding opportunities, the city’s debt service, for the first time in eight years will be lower than the year before by about 7 million dollars. It is a start. We need to keep our borrowing low and bend the debt curve downward.

Colbert Matsumoto, the chairman of the state employees retirement system, a few weeks ago said that the state and counties had to make a better effort to set aside some level of funding to begin to chip away at the problem of unfunded liabilities, and “it has to begin with a resolution and commitment today to begin to prefund the liability over time.”

The city made that commitment last year.

In fiscal year 2012, we added forty million dollars toward pre-funding the liability, nearly doubling the fund balance.

In my 2013 budget, I will propose adding more than forty million additional dollars toward pre-funding the city’s liability. At this rate, after ten years we will have over one half-billion dollars in the post-employment health care fund.

We will also propose to add twenty million dollars to our fiscal stability or ‘rainy day fund’.

The most important measure of financial stability is the city bond rating. There is a lot in the news these days about governmental entities across the nation, indeed around the globe, receiving ratings downgrades. In contrast, just six months ago the city went to the bond market and the independent bond rating companies, Moody’s Investor Services and Fitch Ratings, affirmed the city’s excellent rating of double-A-plus.

Fitch Ratings said, “Unlike many of its mainland peers, Honolulu remains financially strong due to its diversified economy, stable revenue base and proven conservative management. The City’s continued success at controlling costs and its considerable financial flexibility underlie these strengths.”

You should be aware that Moody’s and Fitch had been briefed on Honolulu’s commitment to the rail project and infrastructure obligations when they assigned these strong ratings.

Thanks to Honolulu’s strong credit rating, in October the city obtained one of its lowest interest ratesever on a wastewater bond. At a time when other cities for the first time in history are declaring bankruptcy, there are positive signs that Honolulu is moving in the right direction.

In November, when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke at the APEC summit hosted by President Obama in Honolulu, she said:

“It is becoming increasingly clear that the world's strategic and economic center of gravity will be the Asia-Pacific, from the Indian subcontinent to the western shores of the Americas.”

Honolulu is smack dab in the middle of this strategic and economic center of gravity. It should be and could be playing a pivotal role as a convention city, a tourist destination city, and a center of commerce, technology, culture and diplomacy in the Pacific theater.

APEC demonstrated Honolulu’s ability to secure and host huge international events.

I applaud the APEC host committee, in particular Lieutenant Governor Brian Schatz who’s here today, and thousands of local volunteers. This includes the Waikiki Business Community, Totally Against Graffiti, or TAG, HPD’s Project C.L.E.A.N., the Council of Pastors, New Hope Church and many other groups, along with the employees of the city and county of Honolulu and the state of Hawai‘i who cleaned and polished Honolulu in advance of this momentous occasion.

Shortly after President Obama met with the twenty other world economies during APEC, he signed an executive order shortening the process of visa applications from China and Brazil from 4 months to 3 weeks, and according to the U.S. Travel Association the resulting increase in U.S. tourism could create one point three million jobs and add eight hundred and fifty billion dollars to the U.S. economy within 8 years.

Honolulu is uniquely poised to share in this Asia-Pacific windfall. To this end, we are nurturing and expanding our sister-city partnerships.

In a partnership with the Honolulu city council, the private sector, and the other counties, Honolulu played host city to our first Sister Cities Summit in September 2011. There we welcomed delegates from fourteen international cities to share information on available economic opportunities and technology.

I would like to extend particular recognition and thanks to council member Nestor Garcia who convinced me of the value of this Summit and to all the council staff who helped with the sister city summit last year.

Honolulu was also honored to host the third annual Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit and Expo last September, which brought eleven hundred people from fourteen different countries together to discuss and share technology for the development of clean energy.

The benefits Honolulu may derive from tourism and business development are substantial. If we do not share our knowledge with and get to know our neighbors, our opportunity to participate in the present and future expansion of Asian-Pacific commerce and technology will be lost. It is the right thing to do as global citizens who share many of the same cultures, geography and ocean.

Increasing our commitment to renewable energy resources is another way we are positioning the city for the future. Energy initiatives being proposed by the federal and state governments, as well as the military, the neighbor island counties and the private sector are an inspiration.

For the first time in several years in the Mayor’s office we have an energy coordinator, giving us a voice in a field greatly affecting our island where we previously had none.

The good news is that with the vast majority of alternative energy projects we can leverage city funds with significant federal funds to maximize our resources.

The Honolulu Star Advertiser recently pointed out that oil prices in Honolulu have risen nineteen percent and electricity rates have risen thirty four percent – just in the last 6 months of 2011. With the skyrocketing cost of fuel and electricity, the city has increased and must continue to increase our use of alternative energy resources. To this end:

· The city has retrofitted parking structures and buildings with energy efficient fixtures. We have also installed photo-voltaic systems on city buildings. Together the total savings in energy costs is projected to be about a half million dollars a year. In 2012 we will be moving forward with additional energy efficient lighting, air conditioning, cloud computing, and photo-voltaic projects;

· This past year, the city implemented a consolidated motor pool. It is designed to reduce the number of vehicles the city must own and maintain;

· The city also introduced electric vehicles to the city fleet. One of those is sitting outside;

· We also released a request for proposals to recapture the methane gas from the Kailua Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant and turn it into electricity to help run the plant. Requests for proposals for the Honouliuli and Sand Island wastewater treatment plants will follow later this year.

· The city is making it easier for people who invest in energy efficient electric cars by putting applications for home charging stations online and installing electric charging stations in some city parking structures.

· Most significantly, we are eagerly awaiting the H-POWER third boiler going online this year. It will be our most significant new alternative energy source. H-POWER will incinerate approximately three hundred thousand additional tons of trash per year for a total of nine hundred thousand. Each ton of trash burned at H-POWER is one less barrel of oil Honolulu has to import.

Clean energy projects are a priority for the city because they are a priority for our future.
Preparing for the future also means preserving our agricultural lands. Thanks to city council member Ann Kobayashi and the council, I am delighted to have a newly appointed agricultural liaison in my office. This liaison has connected with local farmers and is a key advocate in city government regarding their special issues.

Through a partnership this year between government, military, private donors and the Trust for Public Lands, we anticipate seeing almost three-quarters of the Galbraith Estate Lands, or over twelve hundred acres in upper central O‘ahu, dedicated to a new park managed by the state Agribusiness Development Corporation.

City funds will provide for an easement over the property to guarantee it will only be used for agriculture. I thank Lea Hong and the Trust for Public Lands and the Clean Water and Natural Lands Fund committee for their assistance, as well as the city council for their support of this important dedication.

After 34 years, since the 1978 Constitutional convention in fact, we are finally going to identify and map the important agricultural lands on our Island. We are also currently upgrading the Wahiawa Wastewater Treatment Plant to produce the highest quality of recycled water, which will allow for expanded agricultural use.

We can also turn Honolulu into a model city by increasing our recycling efforts. Honolulu produces more than one point five million tons of trash a year. Between H-POWER boilers One and Two, and other recycling programs such as curbside recycling, composting and pelletization, more than seventy two percent of our trash is currently being diverted from the landfill.

The H-POWER third boiler is important to recycling as well as to alternative energy. It will keep additional trash out of the landfill and bring us close to an eighty percent diversion rate.

O‘ahu recycling rates are above the national average and we rank fourth among the top cities in the country in landfill diversion. Our goal is ‘zero-waste’. While we aren’t there yet, that is the direction we are going.

Preparing for the future also means increasing efficiency in the city. As a follow-up to a consultant’s report evaluating a possible merger of the fire and emergency services department, I am working with the city council to put together a working group of key stakeholders to decide whether and how a merger could work. 2 key questions for me will be, first, will it improve patient care, and second, will it be cost-effective? I look forward to collaborating with this group to find the best solution for Honolulu.

No model city of the future should have roads in the condition of ours. However, the roads did not get into this shape overnight and bringing them back up to a level worthy of Honolulu will take time and funding.

To give you a progress report to date on road rehabilitation and reconstruction projects, I can tell you that between October 2010 and January 2012:

·        Two hundred and sixty three lane miles were paved;
·        Pavement of two hundred and sixty one lane miles is on-going;
·        Contracts to pave ninety seven lane miles have been awarded; and
·        Five hundred and four lane miles are pending bidding.

In order to fix roads with a modern approach geared toward longevity, the department of facility maintenance has turned to science and technology. They are developing the ‘Pavement Management System.’ This system will allow us to prioritize the improvement of all of our roads systematically while maintaining the ones already rehabilitated. This is an approach that is long overdue.

Necessary data for the pavement management system was visually gathered from Hawai‘i Kai to Salt Lake. In partnership with the University of Hawai‘i, new digital imaging technology is being used to collect data from the Ewa/Kapolei area. The information collected will be used to run MicroPaver, a computer application developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 2012 will see the utilization of this new approach to re-prioritize roadwork, set us on a path to significant long-term improvement, and a future with roads that we can actually enjoy driving on.

