BY SEN. SAM SLOM – Government Leaks in Hawaii. Why are so many “spies” operating out of Hawaii? There have been at least two in the last month. When it comes to leaks, Hawaii leads the nation with sewage and water leaks daily.
Insurance Commissioner Extols Benefits of Obamacare. Gordon Ito, the State Insurance Commissioner, told a conference of Professional Insurance Agents last Thursday that Obamacare is coming and will be great for you, especially if you own a small business (unless your employees are over age 40). There will be plenty of subsidies and tax credits for the right businesses, but guess who pays for them? After Gordon, I spoke to the insurance agents and predicted that within 5 years, half or more of them will be out of business because that is the goal of the Obama government and the new entity, the Hawaii Health Connector (Constrictors?). Good deal for the taxpayers? Obamacare is the tsunami disaster we’ve warned you about. It must be stopped now.
Wait! Obamacare Tax is Here Already! We just got our new monthly bill from HMAA for employee medical, and guess what? There is a new line item: “Adjustment: ACA Tax” – Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). That’s right, it’s started and it’s not even October 1. Check your bills and watch those new fees and taxes suddenly appear.
Kaitlyn Baria: “Girl on Fire.” Kaitlyn Baria is a 21-year-old University of Hawaii student originally from West Virginia and a highly successful independent businesswoman with Scentsy. And, oh yes, I was fortunate enough to have Ms. Baria as my intern at the Capitol during the 2013 legislative session. Last month, her company awarded her an all-expense paid trip with her husband Brandon, a U.S. Marine, to Costa Rica. Next month, she will be flown to the Scentsy Family Reunion in Indianapolis to sing before more than 20,000 convention delegates as one of three national awardees of the Scentsy’s Got Talent event. For her tryout tape, she sang “Girl on Fire.” Congratulations to a multi-talented young businesswoman!
Vicky Cayetano Speaks June 27. Vicky Cayetano, former Hawaii First Lady and President/CEO of the highly successful United Laundry Services, Inc., and Managing Director of United Laundry Kona, LCC, will join us next Thursday, June 27, and address SBH members and their guests on “Having a Successful Business in Hawaii.” Ms. Cayetano is also involved in cultural preservation, promoting better health care and the Honolulu Symphony. Limited seats. Advance reservations available through SBH. Call Darlyn at 396-1724, or go online to smartbusinesshawaii.com
“Audit the IRS” Today. The Daily Caller reports activists are planning to storm Capitol Hill today for what they are predicting will be “the largest Tea Party protest since 2010.” The protest – drawing tea partiers like TV host Glenn Beck and KentuckySen. Rand Paul – is in response to the Internal Revenue Service’s recent admission that it has been specifically targeting conservative groups for extra scrutiny. The gathering on the West Lawn of the Capitol is called the “Audit the IRS” Rally.
No Chicken For You. The Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant at the corner of Keeaumoku and Kapiolani is closing on June 26. Walgreens in the old Tower Records building is also closing sometime in July. Both will be demolished. Walgreens is building a new store in that location. Apparently Walgreens took over the KFC property. They also own the old HMSA building next door on Kapiolani where Heald College is located.
Longs Expanding. A new Longs Drug store opened in Kamuela on the Big Island of Hawaii and yet another new Longs is under construction at King and Young Streets.
Elbert Guillory, Patriot. The YouTube video getting nearly as much play as the Miss Alabama and Miss Utah gaffs is the one featuring a brief speech by Elbert Guillory, a State Senator in the Louisiana legislature. A graduate of Rutgers Law School, he has been a practicing attorney in Opelousas for many years, and turned to politics in his 60s – elected as a State Representative in 2007, then State Senator in 2009 as a Democrat.
On May 31, he formally switched his party affiliation to the Republican Party, becoming the first black Republican in the Louisiana Senate since Reconstruction in the 1870s. He is widely considered now to be a formidable candidate for Lt. Governor in 2015. Guillory calls himself a “Frederick DouglassRepublican.” Here is his speech {click here}
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Hawaii Housing Demand Strong; Inventory Low. People in Hawaii want to buy houses, but the inventory remains low. Sales figures are stronger, but unpredictable. A house sold in my neighborhood on the first day it was on the market. The owners received 7 full-price offers on the first day for nearly $800,000, despite the home having no view, no pool, no space and no great lot. People are still camping overnight for a chance to buy an overpriced condo unit. Affordable housing in Hawaii? Yeah, right.
