Hawaii Reporter

Hawaii Entrepreneur Clark Hatch to Speak on Doing Business in Asia

2013-05-21T00:24:37-07:00

Clark Hatch, founder of the popular Clark Hatch Fitness workout center in Downtown Honolulu, will speak at the next Smart Business Hawaii Sunrise Networking Breakfast Forum on Thursday, May 30, in the Pineapple Room, Macy’s Ala Moana (3rd Floor), from 7 a.m. to 8:30 am.

His topic: "Doing Business in Asia."

The SBH forums are open to the public. Advance paid reservations are required.

In addition to networking, introductions and special announcements, the Sunrise breakfast event offers a full buffet breakfast at Alan Wong's Pineapple Room at Ala Moana Center's Macy's, an interesting program and free parking.

The complete cost for SBH members and their guests remains $25 per person. For non-members and those paying at the door—seats are limited— the cost is $35.

For details go to http://www.smartbusinesshawaii.com or call Darlyn at SBH (808) 396-1724.

Who Do You Believe in the Hawaii Republican Party?

2013-05-20T22:12:25-07:00

Hawaii Republican Assembly

By the Hawaii Republican Assembly - Ten days ago, the Hawaii Republican Assembly provided a chart to show the downward decline of the number of Republicans in our state government. We solicited inputs from our readers on solutions to this alarming trend, because we believe that only through the Hawaii Republican Party can we contest the Democrat super-majority.

However, yesterday, resources of the Hawaii Republican Party were spent in an effort to debunk our chart.

See their letter to Hawaii Reporter here.

Why is the HRP spending time challenging an objective chart when we all agree that there are far fewer Republicans in office today than we had over a decade ago?

We want HRP to address the issues of why we have this decline, not to get mired in red herrings.

So, in defense against this transparent attempt to change the subject, let's start where HIRA and HRP agree . . . right now.

At present, as the result of the recent 2012 election, there are only eight (8) Republicans in state office. Great, there's no dispute. There's Slom all alone in the State Senate and seven (7) Republican members of the State House: Johanson, Ward, Cheape, Fukumoto, McDermott, Fale, and Thielen.

Moving on to the outcome of the 2010 election, when Jonah Kaauwai was chairman along with several current party officers. The HRP claims that HIRA's figures about elected Republicans in state office is over by 1 ("it should be 8 instead of 9"). In 2011, the State Senate had Slom (1) plus the State House had Thielen, Ling Johanson, Marumoto, Pine, Fontaine, Ward, Ching, and Riviere (8). One plus eight equals nine (9). Point to HIRA.

Now, with the results of the 2008 election, the HRP claims again that HIRA's number is too high by 1 ("it should be 9 instead of 10"). Serving as Republicans in state government in 2009, there were Gov. Lingle and Lt. Gov Aiona (2), the State Senate had Slom and Hemmings (2), and the State House had Ching, Finnegan, Marumoto, Pine, Thielen, and Ward (that's another 6) which adds up to ten (10). Point to HIRA.

Following the 2006 election, the HRP claims that there were eighteen (18) Republicans in state office, HIRA claims thirteen (13). Lingle and Aiona were in office, so that's two (2). There were a total of five Republicans serving in the State Senate: Gabbard, Hemmings, Slom, Trimble, and Whalen (5). That brings us to seven. Let's look at the official list from the State Capitol. There was Awana, Ching, Finnegan, Marumoto, Meyer, Pine, Thielen and Ward; that's eight (8) house members. That brings the actual total of elected Republicans in state government to fifteen (15)...and when you subtract the two elected Republicans who switched to the Democrat Party (Awana and Gabbard), that leaves thirteen (13). Point to HIRA.

See where this is going?

A large discrepancy exists between HIRA and HRP during the 2000 elections. The HRP claim thirteen (13), HIRA says twenty two (22). Quick roll call . . . Cayetano was governor and Hirono was his lieutenant. That brings us to zero (0). In the State Senate, there were Hemmings, Hogue and Slom. That's three (3). In the State House, there were Auwae, Bukoski. Davis. Djou. Fox, Gomes, Halford, Jaffe, Leong, Marumoto, McDermott, Meyer, Moses, Ontai, Pendleton, Rath. Stonebreaker, Thielen, Whalen. That's nineteen (19). That adds up to twenty two (22) elected Republicans in the State Legislature. Point to HIRA

Ultimately, the question is: who do you believe? The history of our Republican Party in Hawaii is important. The reality is tragic. You cannot know where you are going unless you take an accurate account of where you are today. Success is a long way away, and we can get there through honest assessment, hard work, and conservative principles.

The views and opinions expressed here are those of the Hawaii Republican Assembly (HIRA) which provides this conservative viewpoint for your consideration.

Please forward this Code Blue to friends and family. Fighting liberal Democrat policies in Hawaii requires strength in numbers.

Hawaii Republican Assembly | P.O. Box 2805 | Honolulu, HI 96803
alerts@hawaiirepublicanassembly.com

Hilo Photographer Receives Award from Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

2013-05-20T22:02:08-07:00

Bruce Omori, owner of Extreme Exposures Fine Art Gallery in Hilo, received the Windland Smith Rice International Award for his lava photo titled “Volcanic Vortices

HILO, Hawaii — Bruce Omori, owner of Extreme Exposures Fine Art Gallery in Hilo, received the Windland Smith Rice International Award for his lava photo titled “Volcanic Vortices,” which will be displayed at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History’s annual exhibition in June. His winning photograph was selected from almost 20,000 submissions from photographers in 46 countries.

“I’m humbled by this experience, to stand with so many other great photographers is an honor,” said Bruce Omori. “I love what I do and to be recognized in this way leaves me a little speechless.”

“Volcanic Vortices” won the top honor in the Power of Nature category. Finalists from each of the 15 categories will be featured in the Fall/Winter edition of Nature’s Best Photography Magazine.

“On an early morning shoot at the Waikupanaha ocean entry, lava from the Kilauea volcano poured into the sea. This created a huge escape of steam, and as it rose, multiple vortices began spinning off of the huge plume,” Omori described in his photo submission description. “A vortex or two is a pretty rare sight—but when one after another kept forming, my fumbling with the lenses turned into a panicked rush to switch my telephoto to wide angle lens to capture this awesome scene of seven vortices in a row.”

Hawai’i Island’s premier master photographers, Bruce Omori and Tom Kualii, are the owners of Extreme Exposure Fine Art Gallery in Hilo, HI. They are photographers that live on the edge and go to extremes to create magnificent fine art pieces. They also lead exclusive private photography tours and workshops on Hawai’i Island. www.extremeexposure.com

Honolulu Weekly Gas Price Update and Outlook - May 20, 2013

2013-05-20T21:57:01-07:00

Report from GasBuddy - Average retail gasoline prices in Honolulu have risen 1 cent per gallon in the past week, averaging $4.25/g yesterday, according to GasBuddy's daily survey of 214 gas outlets in Honolulu. This compares with the national average that has increased 8.9 cents per gallon in the last week to $3.67/g, according to gasoline price websiteGasBuddy.com.

Including the change in gas prices in Honolulu during the past week, prices yesterday were 12.3 cents per gallon lower than the same day one year ago and are 1.6 cents per gallon lower than a month ago. The national average has increased 16.6 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 3.0 cents per gallon lower than this day one year ago.

"The last seven days have delivered some shocks at the pump for motorists in the nation's Midwest," said GasBuddy.com Senior Petroleum Analyst Patrick DeHaan. "I don't believe I've ever seen gasoline prices in the Midwest surpass California- areas of Nebraska, Minnesota, Oklahoma, North and South Dakota, and Kansas- have done that. Gas price records in these areas aren't being quietly replaced, they're being blown out of the water. I don't believe I've ever seen such crazy trends in gasoline prices occur all at one- prices spiking in one area, falling in another, and holding steady in others. What we're seeing today is certainly rare," DeHaan said.

GasBuddy operates HonoluluGasPrices.com and over 250 similar websites that track gasoline prices at over 140,000 gasoline stations in the United States and Canada. In addition, GasBuddy offers a free smartphone app which has been downloaded over 25 million times to help motorists find the lowest gasoline prices in their area.

Omidyar Fellows Accepting Applications for 2013 Class

2013-05-20T21:49:02-07:00

The Omidyar Fellows

Report from the The Omidyar Fellows - HONOLULU - The Omidyar Fellows -- a program launched in May 2012 by the Hawaii Leadership Forum -- has opened applications for its 2013 class. Applications for the rigorous and comprehensive leadership program are now being accepted online at www.OmidyarFellows.org/hawaii through June 30, 2013.

Developed by Bill Coy, director of leadership learning for the Hawaii Leadership Forum, the Omidyar Fellows curriculum is tailored to meet the unique and diverse needs of participants. The customized program includes a kickoff event and series of orientation activities, one full-day session each month, executive coaching, and conversations with current leaders. In addition, Fellows learn new skills, network with peers, self-reflect, and participate in personal growth opportunities.

"Last year we were fortunate to receive more than 150 applications from many engaged and dedicated individuals seeking leadership development for the benefit of not just themselves, but their organizations and their communities as well. We were impressed by the strong representation from all islands and sectors and the overall level of understanding and commitment to Hawaii" said Kalei Stern, director of Omidyar Fellows. "We look forward to engaging with the community and the next generation of leaders to build a strong second cohort of Fellows."

Omidyar Fellows is looking for applicants who represent a wide range of sectors including government, nonprofit, for-profit businesses, and labor unions.

The ideal candidate for the Omidyar Fellows is someone who has:

Demonstrated, as a leader, the courage, commitment, passion, and capability to get things done
Solved complex problems within an organization or community
Developed a working style that incorporates problem solving, original thinking, collaboration, and innovation
Earned leadership responsibilities beyond his/her years of employment based on track record of accelerated achievement
Demonstrated engagement in the community beyond professional responsibilities
Arrived at an understanding of Hawaii's cultural, social, and political contexts

As the current inaugural class nears the halfway point of the 15-month program, the Omidyar Fellows program hopes to build upon the momentum of its first year and bring these exciting opportunities to a new group of up to 15 up-and-coming local leaders. The program is designed with the goal to inspire and equip emerging leaders with the skills needed to affect positive, lasting change in Hawaii.

According to Colton Ching, a current Omidyar Fellow and vice president of energy delivery at Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., the program is already succeeding. Ching said, "Through the Omidyar Fellows program I have learned important lessons on leadership and developed lifelong friendships with my cohort that will be invaluable in my professional career."

The 2012 fellows will be graduating in November 2013. Selected participants for the second Omidyar Fellows class will be announced in September, and their program will begin in October 2013.

For additional information about Omidyar Fellows and Hawaii Leadership Forum please visitwww.OmidyarFellows.org/Hawaii. Omidyar Fellows is also on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/OmidyarFellowsHI and Twitter at www.twitter.com/OmidFellowsHI.

State Issues Cease and Desist Order Against Maui Mortgage Company, Mortgage Loan Originator

2013-05-20T21:40:13-07:00

DCCA Headquarters

REPORT FROM THE DCCA – The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) Division of Financial Institutions (DFI) issued an immediate temporary cease and desist order for a Maui woman and mortgage company operating on the Valley Isle.

Commissioner of Financial Institutions Iris Ikeda-Catalani ordered Kathleen Patricia Morris and Herman-Morris Enterprises Inc., dba Hawaii's Premiere Mortgage Co., to cease operating as a mortgage loan originator and a mortgage loan originator company on suspicion of violating Hawaii law.

DFI alleged Morris and her company were:
·        Originating a mortgage loan in a consumer's name without their authorization;
·        Receiving payoffs of mortgage loans and not remitting the payoff amounts to the lenders;
·        Attempting to solicit a complainant with a payment to withdraw his complaint against the licensees.
·        Using a trade name without properly notifying the Commissioner of the name;
·        Failing to update the financial disclosure pursuant to changes in financial status; and
·        Failing to notify the Commissioner about a revocation of a previous license;

Morris is also known by the following names: aka Kathleen P. Morris, aka Patricia Morris, aka Tricia Morris, aka Trish Schaberg, aka Tricia Schaberg, aka Patricia K. Morris, aka Kathleen K Herman, aka Patricia Kathleen Herman, aka K. P. Morris, aka Kathleen P. Morris, aka Tricia K. Morris, aka Tricia NMN Morris, aka Tricia P. Morris, aka Patricia Kathleen Morris.

Herman-Morris Enterprises Inc. also does business as: dba Hawaii's Premier Mortgage Co., dba Hawaii's Premiere Mortgage Co., dba Lemurian Interiors & Development, dba Nature's Treasures of Maui.

An administrative hearing on the immediate temporary cease and desist order will be held on May 29, 2013, on Oahu.

The Division of Financial Institutions ensures the safety and soundness of state-chartered and state-licensed financial institutions, and ensures regulatory compliance by state-licensed financial institutions, escrow depositories, money transmitters, mortgage servicers, mortgage loan originators and mortgage loan originator companies by fairly administering applicable statutes and rules in order to protect the rights and funds of depositors, borrowers, consumers and other members of the public.

Hawaii State Budget Not Balanced Without Paying Off Massive Debts

2013-05-20T21:38:05-07:00

Photo: Emily Metcalf

By Leighton Loo - Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s $300 million dollar budget surplus is a fake “paper” surplus.

The reality is that the state has a massive deficit of at least $483 million! The state’s Employee Union Trust Fund and Employee Retirement System both have a $15 billion and $9 billion shortfall, respectively.

Also there is a $461 million backlog in needed University of Hawaii repairs of which only $37.5 million will be made up this cycle. So how do you “create” a “surplus” when state finances are so fragile? Simple! You just don’t pay your bills!

The state needs to be paying one billion dollars every budget period to eventually make up for those EUTF and ERS shortfalls for about 30 years. However, it will only pay $217 million this period – by way far too short to address the shortfalls disaster. This is like shorting your mortgage payment so that you can claim to have savings or a “surplus” of cash.

Also, if you accept that the state has “shorted” the UH by not repairing and maintaining to the full $461 million in backlog, then the deficit rises to $906.5 million (hopefully, no building collapses like the state’s Farrington High School Auditorium did).

The concept is easier to see if compared to a family’s household budget. You can increase your savings at the end of the year by simply not paying to repair and maintain your home, make only bare minimum and insufficient payments to your credit cards and mortgage. Quite simply, not paying your bills can temporarily build you a savings account or in the State government’s case – a “surplus”.

However, there will be disaster right around the corner as your home crumbles and your debt goes out of control.

