Entries for January 2012

And doing exactly the same in Hawaii....

In our love affair with “clean” energy alternatives, we have not told our citizens the truth about the real cost of transitioning....

We celebrate and honor our men and women in uniform and are grateful for the military’s many contributions –not just financial - to Hawaii. Yet, through reapportionment, we seek to ignore and disenfranchise them, unlike all other states.

Applications are being accepted for service on numerous boards and commissions including the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, Emergency Medical Services Advisory Committee, and the Island Burial Councils

The Commission has now sought "clarification and/or reconsideration," first asking the court for more guidance on the method of "extracting" non-permanent residents from the population base and the procedure for preparing a new plan, and second arguing that the inability to separate resident and nonresident military personnel makes the court's requirement that the Commission do so unconstitutional under the equal protection clause. 

As of midnight, Wikipedia is shut down for 24 hours, and hundreds of other popular websites have gone dark right along with it. They are standing together in protest ....

We have the best bank and best airline in the nation; we’re the national leader for renewable energy, have the largest solar telescope in the world, serve as the home of the Pacific Command responsible for the security of over 50% of the earth’s surface, have the biggest shipyard in the US: Pearl Harbor, as well one of only two missile ranges in the nation; and grow 80% of the world’s seed corn in our soil....

...there's not a lot of wiggle room on timing, especially when it comes to piloting the new evaluation and compensation systems....

After nearly eight months of working on the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI), Governor Neil Abercrombie today endorsed the JRI Working Group’s policy recommendations to improve the state’s criminal justice system.

Ms. Lindsey will serve on an interim basis until November, when a special election will be held to fill the remaining two years of Mr. Mossman’s term.

...the overarching themes and priorities set forth align with Governor Abercrombie’s “A New Day in Hawaii.”

Last year, the Obama Administration took aim at Boeing when the Seattle-based company sought to build a new assembly plant in Charleston, South Carolina, in order to produce the 787 Dreamliner....

In Hawaii, we are fortunate to have such a diverse melting pot of cultures where that familiarity breaks down walls of distrust, suspicion and even malice that exist in other parts of America. Unfortunately, the current political climate is still upside down....

Reports from Reuters news agency of a billion dollars in cost overruns on construction of the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier at Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. (HII) demonstrates how uncompetitive major U.S. shipbuilding yards have become under the protectionist shield of the Jones Act

Today I am suspending my campaign and supporting the candidate who is best-equipped to defeat the president and return conservative leadership to the White House: Governor Mitt Romney.

It is to recognize and support those who are working to carry out his vision, those who empower those facing the greatest obstacles through personal relationships that restore the fabric of civil society—without the need for federal government intervention.....

There are so many layers of ignorance and stupidity in Halperin’s first paragraph that it is difficult to know where to begin....

Hawaii’s small gaggle of atheists have suddenly been put to work by Hawaii’s elites ....

Probably the most controversial recommendation that the Honolulu Real Property Tax Advisory Commission has made in its recently submitted report is to repeal the tried and true exemption for homeowners.

• WHEN: Monday, January 23, 2012 4-6 pm
• WHERE: Kilauea & Aupuni (new courthouse)

The court concluded the ICA has appellate jurisdiction because the Acting Deputy Director to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources certified the Water Commission minutes by signing them....

Hawaii GOP Chair David Chang said: “Speaker Gingrich has campaigned personally in Hawaii and will be on the March 13 ballot. We look forward to all of the Republican Presidential candidates competing for Hawaii’s 17 GOP Convention delegates.”

Word comes from state Sen. Josh Green, a doctor who had asked for the opinion from Attorney General David Louie....

...a long-suppressed government report finally released by the Obama administration is shaking the foundations of Head Start, and the news isn’t coming from right wing conservatives but from Joe Klein at Time magazine....

Attorneys general in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court on Friday supporting Congress‘ authority to pass the sweeping legislation, arguing that health care is a national concern because the industry constitutes nearly one-fifth of the U.S. economy.

Chair Âila will be joined by officials from the state Department of Transportation, the Maui County Police and the U.S. Coast Guard who oversee and ensure environmental, public and navigational safety in the harbor.

Governor Neil Abercrombie today announced the release of $2.45 million for various design and management Capitol Improvement Projects (CIP) at Honolulu International Airport.

Dear reader, please take a moment to absorb the utter and complete failure of this ACT221 tax credit wunderkind....

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...the United States -- and indeed the world -- is less economically free today than it was a year ago, according to the 18th annual Index of Economic Freedom, released yesterday by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal....

Nearly all federal civilians at MarForPac are classified as 'less restricted' under the Hatch act, which allows them to endorse candidates and attend, participate, be active members or hold office in political clubs as private citizens ....

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced that on Dec. 1, the government of Japan approved Rainbow papaya for commercial shipment to Japan.

Fiat's subsidiary Iveco continues to sell and distribute trucks in Iran that have been used by the Iranian regime to transport ballistic missiles and stage gruesome public executions. Fiat also continues to operate in Iran's automobile market, and is reportedly planning to expand its presence there by opening a luxury Maserati dealership in Tehran.

“Rail is a huge issue and I’m pro mass transit. This system is not only about creating jobs but really redesigning our city around each of the transit stations." 

Such action interferes with the internal governance of the church, depriving the church of control over the selection of those who will personify its beliefs. By imposing an unwanted minister, the state infringes the Free Exercise Clause, which protects a religious group’s right to shape its own faith and mission through its appointments. According the state the power to determine which individuals will minister to the faithful also violates the Establishment Clause, which prohibits government involvement in such ecclesiastical decisions.

There is an essential conflict, the ADF argues, between religious freedom and discrimination lawsuits, because if discrimination against gays and lesbians is based on a religious conviction, then it is protected under the First Amendment.

His plan was to rip apart nightclubs with explosives, unleash a wave of destruction on bridges, and open fire on police officers--all in sunny Florida....

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor will spend a week in Hawai’i from Jan. 29-Feb. 3 as part of the Jurist-in-Residence program at the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

Abercrombie today announced the release of more than $14.2 million for additional Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) at schools and libraries.

"I echo our President Tenari Ma‘afala's comments from earlier this week that this is not just an endorsement, this is a personal commitment from our organization to see that Linda Lingle is elected as our next U.S. Senator," said Lt. Reed Mahuna, Hawaii Chapter, SHOPO....

The Humane Society of the United States and Hawaii DLNR Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement Inaugurate Reward Tip Line As Total Rewards Grows to $30,000 in Monk Seal Killings....

New Hampshire - 298 of 301 Precincts Reporting - 99% ....

Tesoro Corporation (NYSE: TSO) today announced its plan to sell its Hawaii operations....

Deficit hawks, environmentalists and food processors are celebrating the expiration of the ethanol tax credit.

tobacco-free hiring policies, designed to promote health and reduce insurance premiums, are under attack from the American Civil Liberties Union and the tobacco industry....

Many of these results stem from two large impacts of the law: shutting down health care facilities and sharply increasing demand as it extends coverage to millions of people.

This week brings the nationwide release of The Iron Lady, starring Meryl Streep as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Last week, President Barack Obama took the latest step on his road toward an arrogant, new authoritarianism with four illegal appointments....

“As a Vietnam-era veteran and businessman, I believe it is time for Hawaii to follow the national example of supporting veteran-owned businesses, ” Republican Minority Leader Rep. Gene Ward stated.

All the public knows is that HSTA has accepted a six year contract with no drug testing.  Does anybody believe there is significant teacher accountability in the contract?