To see a list of House Bills Which Passed Third Reading of the Hawaii State Legislature, Regular Session of 2003, Showing Actions Taken as of March 6, 2003, See the Acrobat Adobe pdf version “House Bills 3-6-03 File.”
Small Business News – March 2003
“Sam Slom Image”
”’The following column was reprinted with permission. To see the entire issue of Small Business News, the monthly publication for Small Business Hawaii, click on”’ https://www.smallbusinesshawaii.com
Hawaii, like the rest of the Nation, is bracing for the possible impact of a war in Iraq. Hawaii’s economy, just starting to show signs of major recovery, could be one of the hardest hit states especially with the affect on tourism and air trans-portation. The Governor has already put together a task force as has the Legislature to study options and a course of action. We all hope that war doesn’t come, but if it does, we want to be prepared. Many of Hawaii’s sons and daughters have already been called up and we give them our 100% support along with that to our President.
Governor Linda Lingle, always the businesswoman, went to meet the President and top leaders at the White House after a Governors Conference and took along plenty of Hawaiian coffee. She intends to convince the White House to serve our coffee exclu-sively since it is the only coffee grown and
produced in the United States. And, it’s the best in the world! Local business people were amazed that we finally have a chief executive who really understands Hawaii business
Hawaii's Quarantine System Must be Modernized-An Open Letter to Gov. Lingle
Aloha Gov. Lingle,
I know you have many pressing issues that are deemed much more important than changing the current pet entry procedures and quarantine requirements.
However, you can make a difference to an extremely large number of your constituency with the stroke of a pen. You can override the Agriculture Department’s proposed change for quarantine for qualified pets. You can approve Ruby’s Law now and lead the way to make Hawaii a welcome place for our beloved pets. I know that you understand the heartbreak that our antiquated, unnecessary quarantine system causes.
But it seems that this issue has always been about power and money. One of the objections State Veterinarian Foppoli has with Ruby’s Law seems to be “money.” He can’t seem to figure out where the money will come from to staff people at the airport to scan incoming pets and match their health records to their microchip scan. How ’bout the people he won’t need any longer to staff the quarantine station? Move them to the airport, which already has a quarantine area.
I figure it would take less than five minutes to scan and match records per animal. He says it will take five days. And the Agriculture Department hearings will go on all the way through March, and then the Attorney General has to hear it … and then the Department of Agriculture says it will need even more time. The DOA proposes that after their hearings, there will be a five-day hold and a 120-day wait for qualified pets. And maybe that will happen in
2004. This is unnecessary, illogical, a power-play and absolutely absurd. Ninety-one years should be enough time. Hawaiian time has never been ”’that”’ slow. We can’t wait any longer. We shouldn’t have to wait any longer. Logic and intelligence and scientific fact must take precedence over greed, ignorance, fear of the unknown, and power.
I know that eliminating the quarantine for qualified animals will increase business and improve our economy. But there are always some people who are afraid of change, afraid that they will lose their power and won’t be needed anymore no matter how positive the change.
Following is my testimony in the hopes that, if you have any adversarial thoughts, it might change your mind. It begins with an open letter I wrote to then Gov. Cayetano in 1997, which is followed by a current piece in memory of my two parti-color cocker spaniels, Ace and Deuce.
I would like to be able to send a new open letter of thanks to you within the next few days. Please show your aloha, show that you do indeed care about the people of Hawaii, people like me and my family. We live in Hawaii, we work in Hawaii, and we vote. Please show us the intelligence we know you have. Use your heart and your power to end quarantine as we know it. ”’It’s Time.”’
June 1997 – an open letter written to then Gov. Cayetano.
A Dog’s Eye View by Ace Williams
Permit me to introduce myself. My name is Ace Williams. My brother Deuce and I live in a house with a nice yard in Lanikai. There are only a few steps to walk down to get to the back door. Once I was able to run down those steps without touching them. I was pretty good at high jumping, too. Today, I can no longer do simple things like running and jumping. Walking on the beach is a struggle.
You see, when I first came to Hawaii, I was put in jail for four months. Now don’t get upset. I didn’t do anything wrong. The only thing I ever hurt was a flea (and, I never saw one of those until I came to Hawaii). I’m just a 32-pound, black and white cocker spaniel who likes to be petted and played with. And, as I said, I used to like to run and jump . oh yes, and chase birds.
The four months in prison (quarantine) did me in. I was not allowed to go for walks. I was not allowed to run across an open field or chase a ball more than four feet. Over the long, four months, my legs atrophied somewhat. When it rained, the cement floor stayed damp, and I stayed damp. It takes a long time for my long hair to dry. My brother Deuce had other problems. His ear got infected from the moisture. By the time he got out of quarantine and was able to see a regular vet (the vet at the quarantine station said there
was nothing wrong with Deuce), his mouth was drooping and his eye wouldn’t blink. Although the ear infection was treated, and his eyes work again, his mouth still droops a little. I didn’t fair as well. Oh, I was okay for a short time after I got out of that awful place, but then, one day when I tried to jump, a disc slipped in my spine — weakened by non-use, and I could no longer stand up, no less climb stairs or jump up on the bed to sleep with my people-family. Then I started to get arthritis in my knees. With treatments from both the acupuncturist and chiropractor I know, I can stand again — not perfectly, but I can manage to scoot around. I can no longer run
and jump, although I have managed — with a boost from my people family members — to walk up and down the four steps in our family room. By the way, I’m only 5 years old.
