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    Political Tittle-tattle: News and Entertainment from Hawaii’s Political Arena – Feb. 5, 2003-The ‘Bagdad’ Caucus Votes Against U.S. Military and the President; Senate Bill Being Heard Today Ups the Ante to $24,000 Per Contributor; Investigation Closing in Around Harris Backers; Felix Investigative Committee to Hold Press Conference Today; Construction May Mean No More Wedding Blues

    Hawaii Reporter
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    “Malia headshot Image”

    ”The ‘Bagdad’ Caucus Votes Against U.S. Military and the President”

    Not having enough to do with local issues and problems, the Democratic majority in the Hawaii state House of Representatives embarked on an aggressive debate yesterday attacking in one fell swoop the United States, the American Military and the president and commander in chief.

    The 34 Democrats present and voting came out solidly for Saddam Hussein and in opposition to American foreign policy. There was an attempt by Republicans to at least delay the debate on the resolution for 24 hours until Secretary of State Colin Powell delivered his detailed analysis and updated intelligence information regarding Iraq.

    But the House Democrats, who earlier bashed Gov. Linda Lingle, rushed to judgment against Pres. George W. Bush, no matter that they have not put as much passion and commitment into addressing Hawaii’s fiscal crisis, educational rehabilitation, the need to improve the economy or to restore confidence in government.

    Along strictly partisan lines by a vote of 34 to 14 with three Representatives absent, the Democrats passed their resolution, thus joining hands with Hawaii’s all Democrat congressional delegation that also has staked out a clear position in opposition to Bush and America’s active duty Military personnel.

    Fast forward to the year 2175 and Democrats in the Hawaii House and in U.S. Congress are still waiting for the socialist and communist countries to back America at the United Nations and for the inspectors to find more weapons. Meanwhile major cities across America have been leveled.

    ”Fight Over Decentralization of School System, Offering Choice to Parents, Taxpayers, Builds Before Legislature, Board of Education”

    The debate in the state Legislature is heating up over whether to back Gov. Linda Lingle’s plan for decentralizing of Hawaii’s statewide single school district into seven, so neighbor island families, parents and taxpayers can have more input into the bureaucratic system. The Lingle administration and Republican lawmakers have advanced several bills proposing a constitutional amendment on the 2004 General election ballot to allow the voters to choose whether they would like to have the opportunity for decentralized locally accountable elected school boards.

    Meanwhile the Board of Education is planning to meet tomorrow evening (Thursday) at 7 p.m. to consider proposals for the same educational decentralization plan. No surprise, the majority of members have made up their minds in opposition to the plan, as proposed by Gov. Linda Lingle and others supporting choice in education for parents and taxpayers.

    Some of the Board members already made their positions clear at a House hearing last week, including Board Member Laura Thielen who is the only one of 13 to publicly support Lingle’s plan.

    (Actually all of the Board of Education members should all recuse themselves from voting in their own meeting because they are voting on their own positions).

    The naysayers in the Board of Education are being supported by Department of Education bureaucrats, the Hawaii State Teachers Association union, many Democrats in the Legislature and other special interest groups who do not want to give parents, taxpayers or teachers input into meaningful reorganization.

    House Education Chair Roy Takumi puts on a game face saying he is willing to study the proposal, but says now is not the time. He says decentralization should be debated next year since the amendment would not go on the general election ballot until next year’s 2004 General Election. He is not telling the public the legislative process dictates that if the constitutional amendment is proposed by the Legislature and voted on in two successive legislative sessions, the bill requires only a simple majority in both houses in order to pass and be placed on the ballot. If action is taken in just one session, a two-thirds majority is needed for the measure to appear on the ballot.

    Meanwhile, Senate Education Chair Norman Sakamoto, D-Waipahu, who last year single-handedly blocked education decentralization efforts, is not even hearing the measures at the present time.

    Supporters of Lingle’s plan are asking the public to attend the Board of Education meeting tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the Queen Liliokalani Building and to fax or email their thoughts on educational reform to the Board of Education and to the education chairs in the House and Senate. The Board of Education can be faxed at 586-3433 or go to its Web site at https://lilinote.k12.hi.us/STATE/BOE/HomePage.nsf?OpenDatabase and Education Chair in the House Roy Takumi can be faxed at 586-6501 or called at 586-6170; and Education Chair Sakamoto in the Senate can be faxed at 586-6725 or called at 586-8585.

    KHVH Radio Talk Show Host Rick Hamada thinks the issue is of such great importance that he will broadcast live from the Capitol Rotunda tomorrow at 7 a.m. and has invited all legislators to state their position regarding educational reform and the direction the Board of Education should take.

    ”Senate Bill Being Heard Today Ups the Ante to $24,000 Per Contributor”

    Senate Bill 468, being heard today in the Judiciary and Government Affairs committee at 9 am in conference room 229, will raise the contribution limit for state Senators from $4,000 per contributor to $24,000 per contributor.