We are working closely with our community partners such as the AARP and Hawaii Bicycling League and council member Breene Harimoto on an ordinance that will implement a ‘Complete Streets’ policy for the city and county of Honolulu. This policy will improve our quality of life by setting up a framework where cars, bicycles, and pedestrians share in the use of our streets.

Honolulu can hardly be poised for the future unless we get our infrastructure up to par and keep it that way.

Since 2010, the wastewater collection system has been governed by a global consent decree that is ninety nine pages long.

There are one hundred and twenty two projects currently underway and over a hundred million dollars in collection system construction has been completed in the last year alone. The city is on schedule, in some areas ahead of schedule, and we are in compliance with the consent decree. In January, the parties met with the federal judge for the first yearly review hearing. I am happy to report no issues or concerns were raised.

This rehabilitation work is paid for from wastewater user fees, not property tax dollars, which makes wastewater user fee increases necessary. Under the global consent decree, both the project and the payments will be stretched out for twenty five years. That allows us to keep rate increases relatively low.

The good news, as I mentioned, is the city’s low interest rate on the recently issued wastewater system revenue bonds will result in millions of dollars in interest saved because of the city’s strong financial position.

Honolulu needs affordable housing. I thank groups like Faith Action for Community Equity, or FACE, as well as the city council and voters for creating the mayor’s office of housing in July of 2011. Today, the housing office is a one-stop-shop whose mission is to facilitate the development and preservation of affordable housing in our community.

We recently released a Honolulu Affordable Housing Preservation Initiative Request for Proposals to turn over operations and maintenance of our twelve affordable housing projects to the private sector while retaining affordability of the one thousand and thirty nine units now restricted based on income-eligibility.

To date, more than thirty organizations have paid for access to the request for proposals. The execution of this long-term lease will result in capital improvements and operational efficiencies for the benefit of the residents. The payments we receive will first be used to replenish our community development block grant and HOME accounts and next to pay down existing debt in the housing development special fund.

We continue to use federal funds to increase the inventory of affordable housing on Oahu. We partnered with community organizations to complete construction of two hundred and seventy five units last year, have two hundred and ninety eight units currently under construction, and expect another two hundred and forty three units to begin construction this year.

We are also working with our partners to preserve an additional one hundred and nineteen affordable rental units through substantial renovation.

Investment and public-private partnerships in affordable housing and homelessness make sure there are sustainable options that encourage the next generation to stay on Oahu and not move away.
In the coming weeks we will unveil our ‘Pathways Project’.

The office of housing will be partnering with a nonprofit agency selected through a request for proposals to plan, develop, and manage a new transitional housing project designed to help some of Honolulu’s most vulnerable homeless individuals. This includes those with disabilities and chronic conditions that prevent them from participating in conventional shelter programs.

As promised, the office of housing has launched its website devoted to information and services for people needing assistance with shelter and transitional housing opportunities.

There are ongoing innovations in the permitting area as well. We have connected our building construction inspectors with our real property tax assessors. This means the increased value of new construction, renovations, and additions can be captured during construction rather than after the building is complete and the permit is closed.

Building code revisions are upcoming to streamline the plans review processes and final inspections and, as I mentioned earlier, to eliminate certain agricultural structures from the permit process altogether.

In a public/private partnership, the city received a corporate gift to establish an electronic plans review pilot program. The equipment should be arriving this month; training and testing will begin next month, with an expected public rollout in June.

On-line permitting and electronic plans submittal for residential subdivisions are also streamlining operations.

We cannot talk about infrastructure and the future of Honolulu without me speaking about transportation, and more specifically, the rail project. This much I know. Honolulu has some of the nation’s worst traffic.

Every artery entering the urban core already experiences traffic bottlenecks – at the H-1 H-2 interchange, near the Middle Street exit, and the University area on H-1. It is only getting worse. We are on a path of more cars, more roads and more traffic congestion.

The future depends on a better approach. Rail transit will finally bring relief to our residents who face, morning after morning and night after night, nothing but the brake lights of the car in front of them.

And, by reducing the amount of cars on the road that run on fossil fuel and replacing them with a rail system, we can reduce our pollution and dependence on foreign oil.

It’s about the future, not the past.

If you live outside the route, you might think rail does nothing for you. I suggest to you that it does. With the growth of O‘ahu’s population come more personal vehicles. Without significant traffic alternatives for the West side, people will look for and demand other places to live.

Rail will ‘keep the country, country’. It will ‘keep Kailua, Kailua’. It will ‘keep East Honolulu, East Honolulu’. It will preserve a way of life for smaller communities on the North Shore or the Windward side. These can see less growth in their areas because the rail system is designed to allow the areas from Kapolei to the urban core to accommodate our island’s expected population growth. Unless we want more growth everywhere else on the island, we must provide rail transit for people along the corridor.

This is a city publication called the ‘Honolulu Rapid Transit Project’. It talks about the need for a rail line as an alternative to passenger vehicles. The proposed line extends from Kapolei to Waikiki across the southern spine of the island. This did not come out in 2012. It came out in 1972, or forty years ago during Frank Fasi’s first term as mayor. Mayor Neal Blaisdell first raised the idea for rail in 1968.

Today’s rapid transit project is nothing less than the combined planning efforts, since 1968, of hundreds of city employees, city councils, mayors, state legislators, members of Congress, the Federal Transit Administration, and community, labor and business partners. Rail has been part of a larger plan that has been guiding our island’s development for decades.

Unfortunately, in recent months, this has become a polarizing issue for many. Concerns, fear and even anger have become just as much a headline as the unprecedented progress that has been made. I know and understand your concerns.

You have been concerned about:

·        Ansaldo/Breda’s performance;
·        Escalating costs due to change orders and lawsuits;
·        Whether alternatives were considered;
·        Not getting federal money;
·        The project bankrupting the city and county of Honolulu;
·        Property taxes skyrocketing;
·        Spending this money on something else; and
·        Whether it will be unattractive and obstruct views.

I recognize many residents question the city’s ability to answer questions transparently, to address issues that have been raised, and to deliver the project on time and under budget. Given its price tag, you have a right to scrutinize it and to feel concerned. I feel those concerns, too.

When I took office I committed to bring to government several intrinsic core values: honesty, transparency and fiscal responsibility. I also committed to seeing the rail project through as the voters intended, on time and within budget. I have not deviated from those commitments, nor do I intend to forsake them.

We will build this system the right way. It starts with leadership and expecting the HART board to provide the necessary oversight to satisfy the public. It means setting clear rules regarding change orders, delays, shoddy workmanship and oversight. In addition, it means better transparency with you.

Frankly, there’s a lot of information out there regarding rail, but you might never know of it because we in the city are not doing a good job helping you discern what is accurate. You deserve the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

The truth is our contracts so far have come in three hundred million dollars under budget. The total revenue from 5 years of a GET surcharge is higher than expected. This happened during the last 3 quarters when we were concerned about an economic downturn. even during the economic downturn.

There is a contingency fund of over eight hundred million dollars built into the five point three billion dollar price tag, to cover the potential for additional expenses, just in case. Our goal, obviously, is to avoid costly delays caused by lawsuits or other obstructions.

In the last sixteen months, there’s been remarkable progress. The environmental impact statement was approved. A groundbreaking ceremony was held. The project entered ‘Final Design’. The Federal Transit Administration issued a Letter of No Prejudice that allows us to begin advanced construction.

Just last week, President Obama included two hundred and fifty million dollars in his fiscal year 2013 budget for our Honolulu rail project. Reaching these milestones reflects the federal government’s confidence in our system. The Federal Transit Administration financial capacity process is incredibly rigorous. Honolulu has successfully progressed to this point.

In the coming months, hundreds of additional local workers will be hired to work directly on the project with more gaining employment in indirect jobs that result from this investment in our future.

To the naysayers and critics, I ask, ‘What do you have to offer these workers in the next seven years if we have to start all over again?’ And, ‘What do you have to offer the commuters from the West side, who in seven years would have a completed project?’

Last week, I had the chance to ride a successful elevated rail transit system in one of Honolulu’s prominent sister cities and Asia-Pacific neighbors: Manila.

This vibrant and energetic waterfront metropolis suffers from some of the worst traffic congestion and vehicle pollution in the entire world, but residents have a clean, reliable and safe alternative, and they use it by the thousands. While swarms of cars and buses jockey for position on choked thoroughfares, the most recent portion of the rail system whisks passengers along overhead and completely avoids the turmoil. It’s a system that works.

For passengers who rely on the system every day, Manila without rail transit would be unthinkable.