While one can argue that the state should have used the surplus for school supplies that teachers are personally paying for or the proposed $22 million UH faculty pay raise, etc. but definitely the state is in financial trouble.

To very loosely paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, “if you fool enough of the people enough of the time …”

Leighton Loo is a resident of Honolulu, Hawaii

Hawaii Lifeguards Market Products They've 'Terrain Tested, Approved'

2013-05-20T21:29:42-07:00

Photo courtesy of Scott Gold, a director and photographer in southern California.

Nearly four decades ago, veteran Maui lifeguard and Waterman Hall of Famer, Archie Kalepa saw the legendary Eddie Aikau in action—feats of selfless courage so formative that Kalepa knew he’d someday join that brotherhood of elite Hawaiian life savers.

“We perform unrecognized heroic acts everyday,” says Kalepa with disarming humility.

He and the 450+ guards of the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association each proudly wear OluKai footwear as they patrol the rocky cliffs and rip tide ravaged shores of the islands.

The Kia’i Trainer, Kamiki and Kia’i sandal are part of their uniform, “part of our tool chest,” says Kalepa.

This is rugged footwear for rugged terrain—the day-to-day demands of the HLA have tested these shoes and sandals for the needs of a true waterman. Simply put: “It’s a shoe that works,” says Kalepa.

He and the rest of the HLA put these shoes to the test far before they find their way to the shelves. From the fit and overall performance to breathability and traction, the HLA take these shoes through real field research—the actual gauntlet of lifeguarding. Hawaiian lifeguards provide recommendations and suggestions to properly shape footbeds and increase traction—it is this kind of rigorous testing that vastly improves final design of the product.

Photo courtesy of Scott Gold, a director and photographer in southern California.

These shoes are not just inspired by Hawaiian lifeguards, they’re thoughtfully constructed specifically to meet their needs from the slick rocky outcropping around Hanauma Bay, to the 25 foot swells of the storied North Shore.

Hawaiian lifeguarding is a proud and vital tradition, the highest standard to which guards in other coastal communities aspire. OluKai is humbled to play a significant role in nurturing that tradition through the ‘Ohana Giveback Program.

A portion of the proceeds from these shoes supports Hawaii’s Junior Lifeguard Program, inspiring and training the next generation of Kalepas and Aikaus.

“No matter what anyone says, if you put your mind to it, you can do it,” Kalepa tell these Junior Guards.

“I know it’s true because I did it. Stay focused, stay healthy, stay fit, and keep your integrity. Those are things that we need to build, not just lifeguards but great leaders in the community.”

See The Entire HLA Collection: http://www.olukai.com/HLA.aspx

Story courtesy of http://talkstory.olukai.com/2013/04/05/hla/

Photo courtesy of Scott Gold, a director and photographer in southern California.

Pitfalls of Obama’s ‘perfect storm’

2013-05-20T21:21:44-07:00

Christopher Adamo

By Christopher G. Adamo - In a sane world, Barack Obama would already be facing the prospect of impeachment over his mishandling and subsequent cover-up of the Benghazi fiasco.

But in a sane world, an inconsequential Illinois state senator who voted overwhelmingly “present” in order to duck hard issues and who then served only a matter of months in the United States Senate would never have been elevated to the nation’s highest office, even if his rival for that office was as hapless as John McCain.

Unfortunately, a significant portion of America’s populace was willing to take a chance on the Obama platitudes of collectivism and wealth redistribution. Worse yet, despite the glaring disaster that ensued as a direct result of his policies, at re-election time in 2012, America tacitly chose to accept another four years of the same.

In many ways, it seemed that he had become immune to any consequences for his words and actions. His two nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court, Sonya Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, sailed through the confirmation process with relative ease despite their liberal agenda-driven “credentials,” buoyed only by the contemptible forces of ethnic and gender politics. He has never been held accountable for squandering the nation’s finances in a misbegotten and fraud laden pursuit of a green energy socialist utopia, leaving a trail of billion dollar abuses such as the failed Solyndra enterprise. And the list goes on.

Given these circumstances, it is entirely understandable that conservatives and patriots might be anticipating an Obama day of reckoning from the recent convergence of three major recent scandals, Benghazi, Internal Revenue Service abuses, and Obama Justice Department wiretaps of Associated Press reporters.

However, it is far too soon to presume that the game has changed and conditions are now right for justice to prevail over an administration that has flaunted its lawlessness during the past four years with total impunity.

Admittedly, the Benghazi episode vastly eclipses every aspect of Watergate. This is a scandal in which the “cover up” actually began before the main event, and in many ways directly contributed to it.

Fears by White House political strategists that the deteriorating situation in Libya might redound negatively to Barack Obama’s re-election campaign, a decision was made to deny the necessary security reinforcements fervently and repeatedly requested by Ambassador Chris Stevens. At the risk of Stevens’ safety, Obama sought to maintain a facade of diplomatic success in the Middle East.

Ever since the Sep. 11, 2012, Benghazi attacks, and continuing to this day, the entire focus of Obama and his underlings, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has been to deceive the American people and evade culpability for what actually happened and what might have been done to prevent it. Hillary’s now infamous “What difference does it make?” response in last January’s Senate hearing was the most flagrant attempt to make the case that a thorough review of the Administration’s misdeeds is both unnecessary and unproductive.

Yet the reality is quite the opposite. With each passing day, new evidence is uncovered which reveals an abhorrent Administration negligence and indifference to the imminent peril faced by Stevens. With total disregard for him, the White House and State Department were willing to gamble that nothing major would happen which might undercut Obama’s assertions of diplomatic prowess in the Arab world. Even after the Al Qaeda attacks blew that fabrication apart, the sole focus of the administration has remained on “damage control.”

Each new inquiry results in strangely disconnected stories of what happened on that night and why critically flawed decisions were made. In the most telling contradiction the administration was ostensibly befuddled for weeks as to actual motivation for the attacks, steadfastly blaming an anti-Muslim video on YouTube as the catalyst of Muslim hostilities until that absurd story fell completely apart. In stark contrast however, those same officials instantly knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that a vigorous United States military response would be futile and therefore ordered American security forces to “stand down” (refuse assistance) despite pleas from the doomed consulate.

At what seemed the most inopportune moment for Obama, another scandal suddenly erupted. Reports have surfaced from Ohio that various conservative organizations were targeted for harassment and prejudicial treatment by the Internal Revenue Service. Shortly after this news broke, IRS officials made a ridiculous effort to diffuse the controversy by offering an “apology.” Aside from being tantamount to an admission of guilt, as a remedy for criminal wrongdoing this effort was obscene. One need only imagine private citizens offering the IRS “apologies” in lieu of tax payments to properly gauge the absurdity of this ploy.

Once again, all official responses have sought to deflect attention from the upper levels of government. And once again, with each new bit of evidence the situation becomes more incriminating to high office holders. Though early accounts described the abuses as occurring at “low levels” of the organization, further investigation has already connected the dots back to Washington. Predictably, those ultimately responsible are in full “cover up” mode.

To the amazement of many, a third scandal has since erupted. It seems that the Justice Department has been spying on reporters who work for the Associated Press. As a grotesque violation of the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition of “unreasonable search and seizure,” this revelation of wrongdoing might seem to thoroughly eclipse all of the others. After all, media complicity is crucial to Obama’s ruse of avoiding accountability for previous assertions, while making new promises that he has no intention of keeping. Without a thoroughly compliant and supportive press, his house of cards would quickly collapse in on itself.

So is this latest disclosure the final straw for his media allies? Or is it something even more sinister?

When the Benghazi attack occurred, all media efforts were in complete concert with the White House strategy, which was to suppress any news of the event. Eventually, that effort failed, and in this week’s turbulent congressional hearings, the lid blew off of the Benghazi cover-up.

Immediately, attention has been deflected to the IRS scandal, but even before any responsible party could be identified, the entire focus again shifted to the AP.

Americans should remember how successfully Hillary Clinton was able to generate a “scandal overload” and by constantly changing the subject, managed to protect the thoroughly compromised administration of her husband, Bill Clinton, from any repercussions for his malfeasance and innumerable violations of the law.

It is not likely that the recent inexplicable chain of events has been completely orchestrated by the Obama White House in order to navigate the gauntlet it currently faces. But neither is it even remotely plausible that media minions and former accomplices in governing agencies are honestly and sincerely “coming clean” at Obama’s expense. In any case, it is dangerously naive to presume that these entities will diligently pursue truth and demand justice. The responsibility to stay on target in the face of Democrat scandal and media bias remains as it has always been, with grassroots organizations and conservatives in the alternative media.

Obama’s scandals reveal true face of government

2013-05-20T21:19:51-07:00

BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO: Obama has always exuded an intellectual arrogance. Yet if he’s so smart, why would his Justice Department target reporters? The national media has fawned over the president, but the quickest way to end that love affair is to go after their personal records. (AP Photo)

By Steven Greenhut | Franklin Center - The Obama administration has gotten itself into a fix between its contradictory stories about the Benghazi incident, reports of the IRS targeting conservative groups, and the Justice Department’s grabbing of phone records from AP reporters. There are few things more fun to watch than arrogant political leaders — folks who spend their lives bossing everyone around — getting a comeuppance.

My favorite take wasn’t from any serious commentator but from comedian Jon Stewart, who noticed that the president routinely claims ignorance about embarrassing events by saying that he learned of them while watching the news: “I wouldn’t be surprised if President Obama learned Osama bin Laden had been killed when he saw himself announcing it on television.”

I take a bipartisan approach to Washington, D.C.’s political scandals and find myself savoring them all, regardless of the party that is in control of the White House. Any sane person would conclude that all administrations and bureaucracies essentially are corrupt given that they thrive on the exertion of power of other people. We know about the corrupting influence of power, and DC has become like ancient Rome that way. It’s a magnet for those seeking favor, money, or a big title administering some pointless program.

I visited DC last week and was astounded at the booming economy, the endless new construction, the astronomical prices, and garish displays of wealth everywhere — not to mention the haughty attitudes of every pissant assistant to the whatever. That’s what Other People’s Money buys you. When Ronald Reagan talked about the Shining City on the Hill he was speaking metaphorically about America, but the new shining city is DC — funded on the backs of all those Americans who blithely vote for people who promise to solve their problems.

That’s the main lesson from this latest mess: the federal government is an untamable beast. These superficial scandals are nothing compared to the things we will never learn — i.e., the way the CIA conducts its business overseas.

Still, there are so many things to savor as President Obama circles the drain. Obama has always exuded an intellectual arrogance. Yet if he’s so smart, why would his Justice Department target reporters? The national media has fawned over the president, but the quickest way to end that love affair is to go after their personal records.

Unfortunately, many people insist on seeing every scandal in terms of partisanship. Conservatives are aghast, as they should be, at the thought of an IRS auditing groups based on their political views. That is eerily totalitarian. But where would they have been had a Republican administration done the same thing to liberal critics? I doubt the activist groups would be sending out the alarmist direct-mail pieces if the latest Bush were still president.

The best news from the ongoing drama is that people on the left and right see problems here. Let’s use that as a foundation for a renewed civil-liberties coalition that understands that there are many bright red lines in which the government — regardless of who nominally is at the head of it — does not cross. That’s easier to do when one realizes that our supposedly limited government is so limitless in its size, power, and taxing ability that no president can control it.

When pundits complain about excess partisanship, what they usually are really saying is they are tired of all the political fighting. Yet political fighting is good — it’s a sign of differences of opinion and assures that important issues get debated, however clumsily, in the public.

In Sacramento, California, the Republican Party has imploded and there is little worry about partisanship. But the state’s Democratic Party is now engaged in policies so secretive that even liberal-oriented pundits are getting concerned. No one has the power to say no, so the Democrats are ramming through every manner of dangerous bill.

The new health-exchange law shields most contracts under a veil of secrecy so that public money can be dispensed to friends and cronies without the public learning about where it is going. Democratic leaders have embraced a gut-and-amend frenzy — proposing dozens of bills with placeholder language that will be stripped away at the last minute with new and completely different language inserted. This circumvents normal debate and oversight.

This is not a Democratic problem per se, but a government problem. And local governments are arguably even more dangerous to our liberties. In Bakersfield recently, after Kern County sheriff’s deputies beat to death a young father (after being called to the scene for a minor incident -—public drunkenness), they grabbed the cellphones of bystanders who were recording the incident. That’s right out of a police state.

Government is about power and force. Many people charged with power over others will abuse it. That’s human nature. Unfortunately, the nation’s founding ideals —limited, accountable government, with separated powers and checks and balances — have been fading away. Government is so big that even the president and the attorney general claim they have no idea what their departments are doing. I almost believe them.

We need to rebuild a coalition of civil libertarians of the left and right who agree to some basics, on some bright red lines that no government should cross. We need to provide a unified, bipartisan front on behalf of individual liberties and against any official from any party who would trample them. Maybe we can learn that constructive lesson from the administration’s unreconstructed behavior.

Steven Greenhut is vice president of journalism at the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity. Contact him at steven.greenhut@franknlincenterhq.org.

Letter cites serious flaws in $28 million taxpayer-funded University of Hawaii dorm project

2013-05-20T21:16:59-07:00

Construction contractor details controversy over project at University of Hawaii at Hilo

By Malia Zimmerman - HONOLULU — A University of Hawaii-Hilo spokeswoman insists a $28 million dorm project will be ready by August, but a report obtained by Hawaii Reporter and Watchdog.org outlines numerous flaws in the taxpayer-funded project.

The problems are so serious they could increase the project’s cost and delay its fall opening.

In a letter sent to SSFM International Construction Manager Robert Yamada on Thursday, Gary Nakatsuka, an architect employed by Mitsunaga & Associates who is serving as project manager, said “unapproved, lesser grade windows” are examples of decisions made by SSFM that may prevent the building department from issuing a certificate of occupancy, thereby delaying the dorm’s fall opening.

The selection also places the university “at risk of having to remove and replace the windows should the windows be found to be non-compliant with the building code requirements of this project,” Nakatsuka said.

Nakatsuka cited a number of other construction elements as “troubling” and not to the “benefit” or “advancement” of the University of Hawaii, including potential mold and bathroom venting issues, substandard paint and drywall, unwarranted and unapproved cost escalations for flooring and the unauthorized removal of important elements of the project already included in the budget such as security fencing.

Three hundred UHH students plan to move into the new dormitory, called University Village.

The University’s Office of Capital Improvements and its former manager, Brian Minaai, were overseeing the project, but the university recently put Minaai on paid leave as the state attorney general investigates allegations that Minaai directed contracts to personal and political friends.

Dennis Mitsunaga, owner of Mitsunaga & Associates, made the stunning allegations in a February 14 letter to the Hawaii State Senate, which he sent in support of pending legislation that would transfer procurement responsibilities from the university to the Department of Accounting and General Services, the agency that manages most state construction projects.

Mitsunaga accused Minaai of using his position to marginalize his company’s bids in favor of competitors with ties to Minaai, ultimately bloating the costs of university projects.

Minaai did not respond to inquiries from Hawaii Reporter.

“Working with the UH Office of Capital Improvement and its director Brian Minaai has been a nightmare for members of our firm working on the UH student Housing Phase 1 (in Hilo),” Mitsunaga wrote in his Feb. 14 letter. “In the process of giving us a difficult time, Brian gave away millions of dollars on this project alone and should be investigated for blatant mismanagement.”

Student safety and a fiscal bottom line

The Thursday letter from Mitsunaga’s project manager lists specific problems that may impact student safety and the university’s bottom line.

For example, a planned security fence around the perimeter with a controlled access gate included in the project budget was eliminated. Nakatsuka said the contractor should install the fence and gate to ensure student safety.

In addition, the university does not allow paint to be sprayed on its campus buildings for environmental and safety reasons, but SSFM and its subcontractor used spray paint, Nakatsuka said.

UH President M.R.C. Greenwood

Project cost increases are also a sticking point.

SSFM said changing the pattern of the vinyl tiles on the dormitory floor from a checkerboard pattern approved by the university to a swirl pattern would cost an additional $126,000 on top of the $241,837 budgeted for the flooring.

Nakatsuka maintained the more than 50 percent cost increase is “outrageous,” “way out of line” and should be more in the 5-10 percent range.

“This would equate to a flooring installer using a Davis-Bacon pay rate with fringe of $58.52 working for an additional 2,160 hours,” Nakatsuka said. “That’s one year and two weeks worth of hours to install the swirl pattern instead of the checkerboard pattern.”

Although already budgeted, the university had removed all trees from the landscaping plan and all appliances, Nakatsuka noted in his letter.

The university remains silent on Minaai’s fate.

“As the Attorney General’s investigation is ongoing and the university has been requested not to comment on any aspect of it until completion, we are unable to respond to your specific questions about the Mitsunaga allegations,” Lynne T. Waters, associate vice president for external affairs and university relations for the University of Hawaii System, said in an email.

In another twist, UH President MRC Greenwood, who had ultimate authority over the university procurement and declined to appear before the legislature to answer questions about Minaai, the Hilo dorm and other university projects, announced her resignation last week, two years before her lucrative contract expires. She cited personal and health reasons for her early resignation.

Contact Malia Zimmerman at Malia@hawaiireporter.com

Governor Enacts New Traffic Safety Laws

2013-05-20T20:44:31-07:00

REPORT FROM THE OFFICE OF GOV NEIL ABERCROMBIE – With representatives of the state Departments of Transportation (DOT) and Health (DOH), county police departments and traffic safety advocates standing in support, Gov. Neil Abercrombie today signed into law two significant traffic safety bills that will save lives and reduce serious injuries from motor vehicle crashes in Hawaii.

“Hawaii is putting safety first on our roadways with the enactment of our state’s universal seat belt law; this measure closes the gap in protecting all passengers riding in a motor vehicle,” Gov. Abercrombie said. “In addition, the enactment of Hawaii’s distracted driving law establishes consistency across the state for the usage of mobile electronic devices while driving, simplifying enforcement and likewise making our highways and roadways safer.”

Senate Bill 4, relating to “Motor Vehicles” – Enacted as Act 73, this measure requires all front seat and back seat occupants to buckle up, effective immediately. Adults and children must use their seat belts and child restraints at all times. Unrestrained back seat passengers were more than three times as likely to have injuries that were fatal or required hospitalization compared to restrained back seat passengers, based on DOH’s analysis of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) records. Additionally, among back seat passengers who were treated for injuries by EMS, average medical charges were nearly tripled among those who did not use seat belts ($11,043), compared to restrained passengers ($3,817).

“The Department of Health is pleased to see rates of passenger-related injuries going down based on high levels of seat belt use among front seat passengers,” said Health Director Loretta Fuddy. “We anticipate that we’ll see further reductions in injuries and death with the passage of this law for back seat passengers.”

House Bill 980, relating to “Highway Safety” – Enacted today as Act 74, this measure is effective July 1, 2013. While all counties have some form of a distracted driving ordinance in place, this measure establishes a state law that creates consistent requirements across all counties for the use of mobile electronic devices while driving and will simplify enforcement. Crash data from the DOT shows that during 2007, 32 percent (2,871 of the 8,770 collisions) were attributed to inattention to driving.

“People are injured or dying each year simply because they were not paying attention to the road. The possibility of causing a crash that could ruin lives is just too great,” said DOT Director Glenn Okimoto. “We are focusing on changing the behaviors of drivers through legislation, enforcement, public awareness and education – the same activities that have helped curb impaired driving and increased seat belt use. Our goal is to help drivers understand that texting, cell phone use, and other distractions behind the wheel can have dangerous consequences.”

The bill signings were held in conjunction with the DOT’s launch of the annual Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign, a partnership between the state and counties with federal funding. During the national Click It or Ticket mobilization from May 20 to June 2 and throughout the year, police statewide will be continuing strict enforcement of the state seat belt and child passenger restraint laws.

Is Anyone On The Hook If a Volcano Gawker Ends Up In Trouble?

2013-05-20T20:41:24-07:00

Volcano rider (Photo courtesy http://www.inversecondemnation.com/)

BY ROBERT THOMAS - This photo and accompanying story ("Volcano officials concerned about risky activity at Kilauea ocean entry") reminded us of an article we did a few years ago about issues of liability in these cases, the "compensation culture," and a famous tort decision by the UK's House of Lords.

Our article, "Common Sense and Common Law - Who Does the Balancing of Social Utility?," framed the issues in light of the situation at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park where visitors had (and apparently still have) the ability to simply walk out among the flowing lava:

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is located on the island of Hawaii, and true to its name, its central attraction is one of the world’s most spectacularly active volcanoes, Kilauea. At the end of Chain of Craters Road, visitors may walk out past where it was cut off by a flow to witness a fresh lava flow firsthand and very close up. It’s a thrilling and humbling experience to watch and feel 1000-degree liquified rock make its way to the ocean through cracks in the brittle crust just beneath your feet. A smattering of National Park Service rangers wander around reminding viewers to keep to the ill-defined trail, and several warning signs are posted where the road ends and visitors must continue on foot.

The signs are dire enough: “Extreme Danger Beyond This Point!” “Bad Gases,” “Red Lava,” and “Methane Explosion Risk is HIGH Today.” But the signs are treated by visitors less as warnings and more as centerpieces of funny photographs to show the folks back home (especially the one about “methane explosion risk”). The rangers and the signs hardly deter hundreds of visitors a day. The tourist and the scientist marvel at witnessing so closely the creation of new land, but the lawyer is instinctively aghast: this is a public space after all, and park management just allows people to walk out day and night, mostly unsupervised, into a fresh lava field surrounded by molten rock and poisonous sulfur dioxide? Do they realize the exposure, the chance of someone being injured and suing? Are they insane?

This essay is not about the dangers that may lurk at Volcanoes National Park,or an analysis of the legal efficacy of the warning signs. The Kilauea example is highlighted simply to demonstrate that even in the age of risk management and litigation, some activities are deemed to have such value – whether scientific or esoteric – it is worth the risk of injury and lawsuits to continue them. This essay is about who determines that value.

Check it out if you are interested.

Common Sense and Common Law - Who Does the Balancing of Social Utility?

Minimum Wage Should Not Be Living Wage

2013-05-20T20:35:08-07:00

Photo: Emily Metcalf

By Lowell L. Kalapa - A few politicians are a bit bent out of shape because this year’s session of the Hawaii legislature did not approve an increase in the minimum wage, which is perhaps a confirmation of what many have known for a long time, that is that those critics probably never held a real job or never ran their own business.

While the call for a higher minimum wage may be politically popular with those who are earning the minimum wage as it sounds like a built in pay increase, it ignores the domino effect it would have on the cost of living. As wages rise, so will the cost of goods and services in order for employers to be able to pay that higher minimum wage.

Politicians argue that earning the minimum wage puts those workers earning the bare minimum at poverty level and it certainly is not a "living wage" that can support a family. The problem with that observation is that the minimum wage was never intended to be a "living wage" on which one could support oneself let alone a family. The minimum wage is what an employer must pay any employee. Paying anything less would be in violation of the law and the business owner could be fined or even jailed. The minimum wage was meant to be an "entry level" wage, that is a minimum wage allows an employer to hire and pay a lower wage to someone who has no job skills, let alone any experience in holding down a job.

Surprising as it may seem, there are many folks who don’t even have some of the basic skills for holding down a job such as arriving at one’s job on time or putting on shoes and socks or dressing appropriately for the job. While one would assume that most of the minimum wage earners are inexperienced high school or college students who have never worked a day in their life, it is also no surprise that there are adults with little or no job skills who are earning the minimum wage. Thus, it is not uncommon to find an employer more than willing to hire a retiree to fill some simple jobs like those at a fast food restaurant as the employer can depend on that seasoned retiree to at least show up to work on time and to be able to take directions and execute their duties efficiently.

And lest politicians believe that it is just another dollar or two if and when the minimum wage increase is adopted, they need to think again. There are a number of mandatory benefits the employer must pay that are based on the amount of wages paid for that employee. The two largest coverages based on the employees’ wages are unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation insurance. As compensation increases, so do the premiums for these mandatory insurances. So it is not just the $9.25 that will increase the cost per employee, but also the fact that these insurance premiums will increase as well.

Again, we all need to remember when we started on our career pathway as high school students looking for our first summer job. What was that question that we kept on getting from a prospective employer, "So what kind of work experience do you have?" The other question was something like, "What sort of job skills do you have?" And probably the most practical job skill that high school students may have possessed at that point was "typing," now known as keyboarding.

Having no previous job experience and with only typing as a usable job skill, the employer took a gamble on us high school students because we could be paid the minimum wage. With the higher minimum wage that is being proposed, employers will think twice about whom they hire and how much they will pay for an unskilled worker. Again, the minimum wage was never meant to be a "living wage." It was always meant to be an entry level pay rate.

With a higher minimum wage, businesses will see what is called "wage compression." This is where workers at or just above the new minimum wage level will suddenly demand that they be paid more because the unskilled worker is making nearly as much as the skilled worker. Thus, there will be pressure to bump up the pay of the skilled worker so that the "reward" is greater than what the minimum wage earner is getting.

Given how fragile the state’s economy is and being dependent on the fickleness of the visitor industry, a major increase in the minimum wage in a relatively short period could doom businesses in Hawaii, especially small businesses and increase the cost for those that can survive with the higher minimum wage. Sure, it may be popular with those employees being paid the minimum wage, but then again how will that higher minimum wage being proposed preclude unskilled workers from ever entering the workforce?

Teen Dies of Cancer After Touching Millions With Song

2013-05-20T20:29:10-07:00

Zach Sobiech garnered worldwide fame for his battle against Cancer. He died May 20. (J. Dunn Photography)

Zach Sobiech, an 18-year-old whose battle with cancer became a global story, has died.

The Minnesota native became famous when his song “Clouds,” which is about facing death, became a viral sensation on YouTube, topping 3 million views. The song was originally released in December of last year.

The video was so popular that a group of celebrities were inspired to create a video tribute in which they lip-synch the lyrics.

Sobiech was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, osteosarcoma, at 14 and was told a year ago that he likely only had months to live.

“Cancer may have taken Zach too soon, but he leaves a lasting legacy that most of us will never achieve,” read a statement on the Children’s Cancer Research Fund’s website. “His message of love and hope delivered through infectious lyrics and memorable tunes have imprinted on the minds and hearts of millions around the world.”

Sobiech also played in a band called A Firm Handshake, which released their second album, “Fix Me Up,” this past February.

"It is with heavy heart that we announce the passing of our son Zachary David Sobiech," his family said in a statement obtained by the Today Show. "Our family has been blessed not only by his amazing presence in our lives, but also by the love and support of our family and friends and by so many people in the community. In particular we'd like to thank those people who listened with their hearts and helped Zach bring his message and his music to the world."

The Sobiech family requests that all memorials be directed to the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund in lieu of flowers.

U.S. DOE approves Hawaii’s new school accountability and improvement system

2013-05-20T20:18:14-07:00

Graphic by Emily Metcalf

REPORT FROM HAWAII DOE- The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) is pleased to announce it has received federal approval today for a new Strive HI Performance System designed to ensure all students graduate college- and career-ready.

The redesigned school accountability and improvement system approved by the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) replaces many of the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) with multiple measures of success to meet the needs of Hawaii’s students, educators and schools.

“Approval to move forward with the Strive HI Performance System validates our strategic direction and allows us to build on Hawaii’s successes,” stated Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi.

“With the new system, we are more focused on college- and career-readiness, rewarding high-performing schools and customizing support to students, educators and schools with strategies proven in the Zones of School Innovation.”

After winning a Race to the Top grant in 2010, HIDOE established two Zones of School Innovation (ZSI) that targeted support for struggling schools in rural or remote, hard-to-staff areas serving the largest population of native Hawaiian and economically-disadvantaged students in the state.

The Strive HI Performance System is a culmination of work by Hawaii educators, parents, community groups, and higher education.

It replaces NCLB’s most ineffective and outdated components with meaningful benchmarks aligned with goals of the HIDOE/Board of Education State Strategic Plan:

The Strive HI Performance System not only reflects the State Strategic Plan, it aligns and connects with state education policies and initiatives including Common Core State Standards, updated assessments, more rigorous diploma and graduation requirements, successful school improvement strategies in the ZSI and robust teacher and principal evaluation and support systems.

“We are proud of the work happening at every level of Hawaii’s public education system to prepare students for real-world demands and provide better data, tools and support to students, educators and schools,” Deputy Superintendent Ronn Nozoe noted. “Now, with the approval of the Strive HI Performance System, we’ve unlocked the potential of all these efforts to work together in a coherent way to support success.”

HIDOE will host a webinar on May 28, 2013 to provide more information about the new system.

Webinar: Overview of Strive HI Performance System: Hawaii’s new school accountability and improvement system
Date: May 28, 2013
Time: 9 – 10 am HST
Register now: https://hvln.webex.com/hvln/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=733937907
event password: striveHI

HIDOE will work closely with Complex Area Superintendents and principals this summer to ensure school leaders and educators are positioned for successful implementation of the Strive HI Performance System in the coming school year.

For more information, visit HIDOE’s new Strive HI Performance System webpage at www.hawaiidoe.org/strivehisystem.

Farmers Hawaii: Learn How to Prevent Vehicle Back-Over Tragedies

2013-05-20T20:11:50-07:00

Each year in Hawaii, approximately 13 children are accidentally run-over by their parents or relatives and taken to hospitals, resulting in four to five deaths. So far this year, two 3-year old boys on the Big Island died from injuries after being accidentally run-over by a family member. In the majority of cases, the vehicle involved was a mini-van, truck, or SUV being backed out of a driveway.

Farmers Insurance Hawaii partnered with The Queen’s Medical Center and Pflueger Honda and held a back-over prevention demonstration at Seagull Early Education Center preschool as part of National Trauma Awareness Month. The demonstration helped raise awareness to prevent the likelihood of back-over injuries and deaths. The demonstration also revealed the visibility impairments of a vehicle’s blind zones without the aid of back-up cameras.

“Most children in these back-over cases are under five years old and some are only 12-23 months old,” said Melanie Joseph, marketing manager at Farmers Insurance Hawaii. “They’re physically able to walk and play, but do not understand the dangers of moving vehicles. That’s why Farmers Hawaii is raising awareness about the visibility limitations of vehicles’ mirrors, and the enhanced visibility of a back-up camera, which is extremely important to help save lives.”

The demonstration led by Cora Speck, coordinator for injury prevention and research with The Queen’s Medical Center, showed a driver in a parked mini-van with 30 preschoolers lined-up behind the vehicle. The driver looked in the vehicle’s rear-view and side mirrors and could not see the students behind the vehicle. Once the installed rear-view camera was turned on, the driver immediately saw all 22 keiki behind the vehicle.

“Cameras significantly increase the visibility for vehicles and help prevent these tragedies, especially in larger vehicles which have substantial blind zones,” said Joseph “In addition, video camera systems also include sensors or provide audible warnings to alert drivers. “It’s shocking to see the dramatic difference in visibility with and without a back-up camera,” said Joseph.

Two years ago, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed requiring rear-mounted video cameras with in-vehicle displays in new vehicles. Even though this requirement has stalled in legislation, many automobile manufacturers have voluntarily installed back-up cameras as a standard in about 45% of newer vehicles. The vehicle used in the demonstration was a Honda mini-van provided by Pflueger Honda that comes standard with a back-up camera.

George Benevente, of Pflueger Honda, was also on hand and explained how to retrofit a vehicle that does not come standard with back-up cameras and discussed the costs of cameras and installation.

For more information about how to help keep keiki safe around cars, visit myfarmershawaii.com/backuptips.

The vehicle back-over prevention demonstration was part of Farmers Hawaii’s Hot Spots traffic safety program. The Hot Spots program was created in 2002 andencourages safe driving practices and promotes community awareness of traffic and vehicle safety issues. For more information about the Hot Spots traffic safety program, please contact Farmers Insurance Hawaii at 544-3988.

Congress.org: How Hawaii's Elected Officials Voted - May 20, 2013

2013-05-20T20:07:38-07:00

May 20, 2013In this MegaVote for Hawaii's 1st Congressional District:

Recent Congressional Votes

Senate: Water Resources Development Act – Passage
Senate: CMS Nominee – Confirmation
Senate: Energy Department Nominee – Confirmation
House: Obamacare Repeal – Passage
House: SEC Cost-Benefit Analysis – Passage

Upcoming Congressional Bills

Senate: Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2013
House: Smarter Solutions for Students Act
House: Northern Route Approval Act

Recent Senate Votes

Water Resources Development Act – Passage - Vote Passed (83-14, 3 Not Voting)

The Senate laid down its marker last week for a full reauthorization of Army Corps of Engineers water projects with a broad, bipartisan majority. S. 601, shepherded to passage by liberal Environment and Public Works chairman Barbara Boxer of California and conservative ranking Republican David Vitter of Louisiana, reauthorizes port and harbor dredging, levees, dams, and storm repair for periods ranging from five to ten years. It also makes numerous reforms to current permitting procedures in an attempt to reduce the amount of time needed to get projects approved and under way. Several of the latter provisions are controversial, particularly language that would impose financial penalties on laggard agency heads. For that reason a compromise was negotiated to sunset the streamlining reforms after 10 years. Another major change concerns the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF), the primary funding vehicle for dredging coastal and Great Lakes ports. Though conceived as a dedicated fund for harbor maintenance, in practice congressional appropriators in recent years have diverted HMTF dollars to unrelated projects. S. 601 would slowly end that practice, increasing the amount of funding dedicated to harbor maintenance by $100 million annually for six years, after which time all HMTF revenue would be so directed. Action now moves to the House side, where Transportation and Infrastructure committee chairman Bill Shuster, R-Pa. has begun having hearings but appears in no rush.

Sen. Brian Schatz voted YES
Sen. Mazie Hirono voted YES

CMS Nominee – Confirmation - Vote Confirmed (91-7, 2 Not Voting)

The Senate confirmed Marilyn Tavenner to be the next administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Tavenner will play a prominent role in overseeing implementation of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. She is the first Senate-confirmed CMS administrator since 2004.

Sen. Brian Schatz voted YES
Sen. Mazie Hirono voted YES

Energy Department Nominee – Confirmation - Vote Confirmed (97-0, 3 Not Voting)

In its last action of the week, the Senate unanimously confirmed MIT physicist Ernest J. Moniz to be the next Energy secretary, replacing another physicist, Steven Chu.

Sen. Brian Schatz voted YES
Sen. Mazie Hirono voted YES

Recent House Votes

Obamacare Repeal – Passage - Vote Passed (229-195, 9 Not Voting)

The House took its three dozenth or so vote last week on repealing the 2010 health care overhaul. We noted in this space last week that, as introduced, the bill appeared not to repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), a body created by the law to reduce supply-side Medicare expenditures. It is not clear whether this was a clerical error, or perhaps whether House Republicans had a separate bill dealing with IPAB - Phil Roe of Tennessee has introduced such a bill, and IPAB repeal did pass the House last Congress - but the version of H.R. 45 that passed leaves no such ambiguity. Democrats Mike McIntyre of North Carolina and Jim Matheson of Utah – both very conservative by their caucus’s standards and in very competitive districts – joined all Republicans in voting ‘yes.’ As with each previous attempt at wholesale repeal, this bill will go nowhere in the Senate. The president issued a perfunctory veto threat.

Rep. Colleen Hanabusa voted NO

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard voted NO

SEC Cost-Benefit Analysis – Passage - Vote Passed (235-161, 37 Not Voting)

In its final action of the week, the House took aim at one of Wall Street’s main regulators, the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC). Republicans have long complained that federal regulations are impeding economic recovery. In that spirit, H.R. 1062 would require the SEC to change its rulemaking procedures by conducting cost-benefit analyses before issuing new rules and two years after a rule takes effect. The bill would also require the agency to review existing rules and alter or repeal them if they are not working. Democrats largely opposed the bill, though 17 did cross over to support the bill. Opponents largely framed the measure as a Trojan horse for dismantling the 2010 overhaul of financial regulations. The administration is opposed to the bill, and it is unlikely to be taken up in the Senate.

Rep. Colleen Hanabusa voted Not Voting

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard voted NO

Upcoming Votes

Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2013 - S.954

After congressional agriculture leaders were forced to swallow an extension last year, the Senate is taking another go at passing a five-year farm bill. One major difference between this year’s measure and the bill that passed the Senate last year is the reappearance of target prices, a win for producers of such crops as peanuts and cotton. The change is largely attributable to the ascension of Mississippi’s Thad Cochran to the ranking Republican slot on the Agriculture committee. The administration has issued a policy statement in support of S. 954.

Smarter Solutions for Students Act - H.R.1911

The House is scheduled to vote on this bill, which would change the way student loan interest rates are calculated.

Northern Route Approval Act - H.R.3

The House is also scheduled to vote on this bill to circumvent the presidential permitting process and approve the Keystone XL pipeline.

Comet ISON: ‘Comet of the century'

2013-05-20T22:14:22-07:00

Comet ISON is shown in this NASA handout image photographed by the Hubble telescope on April 10, 2013.

Astronomers Awaiting Comet ISON's Year-End Spectacular

2013-05-20T20:02:54-07:00

Comet ISON is shown in this NASA handout image photographed by the Hubble telescope on April 10, 2013.

By Rick Pantaleo - Excitement has been growing in recent months over the approach of Comet ISON. Like other comets, this chunk of rock and ice is following a long, elliptical orbit around the Sun, and like other comets, when it nears the Sun later this year, its trailing stream of dust and vapor will catch the sunlight and become a long, luminous, tail. Many astronomers are predicting that when this celestial traveler sweeps by us later this year, it could turn out to be ‘the comet of the century.’

Comet ISON was discovered on September 21, 2012, by two amateur astronomers in Russia, using a reflecting telescope at an observatory of the International Scientific Optical Network. The stargazers then named the new comet after the network’s acronym, ISON. It’s officially known as C/2012 S1.

Dennis Bodewits, an astronomer at the University of Maryland who has been keeping a close eye on ISON, explains that excitement about its approach has been building as observers worked out the comet’s trajectory:

“We started seeing Comet ISON by the end of last year, when it was really far away from Earth and the Sun, and it was already really clearly active. And people started reconstructing its orbit and figuring out what was up with this comet. If you do this and you reason forward in time, we think that this comet will be really bright by the time it gets close to the Sun.”

Bodewits and other astronomers following ISON recently used resources such as NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and the Swift satellite to get a good look at the comet as it makes its way through our solar system. Bodewits says he was especially eager to learn how big the comet’s nucleus is.

“And this is important to know [since it’s an indication of] whether it will survive its close approach to the Sun. If you have a very big object, it’s more likely that some of it will remain once it flies by the Sun. The reason why you have to do that now is because as it becomes more active there’s this giant cloud of dust and gas that you cannot see through and you cannot see the nucleus directly. This is a problem that we always have with comets.”

So how big is ISON’s nucleus? Bodewits surmises that it’s not very large.

“What Hubble found is that the comet was smaller than they could see. That means that it’s at most four kilometers, or two and a half miles, in diameter, which means that it’s relatively small.”

A ‘Sun-grazing comet’

ISON is classified as a ‘Sun-grazing comet,’ since its calculated elliptical trajectory will bring it very close to the Sun before it is flung back into deep space by the Sun’s gravity.

“It’s a fresh comet from the Oort clouds, where comets reside and when this orbit was done it was also clear that this comet will get within two solar radii off the surface of the Sun, which is really close to the Sun.”

Since ISON will be flying so close to the Sun, Bodewits says there are concerns that the powerful gravitational forces could cause the comet to break apart.

“As for now we simply don’t know what will happen. And, that’s one of the things that make this comet so unique. We never see comets that appear this far away. We can then follow it all the way in until it gets so close to the Sun and we’re all speculating on whether it will survive or not or break up as it does. So, this is another opportunity for us to learn more about the internal structure of comets.”

Astronomers believe ISON is going to put on a spectacular display this November, possibly becoming so bright that it will be visible in the daytime sky. Bodewits says ISON is already gearing up for the show:

“If a comet is very active, which means it produces a lot of gas, it will kick up a lot of dust and that dust then makes it a spectacular comet. ISON is far away from the Sun, but it is already kicking up a lot of dust, both literally and figuratively.”

The excitement over ISON follows a number of recent comet sightings, each of which generated lots of advance media buzz, but few of which lived up to the hype. One exception came six years ago with Comet McNaught, which was also known as the Great Comet of 2007. Astronomers say the comet was the brightest that had been seen in over 40 years.

But then there were disappointments, such as Comet Kohoutek back in 1973, which had been hyped by the media as the "comet of the century." Kohoutek sputtered out after its arrival and was considered by most to be a total let-down; possibly because it started to break up during a close approach to the Sun just before its Earth flyby. Comet Kohoutek became the butt of many comedians’ jokes back then.

And Halley’s Comet, one of the best-known and well-documented celestial visitors, returned to much fanfare in 1986, but because its orbit took it twice as far from Earth as during its celebrated 1910 visit, Halley’s appeared only dimly in the night sky.

Will Comet ISON live up to the hype now building for its arrival later this year, when it could be visible in many part of the world? We’ll just have to wait and see whether ISON will be "the comet of the century," or just another chunk of ice and rock slipping quietly through our cosmic neighborhood.

US Sees 'Climate of Intolerance' on Global Religious Freedom

2013-05-20T20:00:30-07:00

"Countries of particular concern" are countries that are considered to commit "particularly severe violations of religious freedom."

The United States said the right to global religious freedom was challenged last year, with governments often creating a "climate of intolerance" leading to hatred and violence.

In an annual report, the State Department said Monday government officials worldwide are often allowed to act with impunity while violating the religious rights of their countrymen. It said there often is uneven enforcement of religious freedom laws and introduction of new restrictions.

Secretary of State John Kerry said religious freedom is "the birthright of every human being," but is often restricted.

The chief U.S. diplomat said religious freedom throughout the world is a national security concern for the U.S.

“When countries undermine or attack religious freedom, they not only unjustly threaten those who they target, they also threaten their countries’ own stability.

And we see that in so many places," said Kerry. "Attacks on religious freedom are therefore both a moral and a strategic national security concern for the United States.”

He said the State Department found a "troubling" increase in anti-Semitism and named a new aide to monitor the problem. The report cited abuses in several countries, particularly in Venezuela, Egypt and Iran.

Kerry said there is a growing number of blasphemy and apostasy laws that often violate religious freedoms and are applied in a discriminatory manner. The report singled out Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Iran and Eritrea for its pursuit of cases against individuals accusing them of blasphemy.

The report called Christians "a leading target of societal discrimination and abuse" in some parts of the world. But it also said Muslims, especially minority branches of Islam, also suffered, especially if they were considered by the majority to be "heretical or foreign."

The U.S. law on religious freedom calls for naming other countries it considers to be committing "particularly severe violations of religious freedom." Under the law, the State Department two years ago named eight nations as "countries of particular concern" - Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan.

The report said the respect for religious freedom declined in China and Iran in 2012 and stayed the same in the other six countries.

Yahoo Buying Tumblr for $1.1 Billion

2013-05-20T19:58:09-07:00

A news headline about the Tumblr sale to Yahoo scrolls on a building in New York's Times Square, May 20, 2013.

Reuters - Yahoo Inc said it is buying blogging service Tumblr for $1.1 billion cash, giving the struggling Internet pioneer a much-needed platform in social media to reach a younger generation of users.

The deal, announced Monday, is a bold bet by Yahoo Chief Executive Marissa Mayer to revitalize the company by co-opting a Web property with strong visitor traffic, but little revenue.

Yahoo made clear it was sensitive to concerns that it might damage Tumblr by making it less irreverent or more corporate.

“Per the agreement and our promise not to screw it up, Tumblr will be independently operated as a separate business,” Yahoo said in a statement.

The acquisition, which will use up about a fifth of Yahoo's $5.4 billion in cash and marketable securities, is the largest by far since Mayer took the reins in July with the goal of reversing a long decline in Yahoo's business and Web traffic.

Analysts said Yahoo appeared to be overpaying for a business that might not contribute to revenue for years, but said that Yahoo had to do something to plug a hole in its social media efforts.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Mark Mahaney called it a “long-shot/long-term investment” but one that fits into Mayer's turnaround strategy.

“[Yahoo's] fundamentals have been subpar for numerous years, in part because of the company's missing presence in Social and Mobile. Tumblr may help [Yahoo] develop that presence,” Mahaney said in a note.

Tumblr is one of the Web's most popular hubs of so-called user-generated content, drawing young people who use the platform to post pictures and text. Tumblr has more than 100 million blogs in its network, ranging from “White Men Wearing Google Glass” to housing-focused “The Worst Room.”

Though Yahoo remains one of the Web's most popular destinations, it has seen its revenue shrink in recent years as consumers and advertisers favor rivals such as Google and Facebook. The deal is expected to increase Yahoo's audience by 50 percent.

Rich premium

While Tumblr is certainly popular - it has tens of millions of monthly unique visitors - analysts questioned what kind of contribution it will make to Yahoo revenue, since advertising on the site is in its nascent stages.

Media reports have pegged Tumblr's 2012 revenue at $13 million. The privately held company, based in Manhattan, does not disclose its financial results.

Yahoo expects that Tumblr will help boost revenue by 2014, Ken Goldman, Yahoo's chief financial officer, said on a call with analysts. He did not provide specific numbers.

“Even if revenue was $100 million, it means Yahoo paid 10 times revenue,” said BGC Financial analyst Colin Gillis. “Ten times is what you pay to date the belle of the ball. It's on the outer bands of M&A.”

Yahoo could quickly boost Tumblr's revenue by combining the website with its own sales force, said Pivotal Research Group analyst Brian Wieser. Loading Tumblr up with banner ads risks alienating its users, however, and probably wouldn't provide a significant lift to Yahoo's overall revenue, he said.

“It's not clear that this deal will be favorable from a return-on-capital perspective,” Wieser said. “One billion [dollars] for one company is a big bet.”

Gillis and Wieser were contacted on Sunday after the deal was reported by the online publication All Things D.

Mayer, on the conference call, described the Tumblr deal as an exception and said Yahoo was not necessarily planning lots of similarly sized deals.

Yahoo is one of several companies that have coughed up considerable money for buzz-worthy start-ups that hold promise. Facebook bought the popular social media photo site Instagram for $1 billion last year. In 2006, Google paid $1.6 billion for YouTube.

Shares of Yahoo rose as much as 2 percent in early trading Monday, but later fell back. They were up 18 cents to $26.70 in late-morning dealings. Through Friday's close, the shares had risen 70 percent since Mayer became CEO.

Image issues

One question Yahoo may have to address is Tumblr's reputation as a home for pornographic blogs. At one point in 2009, about 80 percent of Tumblr's top sites had something to do with adult content. Today that number is closer to 5 percent, according to Quantcast data, but the image lingers.

Mayer said on the call that Yahoo's targeting tools would allow advertisers to zero in on specific demographics and content.

One area where Yahoo plans to ramp up advertising: Tumblr's dashboard, the main landing point, akin to a newsfeed.

Dealing with that and other issues may fall to David Karp, 26, who founded Tumblr in 2007 and will remain CEO.

Karp, a self-taught programmer who left high school in favor of home schooling, did not take part in Mayer's conference call. Media reports have suggested his take in the billion-dollar sale would top $200 million.

In a 2012 interview with The Guardian, Karp seemed to be less interested in money than in Tumblr's prominence.

“There are a lot of rich people in the world. There are very few people who have the privilege of getting to invent things that billions of people use,” he said.

Senate Panel Accuses Apple of Using Complex Tax Loopholes

2013-05-20T19:56:24-07:00

Apple Developer Conference 2012

A U.S. Senate committee says Apple has avoided paying taxes on billions of dollars in profits by setting up a complex network of off-shore entities.

The Senate panel says Apple created foreign subsidiaries with no employees or physical offices so it would pay little or no taxes on its earnings. It says Apple is holding $145 billion in cash, of which more than $100 billion is held offshore.

Apple chief Tim Cook is scheduled to go before the panel on Tuesday.

It is common for multi-national corporations to use offshore subsidiaries to avoid U.S. taxes and the Senate report does not accuse Apple of any illegal activity. However, lawmakers say that Apple is using new methods to create tax havens and they are raising questions about loopholes in the U.S. tax code.

In its written testimony to the committee, Apple denied using tax gimmicks and noted that it paid roughly $6 billion in U.S. taxes last year.

Dozens Dead as Massive Tornado Hits Oklahoma

2013-05-20T19:54:12-07:00

A child is carried from the rubble of the Plaza Towers Elementary School following a tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, May 20, 2013.

By Greg Flakus - HOUSTON — A tornado with 320 kilometer per hour winds has killed at least 51 people and caused massive destruction in the central U.S. state of Oklahoma, destroying two schools and entire neighborhoods.

The Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office said the death toll was expected to rise as rescue workers move deeper into the hardest-hit areas.

The 1.6 kilometer-wide tornado hit Monday afternoon and destroyed large swaths of Moore, an Oklahoma City suburb, injuring dozens of people, sending debris flying and setting buildings on fire.

Rescue workers have pulled several children alive out of the rubble of the schools.

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin deployed 80 National Guard members to assist with search-and-rescue operations.

Fallin also spoke with President Barack Obama, who asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide any assistance she needs.

The severe weather outbreak was expected to spread across other parts of the Plains and the Midwest. An earlier tornado killed two people in Oklahoma Sunday.

The National Weather Service placed parts of five storm-battered states - Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas - under a tornado watch, meaning conditions are favorable for tornadoes to develop.

The same suburb of Oklahoma City was hit hard by a tornado in 1999. That storm had the highest winds ever recorded near the Earth's surface.

A tornado transformed the part of Moore directly in its path from a quiet middle class community into a field of debris. Rescue teams were digging through piles of wrecked wood, twisted metal and other rubble searching for victims who may have been trapped.

Rick Smith, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, just south of Moore, says the danger has not yet passed.

"We are going to be dealing with this for several hours it looks like and then, hopefully, after today it will quiet down for a while," said Smith.

Smith says storms are common at this time of year in Oklahoma and nearby states, an area often called "Tornado Alley." He says the monster tornadoes are the result of humid air close to the ground and wind conditions both near the ground and high up in the atmosphere.

"We have had very strong winds aloft and at the surface that creates what we call wind shear, that makes the storms start to rotate, and then we have had upper level disturbance, a storm system in the upper levels of the atmosphere, that moved out across Oklahoma this afternoon and the storms went from nothing to intense, dangerous storms in less than an hour," he said.

No one can predict exactly where a tornado will come down within the wide area covered by a storm system, but Rick Smith says Storm Prediction Center forecasters do everything possible to warn people.

"We were in close contact with emergency school systems and everything and our forecast and our information indicated that this was going to be as bad or worse than yesterday and it looks like that has definitely been the case," he said.

Tornadoes on Sunday killed two people in communities south and east of Oklahoma City. On Monday, legislators in the state Capitol cancelled sessions and took shelter along with state government employees as the storm clouds passed over the city. A full assessment of death, injury and damage from these tornadoes is likely to take days and the threat of more tornadoes in the area is far from over.

Health alerts that make you sick

2013-05-20T06:56:47-07:00

By KEITH WOMMACK -- Have you ever listened to an advertisement listing the possible side-effects of a drug and then felt queasy? Reading about those effects can make you feel ill, as well.

Dr. Lissa Rankin’s recently published New York Times bestseller, Mind over Medicine, in part, examines this disturbing phenomenon.

Reading Rankin’s thought provoking book reminded me of Fiona Macrae’s 2009 Health post The health alerts that make you ill: Negative thoughts ‘can induce sickness’.

Macrae wrote for the Daily Mail:

A series of studies from around the world has shown that if you believe something could make you ill, it might well do just that. Simply reading the side-effects on a bottle of tablets raises your risk of experiencing them. And, taken to its extreme, patients who believe they will not survive surgery, are more likely to die on the operating table.

It’s now evident that if you're taking medication, you could have concerns. While it’s important to use medicinal products wisely, studying their labels can cause you more problems. It seems you’re in trouble no matter what you do.

Doesn’t this dilemma tell you something? Doesn’t it show that your health is mental in nature? And if what you think causes what you experience, shouldn’t exploring a new way of thinking be considered?

In her 1875 guidebook on spiritual healing, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy relates:

A man was made to believe that he occupied a bed where a cholera patient had died. Immediately the symptoms of this disease appeared, and the man died. The fact was, that he had not caught the cholera by material contact, because no cholera patient had been in that bed.

Eddy described the incident to educate her readers to the mental nature of health. But she didn’t just stop there, for she had found there was no healthier way to think than with a spiritual mindset.

While health alerts and a diseased-centered focus can make you sick, pondering spiritual things, — a divine power and presence, enables you to experience improved and more consistent health.

The inspired prophet, the apostle Paul, understood this, and counseled:

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

Again, it’s important to use medicinal products wisely. But, perhaps, more importantly, if you want to be healthy and stay that way, watch what you read, consider, and ponder.

If you ask me, there should be health alerts that remind you to maintain a consistent spiritual mindset.

Instead of scaring and causing you even more suffering, these alerts, if adhered to, could make positive differences in your physical well-being.

– Keith Wommack is a Syndicated Columnist, Christian Science practitioner and teacher, husband, and step-dad. He has been described as a spiritual spur (since every horse needs a little nudge now and then). Keith’s columns originate at: KeithWommack.com

Twitter: @KeithWommack

ANOTHER HOOSIER HERO - Captain Elihu Harlam Mason, Union Army, American Civil War, Medal of Honor (1831-1896)

2013-05-19T17:10:33-07:00

Capt. Elihu Harlam Mason, Medal of Honor, Union Army, Civil War

BY DUANE A. VACHON, PH.D Elihu Harlam Mason was one of Indiana’s earliest recorded heroes. He was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War and either the second or fourth recipient depending on what version of history you choose to believe, of the new, United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Elihu Harlam Mason (March 23, 1831 – September 24, 1896). Mason was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Great Locomotive Chase.

Five feet 10 inches tall, light complexion, blonde hair, blue eyes; 31 years, 19 days of age on day of the Raid. He was a farmer and married to Nancy L. Kelley, who was from Wausau Indiana.

Mason joined the Army from Pemberville, Ohio, and by April 1862 was serving as a sergeant in Company K of the 21st Ohio Infantry. During that month, he volunteered for a raid into Confederate territory to disrupt rail transport in Georgia. The mission failed, and all of the raiders were captured. In June, eight of the men, including the raid leader, James J. Andrews, were executed as spies. The remaining raiders, including Mason, made an escape from the Confederate prison on October 16, 1862. Very ill at the time, Mason was unable to keep up with the other soldiers and, at his own urging, was eventually left behind and recaptured by the Confederates. He and five other recaptured raiders were released in a prisoner exchange the next year, on March 18, 1863. For his actions during the mission, he was awarded the newly-created Medal of Honor one week after being exchanged, on March 25, 1863. He was the fourth person ever to receive the medal. Discharged for promotion 1st Lieutenant Co. L 21st Ohio Infantry Regiment, April 10, 1863. Promoted Captain Co. L 21st Ohio Infantry Regiment, December 30, 1864. Saw action in Andrews Raid; at Battle of Chickamauga, September, 1863; at Battle of Dug Gap, GA, September 11, 1863.

Captured at Bridgeport, AL, April 19, 1862; escaped Fulton County Jail, Atlanta, GA, October 16, 1862. Recaptured October 18, 1862; sent to Knoxville, TN for trial but not tried; paroled via City Point, VA, March 17, 1863. Declared exchanged June 26, 1863. Captured again Chickamauga, GA, September 20, 1863; gunshot wound in hip; confined Richmond, VA, November 20, 1863, Macon, GA, May 7, 1864; paroled December 13, 1864, Charleston, SC.

Awarded Medal of Honor, March 25, 1863.

Medal of Honor citation

Mason's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

One of the 19 of 22 men (including 2 civilians) who, by direction of Gen. Mitchell (or Buell), penetrated nearly 200 miles south into enemy territory and captured a railroad train at Big Shanty, GA, in an attempt to destroy the bridges and track between Chattanooga and Atlanta.

Captain Elihu Harlam Mason is buried in Pemberville Cemetery, Pemberville, Ohio, Plot Lot 193, Center section.

Gravestone for Capt. Elihu H. Mason, Pemberville Cemetery, OH.

The information in this article was sourced from a variety of sources both internal and external. Every effort was made to ensure that the information is current and correct. These articles are presented to honor the heroes they are written about.

Hawaii leads nation in per-capita debt for unfunded union benefits

2013-05-19T21:14:21-07:00

Photo: Emily Metcalf

By Malia Zimmerman - HONOLULU — Hawaii taxpayers have a heavy burden to bear when it comes to covering "other post-employment retirement benefits" for their public employees.

In a newly released analysis, the Chicago-based Truth in Accounting reports Hawaii’s OPEB — those "other post-employment retirement benefits" — is more than $9,800 per capita. That's more than any other state. The 50-state average is less than $2,000 per capita.

"Such levels of unfunded OPEB liability will result in higher taxes, cuts in other services, or broken promises," said Sheila Weinberg, founder of Truth in Accounting.

The other post-employment retirement benefits owed to the Hawaii Government Employees Association, the United Public Workers union, and the Hawaii State Teachers Association, stood at $13.6 billion in 2011.

Much of the debt is attributed to health care for employees, retirees and their families, managed through the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund.

The Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund debt far exceeds Hawaii’s unfunded liability for pensions, which was $5.9 billion during that same year.

“While Hawaii’s has not fully fund its pensions, that is only half of the story — actually less than half. As these unfunded liabilities grow, Hawaii risks encountering a double whammy of pension and OPEB liabilities,” Weinberg said.

