Entries Tagged 'Politics' ↓

The tastes and talents of Hawaii will take center stage in the national spotlight on Thursday as President Barack Obama, the first president from the Aloha State, hosts the first-ever White House luau.

The South Lawn luau is a twist on the annual Congressional picnic for members of Congress and their families and will feature the best in contemporary Hawaiian cuisine with a menu created by award-winning chef Alan Wong, whose Honolulu restaurant has been recognized as one of the best in America and the Pacific Rim.

Along with Hawaii’s finest delicacies, the evening will feature Hawaii’s largest entertainment company, Tihati Productions. The program will include 20 dancers and musicians from Hawaii showcasing the historical and cultural stories of the islands through traditional song and dance, known as hula.

“President Obama is bringing the Hawaii family spirit of ‘ohana’ to the White House and to all Americans through the first White House luau,” stated John Monahan, president and CEO of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau.

“We hope our mainland compatriots take this opportunity to learn about the culture and cuisine of our islands, and we welcome all Americans to come share in the Aloha spirit that makes Hawaii such a wonderful place for both vacation and business,” Monahan stated. “Hawaii offers vacationers and business travelers the chance to experience one-of-a-kind cultural, culinary and recreational offers in a very convenient, affordable and beautiful setting.”

Thursday’s luau will spotlight Hawaii’s contemporary cuisine, which is based upon the freshest ingredients from the land and sea and which combines all of the ethnic influences that have contributed so much to Hawaii.

“This event gives us a chance to showcase to all Americans the Hawaiian contemporary cuisine that is based on fresh local ingredients and which blends all of the island’s many ethnic influences,” stated Alan Wong, whose Honolulu restaurant was rated No. 8 in the United States by Gourmet magazine.

Rep. Gene Ward today announced formation of a shark task force. “The purpose of the task force is to engage the community in the two important issues of enforcement and legislation,” Ward said. “State law forbids the practice of chumming or the feeding of sharks from the shoreline to three miles offshore, and federal law prohibits the practice beyond 3 miles up to 200 miles, but there is really no enforcement of these laws.”

Ward’s legislative office is now drafting legislation to vet with Hawaii Kai/East Honolulu community that will create a ban on the commercial practice of shark feeding tours but will exempt educational and scientific research while at the same time allowing for traditional Hawaii cultural practices.

Formation of the task force follows a town hall meeting co-sponsored by Ward’s office last April that attracted over 400 angry members of the Hawaii Kai community, as well as a legislative information briefing that was later held at the Hawaii State Legislature in May of 2009.

“Legislation will be discussed in future town hall meetings in Hawaii Kai starting around the middle of July, and we hope all members of the community will weigh in, including the shark tour operators.” Ward concluded.

The Hawaii Department of Health will receive $30,352,300 through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which provides low interest loans to local communities to build wastewater treatment facilities and other water pollution abatement projects. The federal fund was created in 1987, and was reauthorized by Congress in March to invest $13.8 billion in water quality projects over the next five years.

The funding was announced today by U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie.

“The Clean Water State Revolving Fund has been major source of funds to help Hawaii develop water and wastewater capacity.” Abercrombie said. “Right now, Kauai County needs to expand the Waimea Wastewater Plant, which can only take in 300,000 gallons. This is causing them to refuse some new sewer hookups because they’re at 90% capacity. Clean Water grants could help them expand that capacity.”

Another $19,500,000 is targeted to the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for drinking water system improvements. This program also emphasizes funding for small and disadvantaged communities and to programs that encourage pollution prevention as a tool for ensuring safe drinking water.

“These grants address a public health issue across the country, but nowhere more urgent than in Honolulu. We’ve seen firsthand what happens when aging water and waster systems system can’t keep up with demand,” Abercrombie said.

Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle delivered her 2009 “State of the State” address this morning. Here are her complete remarks, courtesy the Office of the Governor: It is a great privilege and a humbling experience to come before you each year to share my thoughts about where our state stands, and where we are headed. The annual State of the State Address is a time-honored tradition in states all across our great nation. It is a time to take stock of where we are as a state, to recognize a few successes, and to lay out a clear roadmap for our future. In this sense, it is a fairly typical speech. But this has not been a typical year. We are facing a time like no other in our state’s history. Continue reading →

Gov. Linda Lingle highlighted her administration’s plans to address homelessness, health care, and tax relief in her annual “State of the State” address at the State Capitol. “Are we just going to tread water and hope we can somehow sustain our standard of living by doing the same things we have done in the past?” Lingle asked. “Or are we going to be true to the heritage of innovation left to us by our ancestors and embrace the new global economy by making certain our citizens have the education and training they need to compete with anyone, anywhere, anytime?”

“I want to lead us down the path of innovation, because it is the path of hope and opportunity,” she said.

