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Sunday, February 1, 2015
February 1, 2015 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 6:02 PM :: 4082 Views

Why Won’t Obama Use the Words ‘Islamic Extremism’? Watch What Tulsi Gabbard Says

Wes Lo's Smoking Gun: Improvement of Medical Services on Maui Started With Fight for Second Hospital

Community-Owned Energy: How Nebraska Became the Only State to Bring Everyone Power From a Public Grid

'Right to Try' Legislation Can Save Lives

Compulsory Voting for Hawaii?

Akina: Government can help lower the cost of living by getting out of the way

Full Text: NCAA Allegations vs UH men’s basketball program

Source Shifting

Rail: Bogus Ward Poll Deployed to Pressure Legislators to Raise GE Tax

Borreca: The unusual part is that the top public concerns are routinely the Three E's: Economy, Education and Environment....  (Unlike other polls) The poll question was open-ended, giving those surveyed the chance to say whatever bothered them. (Translation: This sentence describes the method Ward used to obtain the desired result in order to help PRP and Caldwell win approval of the GE tax hike.)

Across Oahu, 19 percent said rail was the top issue and another 17 percent said traffic was tops.  (Note: This translates into pressure to act, therefore pressure to raise taxes.)

Those most worried about traffic are the folks in Ewa, where 41 percent say traffic is their first concern....

The political benefits of loving or hating rail are tough to figure out. Among registered voters surveyed, more Democrats and Independents say rail is their big issue. And the poll shows that the older and richer you are, the more likely you are to think rail is the leading issue.

The question is, it a good issue or a bad issue?  (No.  The question is how can the Lege act without raising taxes?  The poll constitutes pressure to act. Watch what comes next....)

"Rail is not an issue we can stay away from," says Ewa Beach Democrat, state Sen. Will Espero.  (Translation: He will vote for GE Tax extension)

Predicting that legislative support for future funding for rail will be the "most contentious issue of this legislative session," Espero adds that in past elections where rail was an issue, the margin of victory was slim.

"Debates and elections where rail is issues have been very close," Espero said in an interview.  (This is only confusing to you if you think that shutting down rail is somehow on the political agenda.  It isn't.  Once you understand that, then it is pressure for action.  Action = A binary choice between GE tax hike or "???"  The challenge is to fill in the space marked '???'.)

So far construction of the rail line has been lumbering through the sparsely populated Leeward areas. The first big construction traffic tie-up will be when the train tracks go over the H-1 and H-2 interchange.  (Now you know why Abercrombie dropped the plan for a PM zipper lane on the H1.  They need traffic jams in order to keep up demand for rail and justify the tax hike.)

That construction, however, will be nothing compared to the slowdowns to be faced as construction lumbers past Aloha Stadium and on to Dillingham Boulevard.

If rail is still alive by then, it will turn onto Nimitz Highway and Ala Moana.  (Sounds like anti-rail rhetoric, but it is really tax hike rhetoric.)

By that time, rail will be top of mind for almost everyone living on Oahu.

With one of the major arteries into Honolulu blocked, it is no guarantee any voters will be having kind thoughts about the people responsible for the train.

read ... Another Bogus Ward Poll 

Ige, legislators start session with questions and riddles

Shapiro: » Gov. David Ige avoided specifics in his first State of the State speech, voicing homilies such as, "Let the end not justify the means but allow us to work through them." It's a new style of governing called "Riddle me this, Batman."

» Ige, who promised a change from his predecessor's land development policies, appointed Castle & Cooke lobbyist Carleton Ching as state land director. Instead of handing out candy to developers as Neil Abercrombie did, Ige is giving them the key to the candy store.

» The Legislature opened its 2015 session, and lawmakers said tight money is forcing them to find creative ways to get things done. It's the same theory as burglary; if they can't pick a lock, they'll break a window.

» Mayor Kirk Caldwell's plea to permanently extend a 12.5 percent excise tax increase for the city's deficit-ridden rail project drew two hours of hostile questions from state legislators. It unfolded like a stage production of Bob Dylan's lament, "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry."