You’re probably wondering what all of this has to do with anything. The reason I am writing this is to say thank you to Gov. Cayetano for
signing the bill to reduce the quarantine for qualified dogs and cats to 30 days. I would also like to thank all the people who worked so hard for so many years to make this happen. The ideal situation would be zero days, but I will not look a gift horse in the mouth. (As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t look any horse in the mouth.) So I say to all the people that had anything to do with reducing the quarantine time, mahalo.
One more thing, all of my species will appreciate your humanity if you keep working to end quarantine for my relatives who will be coming to Hawaii in the future. I would not have had my back and leg problems and Deuce would not have his ear problems if we weren’t quarantined. Like Deuce and I, other dogs and cats will have their required rabies vaccinations. They will have their ID microchips. They will be free of diseases and parasites like we were. They will not endanger the people of Hawaii. They will only bring pleasure.
Please do not subject any more dogs and cats to the deadly
pesticides used in quarantine, to the debilitating diseases, and the trauma.
Please do not separate them from their people families. It breaks too many hearts.
Although Ace and Deuce crossed to the Rainbow Bridge a year ago, their quest to end quarantine is still being sought.
Today, I write this in their memory. Much has changed in the last six years. There is scientific proof that the latest vaccines for rabies are more effective than any quarantine system. There is no logical reason for Hawaii to continue its quarantine system as it stands. It is time to bring our system into the 21st century. It is time to welcome visitors traveling with pets with true aloha. It is time that kamaaina be allowed to travel to the mainland with their pets and be allowed to return without placing them in quarantine. It is time to allow business people to travel back and forth with their pets. It is time to stop punishing members of the military because they move to Hawaii without much notice. We should be thanking our lucky stars that they are stationed here. We shouldn’t be punishing them by
taking their pets and incarcerating them in quarantine. It’s no secret that members of the military must have their pets vaccinated. It’s a military requirement.
Ninety-one years of quarantine has resulted in no rabies cases. It isn’t quarantine that is keeping Hawaii rabies free. It’s science. It’s people who take care of their pets. It’s common sense. Eleven years ago, when I asked why my dogs had to be quarantined since they had had all their shots as required since they were tiny pups, I was told that I could be lying. There was no way that anyone could tell if the medical records I presented belonged to my dogs.
Today, we have microchips so that argument doesn’t work.
Some people ask why I care anymore. I no longer have a personal interest. Oh, but I do. The quarantine system is preventing me from holding my 5-month-old grandson. My daughter and her husband live in New York City in a tiny apartment with my new grandson and their three miniature dachshunds.
They would like to move to Hawaii and start a business here. But they won’t move here until they can get off the airplane with their baby boy and their three pups. They will not move here if they are forced to put their dogs in quarantine for even one day. They know the pain, the trauma, the horror.
They know that dogs die in quarantine — dogs that were perfectly healthy when they entered the system.
Would someone please tell me how three tiny dogs, who have had all the proper vaccinations, who have lived in an apartment in NYC all of their lives could possibly have rabies? I have lived in cities and the country. I have lived in cities and towns coast-to-coast on the mainland, and in all my years I have never heard of anyone who had rabies or seen a rabid animal.
It’s time! Please turn Ruby’s Bill into fact, so I can hold my grandson every day — so nobody else has to suffer needlessly, so no dog or cat has to be separated, unnecessarily, from its family and no family has to leave the quarantine station seeing pleading eyes, hearing the cries of a lonely, sad and frightened pet ever again!
”’Carol Williams is a resident of Kaneohe.”’
Hawaii’s Quarantine System Must be Modernized-An Open Letter to Gov. Lingle
Aloha Gov. Lingle,
I know you have many pressing issues that are deemed much more important than changing the current pet entry procedures and quarantine requirements.
However, you can make a difference to an extremely large number of your constituency with the stroke of a pen. You can override the Agriculture Department’s proposed change for quarantine for qualified pets. You can approve Ruby’s Law now and lead the way to make Hawaii a welcome place for our beloved pets. I know that you understand the heartbreak that our antiquated, unnecessary quarantine system causes.
But it seems that this issue has always been about power and money. One of the objections State Veterinarian Foppoli has with Ruby’s Law seems to be “money.” He can’t seem to figure out where the money will come from to staff people at the airport to scan incoming pets and match their health records to their microchip scan. How ’bout the people he won’t need any longer to staff the quarantine station? Move them to the airport, which already has a quarantine area.
I figure it would take less than five minutes to scan and match records per animal. He says it will take five days. And the Agriculture Department hearings will go on all the way through March, and then the Attorney General has to hear it … and then the Department of Agriculture says it will need even more time. The DOA proposes that after their hearings, there will be a five-day hold and a 120-day wait for qualified pets. And maybe that will happen in
2004. This is unnecessary, illogical, a power-play and absolutely absurd. Ninety-one years should be enough time. Hawaiian time has never been ”’that”’ slow. We can’t wait any longer. We shouldn’t have to wait any longer. Logic and intelligence and scientific fact must take precedence over greed, ignorance, fear of the unknown, and power.
I know that eliminating the quarantine for qualified animals will increase business and improve our economy. But there are always some people who are afraid of change, afraid that they will lose their power and won’t be needed anymore no matter how positive the change.
Following is my testimony in the hopes that, if you have any adversarial thoughts, it might change your mind. It begins with an open letter I wrote to then Gov. Cayetano in 1997, which is followed by a current piece in memory of my two parti-color cocker spaniels, Ace and Deuce.
I would like to be able to send a new open letter of thanks to you within the next few days. Please show your aloha, show that you do indeed care about the people of Hawaii, people like me and my family. We live in Hawaii, we work in Hawaii, and we vote. Please show us the intelligence we know you have. Use your heart and your power to end quarantine as we know it. ”’It’s Time.”’
