Entries for March 2014

...leading Democratic senators attended a fundraiser at billionaire Tom Steyer's San Francisco home. The event, for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, also featured former Vice President Al Gore....

...IDG officers and associates gave over $10,000 to Malama Solomon for her tightly contested 2012 primary race against Lorraine Inouye....

Topping off the irony, Rep Rhoads also introduced HB2577  which would ban indoor tobacco smoking in public housing....

Appeals officers help over 100,000 taxpayers each year resolve their tax disputes with the IRS....

USPACOM's partnerships: Alaska and Mongolia; Guam, Hawaii and the Philippines;Hawaii and Indonesia....

The Hawaii Election Commission has released its candidate report for the week ending March 7, 2014....

Dr. Akina interviews Professor Ken Schoolland and Sean Matsumoto of Japan’s Happy Science Academy....

In 2012 Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize winning economist and Columbia University Business School Professor visited Hawaii....

...Southern Poverty Law Center will pay teachers $250 to attend the training....

You just don’t understand how much better Obamacare is going to make your life; you’re afraid of change. It’s okay, he wants you to know; he understands....

...Senate Committee on Ways and Means and the House Committee on Finance will conduct a joint informational briefing on Chapter 42F, HRS grant applications....

Apparently, many state lawmakers aren’t interested in the numbers. They say teachers and students should spend even less time in the classroom, and the superintendent should make more money....

...As Predicted in 2006: A State-Recognized Indian Tribe for Hawaii....

March 19 and 20 in the UH Mānoa Campus Center Ballroom....

"If it is confirmed by me that a future incident of this nature has occurred, whether at the Capitol or elsewhere, I will immediately remove you from all committee assignments...."

The governor may not be following the legislative process closely....

The construction of a 50,000 panel solar farm at the entrance of the Wai‘anae Coast at Kahe Point is being proposed....

This is the same worthless job Abercrombie gave to shut Gary Hooser up back in 2011....

Income Share Agreements are better tools for student financing than traditional student loans....

Average of more than 770 jobs losses per congressional district....

The post-Obamacare increase averages out to an additional 1,174 persons applying for Medicaid each month since October 1.... 

In preparation for the first crossover deadline Thursday, the Senate today held a long floor session to move bills out of its chamber so that it may crossover to the House of Representatives....

The House now stands in recess and will reconvene to take action on final measures for third reading on Thursday, March 6 at 12 p.m....

"...and we are very pleased to have Brian Minaai return to his full duties...."

This morning, the DOE announced it has selected Chevron Energy Solutions to help lead implementation of the five-year sustainable energy program, to be called Ka Hei....

Science. It's the darndest thing....

When a law has as broad a reach as the Jones Act does, you’re likely to run into it in some unlikely places....

It was 225 years ago that the Constitution officially came into effect, when members of Congress were sworn in for the first time in New York City....

Fukumoto will join the FMC in its mission to proactively diversify and grow the Republican family....

The Hawaii Health Connector, the local Obamacare exchange, has a new campaign to boost enrollment — “Tell a friend.”....

Cults are known for their ability to draw in devotees and make them worship the leader.  In a recent poll, Tulsi Gabbard’s popularity was tops among Hawaii politicians at 76%....

...Heritage experts dive into President Obama’s new budget proposal....

The week will culminate with a public presentation of the panel’s findings and recommendations on March 7, 2014 from 9:00-11:00 a.m. at Mission Memorial Auditorium....

EDF has been advocating for states to establish On-Bill Repayment (OBR) programs that allow property owners and tenants to finance clean energy....

The Sovereign Councils of the Hawaiian Homelands Assembly (SCHHA) signed a $675,000 agreement today with the Hawaiʻi Health Connector to serve as a marketplace assister organization....

News Releases from Office of the Governor ....

On March 5th, The Democratic Party of Hawaii's Biennial Precinct Meeting is coming to a district near you ....

Drawdown of existing groundwater stocks is likely still decades away....

...this data is updated monthly and is calculated from multiple economic and demographic factors related to three primary data categories—employment, income and housing....

A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 5.1 million visitors to national parks in Hawai`i spent more than $314 million and supported 3,723 jobs in the state in 2012....

“America’s greatness is found in its individuals, not in the collective....”

Starting this year, ObamaCare's "annual fee" tax will be passed on to consumers in the form of higher premiums....

• Senate: Veterans Benefits -- Cloture
• Senate: Veterans Benefits – Motion to Wave
• House: Cellular Phone Unlocking – Passage
• House: Eminent Domain Authority – Passage
• House: Federal Rule-Making Process – Passage

In Washington, facts can sometimes be stubborn things. I guess that’s why some media pundits thought my comments at a governors’ association meeting last Monday—which highlighted the slow growth and failed economic policies of our President—impolitic or impolite.....

A few weeks ago this column spoke out against tax credits....