Mortgage Problems in Hawaii. Despite low mortgage rates, some areas are less affordable to buy a home than others – and Honolulu is one of those places. After analyzing over 100 US metro areas, NerdWallet, a financial literacy website, said Honolulu is the least affordable place to buy a home.
In Honolulu, the average home costs 8.92 years of a household’s pre-tax income, while in South Bend, Indiana, a home price equates to just 1.5 years of pre-tax income. Metro areas in Hawaii and California were least affordable. Read more>
Rusty Coming! You are cordially invited to one of the main conservative events of the year here in Hawaii. Tickets are now on sale for the Hawaii Republican Assembly’s exclusive presentation of national conservative talk radio superstarRusty Humphries on Friday, July 19th from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Waialae Country Club. For tickets or more information, write to alerts@hawaiirepublicanassembly.com
Lt. Colonel Takai. Yesterday, State Representative K. Mark Takai, a member of the Hawaii National Guard, was promoted to Lt. Colonel in a state ceremony held at the Lt. Governor’s office. I was pleased to attend and congratulate Takai. A long time advocate for veterans, and the originator of the Hawaii Medal of Honor annual ceremony, Takai joined the Guard in ’99. He is a Democrat representing Aiea and Pearl City. Lt. Governor Shan Tsutsui also was recognized for his support of the Guard and presented with the Charles Dick Medal of Merit Award, one of the highest awards given by the National Guard Association of the United States.
Father’s Day, Sunday. Hope all you fathers enjoyed your day on Sunday. The annual Father’s Day Pancake Breakfast, sponsored by the Hawaii Kai Lions, drew a record crowd to Kaiser High School.
I found it odd that while many people said nice things about their father that day, Senator Brian Schatz used the occasion to praise his father, and then ask for political contributions for himself. Cheesy.
OHA Offers Business Loans. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is offering low-cost loans of up to $1 million to help Native Hawaiian-owned small businesses expand.
Under OHA’s Hua Kanu business loan program, qualified applicants would be eligible for between $200,000 and $1 million, to be repaid over a seven-year period at a rate of 6.25 percent.See www.oha.org/huakanu
Checking Your Bills. As part of my continuing effort to enlighten you as to how much you actually pay on your bills in taxes, surcharges and fees, (previously I highlighted HECO, cell phones, beverages, etc.), here are the charges on a current one-way air ticket to Molokai from Honolulu. The airfare is $54.67 and additional taxes and surcharges add $25.40 or 46% more to the flight cost.
| Everyday Fare | $54.67 | |
| FUEL – FUEL SURCHARGE – HNL | 14.90 | |
| TAX – U.S. Federal Excise Tax (7.5%) – HNL | 4.10 | |
| TAX – Security fee – TSA – HNL | 2.50 | |
| TAX – Federal Air Segment Tax – HNL | 3.90 |
Maui No Ka Oi. Thanks to Jim Wagoner and the great folks at the Maui Tea Party, I spent last Thursday evening in Wailea speaking to and meeting with old friends. The event was held at the Senior Center-appropriate for me.
Young Professionals: Time to Join SBH. Smart Business Hawaii (SBH) is reaching out to Young Entrepreneurs with a special place within SBH for younger business owners. The SBH YOUNG PROFESSIONALS is now up and running. Annual dues only $75 if you are under 30. Contact me directly (SBH@lava.net), go online (www.smartbusinesshawaii.com) or call Darlyn at 396-1724 for details. Welcome aboard!
SBH PAU HANA at Hilo Hattie. A fun networking social at Hilo Hattie open to all Wednesday, July 17 – Friends, Food and Trivia 5:30 – 7:30 pm – $20 SBH Members $30 non-members RSVP Darlyn 396-1724.
Dr. Panos Prevedouros, is a weekly guest on Rick Hamada’s Tuesday morning radio show every Tuesday, 7:05 – 8 am. Tune in!
Read SB NEWS. Don’t forget to read your current monthly SB NEWS by PDF attachment or link. More expanded news and views for the Hawaii business community.
7:05 am on KHVH. Get the REAL news with Malia!
SBH can help you with YOUR business. Just starting a business? Call me personally for help at 396-1724 or email: SBH@lava.net. Smart Business Hawaii Means Business and we’re here to help you.
Aloha,
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