June 1997 – an open letter written to then Gov. Cayetano.
A Dog’s Eye View by Ace Williams
Permit me to introduce myself. My name is Ace Williams. My brother Deuce and I live in a house with a nice yard in Lanikai. There are only a few steps to walk down to get to the back door. Once I was able to run down those steps without touching them. I was pretty good at high jumping, too. Today, I can no longer do simple things like running and jumping. Walking on the beach is a struggle.
You see, when I first came to Hawaii, I was put in jail for four months. Now don’t get upset. I didn’t do anything wrong. The only thing I ever hurt was a flea (and, I never saw one of those until I came to Hawaii). I’m just a 32-pound, black and white cocker spaniel who likes to be petted and played with. And, as I said, I used to like to run and jump . oh yes, and chase birds.
The four months in prison (quarantine) did me in. I was not allowed to go for walks. I was not allowed to run across an open field or chase a ball more than four feet. Over the long, four months, my legs atrophied somewhat. When it rained, the cement floor stayed damp, and I stayed damp. It takes a long time for my long hair to dry. My brother Deuce had other problems. His ear got infected from the moisture. By the time he got out of quarantine and was able to see a regular vet (the vet at the quarantine station said there
was nothing wrong with Deuce), his mouth was drooping and his eye wouldn’t blink. Although the ear infection was treated, and his eyes work again, his mouth still droops a little. I didn’t fair as well. Oh, I was okay for a short time after I got out of that awful place, but then, one day when I tried to jump, a disc slipped in my spine — weakened by non-use, and I could no longer stand up, no less climb stairs or jump up on the bed to sleep with my people-family. Then I started to get arthritis in my knees. With treatments from both the acupuncturist and chiropractor I know, I can stand again — not perfectly, but I can manage to scoot around. I can no longer run
and jump, although I have managed — with a boost from my people family members — to walk up and down the four steps in our family room. By the way, I’m only 5 years old.
You’re probably wondering what all of this has to do with anything. The reason I am writing this is to say thank you to Gov. Cayetano for
signing the bill to reduce the quarantine for qualified dogs and cats to 30 days. I would also like to thank all the people who worked so hard for so many years to make this happen. The ideal situation would be zero days, but I will not look a gift horse in the mouth. (As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t look any horse in the mouth.) So I say to all the people that had anything to do with reducing the quarantine time, mahalo.
One more thing, all of my species will appreciate your humanity if you keep working to end quarantine for my relatives who will be coming to Hawaii in the future. I would not have had my back and leg problems and Deuce would not have his ear problems if we weren’t quarantined. Like Deuce and I, other dogs and cats will have their required rabies vaccinations. They will have their ID microchips. They will be free of diseases and parasites like we were. They will not endanger the people of Hawaii. They will only bring pleasure.
Please do not subject any more dogs and cats to the deadly
pesticides used in quarantine, to the debilitating diseases, and the trauma.
Please do not separate them from their people families. It breaks too many hearts.
Although Ace and Deuce crossed to the Rainbow Bridge a year ago, their quest to end quarantine is still being sought.
Today, I write this in their memory. Much has changed in the last six years. There is scientific proof that the latest vaccines for rabies are more effective than any quarantine system. There is no logical reason for Hawaii to continue its quarantine system as it stands. It is time to bring our system into the 21st century. It is time to welcome visitors traveling with pets with true aloha. It is time that kamaaina be allowed to travel to the mainland with their pets and be allowed to return without placing them in quarantine. It is time to allow business people to travel back and forth with their pets. It is time to stop punishing members of the military because they move to Hawaii without much notice. We should be thanking our lucky stars that they are stationed here. We shouldn’t be punishing them by
taking their pets and incarcerating them in quarantine. It’s no secret that members of the military must have their pets vaccinated. It’s a military requirement.
Ninety-one years of quarantine has resulted in no rabies cases. It isn’t quarantine that is keeping Hawaii rabies free. It’s science. It’s people who take care of their pets. It’s common sense. Eleven years ago, when I asked why my dogs had to be quarantined since they had had all their shots as required since they were tiny pups, I was told that I could be lying. There was no way that anyone could tell if the medical records I presented belonged to my dogs.
Today, we have microchips so that argument doesn’t work.
Some people ask why I care anymore. I no longer have a personal interest. Oh, but I do. The quarantine system is preventing me from holding my 5-month-old grandson. My daughter and her husband live in New York City in a tiny apartment with my new grandson and their three miniature dachshunds.
They would like to move to Hawaii and start a business here. But they won’t move here until they can get off the airplane with their baby boy and their three pups. They will not move here if they are forced to put their dogs in quarantine for even one day. They know the pain, the trauma, the horror.
They know that dogs die in quarantine — dogs that were perfectly healthy when they entered the system.
Would someone please tell me how three tiny dogs, who have had all the proper vaccinations, who have lived in an apartment in NYC all of their lives could possibly have rabies? I have lived in cities and the country. I have lived in cities and towns coast-to-coast on the mainland, and in all my years I have never heard of anyone who had rabies or seen a rabid animal.
It’s time! Please turn Ruby’s Bill into fact, so I can hold my grandson every day — so nobody else has to suffer needlessly, so no dog or cat has to be separated, unnecessarily, from its family and no family has to leave the quarantine station seeing pleading eyes, hearing the cries of a lonely, sad and frightened pet ever again!
”’Carol Williams is a resident of Kaneohe.”’