» The Hawaii Health Connector estimated the state's troubled health insurance exchange will stop losing money by 2022. That's when North Korea is expected to have nuclear missiles capable of reaching Hawaii.

» The Hawaii Public Housing Authority is looking at nontraditional options such as micro-units and used shipping containers to increase its inventory of homes. It's fair housing Hawaii-style: luxury condos for outside speculators and shipping containers for locals.

ILind: Let’s hear the governor’s case for DLNR nominee

read ... Ige, legislators start session with questions and riddles

Star-Adv:  Connector woes demand deeper probe

SA: As thorough as it is, the damning report about the Hawaii Health Connector, issued last week by the state auditor, should not mark the end of public inquiry into how taxpayer-funded grants, totalling $204.4 million, were spent establishing the online health-insurance exchange.

This is only the most recent strike against the Connector, which was one of 14 state-based exchanges built to deliver health plans under the federal Affordable Care Act.

The audit aimed its most scorching comments at Coral Andrews, the Connector's first executive director. The audit described Andrews as an "uncooperative" executive who "misused" her position and got around the rules governing the procurement process in awarding contracts with grant money.

While the current chief, Jeff Kissel, offered assurance that key problems identified in the audit have been corrected, that can't be enough for state and federal officials, who must demand further investigation....

Andrews' stunning lack of response to the audit, which was required under the state law establish- ing the exchange, sends up red flags. And the sheer extent of contract mismanagement identified in the audit report ought to prompt further action.

To begin with, the report was signed by Acting State Auditor Jan K. Yamane, who asserts that questionable costs do not comply with federal regulations, which might compel the state to repay grant funding.

But even if Hawaii is not subjected to that extreme outcome, there's also the sense of foreboding that Yamane has just scratched the surface....

The most egregious case may have been that of Mansha Consulting, an IT company that started out hired for a $56,000 job assisting with the design review.

Mansha's duties were broadened to include integrating the state's Medicaid eligibility system with the Connector. Despite the many problems with this integration, this consultant, following more contract amendments, ended up with $21.9 million....

read ... Connector Woes

Applications being accepted for House Dist 13 seat

MN: Democrats seeking to succeed Rep. Mele Carroll in the state House of Representatives have until 11 p.m. Friday to submit applications to the Maui County Democratic Party.

Applicants must be Democrats in good standing for at least six months and residents of the House 13th District, which encompasses Paia, Haiku, East Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe....

Applicants must complete a "statement of candidacy" form, submit a resume of no more than two pages, complete a questionnaire, demonstrate their party affiliation and submit verified signatures from at least five party members from the 13th District. (Applicants must submit their own names for consideration.)

Forms are available at www.mauidemocrats.com, beginning at 10 a.m. today

The party's nominating committee will meet Feb. 14 to interview the candidates. The panel will submit three names to Maui County and state party leaders who will forward them to Gov. David Ige.

The governor has 60 calendar days to appoint a new representative to the vacant seat.

For more information, contact Maui County Democratic Party Chairman Troy Hashimoto at 249-0333 or troy@mauidemocrats.org; or Todd Yamashita at (808) 646-0542 or molokaitodd@gmail.com. (Yamashita is chairman of the District 13 Nominating Committee ... and owner of Molokai Dispatch.)

read ... Applications

HB207 would make OHA Brainwashing Mandatory for Members of Boards, Commissions

AP: State law protects the rights of Native Hawaiians to practice certain traditions and customs but not everyone understands what that means. A bill would require the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to develop a training program, and members of boards dealing with land, development, environment and other areas would be required to attend. The bill will be heard in the House Committee on Ocean, Marine Resources and Hawaiian Affairs on Wednesday.  LINK: HB207, SB436

read ... Brainwashing

SB 1014 Would Make Homeless into Sacred Cows

SA: The measure, Senate Bill 1014, referred to as the "houseless bill of rights," proposes 12 guarantees for homeless individuals, such as the right to equal treatment regardless of housing status and the right to sleep in a parked vehicle that is in legal compliance.