I am as committed to seeing our project move forward as I am about holding to the core values of honesty, transparency and fiscal accountability that you expect. I have not changed. My values have not changed. And my enthusiasm to do rail transit the right way has not changed.

This is more than 1 project. It’s about reducing pollution and our dependence on foreign oil. It’s about providing good jobs, transforming the urban center, protecting our rural communities and our agricultural land, and preserving the character of our island for future generations. Taken further, it will be a catalyst to a 21st century city of a million people. This is the only viable option for building this 21st century city and providing a sustainable future for all of O‘ahu that has made it through decades of vetting and is poised to employ people now. Anything else is back to square one. We need to keep moving forward.

To my mind, ‘politics as usual’ has done more to disillusion people with their government than anything else. It goes against everything we’ve been taught about the importance of our vote and the duties of elected representation.

Make no mistake, the change from ‘politics as usual’ to professionalism is a fundamental change in attitude and affects almost all business that is conducted in the city. The simple goal is “doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do,” rather than to stockpile or pay back political favors.

‘Politics as usual’ fails us when politicians make decisions based on favors, or split down party lines. The result is like the standoff we witnessed in Congress last year over the federal budget. To all of us, the system failed because partisan ‘politics as usual’ appeared to prevail over serving the people of our country. This is unacceptable in any level of government.

I hope one of the reasons I was elected mayor was because you had trust in the non-political culture I brought to the Honolulu prosecutor’s office for 14 years, where politics played no part in who was or was not prosecuted or for what crime.

‘Politics as usual’ fails us when leaders ‘kick the can down the road’ rather than make decisions and act on them. For example, when it comes to our landfill, I know this subject is enormously unpopular and a difficult issue for all communities. Upon taking office, I created a landfill site selection committee to recommend possible alternative or supplemental sites. This committee had not existed since 2003.

It is a privilege to be joined here this morning by members of the city council. I can tell you, they also do not shy away from tackling tough issues.

For example, this past fall council member Tulsi Gabbard introduced and the city council passed a stored property ordinance which I signed into law in December. Within weeks, city crews in McCully, Waikiki and Iwilei began to reclaim our public spaces for everyone, not just a few people.
Community plans provide important direction for neighborhoods but often provoke controversy.

The charter calls for an update every five years, but the plans had not been updated since 2000. This past year, we introduced the North Shore and Waianae sustainable community plans and the city council approved them. I thank the planning commission and city council member Ikaika Anderson who chairs the zoning and planning committee, as well as the public, for their participation.

All stakeholders, including the city council and the public, contributed to making these things happen. Even when we disagree, which happens, I am conscious that no one single person can bring about positive changes. I am committed to working with all of you on the difficult issues that remain. I believe we have stopped grumbling about the condition of our city and are doing what needs to be done to improve it. Obviously this will not happen overnight but it will happen.

As I’ve said before, I believe transparency in government provides us an external review by the public that can discover inefficiencies or lead to new efficiencies – and leads to self-correcting action.

We have expanded our avenue for communicating with the public through Facebook, Twitter and Nixle and we continue to increase our numbers of followers.

We have launched the Honolulu Three One One mobile app, which allows citizens to submit requests for service to the city with their smart phone by taking a photograph and sending it, along with GPS data on the location to the city. We have received more than five hundred and twenty five reports on abandoned vehicles, broken streetlights and signs, illegal dumping, and uplifted sidewalks, tree and plant maintenance and storage of property in public spaces.

On March 9, the department of parks and recreation will begin issuing camping permits online making camping more convenient for our residents and visitors.

As an added convenience, new parking meters will be installed in downtown and Chinatown that will accept payment with a credit card before the summer.

CAN-DO.Honolulu.gov was created last year to provide access to government data in a searchable, downloadable, useable format – all without cost to the public.

A new part of the website provides applications, or ‘apps’, developed by both private citizens and city employees. So far twelve apps have been released this last year.

Recent City Camp and the Hackathon brainstorming sessions focused on advancing innovation and transparency in our government. Two new apps will be released by the end of April that will show people where the nearest bus stop is located and when to expect the next bus.

The city has been working to make more of its massive datasets freely available, and a ‘GIS Guide for Honolulu Hackers’ was published just in time for the Hackathon.

Together, these events have laid the groundwork for Honolulu’s participation in Code-for-America 2012. I want to thank the three fellows attending today for their commitment to building a smart city that engages its citizens.

The end result is to make Honolulu more open, participatory and efficient.

To reach out to community members touched by crime, the family justice center initiative is alive and well with a new director under the direction of the city prosecutor’s office. This initiative will provide more sensitive support for crime victims.

And, legislation to establish veteran’s court is pending at the capitol. We were gratified to see that not only our military partners, but also the Judiciary was very receptive to providing our wartime heroes with support during difficult readjustment times.

As part of my job, I get to meet all kinds of people. Recently, I was introduced to Jack Dangermond, the co-founder and co-owner of Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), a leading Geographic Information Systems software company. Jack is a map guy. He takes traditional maps and places information onto them – all kinds of data; crime statistics, energy usage and anything else you can imagine.

In a 2009 article in Investor’s Business Daily, Jack said, "I want to have all that scientific information that we're building be used in designing the future so that people who make geographic decisions — and here it's not just land-use planners, but it's everyone: foresters, transportation engineers, people who buy a house — can analyze all of these information layers and design a future." He is generously working to make Honolulu that future city by providing us access to this technology without expense. Here is an example of placing smart information on a map to help visualize the best places for photovoltaic or solar panels.

The city already uses his technology to develop apps that help you see whether you are in a tsunami inundation zone or report problems. This year, we will also see apps that help you monitor trash pickup and sign up for camping permits without standing in line.

Mr. Dangermond has offered to work with us in customizing their existing information about Honolulu. This means he will help us develop smart maps that can help us in our decision-making, such as how to coordinate construction projects involving sewers, water lines and road work.
This is a great opportunity. I recognize former city manager of the year Ken Schmidt and his GIS team, as well as our entire IT department for their award-winning efforts to make the city smarter and more engaging.

After years of a tough economy that has challenged all of us, hopeful signs are emerging on the horizon. Unlike other cities and counties, O‘ahu property values have not significantly gone down. Visitor arrivals are up. The GET surcharge is on or ahead of schedule. The rail contracts have come in collectively about $300 million dollars under budget. And at long last, our local people are already employed on the rail project. Even more will be employed on the project within the next few months.

This year marks my 25th year as an employee of the city and county of Honolulu. I, and many of you, have seen the transition from typewriters to personal computers. Soon virtual ‘cloud computers’ will be on every desk and emailing a photograph to report broken streetlights or abandoned vehicles will be second nature.

We have loved and given too much to our city of Honolulu not to leave it better than we found it for our children and their children. We have made remarkable progress in that direction in the last sixteen months, and we are well on our way to accomplishing even greater things in the future. We must keep moving forward.

Since I was elected Mayor a year and a few months ago I can’t tell you how many people have come to me and told me what how they wouldn’t even think of having the job of mayor and then they list reasons. The truth of the matter is that being mayor is a great job and I love it. You really do get a chance to try and make a difference.

The people in the city I get to work with are interesting capable and oftentimes amazingly talented. Every department and every job helps make Honolulu a better place. So to those of you employed by the city and county of Honolulu, thank you for the privilege of working with you.

And I want to thank those who gave me this job, the citizens of Honolulu, not all mind you, but enough.

And now to the stuff that really counts. When Judy and I married I was a basically a deputy prosecuting attorney, not making a ton of money. It is no great secret that in my younger days I was a bit tightly wound completely unlike the pillar of calmness and patience you see before you today. Judy has always been able to calm me down but most importantly she is the bedrock of our little family. She educated our children she cares for them consoles them and guided them to maturity.
And she tries with less success to do the same with me. You are now the first lady of the City. You’ve always been the first lady to me.

Thank you, Judy.

And to all of you, mahalo and aloha.

Peter Carlisle is the mayor of the City & County of Honolulu

Mainland Gang Member Indicted in Isle Drug Case

2012-02-23T19:02:31-08:00

BY JIM DOOLEY - A San Francisco woman facing federal drug trafficking charges is affiliated with a Bay Area street gang that sold drugs and committed murder here in 2009-10, according to court records.

Sulu “Pinkie” Lefiti, 38, was ordered held without bail by U.S. District Court Judge J. Michael Seabright today.

Lefiti is affiliated with the “Down Below” gang of the Visitacion Valley area of San Francisco, according to portions of a 2009 federal Drug Enforcement Administration report read in court by Seabright.

Another member of the gang, Calvin Burton, was identified in the report as Lefiti’s boyfriend and pimp.