Grassroot Perspective – March 12, 2003-Maryland May Allow Small Group HRAs; AMA Calls on FTC to Investigate Insurance Industry Concentration; NY Times – Bush Reinventing Medicare, Medicaid; Fortune – Upcoming Labor Negotiations to Focus on Health Benefits; Consumerism Means More Than Cost-Shifting; The Phenomenon of Globalization
“Dick Rowland Image”
”Shoots (News, Views and Quotes)”
– Maryland May Allow Small Group HRAs
By Greg Scandlen
On Feb. 12, I testified on Health Reimbursement Arrangements before the Maryland Senate Finance Committee. Maryland is unique in having a “Health Care Access Commission” that defines what benefits will be allowed to be offered in the small group market. The powers-that-be in Maryland (including the couple of major insurers that control most of the market) are quite happy with this arrangement. Publicly they argue that having standardized benefit plans is good for consumers because it makes it easier to comparison shop between plans. In fact, it impedes competition and innovation, so the major players can continue dominating the market without having to work very hard. A few years ago the Commission decided to allow MSAs to be sold in Maryland, but added so many bells and whistles to the already complicated federal rules, that few if any have ever been sold in the state. The legislation I was testifying on would have required the Commission to allow small employers to set up Health Reimbursement Arrangements. There were quite a few misconceptions among the Senators. They seemed to assume that an
HRA must involve a high-deductible insurance plan. I tried to clarify
the issue in my testimony.
SOURCE: www.galen.org/news/021303a.html
– AMA Calls on FTC to Investigate Insurance Industry Concentration
American Medical News ran an editorial calling for the Federal Trade
Commission to investigate this sort of market domination. It cites a
recent AMA report on “Competition in Health Insurance” that found as few as two plans hold 90 percent of the market in places like Dayton, OH and Pensacola, FL, and 61 out of 70 metropolitan areas are “highly concentrated.” It says that in 20 of the markets, a single plan held at least half of the HMO/PPO enrollment and that barriers to entry for new competitors are daunting. The editorial concludes, “The FTC needs to investigate, and act forcefully as needed, when a managed-care machine starts pushing people around.”
SOURCE: https://www.ama-assn.org/sci-pubs/amnews/amn_03/edsa0303.htm
– NY Times – Bush Reinventing Medicare, Medicaid
This kind of market domination makes it easy for the single payer crowd to argue for governmental programs. If there is no meaningful
competition, what is lost when a government agency replaces a private monopoly? That is precisely the nut the Bush administration is trying to crack in developing Medicare and Medicaid reform proposals, as well as Social Security, according to Robin Toner and Robert Pear in the New York Times. They write, “The administration’s vision for Medicare and Social Security moves away from the notion that everyone should be in the same government-managed system with the same benefits. It promises individuals more choices.” The ability of individuals to make choices is a fundamental dividing line, according to the article. It quotes Former SSA Commissioner Robert Ball as saying, “(The Bush) proposals are a major departure from the principles that have governed the social insurance system from the beginning.” These principles include “that all working Americans pay into the same Medicare system; that the healthy and the sick, the rich and the poor, end up in the same program; and that all have the same core benefits when they retire.”
SOURCE: https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/24/politics/24AGEN.html
– Fortune – Upcoming Labor Negotiations to Focus on Health Benefits
Writing in Fortune Magazine, David Stires says, “You don’t need a
crystal ball to see that that is a fight waiting to happen.” He is
referring to the coming round of labor negotiations where health care
will be at the very tippy-top of the agenda. The tone has been set by
the two-day walk-out by General Electric workers and the earlier 44-day strike at Hershey Foods. The GE workers were resisting adding from $200 – $400 per year in out-of-pocket costs, and the Hershey workers ended up taking lower pay increases to offset added health care costs. The article says that corporations, especially in manufacturing, are reaching a breaking point. While prices went up in the services industry by 3.2 percent in December (over the year before), in manufacturing prices actually dropped by 1.5 percent. Meanwhile health-care costs are soaring, rising by 44 percent since 1999 at GE. SBC Communications is even worse off
with health costs jumping by almost 50 percent since 1999, for a total outlay of $2.5 billion for 343,000 active and retired employees — $7,829 per person. The Big Three automakers have total health care liabilities of $92 billion — 50 percent greater than their combined market capitalization of $66 billion. Though strikes are likely, they could also kill off the economic recovery. The article says the West Coast dock strike last year “was the single biggest influence on the fourth quarter’s sharp drop in national output” and cost the economy $2 billion a day. There isn’t much optimism in the article. While GE’s senior vice president of human resources is quoted as saying the company was passing on just 10 percent of its health-care increases, the president of the union, Edward Fire says, “We’ll fight to the bitter end,” if the company tries to get workers to pay more of their health care spending.
SOURCE: www.fortune.com/fortune/articles/0,15114,423756,00.html
– Consumerism Means More Than Cost-Shifting
Michael Prince writes in Business Insurance that, “Cost-shifting is only a temporary solution.” What is really needed is, “a fundamental change in employees health-care mindset.” The article quotes Jack Mollen of EMC Corp. as saying, “We can never solve the 15 percent compounded growth problem without focusing on the long term.” The article goes on to say that a successful long term approach “involves instilling a consumer mentality,” including cost awareness and better information. Keith Peden of Raytheon said 3,000 of their employees have signed up for Definity’s consumer-driven plan. He reports there has been no adverse selection. At Coors Brewing, 14 percent of employees signed up for the plan when it was first offered. But Mr. Mollen added that consumerism does not have to mean adding a consumer-driven plan. “Consumerism is getting the employee to
be an effective decision-maker. It’s about making the right choices.”