The bill says the purpose is "to ameliorate adverse effects visited upon individuals when those individuals lack a home."

The Senate Committee on Human Services and Housing passed SB 1014 during a hearing that included the passage of at least one other homeless bill. The other measure would allow a homeless person convicted of violating a law relating to obstruction of a public place — such as Honolulu's sit-lie law — to have the conviction vacated.

It's not the first time the committee passed a measure calling for a homeless "bill of rights." Last year, Rep. John Mizuno introduced a similar measure, but it stalled in the Judiciary and Labor Committee — the same committee to which the current legislation has been referred.

Dave Mulinix, a member of (de)Occupy Honolulu, an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement from 2011, said the city is violating the civil rights of homeless people by enforcing laws that he says target the homeless.

CB: Housing and Homelessness Bills Before Hawaii Senate Committee

read ... Sacred Cows

SB126: Allow Ige to Stack BoE with HSTA Operatives

SA: Senate Bill 126 would terminate current members' terms on June 30. The bill also would increase appointees from nine to 11 voting members and add prerequisites for prospective members. The Senate Education Committee has scheduled a hearing for Monday on the bill.

SB 126 proposes four at-large seats and one each for the Department of Education's seven districts — Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, Hono­lulu, Central Oahu, Leeward Oahu and Windward Oahu.

"One of the biggest complaints I hear is that the board seems not to be connected to the communities; they never see the board members," Harimoto said. "My attempt is to get them back to being not just a state school board, but a local school board."

At least two of the at-large members would be required to have business management experience. And at least two board members would have to have public education experience, with one member required to have experience as a school principal.

An education policy professor and expert on the politics of education said replacing an entire school board every four years with brand new members could be problematic.

"Appointed boards usually have staggered terms for their members, which avoid the potential challenge of having an entirely new school board," said Brown University professor Kenneth Wong, chairman of the education department there. "There is often a learning curve for newly appointed members in terms of exercising their roles and responsibilities. An entirely new board may pose problems for the transition."

Also: HSTA Cashes in, Demands Contract Reopener After Electing Ige Governor

read ... HSTA's Reward

McDermott Wants Voters to Decide Same-Sex Marriage

CB: Rep. Bob McDermott, a Republican, has introduced a bill in the 2015 session proposing a constitutional amendment ballot question that would reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples.

McDermott’s bill has no co-sponsors and has not yet been referred to a committee for a hearing....

Just last month, he asked the Hawaii Supreme Court to stop the state from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, arguing that the Legislature did not have the authority to pass the 2013 law.

McDermott’s argument is based on the 1998 constitutional amendment that he believes demonstrated that voters intended to limit marriage to opposite-sex couples only. Others, however, say the Legislature’s action 15 years later reversed the 1998 ballot issue.

SA: Lawsuit Documents Homosexual Child Molestation in Michigan Prisons

read ... Voters Decide

Tax Credits for HECO -- Scam Battery Technology -- Bills Before Legislature

IM: Several energy storage bills have been introduced. Batteries are a type of energy storage. The vast majority of grid-connected energy storage systems in the United States are Pumped Storage Hydroelectric where water is pumped from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir. When the grid needs energy the water is released and propelled through a water turbine.

Most energy storage bills introduced in this session and past sessions have proposed a tax credit for only utility-scale grid-connected systems. Three House bills matching this format have introduced this session. An example is HB 265 introduced by Representatives McKelvey, Lee and Thielen. Two of the House bills are of this type but require the Public Utilities Commission to open an energy storage investigative proceeding.

HB1 introduced by Representatives Thielen, McKelvey, Belatti and Lee requires the PUC to develop a battery procurement schedule. HB757 introduced by Representatives Lowen and Lee require that the PUC toestablish energy storage portfolio standards (ESPS).

This year there are three bills that buck this trend. HB388 introduced by Representative Creaagan and HB 421 introduced by the Republican Representatives provide a tax credit for non-grid-connected renewable energy systems. HB 212 introduced by Representative Nishimoto would provide a tax credit for grid and non-grid connected systems.