Lefiti refused to answer questions about her boyfriend when questioned by federal authorities earlier this month after she was indicted by a Honolulu federal grand jury and arrested in the Bay Area.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Brady, who is prosecuting the case here, said in court papers that Lefiti “was a member of a San Francisco gang that fought with local gangs” in Honolulu over Chinatown drug sales.

The San Francisco gang “was responsible” for the March 2009 street corner murder of Joseph Peneueta, 35, Brady said in court papers.

Peneueta “was associated with a rival Samoan gang here in Hawaii,” Brady said.

Lefiti will be arraigned on the drug charges here in mid-March.

U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright ordered Lefiti held without bail after Brady argued that she poses a flight risk and danger to the community.

Lefiti’s lawyers, Joseph O’Sullivan of San Francisco and Lynn Panagakos of Honolulu, argued that Lefiti is neither dangerous nor a flight risk.

O’Sullivan said Lefiti, a mother of three children, is studying cosmetology and has an “insignificant” criminal record.

Panagakos said the DEA report about Lefiti was dated and contained vague, unsubstantiated allegations about her.

Seabright noted that Lefiti has a criminal record dating back to her juvenile years that includes a number of relatively minor offenses.

“I don’t consider it inconsequential or insignificant,” Seabright said. “It spans a long period of time.”

Two San Francisco men, Iosefa Pasene, 24, and Zorro Rye, 27, are charged with murdering Peneueta.

Iosefa Pasene

Trial in that case is scheduled to begin in state court in May.

Witnesses said Pasene, armed with an automatic rifle, and Rye, firing a shotgun, murdered Peneueta while he stood on a Chinatown street corner shortly after 4 a.m. March 28, 2009.

Pasene had argued with Peneueta earlier and returned with Rye in a blue Buick Regal sedan, according to court records.

Two other men affiliated with the San Francisco group, Cedro Muna and Antonius Toloai, were arrested with Pasene the day before the murder in a drug case.

Toloai and Muna disappeared in 2010 and warrants for their arrests have been outstanding since then.

According to court records, Muna was the registered owner of the Buick Regal until just days before the

Zorro Rye

Peneueta murder, when ownership was transferred to a mentally handicapped woman.

The woman, who was incapable of driving a car, later told police that men she didn’t know took her to the downtown Satellite City Hall office where they made her sign papers she couldn’t understand.

The burned-out shell of the car was later found near Haleiwa on Oahu’s North Shore.

88 Organizations Seek State Grants in Aid; Hawaiian Committee Wants to Rename Discovers Day to Indigenous People's Day; Ways and Means Committee Reviews Dozens of Funding Bills and Carlisle Makes Second State of the City Address; All Star Panel Tackles Oahu's Important Issues

2012-02-24T08:34:02-08:00

HAWAII STATE CAPITOL Photo: Emily Metcalf

88 Organizations Seek State Grants in Aid

Should the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii be funded by your taxpayer dollars?

The chamber and 87 other groups petitioned the House and Senate Finance Committees yesterday for grants in aid.

The hearing went on for several hours in the capitol auditorium. Legislators did not take any action, and while several are supportive of the organizations making the requests, they say privately during these challenging economic times, there is no money.

But most of the organizations have not gotten the message that they have to stop relying in state subsidies and seek private funding instead.

While 88 organizations is a considerable number of agencies relying on state money, in past decades, when the economy was booming, some 600 organizations sought state support through these grants in aid.

Many of these programs are sponsored by the state general fund while other organizations disappeared or merged with one another over the years.

Hawaiian Committee Wants to Rename Discovers Day to Indigenous People's Day

The Senate Hawaiian Affairs Committee passed a measure yesterday to replace Discovers’ Day in October, a state holiday, with Indigenous People’s Day.

The newly renamed holiday would exclusively focus on the achievements of native Hawaiians and Polynesians.

Discovers’ Day originally replaced Columbus Day when Christopher Columbus was found by some to be politically incorrect.

During the hearing, lawmakers wrangling over just how far the legislature should take the holiday renaming process and amended the legislation several times.

The bill faces an uncertain future during the remainder of the legislative session.

Ways and Means Committee Reviews Dozens of Funding Bills Today

The Ways and Means Committee will tackle dozens of funding bills today at the capitol beginning at 9 a.m.

This is the first of several sessions prior to cross over voting, which will begin in two weeks.

Carlisle Makes Second State of the City Address

At 10 a.m. over at city hall, Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle will present his second State of the City address. Will it be his last?

If Honolulu Mayoral Candidates Ben Cayetano and Kirk Caldwell get their way, the answer is yes.

All Star Panel Tackles Oahu's Important Issues

An all star panel of international, national and Hawaii experts will gather at the Mission Memorial Auditorium on Wednesday, February 29 from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. to brief the public on sustainable development, major infrastructure projects, and solutions to traffic congestion on Oahu.

National and international experts include John Charles of the Cascade Policy Institute, Wendell Cox of Demographia, Adrian Moore of the Reason Public Policy Institute, and Randal O'Toole of Cato Institute.

Hawaii experts include University of Hawaii Law professor Randall Roth, University of Hawaii Engineering Professor Panos Prevedouros and Architect Peter Vincent.

Another rail-related panel and discussion will be held with most of the panelists listed above at Kapolei Hale the evening before on Tuesday, February 28 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

There is no charge for the public to attend.

Ziggy Marley and Inner Circle Honolulu Concert to Benefit Aloha United Way

2012-02-21T23:30:13-08:00

Ziggy Marley

HONOLULU, HAWAII --Five-time Grammy Award winner, singer, songwriter and reggae icon Ziggy Marley will be playing a concert in Honolulu as part of his “Wild and Free” world tour, joined by special guests Inner Circle.

A portion of the concert’s Oahu ticket sales will be donated to Aloha United Way to help to raise awareness about the rising homeless problem facing Oahu.

“As the show’s producers, we are pleased and proud to be able to support Aloha United Way and its efforts to bring positive change in our local community,” said Lincoln Jacobe, president of HPELive.“Having grown up in Kalihi and seen some of the devastating effects that homelessness has on families, the opportunity to give back and support this initiative is close to my heart.”

For over 90 years, Aloha United Way has served as a fundraiser for Oahu non-profits and as an agency that mobilizes the caring power of our community to make a difference in people’s lives.

What:   Ziggy Marley, on his “Wild and Free” World Tour + Inner Circle
Where:   Aloha Stadium Lower Halawa Lot
When:   Saturday, March 24 at 6:30p.m.
Tickets: General Admission $45- $65, VIP $85

Tickets available online at Ticketmaster.com and at all Ticketmaster outlets, including all area Wal-Mart stores, Aloha Stadium, Blaisdell Box Office or Sports Gear at Windward Mall.To charge tickets by phone, call (800) 745-3000. Enter code: AUW

Rep. Heather Giugni takes Oath of Office - appointed to represent State House District 33

2012-02-21T22:41:21-08:00

Rep. Heather Giugni with House Speaker Calvin Say

HONOLULU, HAWAII - Newly appointed State Representative Heather Haunani Giugni was sworn in today during the House floor session.

Giugni was appointed by Governor Neil Abercrombie to fill the District 33 seat which covers Aiea, Halawa Valley, Halawa Heights, Aiea Heights, and Red Hill.

Former Representative Tom Okamura, who was previously appointed to the seat in January, stepped down last month unexpectedly due to illness.

"The House welcomes Heather Giugni and looks forward to working with the new representative for the 2012 legislative session," said House Speaker Calvin Say. "Rep. Giugni has demonstrated her commitment to the community through her work in media, political and cultural projects. I believe she will bring an interesting and valuable perspective to the legislature."

Rep. Giugni can be reached at 808-586-6340 or by email at repgiugni@capitol.hawaii.gov. Her office is located in Room 324 of the Hawaii State Capitol.

Hawaii Taxpayers Must Fund Looming Unfunded Liabilities

2012-02-21T22:25:47-08:00

Photo: Emily Metcalf

BY LOWELL L. KALAPA - Although most taxpayers are immersed in the daily struggle of trying to make ends meet in a sluggish economy, one of the biggest fears of government observers in Hawaii is the looming elephant in the room which is the unfunded liabilities of the state and county retirement system and the related health benefits for current and future public employee retirees.

The combined unfunded liabilities of both systems could reach as high as $20 billion, not millions but billions of dollars. That is more than the state’s biennial budget and the number will grow larger as more and more benefits are accrued by the state’s and counties’ active employees. But why, you may ask, is the state retirement and health system way underfunded?

Indeed there are a variety of reasons for the chasm that exists between a sound and healthy retirement and health system for public employees and what is lurking in the shadows as the current state of affairs. The problem has its genesis in the fact that when the state constitution was amended, collective bargaining was granted to public employees permitting public employees to bargain for compensation on par with their private sector counterparts. However, the retirement benefits, including health care, were not adjusted to be on par with those granted private sector employees. Instead, the generous benefits granted public employees insofar as retirement benefits were continued even after collective bargaining was granted.

