Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina agrees with many of us here in Hawaii: A bill that will have serious consequences for all of us in Hawaii, and which has been radically changed recently, should not be acted upon by the U.S. Senate until Senators can hear the results of public hearings on the current version of the bill here in Hawaii.

The AP headline is “Republican gathering in Waikiki comes at a time of internal strife” — but the Republican National Committee is meeting in Honolulu January 27-30 in a world suddenly reshaped by Scott Brown’s paradigm-shattering victory in Massachusetts. AP’s headline writer can only dream.

For RNC Chairman Michael Steele, Brown’s victory couldn’t have come at a better time. Steele’s mission is to expand the reach of the Republican Party into districts and states generally considered Democrat strongholds. This is the opposite of the strategy of energizing the base which gave George W. Bush an exquisitely narrow victory in 2000 and a 2.4% margin of victory in 2004 — an election year which Ann Coulter and others have argued should have seen a Bush landslide.

A disturbing story is emerging which suggests that Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann threatened to remove city workers from Hanauma Nature Preserve when the Secret Service told him he could not join the Obama family snorkeling there during the Obamas’ vacation December 29. 

It is one thing for Mufi to stalk Obama at public events—that’s just politics as usual.  But it is another to threaten retaliation against the President and threaten non-cooperation with the President’s security detail. 

What has been publicly revealed to date?

SB 2500 requesting a financial and management audit of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs will be heard Friday, January 29, at 2:45 p.m. in Room 229 by the Water Land and Hawaiian Affairs committee

The more things change, the more things stay the same. A little over a year ago, President Barack Obama came to office expecting to pass a "big bang" of policy changes all in the first year: health care, cap-and-trade, and banking regulation. With the big-bang strategy officially a failure, President Obama's State of the Union address last night desperately tried to keep all of these legislative efforts alive while also acknowledging that the country has firmly rejected his policy agenda.  The result was an incoherent mess....

A ‘wordie’ showing the terms showing up most frequently in the Republican response.  Government, Americans, and opportunity are front and center.

A ‘wordie’ showing the terms showing up most frequently in Obama’s speech.  Number 1? -- “Will” -- He still thinks he is Nietche’s ubermensch.

The Lingle-Aiona Administration has submitted a comprehensive package of 110 bills and 29 resolutions to the Hawai‘i State Legislature.  The following list includes brief descriptions of each proposed measure.  The list also includes programs that do not require legislative approval that the Administration is implementing. 

“This measure will allow our State to proactively secure both large and small sporting events throughout Hawai‘i that will help to strengthen our economy and make Hawai‘i a leader among the world’s sports destinations,” Lt. Governor Aiona said. “Hawai‘i is the home of the Pro Bowl. Over time, the game has become a tradition and our residents should not grow accustomed to seeing it played away from Aloha Stadium.”

The problem is not our students or its teachers.  The problems lie in the political power structure within the State of Hawai'i.  Democrats, who are well known to be controlled by union money, have remained unwilling to create solutions.  Any proposed changes to an unaccountable system would mean certain electoral losses which is why our children and Hawai`i's families remain political pawns to the unions' games.

 action is focused on the House which has to agree or disagree to the amendments made by the Senate. If they agree, then all House members will need to vote to approve. If the House disagrees to the amendment, it will then be given to a Conference Committee which will consist of members from BOTH the House and Senate.

Tonight in his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama is expected to propose a "freeze" on government spending. Obama's spending "freeze" will only last three years, will not start until 2011, will only apply to a $447 billion slice of the federal government's $3.5 trillion budget, and will not apply to any of the unspent $862 billion stimulus plan, his health care plan or the House of Representatives' additional $156 billion stimulus plan. Despite all the loopholes, time limits and procrastination, the President should still be commended for beginning to acknowledge reality. And as a new report issued yesterday by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) shows, the reality is this: the U.S. government has an insatiable spending problem.

You must recognize, Mr. President, that the State of the Union is not good. You need a new approach and fresh domestic and foreign policies. The caps on spending which reports last night said you were considering are but an exceedingly modest first step, and the devil is in the details. The caps will do virtually nothing to improve the nation’s fiscal health unless you tackle Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Shifting tactics and stoking populism will be both cynical and condescending to the voters, who will see through this strategy. Mr. President, it’s the policies you need to change, not the spin.

I am pleased to inform you that today, on the Rick Hamada show, I announced my intent to become a candidate for mayor of the City and County of Honolulu when the office becomes vacant.

As you know, the regular election for mayor is not until 2012 but Mufi Hannemann has declared an interest in the race for Governor. However, unlike U.S. Representative Neil Abercrombie who declared his intent to resign, Mayor Hannemann has not declared any such intent, thus today I am simply saying that if he resigns then I will run for mayor.

A hearing has been scheduled on two unemployment insurance bills for this Tuesday, January 26 at 9:00 a.m. at the State Capitol in Room 309. Chair Rhoads did not put the Chamber’s bill on the agenda, only his and Vice Chair’s Kyle Yamashita’s bill because he probably prefers to use one of these as a vehicle.   

Although the bills provide some tax relief, the Chamber believes they do not provide enough assistance to help reduce the "tax shock" and safeguard the statewide unemployment rate.  Therefore, we are asking the committees to amend the bills. 

GOVERNOR LINGLE PROPOSES STRUCTURAL REFORM OF PUBLIC EDUCATION SCHOOL SYSTEM GOVERNANCE

GOVERNOR LINGLE AUTHORIZES $2.8 MILLION IN FEDERAL STIMULUS FUNDS TO ENHANCE ROBOTICS EDUCATION IN HAWAI‘I SCHOOLS

GOVERNOR LINGLE INTRODUCES PROPOSAL TO SAVE BUSINESSES $497 MILLION IN UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE TAXES

GOVERNOR LINGLE PROPOSES HAWAI‘I CLEAN ENERGY INVESTMENT BONDS

GOVERNOR LINGLE ANNOUNCES INITIATIVES TO CREATE JOBS, GET RESIDENTS BACK TO WORK

Governor Linda Lingle announced in her State of the State Address she will propose a constitutional amendment to rename and revise the State’s Rainy Day Fund to create a Fiscal Stabilization Fund.  This fund will shield Hawai‘i in future years from the need to raise taxes during periods when the economy is contracting and citizens can least afford to pay more.

The Fiscal Stabilization Fund will ensure that in years when tax revenues are growing, 5 percent of the general fund’s end of year balance will be placed in the Stabilization Fund prior to granting the currently mandated refund to taxpayers.

Full Text of Governor Lingle's 8th State of the State address -- delivered to joint session of Hawaii Legislature 10 AM Monday January 25, 2010.  Title: "Reaffirmation and Rededication".

Action will now be focused on the House which has to agree to the amendments made by the Senate. If they agree, then all House members will need to vote to approve. If the House disagrees to the amendment, it will then be given to a Conference Committee made up of members of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees.