Entries for May 2012

The ACLU is seeking an immediate court order that will affirm the Plaintiffs’ right to get married....

In celebration of her 59th birthday, Governor Linda Lingle will be honored by supporters at Birthday Bash events on the Big Island, Maui, Kauai and Oahu....

The state originally imposed a fine of more than $5 million … Health officials say the water didn't pose any immediate or significant risks.

For a family of four, premiums on even one of the lower priced "silver" options could still cost more than $15,000 annually on the exchanges....

The lingering headline on the front pages this week is that JP Morgan Chase suffered a massive loss on a hedging strategy, costing them $2 billion....

The State of Hawaii has a long history of refusing to count military personnel and their families when reapportioning the Hawaii State Legislature....

Upcoming Congressional Bills

• Senate: Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012
• Senate: Stop the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act of 2012
• House: Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2012
• House: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013

They sniff out bombs, patrol dangerous explosive zones, and put themselves in harm's way to protect our soldiers. Yet military working dogs are currently classified as "equipment" by the Pentagon and are sometimes left behind ....

"...we will no longer spend resources campaigning in primaries in states that have not yet voted...."

“This is Mufi Hannemann’s pet project that he abandoned to run for governor, quite unsuccessfully I might add,” Marx began. “Now it appears another Honolulu politician, Tulsi Gabbard, has decided to take Mufi’s reigns and put the state deeper into financial crisis by supporting a $450,000,000 ‘paper’ loan,” Marx stated....

Kanohowailuku Helm reports about IAM's visit to the slippery corridors of the state Capitol, where four IAM delegates survived initiation into the bizarre rituals of Hawaii lawmaking....

The last time Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) fulfilled his legal responsibility, Conan was still on NBC, Tea Parties hadn't come together and the iPad hadn't yet been introduced....

... there is a huge reservoir of pro-life, pro-family registered non-voters and non-registered voters who can be reached ....

First-class travel. Six-figure salaries for half the 132 officers and staffers. Plenty of plum jobs for family members. Life is good at the top of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers.

 ...the electorate is growing more and more sensitive to the rising burden of taxes and fees of the past few years as lawmakers attempted to balance the state’s budget on the back of taxpayers....

... three hundred delegates gathered at the Hilton Hawaiian Village today for the 2012 Hawaii Republican Party Convention.... 

Working together to create jobs will bring Hawaii’s economy back. That’s the independent record that Linda Lingle has built....

DC status quo defenders have contributed about $700,000 to Mazie....

• Derrick H.M. Chan
• Daniel R. Foley
• David M. Forman
• Craig H. Nakamura
• Richard W. Pollack

Governor Neil Abercrombie today announced the appointment of a new Director of the Department of Hawaiian Homelands (DHHL) and a change at the Public Safety Department (PSD).

The drag from construction and government will end this year, setting the stage for broader growth....

Almost two years ago today, we made history by winning a historic special election....

The lawsuit argues that the Equal Protection Clause guarantees representational equality as well as voting equality....

The largest tax hike in history is due to strike the United States on January 1, 2013. Known as "Taxmageddon," it would impose $494 billion in higher taxes on the American people in the first year....

Starting May 9th, the Leadership Institute will be returning to Hawaii with world-class campaign training for conservative candidates....

For Honolulu, this means that the $250 million that the Obama Administration had set aside for our rail project will just disappear. It also means that New Starts Funding as a national program may also disappear....

Governor Neil Abercrombie today ordered that all national and Hawai'i flags at all State offices and agencies as well as the Hawai'i National Guard are to be flown at half-staff ....

Her latest missive is not surprising to the people of Hawaii, as it is simply the latest example of what the public knows already: Mazie puts partisan politics before people....

Hawaii's achievement level is at or above 22 percent Proficient, up from 17 percent in 2009...equivalent to Alabama, Arizona, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, and West Virginia....

State grades were based on a rigorous examination of state law for adherence to guiding principles developed by national child welfare experts using a 100-point grading system....

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and U.S. Navy sailors aboard the USS LAKE ERIE (CG 70) successfully conducted a flight test of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system, resulting in the first intercept of a short-range ballistic missile target ....

Bateman, a retired US Air Force Colonel (JAG), former Assistant Attorney General for Washington state and attorney in private practice for 30 years, now owns the Heavenly Hawaiian Coffee farm, which he has operated for the last seven years....

Oregon investigators have traced an outbreak of norovirus to a reusable grocery bag that members of a Beaverton girls' soccer team passed around when they shared cookies....

...turbines frequently draw electricity from the grid to keep blades turning when the wind is not blowing....

Kachejian's story, which is continued in new book, "SUVs Suck In Combat," illustrates the human impact of an ill-equipped military....

"Like me, the U.S. Chamber recognizes that the time for partisan bickering is over. We must work together to establish bipartisan solutions that will help boost our economy" -- Linda Lingle

The Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today the names of the Navy’s recently acquired high speed ferries (HSFs); the USNS Guam and the USNS Puerto Rico....

...$3.5 million from the City’s Affordable Housing Fund to acquire and/or renovate an existing structure to provide transitional housing....

One of the guards slept through the ordeal, and another sat in a chair with a towel draped over his head, Cocklin says. 

...

"...we cannot have high-quality schools without adequate funding...." -- Wil Okabe

Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs) that address recent March 2012 storm damage to highways and roadways as well as implement safety improvements throughout the state’s transportation system....

This week, the House of Representatives has an opportunity to finally set some limits on Washington's spending spree while also ensuring that the U.S. military has the resources it needs....

On May 8, 2012, the state released the first draft of its strategy to transform its information technology and business processes....

Overall, 1.2 million people, or 0.4 percent of all people in the United States, identified as Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHPI), either alone or in combination with one or more races. This population grew by 40 percent from 2000 to 2010.

Idaho, Texas, Oklahoma and Utah all earned A+'s for their friendliness towards small businesses. In contrast, small business owners gave California, Hawaii, Vermont, and Rhode Island an F....

...public pensions nationwide are underfunded by a total of $4.4 trillion, despite efforts by many state governments to reform pension programs....

Last weekend, the people of France took a sharp turn to the left, and the rest of Europe may be on the brink of rebuking its recent tack toward fiscal responsibility....

Above all else, we both agree that President Obama must be defeated. The task will not be easy. It will require all hands on deck if our nominee is to be victorious....

"As a Congressman and member of the Chickasaw Nation, Congressman Cole has made providing indigenous people, including native Hawaiians, the means for self-determination, self-governance and self-reliance a legislative priority," said Gov. Linda Lingle.