The problem was that the retirement benefit plan was predicated on the much lower salaries that were afforded to public employees prior to collective bargaining. Thus, when new base salaries were negotiated under the collective bargaining law, they rivaled, if not bettered, those salaries paid to their private sector counterparts. As a result, those more generous salaries then were used to calculate the retirement benefits of public employees which utilized the number of years worked and the highest three years of pay in the formula to calculate the retirement benefit. It soon became evident that if the formula was not changed, the rising salary base would outstrip the projected earnings of the state retirement system.

As a result, lawmakers were asked in the early 1980’s to change the state retirement system from a “contributory” to “non-contributory” system allowing the change in the multiplier of the formula that was used to determine retirement benefits.

Although any person joining the public sector workforce after July 1, 1984 is a non-contributory member of the state’s retirement system, the bulk of the baby-boomers in the public workforce are now beginning to retire, putting a strain on the benefits and causing alarm that the unfunded liabilities will soon come due. Everyone who watches state government acknowledges that sooner or later, the state must begin paying down those unfunded liabilities.

Realizing that lawmakers haven’t had the political will to either reduce benefits for current or future public retirees nor have the willingness to set aside annual contributions, one lawmaker has proposed a constitutional amendment that would require that in any one year when there is surplus of general funds at the end of the fiscal year, that the surplus amount be paid to offset these unfunded liabilities of the state retirement system and health benefits.

At first blush, this seems like a prudent approach to the problem, taking any surplus funds left over in the till and using those funds to pay down this looming debt. But wait, what that constitutional amendment is saying is that these unfunded liabilities are of such a low priority that they should be paid only if there is left over money, money that is available after all other state programs and services are paid for in the state budget. It is somewhat akin to having one’s credit card company tell you that, oh by the way, if you have any money left over after you pay all your household bills, you should pay off your credit card balance.

Of course, in the case of the credit card company, they just charge you interest if you don’t pay off the balance, but in the case of the state’s retirement system and retiree health benefits, those will have to be paid regardless of whether or not there is a surplus at the end of the fiscal year.

Before we reach the bottom of the barrel, taxpayers should expect lawmakers to fully fund those liabilities as a regular part of the state’s budget and not just when there are some funds leftover. To do otherwise is irresponsible and totally unacceptable.

Offputting Offsets

2012-02-21T22:22:54-08:00

Photo: Emily Metcalf

REPORT FROM TAXPAYERS FOR COMMON SENSE - This week was poised to be a highlight for transportation dreamers, with a reauthorization proposal in the President's budget and votes in the House and the Senate. Instead it's become a nightmare for taxpayers, with politicians using fake savings to justify real spending. The whole process is a highway to nowhere.

We knew from the start that the road to a transportation bill would have plenty of potholes. The last transportation bill -- which Rep. Don Young (R-AK) proudly proclaimed he stuffed like a turkey -- was reminiscent of the last decadent days of Rome. It was filled with earmarks, jaw-dropping sums for powerful lawmakers, the Bridge to Nowhere, and perhaps its "greatest" legacy: bankrupting thehighway trust fund.

The 18.4 cents per gallon federal gas tax hasn't been increased since 1993. A confluence of factors (inflation, better fuel efficiency, fewer miles traveled) means it's not delivering as much as lawmakers want to spend. Therein lies the rub: their spending eyes are bigger than their revenue stomach.

"User pays" has been a rock-ribbed principle of the highway program for decades. This means that the transportation system is paid for by system users, largely in the form of gasoline taxes. The more you drive, the more you pay into the program. But a series of recent raids on the general treasury, to bailout the trust fund, has undercut that ethos. Now House Republicans, Senate Democrats, and the President have proposed to further erode this principal, and in turn, make the deficit picture even worse.

The House majority proposed tapping into speculative future royalties from increased offshore and Arctic drilling, as well as the yet-to-be-profitable oil shale industry, and dipping into increased pension contributions from federal employees (the pension piece is being (ab)used elsewhere now, as an offset in the payroll tax holiday package). The impact of these energy provisions is completely speculative, offsetting concrete spending with ethereal future revenue.

The Senate bill found a bunch of revenue raisers, most unrelated to transportation, to make up for highway trust fund shortfalls. This not only violates the user pays principle, but also provides just two years of transportation spending paid for with ten years of tax revenue. To paraphrase Wimpy, they will surely pay us in ten years for some highways today.

This week, the President entered the fray with his fiscal year 2013 budget proposal. His reauthorization proposal is the most robust: a six year, nearly half trillion dollar ($476 billion) proposal. This dwarfs the Senate's two year, $109 billion and the House's five-year, $260 billion proposals. But it is also the most audacious in its disregard for user pays: tapping $231 billion worth of fictitious "savings" from ramping down overseas military operations.

All of these proposals ignore or at best delay getting our transportation financing house in order -- where spending and revenue match. The President's budget blithely glosses over that fact, stating: "After the six-year reauthorization period, the Administration is committed to working with the Congress on a financing mechanism." Yeah, well that should read "the next Administration will be stuck figuring out how to dig out of this hole" because no matter what happens in November, there will be a different Administration six years from now.

The only solace we can offer taxpayers is that this year is going to be so dysfunctional in Washington there is little reason to worry that any of this will be enacted. But the post-election lame duck session and the start of the 113th Congress in 2013 are going to be doozies. Let's hope Congress is better prepared to lead by then, or the road ahead doesn't look any smoother than it is today.

Waikiki’s Gaza Strip

2012-02-21T22:18:56-08:00

Joe Dowson

BY J. ARTHUR RATH III - A tiny sliver of Waikiki simulates Gaza Strip border where Palestinian artists created new concepts of contemporary art for which the world is richer.

Hawaii’s artistic strip starts where Kalakaua Avenue splits into Monsarrat Avenue near the Zoo’s entrance. Spacious Kapiolani Park encompasses much of Waikiki from that point.

Shady branches of huge old trees cover the strip of land between the zoo’s chain metal fence and the city’s sidewalk adjacent to Monsarrat. On Saturdays and Sundays local artists turn the fence into an art gallery

Looking at art on the Zoo Fence is unlike being in a museum or gallery. You’re outdoors where you may hear monkeys screeching. You don’t have to whisper or pretend you understand what’s exhibited. Just walk up and ask the nearby artist.

The Zoo Fence is the islands’ only place where every weekend you can talk to lots of local artists. Some, like Paul Forney, will be working on a painting until someone walks by an looks. Paul happily strikes up a conversation.

Sometime he asks “What do you think?” Have an idea? It may become an on-the-spot immediate detail in one of his humoresque paintings. (A Mexican visitor suggested Paul put a smile on the worm in the bottle of Tequila as he listened to the Rock Band play in the main part of the painting.)

Painting, like writing, is solitary work. Creative people tend to be shy. They express themselves best by what they do.

Art On The Zoo Fence is a display experience where you can buy and take things home. Art adds atmosphere to homes, usually it appreciates in value. Sometimes quite dramatically!

The creators sit quietly, wanting to be friendly. Catch their eye as you stroll by, be rewarded with a smile. Asking questions is a form of courteousness that everyone appreciates. Talking with artists helps you understand their creative process--this can be very stimulating.

Large shade trees cover the area by the Zoo Fence where artists exhibit. The ground surface is plain dirt and muddy when wet. Simple landscaping could create a beautiful Hawaiian setting. It’s an eyesore when paintings aren’t hanging. Paintings draw attention from the ugly, ignored packed dirt.

Why is this strip of land ignored? Visitors to Fort DeRussy Park a few miles up the road have a model for what this strip could be. Add some red cinders and create a pathway. Madam Pele won’t mind releasing some rocks from Hawaii Island as long as they’re not leaving the Hawaiian Islands. Ferns could hide tree roots. This could be a pretty little setting. Instead, it’s a place where people walk past quickly when paintings aren’t hanging.

Kapiolani Park was left for local use after Hawaiians lost traditional access to beaches and the sea. In 1848, King Kamehameha III, hoping to keep land out of the hands of foreigners should he be overthrown, had initiated The Great Mahele system of land distribution. We know how that turned out.

In the 1870’s King Kalakaua dedicated the present park and named it after his wife. It became the first Hawaiian public space. Horseracing, baseball, and other recreations were part of its beginnings. It was a center for Hawaiians and other local hoi polloi.

Luxury high rise buildings leading to and adjacent to the park mark the transition.

King Kalakaua’s gift now is in the hands of the Kapiolani Park Preservation Society. It states on the world wide web so all will know: “Its preservation mission is to preserve and protect the beauty of the Park, its green open spaces and magnificent trees, and to keep the Park free and open to all.”