SOURCE: https://www.businessinsurance.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?articleId=12351&a=a&bt=cost
-shifting
Above articles are quoted from Galen Institute Consumer Choice Matters #5 Feb. 25, 2003
”Roots (Food for Thoughts)”
– The Phenomenon of Globalization
By Rev. Robert A. Sirico
Globalization has emerged as a new paradigm for describing the way in which the human family can relate to each other. Globalization is the increased interconnectedness of all peoples on the face of the earth. We can now more easily, rapidly, and cheaply move, and thus share, ourselves, our consumer goods, our material and human capital, and the values that comprise our respective cultures. Our ever-increasing ability to share our God-given and complementary gifts with one another holds with it the possibilities of enlarging the scope of our communion and solidarity.
The technological revolution and social dimensions of modernity have made this increased interconnectedness possible. Advancements in technology have made quick and radical improvements in communication and transportation capabilities. The social dimension of modernity contributes the assertion that because all men and women are equally valuable, they should be free from unfulfilling constraints imposed by other persons or the state. These technological capacities and the freedom to develop and use them promise to enhance the potential for integral human development by promoting authentic development in at least the areas of economics, politics, and culture. In economics, globalization broadens the free market to include many nations to which it had not previously reached. Improvement in the political arena is recognized in a newfound permeability of borders that allows for an exchange of information that can undermine the power of abusive regimes.
The effects of globalization on culture-society’s shared idea of human
good and morality-can also be positive in that never in history have
these societal ideas and cultural characteristics been so easy to share.
Resulting from human sinfulness, however, our increasing
interconnectedness also holds great potential for offenses against human dignity. Greater economic development means a greater need for additional capital. Businesses or states can raise capital through
borrowing or “foreign direct investment.” Corruption, incompetence, or circumstance may cause business or state revenues to be lower than expected and result in a debt repayment crisis that may lead to
austerity measures that disproportionately benefit creditors and hurt
the poor. “Foreign direct investment” may promote conditions that allow for dispersed, non-localized ownership and management of the market franchise. Globalization also poses immense long-term challenges for culture. Because widespread skepticism now exists about whether universal and timeless truths exist, cultural freedom can be abused. The weak who seem to have little to offer culture -the poor, the unborn, the elderly, and the disabled-become a burden to be marginalized, limited, and even destroyed instead of being recognized as persons worthy of respect and solidarity.
So what can believers offer to the globalization process? One of the
great resources Christianity brings to the mission of ensuring that
globalization serves the human person is its universality. We can be
more fully extended throughout the entire world, allowing its truth to be brought more completely to the human family. That truth and the community around it embolden us to proclaim unequivocally the absolute dignity of all human persons. The challenge before us now is to use our information and network effectively to develop apologetics that will positively influence the carriers of today’s culture.
The Rev. Robert A. Sirico is a Roman Catholic priest and the president
of the Acton Institute.
Above article is quoted from the Acton Institute Religion & Liberty
www.actoninstitute.org
”Evergreen (Today’s Quotes)”
“Big Government is for little people. The better the people, the less
necessity there is for government. This simple, vicarious relationship
between the citizen and his government is obscured today in the fog of our confused political councils.” — Clarence Manion
“We must always remember that our Constitution was designed to protect the freedom of the smallest possible minority — one person — against the demands of the greatest possible majority — all other persons combined.” — Ben Moreell
“Champion the right to be yourself. Dare
://www.grassrootinstitute.org/
own pattern. Live your own life, and follow your own star.” — Lin Yutang
”’Edited by Richard O. Rowland, president of Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. He can be reached at (808) 487-4959 or by email at:”’ mailto:grassroot@hawaii.rr.com ”’For more information, see its Web site at:”’ https://www.grassrootinstitute.org/
From Feeling Good About Ourselves to Meeting New People
“Suzanne Gelb Image”
”Compliments – Why Don’t They Help?”
Dear Dr. Gelb:
I am a sophomore in college and when I do presentations in class, afterwards people come up and compliment me on my talk. But I still feel insecure about my talk. Why aren’t the compliments enough?
Insecure
A: Dr. Gelb says . . .
Dear Insecure:
Many of us missed out on a wonderful developmental period, which occurs from age four until seven or eight years. This phase, called the narcissistic stage, offers the child opportunities to establish self-love, self-worth and self-respect, and out of that, the child can develop self-pride. Children who experience this stage can develop into adults who take pride in what they do, in themselves, in the way they talk, walk, think, and the way they behave, for example. With self-pride in tact, when one reaches the podium and begins making a presentation, one can feel like a giant among all others. Happy Landing.
”Networking – What’s Appropriate?”
Dear Dr. Gelb:
I attend a monthly networking lunch, and last month this person I did not know asked me to sit with him. I could have sat at another table with some important folks, but I wanted to accept the invitation from the person because he really wanted to sit with me. When do we do what is politically correct, and when do we be sincere and treat each person with importance, even if they are not a public figure or someone who could pull strings?
Pulling Strings
A: Dr. Gelb says . . .
Dear Pulling Strings:
I believe I would have made a similar decision to yours. A gathering such as you mentioned offers a wonderful opportunity to meet new and interesting people and I try not to turn down such an opportunity. I also know that I will have opportunities at other gatherings to spend time with those colleagues and dignitaries who I already know. So, in my book it is appropriate to take every opportunity to meet new and interesting people. We never know when we will meet the goose that laid the golden egg.
