Entries for April 2011

Abercrombie recently signed the following bills into law....

On Thursday, May 5, the last votes will be taken and the regular 2011 session will come to a close.

Indeed, the rumor that Obama was not a U.S. citizen was initially spread in April 2008 by a group of Hillary Clinton supporters, as reported April 22 by Politico’s Ben Smith and Byron Tau....

Friends of Lāna‘i (FOL) today petitioned Hawaii’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to reopen the competitive bidding process for the “Big Wind” project.

... despite a few early skirmishes — including the one that cost the English explorer his life — the people who preceded the Europeans to the so-called "Sandwich Isles" by at least a thousand years generally had good relations with the British empire....

Kaho'ohanohano, just 21, hailed from Hawaii. He left his home in Maui to fight with Company H, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against the enemy in the vicinity of Chupa-ri, Korea, on Sept. 1, 1951.

Total spending by visitors who came to Hawai‘i in the first quarter of 2011 increased 16.9 percent, compared to the first quarter of 2010, to $3.2 billion. Total visitor days for all visitors grew 10.8 percent, and total arrivals rose 9.1 percent to 1,823,870 visitors, according to preliminary statistics released today by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority.

…And another immigration memo, from June 1964, records that Harvard officials were trying "to get rid of him" and "couldn't seem to figure out how many wives he had."….

In 2012, Obamacare will create the “Value-Based Purchasing Program” in Medicare. Using a pay-for-performance scheme, the program will reimburse hospitals and other health care providers at different rates based on how they score on performance measures chosen by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

An extremely high cost of living, coupled with a fairly high tax rate, give Hawaii the lowest adjusted-average income....

While enforcing the federal antitrust laws in Hawaii, (in the early 1960s) my boss, Ray Carlson, and I investigated the big five companies’ control of the Matson Steamship Company. We had the fervent support of the Hawaii Attorney General. We finished the investigation and filed a case against the Matson and the companies controlling it....

Representative Gene Ward, introduces the balanced budget summit Representative Aaron Ling Johanson discusses the guiding principles for a vibrant economy in Hawaii. Representative Gil Riviere discusses first steps in revamping government in Hawaii.

Abercrombie signed the following bills into law today....

On the second Monday of every October, Hawaii celebrates, “Discoverers' Day", in recognition of the Polynesian discoverers of the Hawaiian Islands.”  But the Senate wants to put a stop to the celebrations.

According to the text of SCR55, introduced March 3 by Abercrombie-appointed Senator Maile Shimabukuro, the holiday should be dropped ....

“Native Hawaiians, like the Maori and many other indigenous people around the world are resource-rich but concerned about exploitation,” says IDG Indigenous and Community Advisor Mililani Tra$k. 

Here it is! 

Apparently Abercrombie hasn’t met the nurses.  They have plenty of “accusations and confrontations.”

The IMF's assumption that our economy will be weak indefinitely is all too reasonable. China might run its economy into the ground, but we are running our economy into the ground. Reasonable people can sharply disagree over what to do, but what's killing U.S. leadership is obvious to the IMF and anyone looking at the global picture: our budget deficit.

The revised state measure now calls for the establishment of a 9-member Native Hawaiian roll commission, which will appoint an interim council of 9 members to “commence the organization of a convention of qualified Native Hawaiians.”

 ... more than half of Democrats believed Bush was complicit in the 9-11 attacks ....