"The OPEB numbers are overlooked because people too often look only at a state's unfunded pension liability," she added.

Kalbert Young, director of the state Department of Budget and Finance, said the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund unfunded liability exceeds $18 billion.

Hawaii is responsible for covering $15 billion of the debt to the EUTF, while the four counties and the University of Hawaii must cover the remaining $3 billion owed, Young said.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie with State Budget & Finance Director Kalbert Young (photo by Mel Ah Ching Productions)

Hawaii lawmakers deposited $217 million into the state’s Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund during the 2013 session. The money is to be used over the next two years to pay health care bills for state employees, their families and retirees and their spouses. The fund balance is $300 million.

“The amount the state needs to contribute each year is over $500 million based on the last actuarial study. And, the state would have to do so for the next 30 years,” Young said.

The legislation, House Bill 546 CD1, also establishes a trust fund task force; requires the annual public employer contribution to be determined by an actuary, not the Legislature, beginning in FY 2018-2019; and takes revenue from state General Excise Taxes and hotel room taxes.

While a positive step in the right direction, Weinberg said there is a long way to go to get Hawaii’s liabilities funded and back on track.

"Hawaii's unfunded retirement health care promises are twice as much as its unfunded pension promises," Weinberg said.

"In our analysis, Hawaii is the third worst state in the Union overall for unfunded liabilities, due in large part to these unfunded OPEB liabilities," Weinberg added.

Sheila Weinberg, Institute for Truth in Accounting (photo by Mel Ah Ching)

Though the state is required by law to have a balanced budget, Weinberg said Hawaii is far from being truly balanced because of its outstanding debt.

The Legislature recently approved $24 billion for the state's biennium operating and capital budgets for fiscal years 2014 and 2015.

"As in prior years, the Legislature passed a ‘balanced’ budget, but it does not account for the fiscal reality of the unfunded pension and OPEB liabilities," Weinberg said.

Truth in Accounting has launched a State Data Lab for all 50 states, featuring a database of census and CAFR numbers from omprehensive annual financial reports as well as descriptions of the states’ current fiscal position.

The organization includes in this database a comparison chart of pension and OPEB unfunded liabilities.

Fact Check: Hawaii Republican Assembly Graphic

2013-05-17T08:50:48-07:00

By Boyd Ready - A Hawaii Republican Assembly (an organization not officially affiliated with the Hawaii Republican Party) graphic published on May 9, 2013 in Hawaii Reporter misstated the actual number of Republican electoral wins and the actual percentage changes for Republican state office holders for the period 1998-2012.

Notice how the HRA errors, which go from large to small, exaggerates the decline. Look closely at where we’ve had our biggest losses. We must be cautious about what we read, especially if we rely on it.

Source: Hawaii Legislative website **

Historic Republican victories in several of our legislative districts in 2012, with new young legislators getting elected by tirelessly canvassing their districts, motivating their voters to go to the polls, and even unseating a long time Democrat incumbent in the state house is an indication that the downward trend since 2004 may be reversing. The victims of this downtrend are the residents of Hawaii who must bear the burden of one party rule and the excessive taxation, burdensome regulations, bloated state government, and lack of fiscal accountability one party rule brings.

Hawaii Republican House Minority Caucus influence has grown because it aligned itself with the governing coalition (a first in history in Hawaii’s State House) and in doing so, earned committee vice chairmanships and the opportunity to champion Republican and conservative values by preventing minimum wage & GET, hikes, stopped PLDC, increased transparency in budgeting, restored the Hurricane fund, and reduced the Governor’s bloated budget request.

Our Hawaii Republican Party remains committed to making our state better for everyone by championing Liberty , Limited Government , Individual Responsibility , Fiscal Responsibility , and Equality of Opportunity . We will continue to work hard to promote these values, educate and inform Hawaii’s voters, recruit quality candidates, and elect Republicans to help restore prosperity to our state, eliminate overregulation, reduce government waste, and ensure government officials are accountable for their actions. The Hawaii Republican Party welcomes all Hawaii citizens who share our values to join us.

Boyd Ready is the Vice-Chair of the Coordinated Campaign for the Hawaii Republican Party

**Note—Hi Legislative historic data is kept as 2-year increments, starting with the odd-numbered year. Gabbard flipped parties in 2007-08. Brickwood Galuteria, one time Democratic Party Chair, and Josh Green, are listed as R one year, mistakenly. Trimble & Whalen are listed as R senators in 2008, also mistaken. Karen Awana flipped in 2008. This corrected chart treats defectors as no Republican in office, but that does not account for most of the HRA errors.

Pritchett's Pen: IRS is Obama's Attack Dog

2013-05-15T17:00:52-07:00

IRS, Obama's Attack Dog

Making Reimbursements Could Incur Tax Liability for Hawaii Taxpayers

2013-05-14T14:52:19-07:00

Photo: Emily Metcalf

BY LOWELL KALAPA - In recent years, various proposals to exempt the reimbursement of amounts paid out by mangers or operators of a number of business activities have been enacted into law because Hawaii's general excise tax law would otherwise have made such arrangements too costly to undertake.

Under the general excise tax law, a provision called the cost of reimbursements and advances addresses situations where a third party secures a product or service on behalf of a requesting party and is reimbursed for the cost of the product or service. If the third party receives no additional compensation for having performed this task, then the amount of the reimbursement received by the third party is exempt from the general excise tax.

On the other hand, if the third party receives some sort of compensation for performing this service in addition to the amount that represents the reimbursement for the product or service, then the entire amount that the third party receives from the requester is subject to the 4% general excise tax. Thus, the third party is paying the tax on the compensation received and the amount of the reimbursed cost of the product or service.

Beginning in the early 1990’s a variety of businesses that got paid for managing the operations of a variety of businesses asked to be exempt from the cost of reimbursement provisions. This started with hotel management companies which were hired to run the day-to-day operations of a hotel by the owners of the hotel property because the owners of the property did not necessarily have the expertise to run a hotel.

Since the receipts of the hotel accrue to the owner of the property, the owner must reimburse the hotel management or operator for the cost of operating the hotel which consists largely of the wages and salaries and benefits of the employees who service the guests of the hotel. Because the management company is also compensated for the management of these employees, the fee received by the management company technically taints the entire amount paid by the owner to the hotel operator including the wages and salaries paid out to the employees.

Thus, starting with hotel operators, the legislature granted an exemption for amounts reimbursed to those hotel operators for the wages, salaries and benefit premiums which were then disbursed to the employees or on their behalf. Because investors in hotel properties often bought and sold properties, it made more and more sense to recognize the unique situation of hotel operators and the stability it gives the employees of hotel operations. Conversely, hotel owners can be assured of having experienced workers that will provide quality service because of their tenure with the hotel operator.

Similar exemptions were extended to operators of a county transportation system which allowed an experienced operator of a transportation system to operate the public system as opposed to having appointees who constantly turn over with every new mayor or managing director operate that transit system. Eventually, a similar exemption was extended to operators of orchards who were reimbursed by the orchard owner and to managers of related entities which provide telecommunication services.

While not necessarily the management of employees, the concept of taxing reimbursements caused businesses to operate inefficiently and prompted lawmakers to extend the idea of exempting amounts of reimbursements to providers of the federal TRICARE program which reimburses managers of the federal medical program for amounts paid to health care providers. Similarly, amounts paid to managers of condominiums and time share projects are also extended a similar exemption. The latter two were recently renewed by this year’s session of the legislature.

While some observers may question the special interest nature of these exemptions, they should remember that one of the principles of a good tax policy is that the tax system should not cause taxpayers to contort themselves just to find a way to avoid the tax. A good tax system should allow taxpayers to be productive without having to structure themselves just to avoid having to be subject to a tax on what would otherwise not been taxed had they been structured differently.

While the general excise tax is a prolific producer of funds which pay for state government services, it also has insidious effects on the way business is conducted in Hawaii. If these situations are not addressed with exemptions or remedial treatment, the general excise tax can actually do a lot of damage to the state’s economy.

Nickname Of UH Men's Teams To Be Rainbow Warriors

2013-05-14T14:44:56-07:00

University of Hawaii Manoa Campus (photo courtesy of UH)

HONOLULU - The University of Hawai`i Athletics Department has announced that the nickname of its men's teams will be Rainbow Warriors, rather than Warriors, as was previously announced in February.

Beginning July 1, Rainbow Warriors will be the official nickname of the men's programs, while the women's teams will be Rainbow Wahine.

“The decision on February 13 to change the nickname of the men's teams to Warriors has generated a lot of discussion and we have received both positive and negative feedback,”Ben Jay, UH athletics director, said. “We listened to the public discussion and we went back to the original two questions we asked ourselves - who are we and what is representative of the islands?"

In 2000, UH changed the nickname of the football, men's volleyball, golf, and tennis teams to Warriors, while the men's basketball and swimming & diving teams remained Rainbow Warriors and the baseball team remained Rainbows.

“We initially decided to adopt Warriors as the nickname of our men's teams, since it was used by the majority of our men's programs, including the one with the largest fan following (football),” Jay said. "This is a very subjective and emotional issue and the only clear consensus on this topic over the last 13 years has been that a decision needed to be made to unify our men's teams under one nickname. That goal will still be accomplished as we retain the Rainbow and Warriors names, both of which are near and dear to the hearts of our fans, whom we represent.”

Obama dismissed talk of ‘tyranny’ just days before two textbook examples appear

2013-05-14T14:29:51-07:00

By Tom Blumer | Special to Ohio Watchdog

Was President Barack Obama preparing the nation for the recent series of scandals when he spoke May 5 during graduation ceremonies at The Ohio State University?

Included in Obama’s speech was a remark which, in hindsight, seems oddly prescient:

Unfortunately, you’ve grown up hearing voices that incessantly warn of government as nothing more than some separate, sinister entity that’s at the root of all our problems; some of these same voices also doing their best to gum up the works. They’ll warn that tyranny is always lurking just around the corner. You should reject these voices. Because what they suggest is that our brave and creative and unique experiment in self-rule is somehow just a sham with which we can’t be trusted.

Obama’s admonition to “reject these voices” warning of tyranny directly contradicts a famous statement made by Ronald Reagan several times during his long career as a commentator and politician: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”

Many people, perhaps including the president, either forget or haven’t learned that one of the definitions of “tyranny” — in fact, the first one listed atDictionary.com — doesn’t require a pervasively oppressive government as a precondition for its existence. Instead, “tyranny” is defined as “arbitrary or unrestrained exercise of power; despotic abuse of authority.”

In that sense, it been shown beyond doubt during the past several days that Obama’s own administration has carried out tyrannical activities unprecedented in the 237-year history of the American experiment to which he referred.

The nexus of one of them was just 110 miles down Interstate 71 from where Obama spoke. In Cincinnati, Internal Revenue Service employees conducted a concerted campaign to harass and intimidate groups they apparently believed might, referring back to the president’s words at OSU, “gum up the works.”

On Friday, Lois Lerner, director of the IRS’s Exempt Organizations office, speaking at an American Bar Association conference, delivered what was originally thought to be an unprompted apology. She admitted that “our line people in Cincinnati” who processed organizations’ applications for tax-exempt status flagged applications with “names like Tea Party or Patriots” for additional review and scrutiny, a process she called “centralization.”

Lerner further acknowledged that her division had “sent some letters out that were far too broad, asking questions of these organizations that weren’t really necessary for the type of application. In some cases you probably read that they asked for contributor names.”

She concluded by saying that “we at the IRS should apologize … it was not intentional … and I don’t expect that to reoccur.”

It soon became obvious that the director’s limp apology was prompted by an impending report from the Treasury Department’s Inspector General which, based on leaked information reported thus far, shreds her claims that the targeting of specific groups was limited to “line people” and that it was “not intentional.”

The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that the IG’s probe, when released, would show that the scope of the IRS targeting went far beyond organizations’ names to include “sweeping criteria” such as indications that the groups were “worried about government spending, debt or taxes,” or wished “to make America great again.” Additionally, “a high-ranking IRS official knew as early as mid-2011 that conservative groups were being inappropriately targeted.” It has since been reported elsewhere that the IRS also subjected Jewish organizations to overreaching review “to determine whether the organization’s activities contradict the administration’s public policies.”

That overreach was far more extreme than Lerner admitted, and seems to have been designed to tie up as much of applicant organizations’ time and resources as possible to distract them from their core activities. In one instance, according to a top official in Ohio’s tea party movement, the agency, upon learning that one group had a book club, “demanded that they tell them every book their book club read and provide a book report on each book.” The fact that one of the group’s leaders defiantly “sent them the actual books and told them to read them themselves” doesn’t negate the chilling nature of the IRS’s demand. Lawyers representing these groups have said publicly that some of them simply folded rather than wage what promised to be a protracted battle. If the IRS’s goal was to make sure that Obama’s philosophical opponents wouldn’t “gum up the works,” it was at least partially accomplished.

The second example of tyranny involves the media.

The Department of Justice on Friday informed the Associated Press that it had, as described in related AP coverage, “secretly obtained two months of telephone records of reporters and editors … in what the news cooperative’s top executive called a ‘massive and unprecedented intrusion’ into how news organizations gather the news.”

The Washington Post reported Monday evening that “the scope of the records secretly seized from the AP and its reporters goes beyond the known scale of previous leak probes,” and included “cellular, office and home telephone records of individual reporters and an editor; AP general office numbers in Washington, New York and Hartford, Conn.; and the main number for AP reporters covering Congress.”

Obama’s advice to OSU grads to dismiss warnings of tyranny just a few days ahead of the disclosure of two textbook examples of its application is enough to make one wonder if he was trying to conduct a preemptive rhetorical strike ahead of bad news he and his cohorts already saw coming. Given his more recent denials that he knew anything about either situation, one fervently hopes that chastened progressives who were justifiably outraged by Richard Nixon’s far more limited abuse of the IRS during the 1970s, along with journalists who have just seen how their peers’ privacy was violated on a massive scale, will be among those trying to figure that out.

IRS targeting: An offense to every American

2013-05-14T14:27:33-07:00

AP photo
ONE AT A TIME: White House Press Cecretary Jay Carney takes questions Tuesday from reporters during a briefing at the White House.

By Jason Stverak | Franklin Center

Consider a government that uses one of its bureaus to stifle free speech – silencing its harshest critics.

What if that department literally were above the law, able to confiscate property and financial assets and sell them off?

Sounds like I’m talking about an Islamic regime or fascist dictator on the other side of the world. Sadly, I’m talking about the government of the United States.