Dear Readers:
Answers to questions in today’s column can be supplemented with excerpts from “Yesterday’s Children” (Q1: p. 70) written by psychologists Marti Barham, R.N., Ph.D. and Tom Greene, Ph.D. For more information visit my Web site at https://www.DrGelbSays.com
”’Suzanne J. Gelb, Ph.D., J.D. authors this daily column, Dr. Gelb Says, which answers questions about daily living and behavior issues. Dr. Gelb is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Honolulu. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Human Services. Dr. Gelb is also a published author of a book on Overcoming Addictions and a book on Relationships.”’
”’This column is intended for entertainment use only and is not intended for the purpose of psychological diagnosis, treatment or personalized advice. For more about the column’s purpose, see”’ “An Online Intro to Dr. Gelb Says”
”’Email your questions to mailto:DrGelbSays@hawaiireporter.com More information on Dr. Gelb’s www.DrGelbSays.comvailable at”’ https://www.DrGelbSays.com
Legislative Hearing Notices – March 12, 2003
The following hearing notices, which are subject to change, were sorted and taken from the Hawaii State Capitol Web site. Please check that site for updates and/or changes to the schedule at
“Hawaii State Legislature Sidebar”
Go there and click on the Hearing Date to view the Hearing Notice.
Hearings notices for both House and Senate measures in all committees:
Hearing
”Date Time Bill Number Measure Title Committee”
3/12/03 9:00 AM HB176 HD1 RELATING TO THE WEED AND SEED PROGRAM. JHW
3/12/03 9:00 AM HB297 HD2 RELATING TO DRUGS. JHW
3/12/03 9:00 AM HB298 HD2 RELATING TO CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES. JHW
3/12/03 9:00 AM HB857 RELATING TO CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES. JHW
3/12/03 9:00 AM HB1116 HD1 RELATING TO COURTS. JHW
3/12/03 9:00 AM HB1217 HD1 RELATING TO CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES. JHW
3/12/03 9:00 AM HB1217 HD1 RELATING TO CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES. JHW
3/12/03 9:00 AM SB44 SD2 RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION. TRN
3/12/03 9:00 AM SB345 SD1 RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLES. TRN
3/12/03 9:00 AM SB460 RELATING TO DUNE BUGGIES. TRN
3/12/03 9:00 AM SB464 SD2 RELATING TO IMPLEMENTATION OF A FIXED RAIL TRANSIT SYSTEM. TRN
3/12/03 9:00 AM SB562 RELATING TO TERMINABLE RENTAL ADJUSTMENT CLAUSE VEHICLE LEASES. TRN
3/12/03 9:00 AM SB1172 SD2 RELATING TO AIRLINES. TRN
3/12/03 9:00 AM SB1408 SD1 RELATING TO STATEWIDE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING. TRN
3/12/03 9:00 AM SB1478 SD2 RELATING TO AIRPORT CONCESSIONAIRES. TRN
3/12/03 9:00 AM SB1657 SD1 RELATING TO THE ADMINISTRATION OF PARKING FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES. TRN
3/12/03 9:00 AM GM228 Submitting for consideration and confirmation as Director of the Department of Taxation, Gubernatorial Nominee, KURT K. KAWAFUCHI, for a term to expire 12-04-06. WAM
”Date Time Bill Number Measure Title Committee”
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB32 HD2 RELATING TO EDUCATION. EDU
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB32 HD2 RELATING TO EDUCATION. EDU
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB277 HD1 RELATING TO EDUCATION. EDU
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB277 HD1 RELATING TO EDUCATION. EDU
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB281 HD1 RELATING TO STATE EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE. EDU
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB289 HD2 RELATING TO EDUCATION. EDU
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB292 HD2 RELATING TO THE SCHOOL PRIORITY FUND. EDU
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB314 HD1 MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR SCHOOL SECURITY GUARDS. EDU
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB488 RELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE REVENUE BONDS FOR MID-PACIFIC INSTITUTE. EDU
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB638 HD1 RELATING TO THE HAWAII STATE PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM. EDU
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB714 HD1 RELATING TO EDUCATION. EDU
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB1175 HD2 RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. EDU
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB1176 HD1 RELATING TO EDUCATION. EDU
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB1506 HD1 MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR ISPED CLERK TYPISTS. EDU
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB50 HD2 RELATING TO THE HAWAII PUBLIC EMPLOYEES HEALTH FUND. LBR
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB132 HD1 RELATING TO PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES AND EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES. LBR
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB287 HD3 RELATING TO PUBLIC EMPLOYEES. LBR
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB294 RELATING TO TEMPORARY HEALTH INSURANCE FOR UNEMPLOYED PERSONS. LBR
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB391 HD2 RELATING TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING. LBR
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB403 HD1 RELATING TO THE EMPLOYEES’ RETIREMENT SYSTEM. LBR
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB507 HD3 RELATING TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS. LBR
