Ethics

On Tuesday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled 4–3 in favor of upholding the state's new collective bargaining law, reversing a lower court decision that sought to stamp out the will of the people, the authority of the legislature, and a major movement toward fiscal reform. And at three this morning, following a nearly 13-hour floor debate, the Wisconsin Assembly approved a budget aimed at wiping out the state's $3 billion structural deficit.

The first-ever film to tell the entire story of the conservative woman in her own words, "Fire from the Heartland" is a powerful statement about America at a crossroads and the women who have awakened to the crisis.

...President Obama failed to consult Congress in an appropriately deliberate manner. The President has ill-served Congress, and there is no reason Congress should stand for it. As it responds, Congress should be mindful of its obligations: to uphold the Constitution, act in America’s interests, and not unduly put the lives of American allies at risk....

The ahupua'a of Honolulu and Kapalama have been proposed as a future National Heritage Area (NHA) site, a permanent federal designation which was introduced in Congress as S. 359 and H. 1297.

The Treasury acquired the shares this year as part of the Hawaii-based bank holding company's recapitalization. The stock was trading around $29 a share at the time of the Treasury's investment...and closed Tuesday at $14.13.... The stock is down 64% in the past year.

As everyone who follows news about energy knows by now, in the last decade the technique of hydraulic fracturing or "fracking," long used in the oil industry, has evolved to permit energy companies to access reserves of previously-unrecoverable “shale gas” or unconventional natural gas.

Five days from now, our country will reach the 90-day mark from the notification to Congress regarding the commencement of the military operation in Libya, which began on March 18, 2011.

According to Christoph Gabler, Senior Vice-President for AEGON USA Realty Advisors, LLC, the Towers at KPT are the first phase of a 1,025 community being redeveloped by the Michaels Development Company in partnership with Vitus Group and the Hawaii Public Housing Authority.

As President Barack Obama swung through North Carolina yesterday, he did all he could to show that he cares about the U.S. economy, its 9.1 percent unemployment rate, and the 13.9 million Americans who remain out of work. Well, that is, until he let a bit of honesty slip off his tongue....

...the unemployed are not just economic statistics, but are real Americans looking to support themselves and their families....

Despite governmental mandates for renewables, if their electricity production is converted to equivalent tons of oil, then their share is only 1.3% in 2010....

See her announcement....

Under the law, all children are required to be proficient in math and reading by 2014—a standard that could leave three-quarters of U.S. schools labeled as failures, leaving them at risk of losing federal funding.

• Effective immediately and until further notice, all new Fannie Mae foreclosures in Hawaii must be commenced as judicial foreclosures.
• Effective immediately, all pending Fannie Mae non-judicial foreclosures in Hawaii that have not proceeded to sale should be dismissed and converted to judicial foreclosures.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced today that it has proposed the removal of more than 30 Honolulu International Airport (HNL) TSA employees following an extensive investigation into allegations of improper screening of checked baggage. 

Will Hawaii be saddled with the second-rate already failed ACO/Medical Home scheme promoted by Gov Abercrombie? The Washington Post is already debunking this failure before we start:

Growing evidence from both sides of the Atlantic indicates that performance models based on wind data often promise levels of generation substantially above actual wind power output.

 Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has acquired two missile warheads capable of being armed with a nuclear weapon. And a recently leaked U.N. report described suspected ballistic missile technology exchanges between North Korea and Iran....

In November of 2011, MMNA will launch the battery-powered electric vehicle Mitsubishi i ....

Leon Panetta, President Obama's nominee for Secretary of Defense, will go before the Senate tomorrow for questioning on how he would shepherd the department into the future. The American taxpayers deserve some answers from Panetta....

The economic news keeps getting worse for America. Last month, the unemployment rate went up to 9.1 percent, the economy added only 54,000 jobs, and the average length of unemployment rose to more than nine months, the longest since the Labor Department started keeping track in 1948.

In anticipation of the CIO’s arrival, OIMT has begun an assessment intended to provide an overview of technology across the state. OIMT selected Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to lead this assessment.

See the announcement . . .

The American Medical Group Association said a survey of its members found that 93 percent wouldn't enroll as ACOs in the main proposed Medicare program.

You irresponsibly abuse the public’s trust in your organization and their concern for the health of their loved ones by falsely claiming that USEPA has not set a standard for Cr VI in the drinking water and demanding that it do so. This is a blatant lie. ...  Any high school student with access to the internet could have determined this. Given that EWG has been working on this issue for years, I can’t believe that your staff is incompetent enough not to know this.

Ours is the greatest country. Not just our founding principles, but our history and our continued promise. Our freedoms, balance of majority rule and minority rights, inclusion of new peoples. It’s not always easy being an American. We make mistakes, get out of balance, rarely take a straight path to a better future. But our foundations are sound, we self-correct, and we have bettered our world at great sacrifice. By staying true to our principles and heritage in a changing world, we will prevail.