Maybe these missionaries could pretty the strip? If maintenance is not part of their “mission,” how about inviting another organization. Here’s one with the perfect name: The Waikiki Improvement Association?

…Or maybe some day we’ll have a mayor who looks at fixing what’s on the ground and under instead of imagining rail tracks in the air? …Or maybe the City should surrender this little strip to the Army to make pretty like their park in the heart of Waikiki? …Or maybe the high rise neighbors can formulate a men’s garden group who might enjoy helping. Guys don’t have a chance to dig in the dirt once they’re in those complexes.

Art on the Zoo Fence is approaching its 60^th year. Joe Dowson, former Honolulu Policeman, was among the exhibiting artists almost from the beginning. Shown here is Dowson’s painting of a typical old-time Hawaiian home that was torn down recently for a grand complex. Advertising for it encourages potential buyers here and on the mainland: “Invest in Paradise, all comforts including central air conditioning.”

Joe painted this scene to preserve another time. Evoking memories of long-ago scenes, depicting beautiful moments, appealing to nostalgia and emotions are things artists do. That’s why we’re lucky Art on the Zoo Fence is in view. Vita brevis, ars longa. (Life is brief, art endures.)

UH Mānoa Student-Built Satellite Selected for NASA Launch

2012-02-21T22:12:43-08:00

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced today that a nanosatellite designed by a team of University of Hawai`i at Mānoa electrical and mechanical engineering students is one of 33 selected to fly as auxiliary cargo on NASA missions planned during 2013 and 2014. This is the second year in a row that NASA has selected a nanosatellite from the UH Mānoa College of Engineering’s Small-Satellite Program.

Both UH Mānoa nanosatellites are named Ho`oponopono (“To Make Right”), in accordance with their mission of providing calibration for radar stations around the world, and both take the form of a so-called CubeSat which is about the size of a loaf of bread. The first CubeSat (Ho`oponopono 2), which was selected last year and is manifested for an upcoming NASA launch, is intended to be a demonstration mission lasting less than a year. The second CubeSat (Ho`oponopono 3) is intended to incorporate lessons learned from the first mission, and placed in longer-lasting orbit.

For this year’s competition, NASA received 43 proposals for its CubeSat Launch Initiative. Ho`oponopono 3 was ranked #6 on NASA’s priority list. This launch opportunity marks the latest success of the UH Mānoa Small-Satellite Program, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. More than 200 students have participated in the program since 2001. The students themselves have helped write proposals that have resulted in over $1 million in extramural funding and four launches, contributed to numerous publications including the first book on educational CubeSats, and have pursued advanced degrees and careers in the space industry.

Hawaii State Budget Director to Speak on Meeting Hawaii's Fiscal Challenges

2012-02-21T22:10:04-08:00

State Budget Director Kalbert Young - Photo by Mel Ah Ching Productions

State of Hawaii Budget Director, Kalbert Young, speak at the next Smart Business Hawaii’s Sunrise Networking Breakfast this Thursday, February 23, in the Pineapple Room, Macy’s Ala Moana (3rd Floor), from 7 a.m. to 8:30 am.

Originally from Maui, Young, who was appointed by Gov. Neil Abercrombie in January 2010, has taken tough stances on Hawaii's fiscal challenges and has had an upfront transparent approach to let lawmakers and the public know about problems and solutions involving Hawaii's state finances.

Young will speak on “Meeting Hawaii’s Budget Challenges."

The public is welcome to the SBH Networking Sunrise.

Advance reservations are required.

SBH members and their guests pay $25 (in advance) for networking which includes buffet breakfast and free parking.

Participants may bring promotional materials. The cost is $35 at the door if space is available.

Call Darlyn at SBH 396-1724 for reservations or register on line: http://smartbusinesshawaii or download the attached registration form and mail it in with your payment.

Melissa Cox & Mythics Return for Second Oahu Tour

2012-02-21T22:00:43-08:00

Award-winning singer/songwriter Melissa Cox and her band Mythica will return to Oahu for their second annual tour from March 24 - April 1.

The East Coast-based singer and band first came onto the Oahu scene in Spring 2011 when they co-headlined the Hawaiian Scottish Festival at Kapiolani Park. This year, the four-piece group will appear at the festival again on the heels of Cox’s newly released album “Harmonious Maladies” which was funded entirely with fan support through the famous Kickstarter.com art project fundraising website.

“We absolutely loved performing in Oahu in 2011, and we cannot wait to return for an even better tour this March,” Cox says. “We are excited to reveal our new music to our fans on the island.”

Self-dubbed “Celtic fusionists,” Melissa Cox and Mythica combine haunting vocals with violin, guitar, mandolin, whistles, bass, and percussion to create a sound that Sing Out! Magazine called “a cross between Grace Slick and Loreena McKennitt.” Not easily categorized under one genre, Cox and her band mates Erin Flynn, Matt Smith, and John Lindsay frequently cross over the boundaries of Celtic music to dabble in styles such as funk, Hawaiian, progressive, and jam infused with elements of chicha, or South American surf rock.

Their unique sound has won them national acclaim, songwriting awards, and opportunities to share the stage with Smash Mouth, Spin Doctors, Sister Hazel, Three Dog Night, Tom Chapin, Cyril Neville, and many others.

House Bill No. 2417 Will Hurt Hawaii's Renewable Energy Efforts and Industries

2012-02-21T20:33:09-08:00

BY REP. CYNTHIA THIELEN - House Bill No. 2417 (HB 2417) will limit the availability of the Hawaii Renewable Energy Technologies Income Tax Credit from one credit per system to one credit per property for both residential and commercial projects. Currently, the tax credit applies to each renewable energy system that a property owner installs. Without this tax credit for each system, many families and businesses will not be able to afford the high up-front costs of photovoltaic.

HB 2417 will impact Hawaii's overall photovoltaic industry. On February 9, 2012 in the House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection, the Solar Energy Industries Association submitted testimony stating that the credits pertaining to each system has created hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs for Hawaii's workers, from electricians and panel installers, to sales and marketing professionals, to engineers and accountants. Consequently, if HB 2417 is passed, jobs are likely to be lost and overall photovoltaic industry would be negatively impacted.

Moreover, passing HB 2417 will significantly reduce the incentive to invest in renewable energy, likely damage the renewable energy industries in Hawai‘i, and setback Hawaii's efforts to achieve 70% clean energy by 2030.

Although Hawaii's current tax credit has assisted the State in making some substantial movements towards the 70% clean energy goal, HB 2417, if passed, will significantly disrupt these efforts.

For instance, according to the State of Hawaii Energy Resource Coordinator's 2011 Annual Report by Hawaii's Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, only 30 renewable energy systems with a total of 166 kWs were installed in 2005. Whereas with tax credits as an incentive, Hawai‘i had 2,188 renewable energy systems installed statewide with a total capacity of 12.3 MWs in 2010. Moreover, Hawai‘i ranked second in the nation in cumulative installed photovoltaic capacity per capita in 2010.

Hawaii is finally moving away from its dependency on costly imported oil. If HB 2417 becomes law, it would be more difficult for Hawaii's families and small businesses to afford renewable energy technologies. HB 2417 will keep Hawaii mired in oil, which is an unstable and unsustainable energy resource, and our State is likely to lose lots of money and green jobs.

Rep. Cynthia Thielen is a Republican who represents the 50^th District including Kailua, Kaneohe Bay

Hawaiian Telcom Announces Addition to Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index(SM)

2012-02-21T20:26:45-08:00

REPORT FROM HAWAIIAN TELCOM -- Hawaiian Telcom Holdco, Inc. (NASDAQ: HCOM), Hawaii’s leading provider of integrated communications solutions for business and residential customers, today announced that it had been added to the Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index^SM (Wilshire 5000^SM) effective after the close of the markets on Friday, February 17, 2012, in conjunction with the regular monthly adjustments to the stocks that make up the index.

“We are pleased with our inclusion in the Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index^SM,” said Eric K. Yeaman, Hawaiian Telcom’s president and CEO. “The addition of Hawaiian Telcom to the Wilshire 5000^SM will enhance our visibility within the investment community and provide an opportunity to broaden our shareholder base,” Yeaman added.

The Wilshire 5000^SM is a broad measure of the U.S. stock market that was developed in 1974 by Dennis A. Tito, chairman and CEO of Wilshire Associates Incorporated. The Wilshire 5000^SM is widely considered the best way to track the U.S. equities market and estimate market value changes.

Hawaiian Telcom Holdco, Inc., headquartered in Honolulu, is Hawaii’s leading provider of integrated communications solutions for business and residential customers. With roots in Hawaii beginning in 1883, the Company offers a full range of services including voice, video, Internet, data, wireless, and advanced communication and network services supported by the reach and reliability of its network and Hawaii’s only 24/7 state-of-the-art network operations center. With employees statewide sharing a commitment to innovation and a passion for delivering superior service, Hawaiian Telcom provides an Always On^SM customer experience. For more information, visit www.hawaiiantel.com.

