The Rail Bill and Other Curiosities
By Tom Yamachika – Between the beginning of this legislative session and April 28, the Rail Bill (SB 1183) was heard and debated numerous times. It seemed as if there were two main variables under discussion: how many years the county surcharge on our general excise tax was to be extended, and the extent that the State would “skim,” namely, take a cut off the top.
On Friday, April 28, the House had an epiphany. Instead of extending the surcharge on the GET, it hit upon the idea of hoisting the TAT, sometimes known as the hotel room tax. Three hours later, the conference committee reconvened and the Senate announced that it would go along with the proposal. Apparently, over the weekend other legislators had epiphanies, leading to chaos on the chamber floor on Tuesday. As of this writing, we don’t know the final form of the bill; but in any event the gyrations of this bill, together with a few other bills not to be ignored, appeared to send lots of messages. With tongue firmly in cheek, here they are:
To the City: You said you wanted to extend the GET surcharge and not boost real property tax because a good part of the GET is paid by tourists. Well, the TAT is paid by tourists, and you also get your additional money now instead of waiting ten years for the GET extension. If that doesn’t work for you, a good part of the real property tax is also paid by tourists.
To the counties: You’re constantly squabbling over how much of the TAT you get to take for yourselves. Shut up or we’ll make you pay for rail too (we almost did). By the way, we killed the bill (SB 1290) that would have given you more money to share while we think of more ways to discredit the 2014 working group that recommended you get a percentage of the TAT rather than a fixed amount.
To the poor: You said you don’t want the State to rely so much on the GET, which affects the poor disproportionately. Too bad! But, there is a new earned income tax credit coming your way, along with juicier versions of the low-income household renters’ credit and the food/excise tax credit, all of which will be paid for by stratospheric tax rates on the wealthy, thanks to HB 209.
To the wealthy: We are going to milk you with 9%, 10%, and 11% tax rates the same as we did between 2010 and 2015. Stop complaining because you should be used to these rates already. Oh, you believed us when we said at the time that those tax rates would be temporary? We also said that the TAT would be a temporary 5% tax to fund construction of the Hawaii Convention Center, and that was in 1986.
To the homeless: Rejoice, for we are going to appropriate $1 million for projects to address homelessness in tourist and resort areas. Unfortunately, the appropriation is in HB 375, which used to be a tax bill and is still titled “Relating to Taxation.” That title, with bill contents that now have nothing to do with taxation, might invalidate the bill.
To the teachers: Well, you won’t get your constitutional amendment to surcharge real property tax this time around. You might get a New Start Education Special Fund to be funded by the enhanced TAT in the Rail Bill, but that could evaporate at the last minute also. At least you have a new collective bargaining agreement.
To the other government workers: Phew! You got new collective bargaining agreements as well. At least it wasn’t the zero increase that the Administration initially offered you after announcing that state government had a $1 billion surplus at the end of June 2016.
To everyone else: This is Hawaii politics! We’re sure you’ve enjoyed how this process played out, so keep on electing us and we can do this year after year!
ThinkTech: Business in Hawaii – The BBB Explained
My guest host, Alice Li Hagan does a great job of discussing the BBB with its CEO Gregory Dunn. I was busy at the SBA Awards luncheon accepting the 2017 SBA Business Advocate Award. Thank you Alice and Gregory!!
Just When You Thought Hillary Clinton Was Finished…
BY FRANK SALVATO
Pay no attention to the fact that Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 General Election because she was a poor and unsympathetic candidate who proposed a continuation of disastrous Progressive policies and initiatives. Mrs. Clinton is convinced that “her people” still love her and that she has a leadership role to play in guiding the country to its future. Not since Marie Antoinette has a person in a position of political privilege been so tone-deaf to reality.
Clinton’s camp has made it known that she intended to launch a Super PAC (Political Action Committee) – Onward Together – to both aid in the election of Progressives and Democrats in the 2018 Midterm Elections, and “resist” the agenda being executed by President Donald Trump. While some may see this as just another Clinton scam to raise money for their politically-inclined globalist lifestyle (look at the cash cow the Clinton Foundation turned out to be), we would all be well advised to take her effort seriously.
It isn’t that Clinton is ruthless. That she is. All one has to do is talk to anyone who has ever crossed her or found themselves in her cross-hairs – both figuratively and literally – to know that Mrs. Clinton truly believes that the ends justify the means. From her willingness to decimate ethics considerations in the Watergate scandal to her cold-bloodedness in the FBI and Travelgate scandals, from her smearing of women who had been sexually assaulted by her “sex-o-holic” husband to her blatant lies to the families of those slaughtered and left for done in Benghazi, Mrs. Clinton’s reptilian demeanor when it comes to making sure that she wins – at all cost – is the stuff of legends.
And it isn’t that she has a hair-trigger temper. That she does. Ask any Secret Service agent charged with her bodywork and you will hear a litany of horror stories that would – for anyone else – culminate in either job termination of legal charges of abuse. The stories coming out of her failed 2016 campaign staff only further codify the claims of her astounding temper to the truths of history.
No, the reason that Mrs. Clinton and her PAC need to be taken quite seriously is because she is a devoted sycophant to Saul Alinsky. It is her steadfast determination to winning at all cost; her unwavering belief that the ends justify the means – that anything can be justified or rationalized if the end result is winning, that makes her so dangerous.
Mrs. Clinton was so enamored with Alinsky that she not only cultivated a personal relationship with the Progressive figurehead but devoted her college thesis at Wellesley College to the man. As was written in, of all places, HillaryClintonQuarterly.com, “Alinsky was both the ladder Hillary climbed to gain new perspectives on society…and then, once there, a ladder she tossed aside when she no longer needed it”; yet another example of the cold-blooded political beast that is Hillary Clinton.
Armed with the indentured soul of Saul Alinsky and the working knowledge afforded her by years of associations with the likes of George Soros, Peter Lewis, Tom Steyer, David Brock, and John Podesta (among others), and embraced by the Progressive mainstream media, Mrs. Clinton promises to be one of the most divisive and destructive forces in American political history; far worse than Woodrow Wilson or Franklin D. Roosevelt. Her private-sector political activities will necessarily dwarf any perceived accomplishment of her Progressive nemesis, Barack Obama.
No. Hillary Clinton, now cast aside by the halls of governmental power, is set to seek revenge for her rejection by becoming one of the most powerful forces for Progressivism in the history of the ideological movement. When you combine her motives with her “win-at-all-cost” determination and her “ends-justifies-the-means” ethics, only the foolish and the politically naïve will dismiss the threat she poses to the future of the United States of America.
AAA Hawaii: Gas Prices Remain Steady
Gas prices moved slightly but remained steady over the past week throughout the islands, according to the AAA Hawaii Weekend Gas Watch. Today’s statewide average price is $3.07, which is the same price as last Thursday, three cents higher than a month ago, and 48 cents higher than on this date a year ago, according to GasPrices.AAA.com.
In Honolulu, today’s average price is $2.91, which is one cent less than last Thursday, one cent higher than on this date last month and 53 cents higher than last year. The Hilo average price is $3.05, which is up a penny from last week, three cents higher than on this date last month and 42 cents higher than on this date a year ago. Wailuku’s average is $3.48, which is the same price as last Thursday, one cent more than a month ago, and 41 cents higher than on this date a year ago.
“Gas prices on average remain flat since a week ago,” said AAA Hawaii General Manager Liane Sumida. “However, drivers on average are paying nearly 50 cents per gallon more than a year ago and can improve their fuel economy by keeping up with their car maintenance and using a smooth driving style, no jack rabbit starts, and no jamming on of the brakes.”
Motorists can find current prices along their route with the free AAA Mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android, available at AAA.com/mobile. The app also can be used by AAA members to map a trip, find discounts, book a AAA-rated hotel and access AAA roadside assistance. AAA Hawaii reminds drivers that AAA continues to help travelers and the public with fuel information on GasPrices.AAA.com.
Prices as of 8 a.m. May 4:
| Area | Regular | One Week Change | Record Price | |||
| Honolulu | $2.91 | -1 cent | $4.48 (5/8/2011) | |||
| Hilo | $3.05 | +1 cent | $4.76 (4/22/2012) | |||
| Wailuku | $3.48 | -2 cents | $4.98 (5/9/2011) | |||
AAA Hawaii Weekend Gas Watch is a weekly snapshot of gas prices. Price comparisons are offered as a community service. Prices are derived from fleet vehicle credit card transactions at more than 120,000 stations around the country. Prices shown are combined averages of last card swipe of previous day.
The Weight of One Life–a memoir from Catheryn Jung
The Weight of One Life is a memoir and autobiography of a young woman who faces a thousand obstacles going from an impoverished and disadvantaged young girl in South Korea to achieve citizenship and prestige in the United States. In the book, her name is changed from Catheryn, to , Yema.
The Weight of One Life is an entirely true story. Young Yema is born. Her mother has no education, no money, no employment. She wants to obtain a divorce from her husband, Yema’s father. However, in South Korea if a woman wishes to obtain a divorce, the custody of the child goes to the father. Yema’a mother wants custody of her daughter. In addition, if a woman obtains a divorce during those times in South Korea, the woman is considered an outcast. Yema’s mother still fights the battle for her daughter and eventually obtains both the divorce and custody of Yema.
Yema loves her mother very much; however, there are many days in which they could not even eat a meal. The two would cry together during these nights of hunger and pain.
Even though Yema grows up in an impoverished and disadvantaged position, Yema strives, miracle after miracle, to achieve a better life. She is an extremely dedicated and hard worker who eventually grows up to attend the most prestigious University in South Korea, the University of Seoul.
Then tragedy strikes. She marries a man who pretended during their courting years to love her with all of his heart. Once they married, the entire situation changed. It was Yema’s worst nightmare. If a woman in South Korea wants a divorce, she must have the consent of the husband. Once again, if she is given consent, she is considered an outcast. Yema waits over ten years for the consent of her husband to finally achieve a divorce and exit her nightmare.
Yema then wishes to immigrate to the United States for a better life. She tries; however, she is denied because the United States accuses her of mal intentions, possibly spying. She then immigrates to Canada, lives there for some time and successfully establishes herself there.
After living in Canada for some time, Yema proves to the United States that she is not a spy and does not have mal intentions towards becoming a United States citizen. She then immigrates to the United States from Canada and successfully becomes a United States citizen. Miracle after obstacle after miracle continue to unfold in her compelling story.
Having come from an impoverished situation in South Korea, after so many uphill climbs and heartbreaking attempts, Yema finally establishes a prestigious teaching position at the Department of Defense where she works today.
During these times, Yema had gone on a cruise. She meets a younger man named Allen. He falls madly in love with her. Because of Yema’s scarred history in marriage, Yema swore she would never get married again. Nevertheless, Allen, the name of the young man she meets on the cruise, proves his love to her time and time again. Eventually, young Yema and Allen marry. He loves her genuinely, beyond a fairy tale love and supports her with all of his might.
The story ends with the success and marriage of Yema, in both her prestigious career and in her fairy tale, loving relationship with Allen in the United States. And they live happily ever after…..