Entries for January 2012

The purpose of the legislation is to ... take into account a predicted sea level rise of one foot by 2050 when reviewing present applications for development and future county plans.

You know that this President has run out of ideas. He’s run out of excuses. And, with your help, 2012 will be the year he runs out of time.

“In word and deed, the President and his allies tell us that we just cannot handle ourselves in this complex, perilous world without their benevolent protection. Left to ourselves, we might pick the wrong health insurance, the wrong mortgage, the wrong school for our kids; why, unless they stop us, we might pick the wrong light bulb!"

Technology made businesses more efficient, but also made some jobs obsolete....  

Read all the way down to the last paragraph where you will discover that this book review is really about ... Hawaii.

This means that Race to the Top—and the hope for any type of education reform coming through the DoE--is finished in Hawaii.

...“substantial concerns regarding the possible exercise of preferential treatment by a utility to its competitive affiliates.” That, in turn, could produce higher transmission rates and higher electricity prices ....

O’Sullivan said. “We’re repulsed by some of our supposed brothers and sisters lining up with job killers like the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council to destroy the lives of working men and women.”

Tonight, Americans who tune in to the State of the Union will watch the work of a rhetorical master with a flair for illusion....

Typical estuarine environments have an inflow from rivers (with a lower pH) that fluctuates wildly, so do areas with upwelling, and even the pH in kelp forests varies dynamically.

... an ugly little secret that has always lurked beneath the surface of environmentalism. Its basic appeal is to the affluent ....

The House voted to block a $1.2 trillion increase in the $15.2 trillion debt ceiling. With the Senate unlikely to approve a similar measure, the increase will automatically take effect January 27, 2012.

Without including the next set of projections from the Council on Revenues, Abercrombie's plan still leads us into a deficit next year....

In response to the $15 per hour fee now being charged at Koko Head Shooting Complex, he has introduced two new bills, Bills 1 and 60 to be heard January 25.

Abercrombie says, "no more drama" ....

What singular cause could bring together the likes of Democratic campaign strategist James Carville, Republican Governor Bobby Jindal (LA), actor Sacha Baron Cohen, and 2,000 families, all under one roof? The answer: school choice

"It is not the first time Officer Davis has put his own life in jeopardy to save someone else, and all Hawaii residents are indebted for his brave, unselfish service."

Will the Legislature bow to pro-abortion extremists and prevent the reopening of Hawaii’s now-shuttered St Francis-HMC hospitals, loss of medical personnel, and possible statewide loss of millions of dollars of federal health funds?

Tragically, the opportunity to liberate Molokai from Ritte's roving gang of welfare bums has been lost, no arrests were made....

...tax paying constituents are paying more than they have to as they are paying for not only the county services they enjoy but for those same services used by those who do not pay for those services....

IAM January 13 and 14 Alternative Energy Fair Panel Discussions, you can now watch both thanks to PF Bentley.

Senator Slom covered fiscal, budgetary, and educational issues among other topics.

A complete list of all pro and anti-gambling bills before the current legislative session.

Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina GOP Primary with 40.8% of the vote after 77% of precincts reported.  He wins 17 delegates.

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There are several bills that have been carried over from the 2011 legislative session, as well as some newly introduced gun-related measures....

The Governor believes that the teachers may have not been fully aware of the positive aspects of the tentative agreement. The State was prepared to invest $72 million for teacher salary increases based on performance.

Hawaii House Republican Caucus releases legislative package "2012 RECOVERY PLAN: SOLUTIONS FOR HAWAII'S FUTURE"

In the 2012 legislative session Rep. Barbara Marumoto will be introducing two snake bills, two bills to reduce auto costs and a measure to require that the list of names of people nominated for judgeships be released to the public ....

Passage of this bill would almost certainly pose a problem to re-opening the two Catholic-owned (now bankrupt) hospitals, Hawaii Medical Centers East and West ....

This program would require public schools to purchase Hawai‘i -grown produce when it is available at approximately the same cost as foods imported from out of state.

His announcement came one day after he flat out said "NO" to another plan that would have directly created at least 20,000 truly shovel-ready jobs--and 179,000 American jobs by 2035--while bringing more than 700,000 barrels of oil to the United States each day. That plan was the Keystone XL pipeline....

John King started the night with a question about Newt’s ex-wife’s interview in which she alleged Newt sought an “open marriage.” Newt answered the question eventually with a denial, but used the opportunity to give King a smack down which will be remembered for a long time.

"As Senator, I would work to develop public-private cooperative efforts that address piracy and copyright infringement without the potential of government censorship that the current legislative proposals would permit."

It caused a positive revolution in U.S. management, financial analysis, incentives, governance and market-based discipline. It led directly to the 1990s boom years. And it gave the U.S. two decades of breathing room while Europe, with some exceptions, choked....

The bill, modeled after a Nevada law that allowed Google to test its driverless cars in the state, addresses legal issues that may arise when no human driver is behind the wheel of a motor vehicle....

"I am delighted that former state governor Ben Cayetano has entered the race for Honolulu mayor. Now more than ever Honolulu needs an experienced, fiscally responsible and anti-boondoggle mayor."--Panos Prevedouros

Since I retired as governor in 2002, I’ve watched with growing concern how the cost of living has been increasingly elevated by reckless spending and costly politically motivated capital projects....

The updated assessment shows Hawaii's wave energy resource is 130TWh/yr according to DOE.

Obama this morning signed an executive order establishing Visa and Foreign Visitor Processing Goals and the Task Force on Travel and Competitiveness....

The Board of Trustees for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs today named Research Director Dr. Kamana’opono Crabbe as the organization’s new Chief Executive Officer.

"The President's plan to boost processing capacity for non-immigrant visas in major U.S. bound travel markets like China and Brazil and expand the Visa Waiver Program is a good policy for America and will benefit Hawaii's tourism industry."

Maybe somebody should tell them that children are people too ....

The Senate Minority repeats its positive belief in Hawaii’s people and our state’s future and will work for these and other initiatives to provide Hawaii residents with A BETTER DAY.

...the manner in which these bills attempt to achieve their ends likely would not work. In fact, they would make the Internet generally less secure for everyone....

... With a banner proclaiming "Your Money, Your Values, Your Vote," our Values Bus will roll into Charleston, South Carolina, this morning for our first event ....

...today I am suspending my campaign and endorsing Newt Gingrich for president....

The 9th Circuit said Wednesday that it will reconsider a lawsuit to identify informants who spurred two investigations of a real estate kick-back racket in Hawaii.

...we find ourselves in a position to reflect on the past year’s accomplishments, and realize that there has been progress, and we have laid the foundation for even better days....

“Effective upon ratification, teachers employed in DOE schools (non-charter) will have placement rights in the DOE if their school converts to a charter school.”