The ongoing revelation that the Internal Revenue Service singled out organizations whose name included “tea party” or “patriot” should scare every American who values the First Amendment.

Amid the sounding of alarm bells from left to right across the entire political spectrum, every single citizen should be outraged that Uncle Sam could and would abuse power in this manner.

Like all government scandals, the cover-up – lies to hide the abuse of power– turns a bad situation into a nightmare. Lois Lerner, director of the IRS’ exempt organizations unit, claims “there was no political motivation at all,” and this violation was only conducted by “low-level” employees in the Cincinnati office last year.

Two days after Lerner’s statement, the Associated Press reported that Lerner knew of the targeting as early as June 2011. Wisconsin Reporter, a project of theFranklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, learned that conservative groups “from Virginia to Hawaii” were subject to the same scrutiny as the Ohio organizations. Discrediting Lerner further is a Washington Post report that offices in Washington and two other states were involved.

So how extensive is this abuse of power, and who in the administration issued the directive? Anyone who believes I’m jumping to conclusions needs to take off the blinders. We know that multiple government offices took part in targeting political groups and Congress and the media were lied to by senior IRS officials. This isn’t the work of a few rogue low-level government bureaucrats, as Lerner wants us to believe.

I’m not an alarmist. I have come down hard on voices from both sides of the aisle that casually make irrational comparisons and statements regarding those with whom they disagree. But when a government agency tramples on the free-speech rights of Americans, the greatest threat to our democracy becomes an apathetic public and a complacent media refusing to speak up and keep our elected officials accountable.

Arguably more frightening than the assault against conservative organizations is the recent development that religious organizations – Jewish groups – were targeted.

The Pennsylvania-based nonprofit group Z STREET is a pro-Israel advocacy organization that filed a lawsuit against the IRS in 2010. As reported by the Jewish Press, the IRS advised Z STREET that “because the organization was ‘connected to Israel,’ its application for tax-exempt status would receive additional scrutiny.” Z STREET was further informed by a government official, “applications of some of those Israel-related organizations have been assigned to ‘a special unit’ in the D.C. office to determine whether the organization’s activities contradict the Administration’s public policies.”

When does the government of the United States thwart the activities of organizations that offer a different point of view?

The answer to that question is supposed to be never. But as Joel Pollak ofBreitbart.com recently pointed out, it’s more than conceivable to believe that the scrutiny of Z Street may have come directly from the Democratic hierarchy as a favor to the far-left J Street.

The investigation into Z Street occurred right after J Street announced plans to lobby the Treasury Department to revoke the tax-exempt status of Jewish charities that support religious and cultural institutions in disputed territories. Is the IRS being used to implement strong-arm tactics for political favors? The question is legitimate.

Over the next few months the media must investigate who is behind these violations of the First Amendment, keep our elected officials accountable, seek the truth, and disclose it to the public.

As we learned this past week from the Benghazi scandal, taking the government at its word results in dire consequences when the checks don’t balance.

Jason Stverak is president of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity.

Justice Department won’t say why it seized reporters’ phone records

2013-05-14T13:02:05-07:00

By Eric Boehm | PA Independent

HARRISBURG – It’s one of those days where those of us who worry about handing too much authority to the federal government were proven right. Again.

The Associated Press this afternoon reports that the U.S. Justice Department seized records for more than 20 telephone lines assigned to AP journalists during 2012.

The AP’s top executive rightly calls it a “massive and unprecedented intrusion” of journalists’ privacy:

The records obtained by the Justice Department listed incoming and outgoing calls, and the duration of each call, for the work and personal phone numbers of individual reporters, general AP office numbers in New York, Washington and Hartford, Conn., and the main number for AP reporters in the House of Representatives press gallery, according to attorneys for the AP…

…In a letter of protest sent to Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday, AP President and Chief Executive Officer Gary Pruitt said the government sought and obtained information far beyond anything that could be justified by any specific investigation. He demanded the return of the phone records and destruction of all copies.

“There can be no possible justification for such an overbroad collection of the telephone communications of The Associated Press and its reporters. These records potentially reveal communications with confidential sources across all of the newsgathering activities undertaken by the AP during a two-month period, provide a road map to AP’s newsgathering operations, and disclose information about AP’s activities and operations that the government has no conceivable right to know,” Pruitt said.

The federal government did not give the Associated Press a reason why they seized the records, because who needs that pesky “freedom of the press” thing in the First Amendment. And surely this is the first and only time the feds have spied on journalists, right?

So, while the IRS is spending its time scrutinizing the tax records of conservative nonprofits and tea party groups, the Obama Justice Department is tracking communications between journalists and their confidential sources.

Boy, Big Government sure looks warm and cuddly this week.

Boehm is a civil liberties reporter for Watchdog.org and bureau chief for PA Independent. He can be reached at Eric@PAIndependent.com

Watchdog Group files lawsuit to obtain records detailing taxpayers’ cost for First Family’s Hawaiian vacation

2013-05-14T14:13:46-07:00

First Family arrives in Hawaii aboard Air Force One in December 2012 (AP Photo courtesy of VOA News)

KAILUA - Aloha, U.S. Secret Service - you've been served. About those vacations to Hawaii, we want to know how much they're costing taxpayers.

Judicial Watch Inc., a nonpartisan Washington DC-based organization that focuses on transparency and accountability in government, filed the lawsuit on May 6 to obtain financial records from U.S. Secret Service related to the first family's Hawaiian vacations.

Hawaii Reporter and Watchdog.org has sought this information since 2008, when the first family and their entourage began traveling annually to Hawaii during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

The family and their friends, we've learned pay for the vacation rentals, yet the cost to taxpayers for travel on Air Force One, accommodations for staff and security and local police and ambulance detail exceed $4 million per trip.

The organization filed the Freedom of Information Act lawsuit — Judicial Watch v. U.S. Secret Service - against the U.S. Secret Service to obtain records related to the use of taxpayer money to provide “security and/or any other services to President Obama and any companions on their January 1 and 2, 2013, trip to Honolulu, Hawaii.”

The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

View of Kailua Beach where the president stays

The lawsuit follows an attempt by the organization on Jan. 2 to obtain the information through a Freedom of Information Act request.

According to Judicial Watch, the U.S. Secret Service acknowledged the agency received the request Jan. 31, and by law, is required to determine whether to comply with the FOIA request within 20 days and notify Judicial Watch by Feb. 11.

As of May 6, the Secret Service produced no records and has failed to follow up on the request.

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said, “President Obama is not king and his administration should stop ignoring the FOIA open records law and account to the American people the spending on his luxury vacations.”

Keith Koffler, a veteran White House reporter, wrote in a column Jan. 4 that the “total cost to taxpayers of Obama’s vacations to Hawaii since becoming president is likely in excess of $20 million, and possibly much, much more.”

Hawaii Reporter’s detailed cost breakdown of the first family’s trips to Hawaii in 2009, 2010, and 2011, that piqued the interest of Judicial Watch, a statement said.

Much of the vacation cost, as Hawaii reported noted, is attributed to the expense of taking Air Force One — which costs about $180,000 an hour — on the 18-hour journey to Honolulu and back. During the 2012 Christmas holiday, the president made two round trips to Hawaii via Air Force One within a matter of days bringing the total for his air travel to more than $6.4 million.

Obamas Christmas Photo in 2012

“The Obamas’ opulent vacation lifestyle is particularly objectionable during a time when government debt is out of control,” Fitton added.

: Obamas arrive in Hawaii aboard Air Force One (AP Photo)

Hawaii Reporter’s coverage has also included estimates from experts of the cost for:

USAF C-17 cargo aircraft that transports the presidential limos, helicopters and other support equipment to Hawaii — flight time between Andrews Air Force Base and Hawaii is at about 21.5 hours roundtrip, with GAO’s estimated operating cost of $12,000 per hour.

The Marine Corps presidential helicopter, along with pilots and support crews for the test flights, which travel on a C-17 flight. That is $258,000, not including costs for the 4 to 6 member crew's per diem and hotel.

Cost for housing U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Coast Guard and Navy Seals in beachfront and canal front homes, about $200 per night for each person on protective detail.

Accommodations for the first family’s staff at the Moana Surfrider in Waikiki, where rooms start around $270 a night.

Honolulu Police Department officers are paid over time for the president’s visit, which has historically cost Oahu taxpayers $250,000; and the city ambulance the accompanies the president 24 hours a day through his entire visit is about $10,000 to city taxpayers.

Moana Surfrider Resort

The White House annually refuses to disclose the cost for several things, including a floor in the office building in Kailua on the canal during the president’s stay; security upgrades and additional phone lines to several private homes where Obama and friends are staying; installation of bullet proof glass and the disabling of home security systems, additional phone lines added, cost of car rentals and fuel for White House staff staying at a Waikiki Hotel, and additional travel costs Secret Service and White House staff traveling ahead of the president.

Judicial Watch has been successful in obtaining the records of other first family vacations since Obama took office — vacations, the organization said, “have come at great costs to taxpayers.”

Some of the costs include:

$467,555 for First Lady Michelle Obama’s trip to Spain in August 2010; she brought multiple friends and one of her daughters.
$424,142 for Michelle Obama’s trip with her daughters and staff June 21 to 27, 2011, to South Africa and Botswana.
$83,182.99 for Michelle Obama’s trip with her daughters and staff over President’s Day weekend in February 2012, to Aspen, Colo.

On Target Product Review--Rogers Super-Stoc for AR 15

2013-05-17T13:45:59-07:00

by Rob Kay and RN Price

Roger's Super-Stoc--a finger on the Quick release lever easily disengages cam lock (at right) so that you can adjust the length

The Rogers Super-Stoc may not be as well known as Magpul or some of the other brands on the market but that shouldn't stop you from giving it consideration if you’re looking for an aftermarket product.

Bill Rogers, its inventor is a former FBI Agent, police instructor, and a world ranked IPSC shooter. In addition, he’s also been an innovator and equipment designer of note. The creator of the first "Kydex" and “Security” holsters, his gear is used by police and military customers worldwide.

He's also the founder of Rogers Shooting School.

Description:

The “official” name of the product is Rogers Super-Stoc™. It’s strong, lightweight (7.3 oz) and sports a patented "Cam-Lock" system that is designed to remove play which is all too often found on collapsible stocks. It has a removable recoil pad, sling loop, quick detach swivel sling mount and quick release lever, which unlocks the Cam-Lock and indexing pin with one motion.

One of the more interesting innovations is that this will fit both milspec and commercial buffer tubes. (You’d think other manufacturers might have figured this one out. But you'd be wrong,)

Rogers has hit upon a product that occupies a sweet spot in the buttstock spectrum. It's a quality offering that's going to appeal to competitive shooters and range rats while occupying an affordable niche in the $65-75 range.

It's also got street cred.

A version of Rogers Super-Stoc has been adopted by Colt and comes standard issue on select Colt AR and M4 rifles sold into the domestic commercial and law enforcement markets. For example, we noted it also comes stock with some of the Wilson Combat series rifles.

The version found on the Colt is only available to OEMs--not to the public. From my conversations with Rogers' associates, the OEM model is nearly identical to the civilian version. The main difference is that the formula of the polymers varies slightly but not enough to matter to the civilian operator.

First impressions:

When we first took the stock out of the box, the first word to jump into our minds was “ minimalist”. It reminded one of us of a fish skeleton. Not an ounce of fat on this baby. It’s reminiscent of the Magpul MOE but this is a much higher quality item.

Pad is removable and an ergonomic fit for the shoulder

What I liked best was the tight fit on the buffer tube. Even if the Cam-Lock is not cinched down, it’s tight. When it’s in locked mode, it ain’t goin’ anywhere.

The “Cam-Lock” on the Super Stock harks back to the CTR design, which also has a front locking lever. However, the Super-Stoc is different and in our opinion, better.

While both models share similar looking components, they function very differently. The CTR utilizes a front locking lever that secures the quick release lever. However the Super-Stoc’s front cam-lock lever serves as an additional point of contact to lock down the stock to the rifle, making the connection even stronger.

We also liked the Cam-Lock lever's ambidextrous capabilities. It comes stock on the right hand side but, if you want to reverse sides, it’s easy to swap out.

It's also durable.

In a Military Times article, called a “Buttstock Bashfest” thirteen products from Magpul, Troy, Vltor, etc, were drop-tested. The Roger’s Super Stoc did very well, especially considering it went head to head with much higher priced items.

The CTR (top) and the Super-Stoc (bottom) share similar design but components function differently

It was also very easy to install.

We happened to have a milspec tube so all we did was add a little soapy water to the buffer tube, pulled up the two release pins on either side of the stock and it slid right on.

A commercial tube takes a bit more tweaking but you can use the same stock. All you need is a screw driver to get the job done.

What about fit?

The “Super-Stoc” has a thin (removable) rubber butt plate that fits the shoulder snugly. It’s comfortable when the gun is in action on the bench or off-hand.

Conclusion

This is a very well-engineered product. If it weren't, Colt would not have adopted it.

The Rogers Super Stoc doesn't have the bells and whistles of the much higher priced buttstocks. There are no storage compartments but most shooters don’t really need that. (Whether you use it or not, you're paying for it).

As the Military Times article suggested, it’s very strong. We would add, it's sized right, light, comfortable to shoot and solid.

It's the one you would want if you had to carry an M4 out in the boonies and were concerned about paring dead weight off the carbine in favor of more water and ammunition.

You won’t go wrong with this stock.

All photos by On-Target Hawaii Staff. Diagram courtesy of Bill Rogers.

Questions? Comments? Contact us at ontargethawaii@gmail.com

Benghazi Hall of Shame

2013-05-13T10:14:58-07:00

Deadly attack on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya (VOA New)

By Matt Welch - Yesterday's dramatic congressional testimony about the deadly Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attacks on U.S. interests in Benghazi, Libya convincingly corroborated what was widely reported within days of the attack: that senior American officials on the ground knew immediately, despite the Obama administration's storyline to the contrary, that the assault did not arise out of a "spontaneous" demonstration outside the U.S. Consulate in protest of an obscure YouTube trailer of a homemade anti-Islam movie called Innocence of Muslims.

Falsely assessing partial blame for the violence on a piece of artistic expression inflicted damage not just on the California resident who made it—Nakoula Basseley Nakoula is currently serving out a one-year sentence for parole violations committed in the process of producing Innocence—but also on the entire American culture of free speech. In the days and weeks after the attacks, academics and foreign policy thinkers fell over themselves dreaming up new ways to either disproportionately punish Nakoula or scale back the very notion of constitutionally protected expression.