Following are Lingle’s full prepared remarks, as provided by the governor’s office:

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Gov. Linda Lingle today announced a package of proposals to bring tax relief to Hawaii residents struggling with the state’s high cost of living. The various proposals, submitted under the banner “Helping Those Who Need It Most,” add up to a total of $346 million in tax relief over two years. Noting that the state Constitution calls for a tax refund given the state’s two-year budget surplus, Lingle called on the Legislature to approve a $100 per person tax refund for families with incomes below $100,000 ($25 per person for those earning more). Another proposal would allow the state to adjust tax brackets every year to adjust for inflation.

Other measures in the proposed tax relief package would exempt “essential foods” (including milk, eggs, cereal, juices, and infant formula) from the state’s General Excise Tax, increase the standard deduction from $4,000 to $7,500 for married couples (or from $2,000 to $3,750 for single people), offer a $1,000 per child exemption for families earning $100,000 a year or less (or a $500 exemption for families earning $100,000 to $200,000 annually), and increase the dependent care services credit.

Hawaii drivers would also benefit under Lingle’s proposals, which include extending a general excise tax exemption for ethanol-blended gasoline that expired in December and waiving registration fees and taxes for vehicles owned by deployed members of the National Guard and Reserves.

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The usually subdued primary election season was a nail-biter this year, as several contests — most within the Democratic party — came to a head on Saturday. Sen. Daniel Akaka successfully fended off a strong challenge from the younger, more moderate Rep. Ed Case, 54 percent to 45 percent. The 20,000 vote difference is still the closest call the senior senator has faced in his 30 years in Washington. As for the Republicans, voters picked former P.O.W. Jerry Coffee, even though he withdrew from the race for health reasons. Gov. Linda Lingle now has until Tuesday to appoint his replacement on the November ballot.

Of the ten Democrats vying to replace Case in the U.S. House, former gubernatorial candidate Mazie Hirono won out, but by a slim one percent margin over Rep. Colleen Hanabusa. On the Republican side, former television sportscaster Bob Hogue beat former lawmaker Quentin Kawananakoa, despite Kawananakoa’s six-to-one fundraising advantage.

In the race for Hawaii governor, Lingle’s victory on the Republican ticket was never in doubt, nor was that of Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona. Democrats, meanwhile, chose former state senator Randy Iwase over Waianae harbormaster William Aila to challenge Lingle, and former state senator Malama Solomon to take on Aiona.

Many political pundits were watching the State House District 28 race, where incumbent Rep. Beverly Harbin was fighting to keep her seat. She was appointed mid-term by Lingle, a controversial move that Lingle later regretted as her tax and criminal record came under scrutiny. Voters soundly ejected her on Saturday, choosing relative newcomer Karl Rhoads for the Democratic ballot. Rhoads will face Republican Collin Wong, who notably also received more votes than Harbin in the primary.

Full results from the primary election can be found at the state Office of Elections website.

The first — and probably only — live, televised debate between Rep. Ed Case and Sen. Daniel Akaka took place tonight. Organized by AARP Hawaii, moderated by UH communications chair Gerald Kato, and broadcast on PBS Hawaii, it was not available online nor via other networks. It will nevertheless be closely watched and heavily reported, as this primary race is remarkable on both the local and national level. HawaiiNews.com has transcribed the debate to benefit those who were unable to watch it live.

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As both Rep. Ed Case and Sen. Daniel Akaka prepare for Thursday’s live debate, both campaigns have again focused on third-party rankings of the incumbent’s effectiveness and power in congress. In a new television ad, Case cites a non-partisan website, Congress.org, and says it ranks Akaka as one of the country’s “three least influential senators.” In response, Akaka supporters were happy to cite the very same website, noting that it gives lower overall scores to Case. The site assigns a “Power Score” to all members of congress based on position, influence, and legislation, and also ranks each member relative to all members of each chamber as well as within each party. Focusing solely on the “influence” category, Akaka is tied for second-to-last place with a score of zero. However, Case’s score is minus-2. When comparing the overall scorecards for Akaka and Case, Case also scored lower on “position” and “legislation.” In overall ranking within their respective chambers, Congress.org placed Akaka
71st out of 99 senators, and Case 410th among 438 representatives.

Continue reading →

As both Rep. Ed Case and Sen. Daniel Akaka prepare for Thursday’s live debate, both campaigns have again focused on third-party rankings of the incumbent’s effectiveness and power in congress. In a new television ad, Case cites a non-partisan website, Congress.org, and says it ranks Akaka as one of the country’s “three least influential senators.” In response, Akaka supporters were happy to cite the very same website, noting that it gives lower overall scores to Case. The site assigns a “Power Score” to all members of congress based on position, influence, and legislation, and also ranks each member relative to all members of each chamber as well as within each party. Focusing solely on the “influence” category, Akaka is tied for second-to-last place with a score of zero. However, Case’s score is minus-2. When comparing the overall scorecards for Akaka and Case, Case also scored lower on “position” and “legislation.” In overall ranking within their respective chambers, Congress.org placed Akaka
71st out of 99 senators, and Case 410th among 438 representatives.

Continue reading →