House Bill to Amend Hawaii's Strict Smoking Ban Killed in an Unscrupulous Manner

2012-02-21T20:24:56-08:00

Courtesy Smokersworldinfo.com

BY KAWIKA CROWLEY - On Thursday, February 16, after being waived out of the House Health committee, our bill to amend Hawaii's strict smoking ban to allow smoking in some stand alone bars (HB 2306) was heard by the House Economic Revitalization & Business Committee.

When the vote was taken, the result was an overwhelming 10-1 victory for our business friendly bill, allowing for smoking exemptions for bars requesting one. There were placed a few stipulations, but nothing we could not iron out and tweak down the road. Six long years ago, when we started our campaign, a vote like that would have been 10 No, and just one Yes. Granted, a number of the "Yes were With Reservations", but we were extremely grateful for the support.

Our opposition was stunned and scrambling. It was indeed a David & Goliath moment. The stunning story was covered that evening worldwide, nationally, and locally by the Associated Press, Hawaii Reporter, three local tv news casts, and PBN. The next morning, as we humbly and gratefully made our usual rounds at the capitol with our daily Drop-Offs, we were very hopeful as per the impending vote on the floor of the House as per HB2306. A strong showing would send us to our final committee hearing before the Judiciary Committee. As per the floor vote, we knew we had close to two-thirds of the members in support, whether by Yes, or with a with reservations. As per the Judiciary hearing we knew we had close to 70 percent of the members in support. We were confident that we would soon be able to pass over to the Senate with strong support there by Senate leadership.

That Friday morning, we were greeted in almost every house and senate office by lawmakers and staff with congrats, hand shakes, and support. The underdog had finally got a solid punch in. Goliath took a knee. We enjoyed a warm and reassured feeling that "yes, the democratic process does indeed work." This after many disappointments over the last six years. But that belief and confidence in our governmental process was brutally shattered by the very thing that allows so much public distrust of governmental procedure and affairs, as well as allowing for the pitiful public approval ranking of lawmakers at a low 12%....corruption, deceit and special interest.

What happened next was utterly disgusting. When our bill came up for the voting process, the House Majority Leader took it upon himself to not allow our bill to be voted on by all House members, sending our bill to be recommitted back to the House Economic Revitalization & Business Committee, essentially sinking our bill for good.

In a matter of a few seconds it was over. This is proper procedural process? This is honest and fair government? This just 27 hours before when Goliath got his butt kicked in the House Economic Revitalization & Business Committee.

Come to find out earlier that day the Goliath Behemoth Gestapo led by Julian Lipsher, Tobacco Free Hawaii, and the ACS conducted a Blitzkrieg and bullied their way through the halls of the capitol with their scare tactics, phony baloney stats, and "research data" lies. I just received an email from one of our partners in battle on the mainland, that in all his years in politics, he has never heard of a bill that sailed through a committee 10 to 1, and be killed the very next day on the house floor. I, as a citizen, am helping to pay this lawmaker's salary, but he won't give me an honest and fair vote on an issue I present before him? It is unconscionable, shameful, and pathetic.

So, we have Scenario #1----Lawmakers were so scared by this blitz that word got out that there were not enough votes on the floor for the bill to pass. So the majority leader took it upon himself to kill the bill without a vote.

And we have Scenario #2----Lawmakers were NOT affected by this thug like assault, and rather, were smart and keen enough to stand on their own beliefs, principals, as well as being sensitive to small business needs, that they were more than ready to cast a supportive vote for our bill. And the majority leader knew it, but he had been whipped by the Goliath and he could not allow the bill to receive a straight up and down vocal vote.

I pick Scenario #2. Three lawmakers have done this to us in the last six years. In other words, not allowing a vote in committee or on the floor concerning our bills, even though we had the votes sitting right there before us. An ugly orgy with special interests. A government by the people and for the Special Interests is a disgusting government that needs to be swept out and cleaned out.

As for us, we are not the Behemoth Goliath of our opposition funded by the billions (The ACS alone is the richest "non profit" on the planet with assets in the billions of dollars...it is also the most corrupt...google it, and be ready to sit down).

Rather, we are just average Joe and Mary citizens fighting back Big Government intrusion into our personal and business affairs. Jolyn, Michael, and myself receive no compensation by anyone in representing the Hawaii Bar Owners Association, and none of us own a bar.

All the time spent planning, creating, networking, and boots on the ground is all funded by each of us, and whatever and whenever we can afford it. Thus, all we can do as potots and mere "Davids" is fight against the Goliath beast with our simple daily Drop-Offs (fliers), with sincerity, with honest and true facts and stats, along with a little humor.

I, myself, am a simpleton Handyman, for goodness sake. And 3 of the last 6 years I lived and worked out of my van in Kaneohe. We fight this battle and sacrifice our time and little monies all based upon principle, as well as a deep commitment to the over 150 small businesses we represent across the state, along with their thousands of employees.

So when we become the obvious brunt of a legislative procedure that is so blatantly decrepit, dishonest, foul, and unfair, and based upon the whim of just one lawmaker, one can only lose faith in the governmental process. I can understand if we truly DID NOT HAVE the votes. The issue would be moot. What we have here at the capitol is not representative government, but rather sadly and shamefully, a dictatorial sham, disguised as "proper acceptable and fair procedure".

By the way, our constituency has remained at about 40,000 over the last three years. We are diligently working to solidify our group in hopes of becoming a voting bloc to reckon with in a few short years. However, we will impact this next election, throughout the state in some form or another. It's our only remedy to fix these corrupt processes and procedures growing like weeds in the halls of the Capitol.

In closing, I will use this venue to officially announce my candidacy for the House of Representatives Dist. 49 seat in the upcoming elections. And I will win, as I have thousands of folks in that district who have been supporting me with incredible enthusiasm as per my monthly 9/11 Never Forget Roadside Rally that I have been conducting for the last two and a half years. I will win. And to the handful of you Anti Smoking Fanatic lawmakers who suffer from the latest debilitating disorder, ASDS (anti smoking dysfunctional syndrome), we can only pray that one day you will be able to sprout just one seed of common sense in your brains.

And to the majority of you good, honest, and decent lawmakers who support small business, as well as our cause in the defense of private property rights, a very sincere mahalo for your kind understanding, encouragement, and support.

I must say this however, each of you good and honest lawmakers should be outraged that our governmental process can be so poisoned by the stinking disease of lying and deceitful Special Interests, as well as procedural processes that should be outlawed. Fair is fair. Dishonest is dishonest. Every bill, no matter how controversial should have its fair chance of a vote on the floor. The dirt of a few makes you all look bad. Sausages anyone?

We'll be back.

Kawika Crowley is with the Hawaii Bar Owners Association. See more on the web at HawaiiSmokersAlliance.net and TheSmokeVote.com

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery – Rep. Marumoto’s Ideas Live On!

2012-02-21T20:13:23-08:00

BY MICHELE VAN HESSEN - If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, than Representative Marumoto must be humbled by the amount of flattery she is receiving.

Other legislators have imitated her brown tree snake prevention bill, All-TerrainVehicle safety bill and Kahala bills. Rep. Marumoto’s proposal to re-start the dog detection program was heard and scooped into the Agriculture Chair’s bill.

The ATV measure picks up her ideas to prohibit passengers, ban those under 16 from using ATVs and require helmet use. Her bills to deter irresponsible landowners from keeping messy and neglected properties were copied in the House as well as the Senate. All bills are still alive.

Republicans often get asked "How many bills did you get passed?" Marumoto's answer is "I am not in the bill passing business. I am in the idea-launching industry!"

CPJ says 46 Journalists Killed in 2011

2012-02-21T20:08:14-08:00

Photo: Reuters Relatives and colleague carry the casket of Pakistani journalist Saleem Shahzad for burial at a graveyard after funeral prayers in Karachi, June 1, 2011.

An international media rights group says at least 46 journalists were killed worldwide last year, with Pakistan the deadliest country for the second year in a row.

In its annual "Attacks on the Press" report, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said deaths during dangerous assignments, such as covering street protests, reached a record level in 2011, as political unrest swept the Arab world.

The report says 17 journalists died on dangerous assignments. Country-by-country, Pakistan had the most deaths with seven, while Libya and Iraq followed with five each, and Mexico had three.

Photographers and camera operators made up about 40 percent of the overall death toll. The group noted an increase in the deaths of Internet journalists, who it says rarely appeared in the death toll before 2008. Nine online journalists were killed last year.

The death toll for 2011 was two fatalities more than in 2010.

The Committee to Protect Journalists also says it is investigating another 35 deaths from last year to determine if they were related to the person's media work.