There is one Senate bill on energy storage. SB 1172 was introduced by Senators Gabbard, Ruderman, Baker, Dela Cruz, Harimoto, Ihara, Kidani and Riviere. The bill proposes a tax credit for grid-connected storage.

There are two provisions found in SB 1172 that are not found in other energy storage bills. First, the energy storage systems must be “advanced, grid-interactive systems capable of and actively participating in utility demand response programs, providing ancillary services, and serving as a resource to the electric system.” Second, vehicle-to-grid batteries are explicitly excluded. Energy storage property includes only "property that is permanently affixed to a site and electrically connected to a site distribution panel by means of an installed conduit, not an electric plug.”

read ... Tax Credits for Battery Scams

How an Hawaii anti-GMO Activist Changed her Mind

SA: As international anti-GMO activist Vandana Shiva led a rally at the Jan. 21 opening of the state Legislature, I reflected on how much had changed since I first encountered her on Kauai, two years ago.

Shiva had come to Kauai for one purpose: to exhort us to throw out the biotech seed companies that farmed the abandoned sugar fields. She was accompanied by Andrew Kimbrell of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Food Safety (CFS), and the two of them riveted a crowd that was large for our rural island.

I left energized, reassured in the correctness of my own long-standing aversion to pesticides, biotech agriculture and the multinational chemical companies that manufactured both. GMO-Free Kauai, a tiny fringe movement, was suddenly hip, infused with money and a mission. Change was in the air, and I assumed it would be good, since it was orchestrated by the “good guys” — progressives, activists, environmentalists.

But as the anti-GMO campaign unfolded, first on Kauai, then Hawaii Island and Maui, I was increasingly alarmed, and ultimately alienated. Any questioning of the issue or movement was immediately, and often viciously, shut down. Political demagogues were elevated to star status. Activists had no compunction about engaging in fear-mongering, propaganda and intentional misinformation campaigns — strategies they'd condemned when practiced by the chemical companies.

It became almost unbearable to watch my community polarize and divide as seed company employees, many of them former plantation workers, were accused of poisoning the land and their neighbors. Lies and fears were accepted as truth, and those who spoke against the activists were harassed.

No middle ground was ever staked, no compromise ever floated. It was only black or white, with us or against us, when it seemed to me that the issue was very gray, and most folks didn't want to take sides.

Disenchanted by the lock-step mentality of the movement, I began looking more closely at the organizations that supported it....

read ... Musings: Hawaii Pawn in GMO Debate

UH chancellor: Alleged violations 'disturbing'

SA: ...Of the seven violations alleged, three were from Level I, the most severe category, and four from Level II. The NCAA classifies violations on four levels.

They included impermissible tryouts, improper benefits, dishonest conduct and using operations people as coaches.

"We fully cooperated with the NCAA investigation," UH athletic director Ben Jay said. "I can't comment on the document itself because we're still under the NCAA bylaws regarding confidentiality in an NCAA matter."

In the allegations, former head coach Gib Arnold was charged with "obstructing an investigation or attempting to conceal the violations." In addition, the NCAA claimed "Arnold knowingly influenced the then directors of operations to conceal their participation in coaching, instructional and/or recruiting activities from the media and the institution in order to conceal the violations.

"Arnold knowingly influenced then men's basketball staff members to fabricate a story to report to the institution that the on-campus evaluation conducted between April 19 and 20, 2013, was neither arranged nor observed by the men's basketball staff," according to the document.

Lastly, "Arnold knowingly influenced at least four then men's basketball student-athletes to refrain from reporting" issues.

The NCAA also cited former assistant coach Brandyn Akana for having "knowingly provided a then men's basketball student-athlete with an Apple iPad. Additionally, Akana knowingly altered an admissions document of a then men's basketball prospect and submitted the document to the institution to facilitate the prospect's admission."

In addition, the NCAA claimed "Akana knowingly provided the institution and NCAA enforcement staff with false or misleading information when he denied providing the then student-athlete with an iPad despite the factual evidence."

Possible sanctions could include a postseason ban, loss of scholarships and/or practice time....

read ... NCAA Violations

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