Freedom Rankings for Hawaii

• #47 Overall
• #46 Economic
• #43 Personal

 Recent Congressional Votes

• House: Debt Limit Increase
• House: Homeland Security Appropriations, FY 2012
• House: Use of Ground Forces in Libya
• House: Libya Troop Withdrawal

“Where we are required to do sampling and have found that of those in our sample who can be identified, roughly 7% to 10% of them are not eligible. In an additional large number of cases, we are unable to receive information to make a determination. So it could be much greater.”

  Lets invite Al Gore to go skiing....

This mission was a great success for the unit as well as for the Soldiers. Within battalion, more than two dozen Soldiers decided on continued service in the Army as they reenlisted and seven non-commissioned from the battalion were inducted into the highly esteemed Sergeant Audie Murphy Club for outstanding leadership achievements.

The Democrat-controlled Illinois redistricting commission has apparently re-drawn the Illinois 8th Congressional District especially to include the home of Tammy Duckworth.

...Last month we were worrying that the always ambitious, always reactionary corporate shill, Ed Case, would get a free ride for the Senate seat he once tried to steal from Dan Akaka, a progressive who is now retiring....

...President Barack Obama is holding a victory party today at a Chrysler plant in Toledo, Ohio, trumpeting the only jobs he can manage to create—those bought and paid for directly by the U.S. taxpayer....

Hanabusa supported Speaker John Boehner’s resolution demanding that Obama seek approval of the war under the War Powers Act within 14 days.  Hanabusa also supported a resolution offered by Rep Dennis Kucinich demanding US withdrawal from Libya within 15 days.

Hirono opposed both resolutions, essentially agreeing that the President may go to war without Congressional approval. This position differs sharply with her loud opposition to the Iraq war under President Bush.

The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii Military Affairs Council and The Hawaii Institute For Public Affairs hosted a $35-a-ticket-event for the report co-sponsored by defense contractor BAE Systems yesterday.

• Ranked 1 for cleanest metropolitan areas in the country for Ozone
• Ranked 1 for cleanest metropolitan areas in the country for 24-hour particle pollution
• Ranked 4 for cleanest metropolitan areas in the country for annual particle pollution  

... the rating outlook will depend on the outcome of negotiations on deficit reduction. A credible agreement on substantial deficit reduction would support a continued stable outlook; lack of such an agreement could prompt Moody's to change its outlook to negative on the Aaa rating....

Last night, House Republican leadership postponed a vote on a measure to withdraw troops from Libya within 15 days. While many agree that entering the war was unwise, they are also fearful of making another rash move that could harm our national interest or leave our allies stranded.

The legislators state that..."all ten members of the nationally recognized Physician Group Practice (PGP) CMS demonstration project" have expressed reservations over the regulation ...(and)... a recent report from American Hospital Association estimated that ACO startup costs would be at least 10 times higher than costs cited in the proposed rule.

You’re hearing a lot of Democratic criticism about the Medicare budget proposal passed by the House of Representatives.

What you need to hear more about are the changes to Medicare already enacted as part of the Obama health care law.

Well, President Obama asked for it. And last night he got it in grand fashion—a “clean vote” on raising the nation’s debt limit, free of any of the desperately needed spending cuts that Americans are demanding, conservatives support, but liberals abhor.

DoD expenditures in Hawaii during FY 2007–2009 averaged $6.5 billion per year in 2009 dollars — $4.1 billion for personnel and $2.4 billion for procurement. These expenditures were associated with $12.2 billion worth of Hawaii's output — 18 percent of Hawaii's 2009 GDP — and 101,000 jobs.

After being hounded for years by charges of sexual harassment leveled against him by a former aide in a 2006 EEOC complaint, former Big Isle Council Chair and Mayoral candidate Stacy Higa has been named Executive Director of the Hawaii State Commission for National and Community Service, which oversees AmeriCorps programs in Hawaii.

Congresswomen Hirono and Hanabusa are clearly part of the problem in Washington and have offered no solutions other than spending more money. This vote alone is a good reason why Congresswoman Hirono does not deserve or belong in the U.S. Senate.

Recent Congressional Votes

• Senate: FY2012 House Budget Resolution
• Senate: President’s FY2012 Budget Resolution
• Senate: Patriot Act Extensions
• House: National Defense Authorization Act, FY2012
• House: Patriot Act Extensions

...revised data released last week that shows the economy’s growth stuck at 1.8 percent, slow consumer spending, stagnant wages, higher prices for gas and food, the poor housing market, flagging consumer confidence and a recent Labor Department report showing a higher-than-expected rise in claims for jobless benefits.....

For every child currently waiting to be adopted, there are 500 married households and three religious congregations in America.

Just six months ago, the settled view was that Americans were putting social issues on the back burner.... As a New York Times headline in March 2010 put it: “Tea Party Avoids Divisive Social Issues."  Some avoidance. Since the beginning of this year, according to a count published by the liberal Alan Guttmacher Institute, state legislatures have introduced nearly 500 pro-life measures. Most alarming to the institute and its allies, an unprecedented number of such measures are being passed, many by wide margins, and made law.