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB553 HD2 RELATING TO THE EMPLOYEES’ RETIREMENT SYSTEM. LBR
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB554 HD2 RELATING TO GOVERNMENT. LBR
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB968 HD1 RELATING TO UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS. LBR
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB986 HD2 RELATING TO DEATH BENEFITS OF SURVIVING CHILDREN OF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES. LBR
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB1013 HD3 RELATING TO EXAMINATIONS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF PERMANENT IMPAIRMENT. LBR
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB1157 RELATING TO THE EMPLOYEES’ RETIREMENT SYSTEM. LBR
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB1159 HD1 RELATING TO THE EMPLOYEES’ RETIREMENT SYSTEM. LBR
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB1198 HD2 RELATING TO CHILD LABOR. LBR
3/12/03 1:15 PM HB1373 RELATING TO PUBLIC EMPLOYEES. LBR
”Date Time Bill Number Measure Title Committee”
3/12/03 1:30 PM SB373 SD1 RELATING TO CONDOMINIUM PROPERTY REGIMES. CPC
3/12/03 1:30 PM SB374 SD1 RELATING TO REAL ESTATE. CPC
3/12/03 1:30 PM SB394 RELATING TO CONDOMINIUM PROPERTY REGIMES. CPC
3/12/03 1:30 PM SB574 SD1 RELATING TO CAPTIVE INSURANCE. CPC
3/12/03 1:30 PM SB1057 RELATING TO THE INSURANCE COMMISSIONER. CPC
3/12/03 1:30 PM SB1058 SD1 RELATING TO CAPTIVE INSURANCE. CPC
3/12/03 1:30 PM SB1077 SD1 RELATING TO CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR INSURANCE LICENSEES. CPC
3/12/03 1:30 PM SB1200 SD1 RELATING TO CAPTIVE INSURANCE. CPC
3/12/03 1:30 PM SB1229 SD1 RELATING TO NONPROFIT CORPORATIONS. CPC
3/12/03 1:30 PM SB1261 RELATING TO PROCUREMENT CARD PAYMENTS. CPC
3/12/03 1:30 PM SB1262 SD1 RELATING TO PROCUREMENT. CPC
3/12/03 1:30 PM SB1306 RELATING TO TELECOMMUNICATIONS RELAY SERVICES. CPC
3/12/03 1:30 PM SB1315 RELATING TO INSURANCE FRAUD. CPC
3/12/03 1:30 PM SB1319 SD1 RELATING TO THE UNIFORM LIMITED PARTNERSHIP ACT. CPC
3/12/03 1:30 PM SB1324 SD1 RELATING TO CONCILIATION PANELS. CPC
3/12/03 1:30 PM SB1533 SD2 RELATING TO TAXATION. CPC
3/12/03 1:30 PM SB1553 SD1 RELATING TO MORTGAGE BROKERS AND SOLICITORS. CPC
3/12/03 1:30 PM SB1589 SD1 RELATING TO NONPROFIT CORPORATIONS. CPC
”Date Time Bill Number Measure Title Committee”
3/12/03 2:45 PM HB133 HD1 RELATING TO CHILD PROTECTION. HMS
3/12/03 2:45 PM HB519 HD1 RELATING TO THE ELDER JUSTICE ACT. HMS
3/12/03 2:45 PM HB925 HD3 RELATING TO ELDER ABUSE. HMS
3/12/03 2:45 PM HB1272 HD2 RELATING TO ADVOCACY FOR HUMAN SERVICES. HMS
3/12/03 2:45 PM HB49 HD2 RELATING TO TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS. TMG
3/12/03 2:45 PM HB52 HD2 RELATING TO CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY. TMG
3/12/03 2:45 PM HB73 RELATING TO STATE GOVERNMENT. TMG
3/12/03 2:45 PM HB1064 RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION. TMG
3/12/03 2:45 PM HB1247 MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A CONTRAFLOW LANE ON FARRINGTON HIGHWAY ALONG THE WAIANAE COAST FROM MOHIHI STREET TO PILIOKAHI AVENUE. TMG
3/12/03 2:45 PM SCR27 REQUESTING THE HAWAII CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO LOOK INTO EXPANDING THE ANTITRUST EXEMPTION TO ENABLE HAWAIIAN AIRLINES TO COORDINATE INDIVIDUAL ROUTE SCHEDULES. TMG
3/12/03 2:45 PM SR16 REQUESTING THE HAWAII CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO LOOK INTO EXPANDING THE ANTITRUST EXEMPTION TO ENABLE HAWAIIAN AIRLINES TO COORDINATE INDIVIDUAL ROUTE SCHEDULES. TMG
”’To reach legislators, see:”’ “Representatives at a Glance” and “Senators at a Glance”
Government Knows Only One Mode of Operation – Coercion-Harris' Attempt to Ram BRT Down Community's Throat is One Good Example
In a ”’Mises Institute Daily Article”’ arguing against war in Iraq, the author made an interesting observation about government in general that applies well to some leaders in Hawaii: “Government knows only one mode of operation: coercion.”
See https://www.mises.org/fullstory.asp?control=1178
This principle is particularly applicable to Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris’ insistence that the city implement the in-town Bus Rapid Transit project, despite all logic to the contrary. The mayor intends to go forward with this project, no matter how damaging it will be to those who have or do business in Waikiki, the private transit companies it will compete with, or to the overall traffic problem.
As has been noted before in HawaiiReporter, the in-town BRT will make traffic problems worse, not better. Dedicating whole lanes of already busy streets to the BRT will reduce the number of remaining lanes for everyday automobiles, not to mention commercial traffic.
Since the vast majority of these drivers don’t live along the BRT route, they will never be serviced by the BRT. Instead, they will continue to drive because driving is, and will always be, the most efficient way to get to and from work. So these people are going to have to make do with reduced lanes, an imposition that will greatly increase traffic, not alleviate it.
The idea that the in-town BRT is being built for local commuters, is equally faulty. There are less than 20,000 residents in Waikiki. Only a small portion of these actually work downtown. Most that live in Waikiki, work in Waikiki, which is why they live there. The idea that running a line between Waikiki and a downtown hub will reduce commuter traffic is clearly false. The majority of commuters come from the outlying areas. There is something else at work here.