Fourteen days after Ambassador Chris Stevens was murdered by Islamists, President Barack Obama stood up in front of the United Nations and declared that the "message" of a movie virtually no one will ever see "must be rejected by all who respect our common humanity," that "the future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam," and that we all should "condemn incitement against Sufi Muslims, and Shiite pilgrims."

It should give even Obama's strongest supporters pause that the same administration so wary about characterizing Benghazi as a "terrorist attack" was simultaneously so eager to characterize an artistic provocation as a (potentially criminal) incitement.

What follows is a partial timeline of statements made in the first two weeks after the attack, from government officials and media commentators who lent credence to the now-discredited notion that Ambassador Stevens and three other U.S. personnel died because of a YouTube video. If we are to robustly defend the American culture of free speech, it's important to remember those who so quickly chose to throw the First Amendment under a bus.

Sept. 11, 2012: U.S. Embassy in Cairo:

U.S. Embassy Condemns Religious Incitement

The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims – as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions. Today, the 11th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, Americans are honoring our patriots and those who serve our nation as the fitting response to the enemies of democracy. Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy. We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others.

Sept. 12, 2012: Anthea Butler, associate professor of religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania:

How soon is Sam Bacile going to be in jail folks? I need him to go now.When Americans die because you are stupid...

Sept. 12, 2012: Rev. Steven D. Martin, CEO of the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good:

I have no sympathy for anyone who would assassinate a U.S. ambassador. But I have even less sympathy for filmmakers who spread hatred and for pastors who knowingly incite violence.

Sept. 13, 2012: Hillary Clinton, secretary of state:

I also want to take a moment to address the video circulating on the Internet that has led to these protests in a number of countries. Let me state very clearly – and I hope it is obvious – that the United States Government had absolutely nothing to do with this video. We absolutely reject its content and message. America's commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation. And as you know, we are home to people of all religions, many of whom came to this country seeking the right to exercise their own religion, including, of course, millions of Muslims. And we have the greatest respect for people of faith.

To us, to me personally, this video is disgusting and reprehensible. It appears to have a deeply cynical purpose: to denigrate a great religion and to provoke rage.

Sept. 14, 2012: Jay Carney, White House press spokesman:

We also need to understand that this is a fairly volatile situation and it is in response not to United States policy, not to obviously the administration, not to the American people. It is in response to a video, a film that we have judged to be reprehensible and disgusting. That in no way justifies any violent reaction to it, but this is not a case of protests directed at the United States writ large or at U.S. policy. This is in response to a video that is offensive to Muslims.

Sept. 14, 2012: Bill Press, radio host:

What, if anything, should happen to the people who made this video? I gotta tell you, I think they are as guilty, that's my opinion, I think they are as guilty as the terrorists who carried out those attacks against our embassy in Libya. Look, we don't know everybody who was involved, but we've seen, I've seen some of them on television. This is a group of extremist, Muslim-hating, so-called Christians in southern California who are using their religion to stir up hatred against Islam. They're basing this on their Christian beliefs. They are, I believe, every bit as guilty as al Qaeda members who, think about it, who use the Koran and abuse their religion to stir up hatred against the United States. [...]

I think we...ought to be identifying the people who made this video and go after them with the full force of the law and lock their ass up.

Sept. 14, 2012: Anthea Butler:

The "free speech" in Bacile's film is not about expressing a personal opinion about Islam. It denigrates the religion by depicting the faith's founder in several ludicrous and historically inaccurate scenes to incite and inflame viewers. [...]

Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called Jones on Wednesday to ask him to stop promoting Bacile's film. Clearly, the military considers the film a serious threat to national security. If the military takes it seriously, there should be consequences for putting American lives at risk.

While the First Amendment right to free expression is important, it is also important to remember that other countries and cultures do not have to understand or respect our right.

Sept. 16, 2012: Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations:

[B]ased on the best information we have to date, what our assessment is as of the present is in fact what - it began spontaneously in Benghazi as a reaction to what had transpired some hours earlier in Cairo, where, of course, as you know, there was a violent protest outside of our embassy sparked by this hateful video. [...]

[T]his is a spontaneous reaction to a video, and it’s not dissimilar but, perhaps, on a slightly larger scale than what we have seen in the past with The Satanic Verses with the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

Sept. 18, 2012: Sarah Chayes, former special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff:

While many 1st Amendment scholars defend the right of the filmmakers to produce this film, arguing that the ensuing violence was not sufficiently imminent, I spoke to several experts who said the trailer may well fall outside constitutional guarantees of free speech. "Based on my understanding of the events," 1st Amendment authority Anthony Lewis said in an interview Thursday, "I think this meets the imminence standard."

Finally, much 1st Amendment jurisprudence concerns speech explicitly advocating violence, such as calls to resist arrest, or videos explaining bomb-making techniques. But words don't have to urge people to commit violence in order to be subject to limits, says Lewis. "If the result is violence, and that violence was intended, then it meets the standard."

Sept. 18, 2012: Tim Wu, The New Republic:

When Censorship Makes Sense: How YouTube Should Police Hate Speech

A better course would be to try to create a process that relies on a community, either of regional experts or the serious users of YouTube. Community members would (as they do now) flag dangerous or illegal videos for deletion. Google would decide the easy cases itself, and turn the hard cases over to the community, which would aim for a rough consensus. Such a system would be an early-warning signal that might have prevented riots in the first place.

Sept. 20, 2012: President Barack Obama:

Here's what happened. ... You had a video that was released by somebody who lives here, sort of a shadowy character who -- who made an extremely offensive video directed at -- at Mohammed and Islam.

Sept. 25, 2012: President Barack Obama:

In every country, there are those who find different religious beliefs threatening; in every culture, those who love freedom for themselves must ask how much they are willing to tolerate freedom for others.

That is what we saw play out the last two weeks, as a crude and disgusting video sparked outrage throughout the Muslim world. I have made it clear that the United States government had nothing to do with this video, and I believe its message must be rejected by all who respect our common humanity. It is an insult not only to Muslims, but to America as well – for as the city outside these walls makes clear, we are a country that has welcomed people of every race and religion. We are home to Muslims who worship across our country. We not only respect the freedom of religion – we have laws that protect individuals from being harmed because of how they look or what they believe. We understand why people take offense to this video because millions of our citizens are among them.

Sept. 25, 2012: Eric Posner, professor at the University of Chicago Law School:

The vile anti-Muslim video shows that the U.S. overvalues free speech. [...]

Americans need to learn that the rest of the world—and not just Muslims—see no sense in the First Amendment. Even other Western nations take a more circumspect position on freedom of expression than we do, realizing that often free speech must yield to other values and the need for order. Our own history suggests that they might have a point. [...]

So symbolic attachment to uneasy, historically contingent compromises, and a half-century of judicial decisions addressing domestic political dissent and countercultural pressures, prevent the U.S. government from restricting the distribution of a video that causes violence abroad and damages America’s reputation. And this is a video that, by the admission of all sides, has no value whatsoever.

Remember the Economy? It's Still Bad

2013-05-13T10:11:40-07:00

U.S. Capitol - Illustration by Emily Metcalf

According to a poll earlier this year, voters have a higher opinion of cockroaches than Congressmen. President Obama’s personal popularity remains solid, but his job approval rating is going down. Why are our elected officials unpopular?

It might just be because they are not listening. In poll after poll, the American people continue to tell Washington that their top priority is the economy. A recent Fox News poll asked participants what is the most important issue facing the nation. The results: the economy got 42 percent, deficit 17 percent, guns 5 percent, and immigration 4 percent.

President Obama inherited a weak economy, to be sure, but his policies, including Obamacare with its costly expected mandates on businesses and the Dodd-Frank financial services regulations have made the situation worse. Even when we see some economic growth, the jobs growth has been feeble. People have been leaving the workforce. Heritage’s James Sherk noted recently, “Labor force participation dropped to 63.3 percent, the lowest rate since 1979..” America needs to get its people back to productive work, not recruit Americans to start taking food stamps.

Instead of working on bills that would help the economy, right now the politicians are working on an Internet sales tax bill and a comprehensive immigration bill offering amnesty.

The liberals’ push on each of these issues will be destructive to our liberties. The Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action have been fighting liberal policy each step of the way.

Heritage continues to fight on immigration, pointing out major flaws in the Gang of Eight’s plan and calculating how much an amnesty would cost American taxpayers.

Heritage has also criticized the move for a new Internet sales tax to help states raise more funds to grow government. The Senate is considering forcing businesses to collect taxes for states where they have no physical presence—an affront to representative government and the camel’s nose under the proverbial tent of Internet regulation.

Liberals effectively control the agenda in Washington. Harry Reid (D-NV) has the gavel in the Senate, and President Obama has the bully pulpit. Washington is focused on what they want to talk about and what they are pushing. A compliant press corps certainly amplifies their message.

But conservatives in the House of Representatives are not helpless. They should try to set the agenda on the economy. Last session, they passed some 40 bills that they said would be good for the economy, all of which died in the Senate. But in this Congress, they seem to have given up.

In some ways, who can blame them since liberals reject their ideas out of hand? It would be far better for America, though, if they would set forth their own agenda and make clear that distractions like comprehensive immigration reform with amnesty, and the Internet sales tax are going nowhere in the House.

Instead, House leadership is almost inviting the divisive and distracting issues by saying nothing, or worse, saying the House will take up similar legislation (in the case of immigration reform).

Washington could do a number of things to improve the economy. Here are three especially relevant now: (1) reverse the New Year’s tax hikes that are already hurting economic growth, (2) take steps, even modest ones supported by both parties, to reduce the unfunded long-term obligations of entitlement programs and get us on a path to balance the budget in 10 years (because adding debt slows the economy), and (3) repeal, or at least delay, Obamacare, whose crushing mandates and costs are destroying jobs and trampling on the religious liberty of employers from Hobby Lobby to social service ministries to homeless shelters.

If those sound too partisan, why not take an easy first step and approve the Keystone XL pipeline? It would create thousands of well-paid jobs. The President could act, but if he does not, then Congress should approve the pipeline and force the President to veto it. During the Senate budget debate, an amendment from Senator John Hoeven (R-ND) supporting Keystone passed 62-37.

We know that America’s economy won’t be helped when liberals are waging ideological battles. Conservatives in states like Wisconsin, Texas, and South Carolina are showing they have real solutions that benefit all their citizens. They are fighting for limited government, lower taxes, balanced budgets, and more economic freedom.

Conservatives in Washington should take notice. Washington politicians will continue to be unpopular with the American people if they focus on the wrong issues and do so in a way that divides the American people. Wake up, Washington—our economy is hurting.

Read the Morning Bell and more en español every day at Heritage Libertad.

What No One Wants to Hear About Benghazi

2013-05-13T10:03:13-07:00

Congressman Ron Paul, R-Texas

BY CONGRESSMAN RON PAUL - Congressional hearings, White House damage control, endless op-eds, accusations, and defensive denials. Controversy over the events in Benghazi last September took center stage in Washington and elsewhere last week. However, the whole discussion is again more of a sideshow. Each side seeks to score political points instead of asking the real questions about the attack on the US facility, which resulted in the death of US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

Republicans smell a political opportunity over evidence that the Administration heavily edited initial intelligence community talking points about the attack to remove or soften anything that might reflect badly on the president or the State Department.

Are we are supposed to be shocked by such behavior? Are we supposed to forget that this kind of whitewashing of facts is standard operating procedure when it comes to the US government?

Democrats in Congress have offered the even less convincing explanation for Benghazi, that somehow the attack occurred due to Republican sponsored cuts in the security budget at facilities overseas. With a one trillion dollar military budget, it is hard to take this seriously.

It appears that the Administration scrubbed initial intelligence reports of references to extremist Islamist involvement in the attacks, preferring to craft a lie that the demonstrations were a spontaneous response to an anti-Islamic video that developed into a full-out attack on the US outpost.

Who can blame the administration for wanting to shift the focus? The Islamic radicals who attacked Benghazi were the same people let loose by the US-led attack on Libya. They were the rebels on whose behalf the US overthrew the Libyan government. Ambassador Stevens was slain by the same Islamic radicals he personally assisted just over one year earlier.

But the Republicans in Congress also want to shift the blame. They supported the Obama Administration’s policy of bombing Libya and overthrowing its government. They also repeated the same manufactured claims that Gaddafi was “killing his own people” and was about to commit mass genocide if he were not stopped. Republicans want to draw attention to the President’s editing talking points in hopes no one will notice that if the attack on Libya they supported had not taken place, Ambassador Stevens would be alive today.

Neither side wants to talk about the real lesson of Benghazi: interventionism always carries with it unintended consequences. The US attack on Libya led to the unleashing of Islamist radicals in Libya. These radicals have destroyed the country, murdered thousands, and killed the US ambassador. Some of these then turned their attention to Mali which required another intervention by the US and France.

Previously secure weapons in Libya flooded the region after the US attack, with many of them going to Islamist radicals who make up the majority of those fighting to overthrow the government in Syria. The US government has intervened in the Syrian conflict on behalf of the same rebels it assisted in the Libya conflict, likely helping with the weapons transfers. With word out that these rebels are mostly affiliated with al Qaeda, the US is now intervening to persuade some factions of the Syrian rebels to kill other factions before completing the task of ousting the Syrian government. It is the dizzying cycle of interventionism.

The real lesson of Benghazi will not be learned because neither Republicans nor Democrats want to hear it. But it is our interventionist foreign policy and its unintended consequences that have created these problems, including the attack and murder of Ambassador Stevens. The disputed talking points and White House whitewashing are just a sideshow.

Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit is given.

Kokee search to resume on Monday

2013-05-13T10:00:20-07:00

Pamela Wilcox Dohrman

REPORT FROM KAUAI COUNTY - KOKEE – The search for Pamela Wilcox Dohrman, 72, of Hanalei, has turned up no sign of the missing hiker and will resume on Monday morning.

Ms. Dohrman was reported missing Saturday evening after she failed to return from a hike that afternoon. According to family members, she left her Kokee cabin at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Personnel from the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Kaua‘i Fire Department (KFD), the Kaua‘i Police Department (KPD), and the Kaua‘i Search and Rescue (KSAR) canine team searched Saturday evening and into the early morning hours on Sunday. Roughly three dozen searchers from the agencies, along with family members and volunteers, assisted when the search resumed at daybreak today and was concluded at around 6:30 p.m.

Search areas included: Waininiua Trail, Berry Flats, Kumuwela Road, and Kumuwela Trail.

Anyone who may have seen Ms. Dohrman is encouraged to call KPD Dispatch at 241-1711. More information will be provided as it becomes available.