... It creates a debilitated, inoperable version of health-care regulation ... a jumble of now senseless provisions ....

Abercrombie’s campaign platform portrays abandonment of the Prepaid Act as a step to “Develop a System of Universal Healthcare.”  It is exactly the opposite.  In the fine print, Abercrombie focuses squarely on managing the State’s finances so “costs are controlled so that we can collectively afford the system and pay for it in a way that is fair and sustainable. We need to create efficiencies out of the current incoherence in our system, create incentives and opportunities for cost-effective preventive healthcare….”

It’s all about the money.

"...it's time to put the political histrionics aside and work to implement the law...."

In Hawaii 84,130 will be added to Medicaid. Many will first lose their existing private health insurance.

...questionable policy judgments in the PPACA such as the decision to create unelected Independent Review Boards, the punitive tax on medical device manufacturers, and the elimination of Medicare Advantage programs deserve meaningful bipartisan discussion....

"But having read more of the opinions, I'm much relieved about individual rights and the states' rights within the constitutional structure."

“Here in Hawai'i, we already have our Prepaid Health Care Act, which enables a vast majority of our residents to be insured...."  (Then why is he trying to dismantle it?)

Fitch believes HPH's strategy augurs well for sustained financial performance in a pressured reimbursement environment....

flames of ignition light up the black night and shake the grounds of the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) as a medium-range missile accelerates out of its launch pad ....

ADF is challenging the Obama administration’s abortion pill mandate in several lawsuits because it unconstitutionally requires faith-based employers to provide or pay for insurance coverage of abortion-inducing drugs and devices ....

history and timeline of the operation and subsequent scandal....

By a 5-4 vote, the court held the mandate valid under Congress' constitutional authority "to lay and collect Taxes".... Conservatives wanted to see the Supreme Court put a limit on the commerce power, and Thursday it did.

The policy landscape will change dramatically after 10 a.m. today. If the Supreme Court does not strike down Obamacare in its entirety, Congress should move to repeal it....

We must view our islands as interdependent and remain open to all renewable projects....

"Either you or your most senior advisors were involved in managing Operation Fast & Furious and the fallout from it, or ... "

The Nursing Facility Sustainability Program special fund is expected to generate $11.5 million. Twelve percent of the revenue shall be used by the DHS ....

The RAISE Act would lift the ceiling on unionized workers' wages by allowing employers to pay individual workers more—but not less—than the union contract specifies.

The claim that coordinated care will save money without degrading quality is a common belief behind almost all mainstream health reform efforts....

The very public failure of energy company Solyndra has focused a lot of attention on the Department of Energy's loan guarantee programs....

Hawaii Republican Candidate Takes Big Third Step to Achieving ‘Young Gun’ Status....

The Chamber's invitation is to the primary winners.  Congresswoman Mazie Hirono was also invited but has not accepted....

NMFS prepared a draft take reduction plan and was required to finalize the plan and implementing regulations no later than December 16, 2011, but failed to do so, which is why we’re back in court....

Berg introduced Resolution 12-160 to put a stop to the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation's frivolous expenditures that continue to promote rail....

"We responded to every single one of the arguments in their 300-some pages of briefing."

...years ago rail was the low energy user and today it has morphed into being a relatively high energy user....

...the Court's docket entry was updated to reflect consideration of the petition at the Thursday, June 28, 2012 conference....

At the bottom of the scale were two states where fewer than half of all adults went to the polls four years ago: Hawaii (46.8 percent) and Texas (48.8 percent)....

"That means police statewide can immediately begin calling to check immigration status—but federal officials are likely to reject most of those calls," reports Stephen Dinan of The Washington Times.

...pent up demand has been filled by black-market opportunism. About 450 multi-room country inns, including one with 41 beds the City cannot seem to shut down, have established themselves in residences outside the commercial districts....

According to the Associated General Contractors of America, Hononlulu ranks 272^nd in construction growth, losing 1,400 construction jobs over the past year.

After reviewing more than 340 measures, Governor Neil Abercrombie today notified the State Legislature of his intent to veto 19 of those bills....

The unwillingness of Congress to make tough decisions could seriously harm our country's future and the American people. This was one of the key messages Governor Linda Lingle and her colleagues on the Governors' Council of the Bipartisan Policy Center heard during two days of extensive meetings in Washington....

• Senate: Motion to Proceed; Disapproval Resolution – EPA Regulations
• Senate: Farm Bill – Final Passage
• Senate: Cloture – Flood Insurance Reauthorization
• House: Land and Water Projects
• House: Domestic Energy Policy
• House: Motion to Instruct Conferees – Highway Bill

...strange results with RCV such as "Raising a candidate's rank on one's ballot does not always increase that candidate's chance of winning and in fact may decrease a candidate's chance to win"

"Hawaii is a state of small business owners, unlike other states where you have some very large employers. Here we really are reliant on our smaller businesses," said Governor Lingle.

The Supreme Court will hand down its verdict on Obamacare this week, making it a timely occasion for Americans to show their support for religious freedom....

The nation’s 52nd-largest urban area has only about 950,000 people, yet it is spending $5.3 billion, or more than $5,500 per resident, to build a single 20-mile rail line. That’s probably a greater cost per person than any rail system ever built....

Black Press is subject to a cash flow sweep as long as debt to EBITDA exceeds 3.75x, which has resulted in debt repayment above the scheduled amortization....

...an advocate for a program that state government has been trying to implement for nearly two decades asked why couldn’t taxpayers support a hike in the general excise tax rate....

Dan Boylan moderates a discussion among the candidates vying to represent Honolulu City Council District 1, which includes the Waianae Coast, Kapolei, Makakilo and parts of Ewa Beach

Last week, Katie Thomas of the New York Times ran a breathless expose of the devious actions that many colleges have taken to escape the mandate of gender equality under Title IX of the Civil Rights Act....

The trial court had determined the plaintiffs' regulatory takings claims were not ripe because they should have tried to change offending land use regulations which allegedly deprive their property of all economically beneficial uses.

Urbanized (Gary Hustwit 2012), Saturday, June 23, 7:00 p.m., at R&D, 691 Auahi Street, Honolulu....

The 2012 Manufacturing and Logistics National Report shows how each state ranks among its peers ....

The real-time blocking system— provided at no charge for the state—allows retailers to automatically block unlawful pseudoephedrine (PSE) purchases in real-time and at the point of sale.

Moving on up: Last year Hawaii taxpayers owed 'only' $25,000 ....

Federal Question ... whether the Act violates or its implementation would violate: The Equal Protection clause or other provisions of the Constitution or civil rights laws of the Unites States or the fiduciary duties of the trustee State of Hawaii and you and other State officials under the federally-created Ceded Lands Trust....

“the leading wind project developers and manufactures are canceling their plans for 2013 and wind development will grind to a halt due to the uncertainty of a PTC extension.… "

The President himself has admitted he doesn't have the authority to do this....

Vijoy Chattergy, investment specialist, has been named interim CIO, subject to administrative approvals, said Wes Machida....