Meanwhile, the CPJ report says 179 journalists were imprisoned last year, the highest number since the mid-1990s. Iran had the most in jail, with 42, while Eritrea, China, Burma, Vietnam, Syria, and Turkey also ranked among the world’s top jailers.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, CPJ, RFERL.

Alien Waterworld First of Its Kind Ever Observed

2012-02-21T20:04:36-08:00

Photo: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics GJ1214b, shown in this artist's conception, is a super-Earth orbiting a red dwarf star 40 light-years from Earth. New observations from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope show that it is a waterworld enshrouded by a thick, steamy atmosphere.

Astronomers have discovered a new type of ocean-covered alien planet that is the only one of its kind ever found inside or outside our solar system.

Researchers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in the northeastern state of Massachusetts describe the planet, called GJ-1214b, as a waterworld surrounded by a thick, steamy atmosphere. They say the exoplanet is nearly three times the diameter of the Earth, and weighs nearly seven times as much.

The waterworld’s size and mass, confirmed by data from the Hubble space telescope, qualify it as a so-called super-Earth, a category that includes exoplanets less than 10 times the mass of the Earth. However, astronomers had to create a new planet classification to accommodate the new watery super-Earth, which did not fit any of the previously-known types, such as rocky, ice or gas. They say what makes the steamy exoplanet unusual is that a significant portion of its mass is composed of water, and it has much less rock than the Earth - or any other known rocky planet.

The exoplanet is a mere 40 light years away, close, by cosmic standards. It orbits a red dwarf star every 38 hours from a distance of only 2 million kilometers.

Astronomers say that proximity to its sun sends surface temperatures on the planet soaring to around 230 degrees Celsius, making it too hot to host life as we know it.

The ocean-covered world was first detected in 2009 with ground-based observations, but it was new infrared data obtained from the Hubble space telescope that gave scientists additional details about the exoplanet's steamy atmosphere and watery surface.

A report on the watery exoplanet is published online in Astrophysical Journal.

Republican Showdown in Michigan

2012-02-21T20:01:22-08:00

Santorum Presents Strong Challenge to Romney on Home Turf

For the presidential campaign of Republican Mitt Romney, it was never supposed to work like this. Romney’s backers always saw his home state of Michigan as a firewall, their “Ace in the Hole,” if you will, in a long and drawn out primary election battle.

But now Romney faces the fight of his life in a state where he grew up and where his father, George, served as a popular governor in the 1960’s before making a run for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in 1968.

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum has emerged as Romney’s main challenger in Michigan and in national polls as well. Some national polls show Santorum with a big edge over Romney while his margin in Michigan is somewhat smaller. Small enough, in fact, that the expected tsunami of anti-Santorum ads funded by the Romney campaign and its Super-Pac allies could wind up turning the tide, much as Romney was able to do to Newt Gingrich in Florida after Gingrich won a rousing victory in South Carolina.

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum greets supporters at a rally in the run-up to next week's Michigan parimary election. Photo: Reuter

But the question is will the Romney campaign’s attacks on Santorum work as effectively in Michigan as they have in other states? Santorum appears to be connecting with conservative voters in Michigan and elsewhere because of his strong views on social issues, especially his opposition to abortion and gay marriage.

Remember, Michigan is the home of the so-called “Reagan Democrats” of the 1980s, voters who for years had supported Democratic candidates but who became disillusioned with the party after they perceived a leftward shift in the 1960’s and 1970’s. These Reagan Democrats believe in traditional values and often want a candidate who goes beyond the economic arguments that Romney has been trying to make.

Santorum seems to be hitting his stride in appealing to conservatives who want a more “in your face” candidate to take on President Obama in the November general election. Romney has simply never been that candidate for many conservatives, and it seems the harder he tries to be that candidate, the more conservatives distrust him.

The evolution of Santorum as Romney’s main challenger follows a pattern begun in 2011 when conservatives began shopping for an alternative to Romney right from the start, fearful that Romney’s political career in Democratic Massachusetts was simply not the pedigree they were willing to embrace in 2012.

Romney continues to have the edge in fundraising, organization and support from the Republican Party establishment. But if Santorum can pull off an upset win in Michigan next Tuesday, it would change the entire dynamic of a Republican race that has been anything but predictable since last year.

Dark Horses and a Brokered Convention

A lot of political analysts dismiss the thought, but even the prospect of a Santorum victory in Michigan has made a lot of Republican Party leaders very uneasy. Some have even suggested the possibility that a Santorum upset in Romney’s home state would so scramble the Republican race that it would increase the chances that some other prominent Republicans might change their minds and get into the race. Among those included in this somewhat far-fetched scenario are former Florida governor Jeb Bush, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels.

All three decided against a run for president this year and none have given any indication of changing that stance no matter how the Republican nomination battle proceeds. But a Santorum victory in Michigan would give pause to those Republican leaders who believe his nomination would lead to an easy second term win for President Obama and would, at least, increase the speculation that the party would welcome someone else getting in the race.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (L) and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) are among those mentioned as possible new Republican Party presidential candidates. Photo: Reuter

The problem with all this is, of course, that it takes money, organization and most importantly, desire, to launch a presidential campaign, especially on short notice. And none of the gentlemen mentioned above have shown any inclination toward throwing their hat in the ring.

Another impact from a Santorum victory in Michigan would likely be increased speculation about the possibility of a brokered national nomination convention in Tampa, Florida, at the end of August.

Neither major political party has had a national nominating convention go beyond the first ballot since the early 1950’s. But if neither Santorum nor Romney can break out in a significant way in the weeks ahead, and both Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul remain in the race and siphon off votes from the top two contenders, the chances could grow that the nomination won’t be settled until the convention in August, something hard to imagine in the modern era of political campaigns.

So hard to imagine, in fact, that the experts and analysts pretty much regard it as a pipedream. But it would be a dream come true for the cable and broadcast TV networks that would actually have a reason to cover the ins and outs of the Republican convention for days on end.

Pancake Races Observe Beginning of Lent

2012-02-21T19:57:49-08:00

BY Carolyn Presutti - These pancake racing contestants are Yanks outside the National Cathedral in Washington. But the tradition started across the pond (Atlantic) in England.

Even Prince William and Kate Middleton flipped flapjacks (pancakes) in Belfast last year. And it's a common charity race in London.

"This is something that has gone on - in England especially - for over 500 years," said Andrew Hullinger from the National Cathedral.

Legend has it that an English woman was too busy making pancakes to notice the time. So, when the church bells rang at noon - she raced from her house to attend the service - still carrying her skillet and pancakes.

These days, the pancakes are the frozen kind you pop in the toaster. And, the rules are simple.

"You have to flip your pancake three times," said Hullinger.

And, every time it drops, a poem is recited:

"Pancakes are good, pancakes are greasy, I thought flipping pancakes was going to be easy."

Winners receive a golden griddle

Or, a golden bottle of pancake syrup.

"Oh yes, you got to flip," explained the winner. "It’s all in the wrist."

Cheeky little devil is spot on, as they say in England. He wins it all here in the states. And reigns king over the last day of exuberant frivolity until Easter.

"Upon a sea of pancakes strewn upon the ground," said Hullinger. "Amen. Amen!"

US Crew Vigilant as Carrier Sails Through Strait of Hormuz

2012-02-21T19:55:06-08:00

BY Luis Ramirez | Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln - The American aircraft carrier, U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, has just finished a mission in the Persian Gulf and sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, not far from the Iranian coast. The transit took place amid rising tension over Iran's nuclear program, and Tehran's threats to close the strait’s vital shippinganes.

Ready and vigilant, the battle group steams through the waterway where a fifth of the world’s oil passes. Tehran has threatened to block the strait, and warned U.S. ships not to come.

For Navy pilot Mitch Cole, one of the crew aboard the carrier, the day begins like any other.

“It is not much different than it would be at home. I wake up in the morning, take a shower. Take care of personal things, grab some breakfast," he explains. "And usually at the end of the day we just like to relax like we would at home. We hang out with our friends. Maybe watch a movie or two, play some video games. It's not too much different than at home.”

U.S. commanders say this is not a show of force, but a routine transit - in plain sight of Iran and the occasional Iranian patrol boat that comes within view.

Iran's military hardware is largely aging and no match for the United States, but commanders say even the Lincoln is not bullet proof, so its crew stays ready. Armed U.S. helicopters keep watch throughout the transit.

Like everyone else on the ship, Lieutenant Cole is watchful. During the transit his mind is more on the ship's next assignment, providing air support to operations in Afghanistan, than on any potential aggression from Iran.

In the end, it is a routine transit with no incidents. The Lincoln goes on to its next mission and another carrier group prepares to enter the Gulf.

For Lieutenant Cole and for his ship, the routine is to be ready.