In the HawaiiReporter article: https://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?8d3964f5-bbe5-4b4c-87ed-1982e959ee14
the author states, “For example, tour buses on Oahu are not allowed to compete with public transportation during rush hour, even though they could contribute to a service that more closely fit the diverse transportation needs of the community.”
This is the crux of the problem. It is government supplanting the private sector. Government is the only entity allowed to impose a monopoly, with no concern with how much money that monopoly then loses. The larger the monopoly becomes the more money it will lose. Expand TheBus to include the BRT and the deficit will inevitably grow proportionally. All government rapid transit systems run at a deficit, none make a profit. TheBus was once a profitable private enterprise.
The problem here is related to the premise introduced at the beginning: coercion by government is its only mode. Such coercion can only take place at the expense of private enterprise. In this case private enterprise must be forbidden ”’by law”’ not to provide competitive solutions to the monopoly of government. Additionally we are then taxed against our will to pay for the deficit that the monopoly generates, since government monopolies are never as efficient or cost effective as free enterprise. This is ideology taking precedence over reason, force over freedom, coercion over choice, socialism over capitalism.
If a dollar by dollar comparison were done on the money lost on the commute from Ewa and central Oahu communities versus the in-town transit times, there is no doubt where the greater cost would be.
The thousands upon thousands of commuters who are trapped on the various roadways leading into the city for hours far outweigh the transit times of the meager numbers commuting within the city. That a BRT should be first focused on the former segment is also not in doubt. But government works by coercion, not by logic.
The in-town BRT will establish a structure that will create, by design, much more serious traffic problems on Oahu, rather than alleviate them.
*The BRT will worsen traffic problems in an effort to force people from their cars. The more inconvenient traffic becomes the more people will be induced to give up and just acquiesce to the BRT. This is the opposite of the stated purpose
Government Knows Only One Mode of Operation – Coercion-Harris’ Attempt to Ram BRT Down Community’s Throat is One Good Example
In a ”’Mises Institute Daily Article”’ arguing against war in Iraq, the author made an interesting observation about government in general that applies well to some leaders in Hawaii: “Government knows only one mode of operation: coercion.”
See https://www.mises.org/fullstory.asp?control=1178
This principle is particularly applicable to Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris’ insistence that the city implement the in-town Bus Rapid Transit project, despite all logic to the contrary. The mayor intends to go forward with this project, no matter how damaging it will be to those who have or do business in Waikiki, the private transit companies it will compete with, or to the overall traffic problem.
As has been noted before in HawaiiReporter, the in-town BRT will make traffic problems worse, not better. Dedicating whole lanes of already busy streets to the BRT will reduce the number of remaining lanes for everyday automobiles, not to mention commercial traffic.
Since the vast majority of these drivers don’t live along the BRT route, they will never be serviced by the BRT. Instead, they will continue to drive because driving is, and will always be, the most efficient way to get to and from work. So these people are going to have to make do with reduced lanes, an imposition that will greatly increase traffic, not alleviate it.
The idea that the in-town BRT is being built for local commuters, is equally faulty. There are less than 20,000 residents in Waikiki. Only a small portion of these actually work downtown. Most that live in Waikiki, work in Waikiki, which is why they live there. The idea that running a line between Waikiki and a downtown hub will reduce commuter traffic is clearly false. The majority of commuters come from the outlying areas. There is something else at work here.
In the HawaiiReporter article: https://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?8d3964f5-bbe5-4b4c-87ed-1982e959ee14
the author states, “For example, tour buses on Oahu are not allowed to compete with public transportation during rush hour, even though they could contribute to a service that more closely fit the diverse transportation needs of the community.”
This is the crux of the problem. It is government supplanting the private sector. Government is the only entity allowed to impose a monopoly, with no concern with how much money that monopoly then loses. The larger the monopoly becomes the more money it will lose. Expand TheBus to include the BRT and the deficit will inevitably grow proportionally. All government rapid transit systems run at a deficit, none make a profit. TheBus was once a profitable private enterprise.
The problem here is related to the premise introduced at the beginning: coercion by government is its only mode. Such coercion can only take place at the expense of private enterprise. In this case private enterprise must be forbidden ”’by law”’ not to provide competitive solutions to the monopoly of government. Additionally we are then taxed against our will to pay for the deficit that the monopoly generates, since government monopolies are never as efficient or cost effective as free enterprise. This is ideology taking precedence over reason, force over freedom, coercion over choice, socialism over capitalism.
If a dollar by dollar comparison were done on the money lost on the commute from Ewa and central Oahu communities versus the in-town transit times, there is no doubt where the greater cost would be.
The thousands upon thousands of commuters who are trapped on the various roadways leading into the city for hours far outweigh the transit times of the meager numbers commuting within the city. That a BRT should be first focused on the former segment is also not in doubt. But government works by coercion, not by logic.
The in-town BRT will establish a structure that will create, by design, much more serious traffic problems on Oahu, rather than alleviate them.
*The BRT will worsen traffic problems in an effort to force people from their cars. The more inconvenient traffic becomes the more people will be induced to give up and just acquiesce to the BRT. This is the opposite of the stated purpose
Financial Audit of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism-Report No. 03-03, March 2003
”Summary”
The Office of the Auditor and the certified public accounting firm of KPMG LLP conducted a financial audit of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, State of Hawaii, for the fiscal year July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2002. The audit examined the financial records and transactions of the department; reviewed the related systems of accounting and internal controls; and tested transactions, systems, and procedures for compliance with laws and regulations.
We found deficiencies in the financial accounting and internal control practices of the department. We found that the department is deficient in the management of its loan programs. The department administers four revolving loan programs that were developed to stimulate Hawaii