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Sunday, July 28, 2013
July 28, 2013 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 5:48 PM :: 4164 Views

Onerous Burden of Doing Business Goes Beyond Taxes

Flossie Strengthens as it Moves toward Maui, Big Island, Oahu

Forum to Outline Changes to State Mental Health Care System

Hooser: Bankrupt Tax Cheat Leads Kauai Council Anti-GMO Effort

SA: Authored by Councilman Gary Hooser, a proposed Kauai County ordinance pertaining to pesticide use and farming of genetically modified crops is dusting up tensions on the Garden Isle, polarizing some groups and residents....

A big turnout is expected at a public hearing on the matter set for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Kauai Veterans Center in Lihue. Last month, community members packed the historic Kauai County Building for the first reading of Bill 2491, with about 170 people signing up to address the Kauai County Council. The high attendance prompted the venue switch to the center, which can seat up to about 600 people.

Meet the Anti-GMO Leader:

read ... Wednesday

WaPo Deploys Hit on Hanabusa

WaPo: A senior aide to Rep. Colleen W. Hanabusa (D-Hawaii) told his colleagues late last month that the nation’s top drug lobby had agreed to run a campaign supporting the congresswoman’s challenge to Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz and wanted to coordinate it with her strategists.

Such an effort, described in an e-mail obtained by The Washington Post, could run afoul of campaign finance laws, which prohibit candidates and their staff from substantial discussions with interest groups about their independent political activities....

Officials with the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and Hanabusa’s campaign denied that the group had offered to run such an effort but acknowledged talks about a possible fundraiser for Hanabusa and about the state of the race in general.

Campaign officials blamed the e-mail on a misinformed staffer.

“He made inaccurate assumptions about the type of help PhRMA could provide the campaign,” campaign spokesman Peter Boylan said.

Matt Bennett, a spokesman for PhRMA, said officials there did not offer to do a campaign on Hanabusa’s behalf. But he said the group had “preliminary” discussions about hosting an industry fundraiser for Hanabusa through its political action committee.

He also said that a PhRMA lobbyist had spoken with Jennifer Sabas, a top Hanabusa campaign adviser, but that they had talked only about the state of the Democratic primary campaign in Hawaii.

read ... Congressional aide’s e-mail shows overture from drug lobby

Sandwich Isles Scam Company Grabs for Hawaiian Tel, Hanabusa Pledges to Help 

SA: Sandwich Isles Communications, the Hono­lulu-based company criticized by federal regulators for spending excessive amounts to provide telephone and broadband service to customers living on Hawaiian homelands, is scrambling to cut costs and find new revenue sources now that its federal subsidies have been drastically reduced.

Among the options being pursued by Sandwich Isles is a move to acquire Hawaiian Telcom's phone lines on Hawaiian homelands despite Hawaiian Telcom's objections. Sandwich Isles is seeking regulatory approval to add 5,000 Hawaiian Telcom phone lines to its own 3,000 lines, which would allow Sandwich Isles to increase its customer base and potentially offset some of the revenue it is losing due to newly enacted restrictions on the amount it can draw from the ratepayer-supported Universal Service Fund.

In addition to trying to take over Hawaiian Telcom lines on Hawaiian homelands, Sandwich Isles hopes Congress acts to restore some of the subsidies the FCC has cut. Hee, along with a handful of executives from small phone companies in Alaska and New Mexico, testified in June before the House Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs that their businesses will suffer as a result of the subsidy cuts.

Hawaii Rep. Colleen Hana­busa, the ranking Demo­crat on the Republican-controlled committee, said legislation is one option that could be pursued to help Sandwich Isles.

"We are looking into all possibilities, including legislative solutions. However, given the complexity of this issue we are continuing to meet with the parties involved to see what other options are available to address the concerns of the tribal telecommunications firm," Hana­busa said in an email.

SA: Fund helps expand telecom’s reach

read ... Subsidy restrictions force Sandwich Isles to retrench

State's modesty is blown by its preening politicians

Shapiro: Our humble public servants were anything but as we plant tongue in cheek and "flASHback" on the week's news that amused and confused:

» Moving into full re-election mode, Gov. Neil Abercrombie issued a statement taking credit for ending the Great Recession, clearing the state debt, fixing our schools, improving our health, painting the environment green and saving our farmers. Now he can devote his second term to finding Amelia Earhart.

» According to the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., a family of four in Hono­lulu must earn nearly $78,000 a year just to live modestly. Abercrombie can't live modestly no matter how much he makes.

read ... State's modesty is blown by its preening politicians

10 Punatics Agree Geothermal not Safe Yet

HTH: After several decades of geothermal development, Hawaii Island still lacks adequate monitoring and is need of a comprehensive study on its potential health impacts, a new report concludes.

The draft “Geothermal Public Health Assessment” was released Saturday by a group formed by Hawaii County to study how health and safety issues should be addressed.

The group, made up of 10 Puna residents and facilitated by Accord Consultants, concluded that there have been health effects caused by geothermal development, at least from the 1991 well blowout (nonsense) at Puna Geothermal Venture, and that more needs to be done to study the issue....

The report is expected to be finalized by Sept. 1, and comments will be received. A public meeting on the report will be held Aug. 15 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Pahoa Neighborhood Facility.

Mayor Billy Kenoi, who initiated the study group, was briefed on its findings last week. He didn’t return a request for comment Saturday.

So Sad for OHA: After Receiving Campaign Cash, OHA Trustees Give $1.25M to Insolvent Geothermal Company

read ... Punatics

PRP Rail Survey Plagued with Glitches

SA: Several callers did report getting a message — one asking for their opinion of the planned elevated rail system. Commenter "JP" on the website 800notes.com said their family in Maryland got a recording "asking to what degree I support the ‘Honolulu Rail Transit Project.'"

"I'd have to say they're barking up the wrong tree," JP added.

"It's a survey about THE RAIL," Kensandra, also commenting on 800notes.com, wrote on July 23. "I am getting really irritated (be)cause I am also on the do not call list."

It's not clear who's responsible for the automated survey, or its size and scope. Officials with the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, the semi-autonomous agency overseeing the project, said they did not conduct the automated survey and that they didn't know whose it was. (Nope)

Additionally, representatives of the pro-rail group Move Oahu Forward and anti-rail group Honolulu­traffic.com said they did not conduct any such survey. (Double nope)

Pacific Research Partnership, a pro-rail consortium of carpentry and construction contractors that worked last year to help defeat anti-rail mayoral candidate Ben Cayetano, said in a statement: "From time to time, PRP engages in public opinion research. When we do, the information is used for internal purposes only."

A spokesman for PRP declined to say whether the group conducted the rail-related survey. (Bingo!)

As of Thursday, commenters were still complaining about silent calls.

LINK: http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-323-388-5832/3

read ... Glitches plague rail survey

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