    The bill was introduced by Sen. Colleen Hanabusa, a D-Waianae, the chair of the Judiciary committee, and co-signed by Sen. Cal Kawamoto, D-Waipahu, chair of the Government Transportation committee.

    At first glance, the bill looks harmless and has enough technicalities and legalese to be confusing. But look closer and the bill allows individuals to make a standard $4,000 contribution, an additional $10,000 contribution if campaigns are “coordinated” meaning two candidates work together and still another $10,000 to a political party that can be designated back to candidates. That adds up to a whopping $24,000 per person per candidate per election cycle.

    The state Campaign Spending Commission executive director will be testifying against the bill, saying it does not help bring about reform in the campaign spending laws.

    ”Investigation Closing in Around Harris Backers”

    While some Democrat state Legislators are trying to get more money into their campaigns, supporters of Honolulu Jeremy Harris continue to admit their guilt in a money laundering scheme that helped contribute more than $1 million to the mayor’s political campaign from 1996 to 2001.

    While more than 100 contractors and businesses are under investigation, and 40 have settled or are in the process of settling complaints by the state Campaign Spending Commission, some extreme cases are being prosecuted by Honolulu Deputy Prosecutor Randy Lee.

    Lee was in court again yesterday with two executives of a local engineering company, SSFM, the first of several contractors likely to be prosecuted criminally for their role in padding the mayor’s campaign with illegal campaign contributions. They both pled no contest to money laundering charges, following in the footsteps of company head Mike Matsumoto, who last week Thursday pled no contest to the same charges.

    ”Felix investigative Committee to Hold Press Conference Today”

    The Joint Senate-House Felix Investigative Committee will announce a major settlement agreement that was entered into by the Department of the Attorney General and a private service provider today at 11 a.m. in the state Capitol Rotunda.

    Co-chairs Sen. Colleen Hanabusa and Rep. Scott Saiki will present information regarding progress on the ongoing fraud investigation involving more than $1.5 billion in state and federal Felix special education funds.

    State Auditor Marion Higa also is expected to participate in the press conference.

    ”Construction May Mean No More Wedding Blues”

    Former Honolulu City Council Member John Henry Felix, who left office in Dec. 2002 due to term limits preventing him from again seeking a Council seat, appeared in the HawaiiReporter.com Watchlist Tracking System for a building permit he applied for at 5253 Kalanianaole Highway, Honolulu, Hawaii 96821.

    The plans call for turning two-single family dwellings into one, adding a library and renovating a kitchen into a wet bar.

    It seems Felix made the decision to merge his two homes to try and stop the dispute over whether he can operate a wedding business there. Neighbors filed complaints with the city around two years ago saying Felix’s wedding business is illegal because he is using one of the homes on the property but does not live in that home.

    The city originally sided with the neighbors fining Felix $100 a day for holding the wedding ceremonies — and at one time owed the city more than $65,500. However, Felix told reporters he receives between $300 and $500 for each ceremony, minimizing the financial drain of the fines.

    ”’To reach legislators, see:”’ “Representatives at a Glance” and “Senators at a Glance”

    ”’Send any tittle or tattle you might have to Malia Zimmerman at”’ mailto:Malia@HawaiiReporter.com ”’Send complaints elsewhere. Compliments and news tips accepted here.”’

    Rethink Aid Strategy to Poor Countries

    Hawaii Reporter
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    Aid agencies with good intentions have sought to assist poor countries emerge from their sorry economic state. Sub-Sahara Africa alone received total aid of some $83 billion between 1980 and 1988. Yet all those funds failed to spur economic growth and arrest Africa’s economic atrophy. The standard of living fell by 1.2 percent a year during this period. During the 1965 – 1984 period, 18 black African countries had growth rates of less than 1 percent per annum. The worst performers were Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ghana, Liberia, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda and Zaire.(1)

    Based on the strategy of interrupting the vicious circle of poverty, aid agents have been pouring billions of dollars into poor countries. According to this notion, stagnation and poverty are necessarily self perpetuating: poor people generally, and poor countries or societies in particular, are trapped in their poverty and cannot generate sufficient savings to escape from this trap.(2) This idea relegates the poor to the status of animals: we all know that an eagle’s nest a century ago looks pretty much the same today. Animals do not employ the use of their minds to change the status of their life. Human beings do use their minds and that is what makes us principally different from animals.

    A prominent development economist, the late Peter Bauer, argued that throughout history innumerable number of individuals, families, groups, societies and a few countries — countries both in the West and Third World — moved from poverty to prosperity without external donations. All developed countries began as underdeveloped: if the notion of vicious circle were valid, mankind would still be in the Stone Age at best.(3)

    Government to government aid has damaged existing institutions of productivity making poor countries poorer. Aid encourages governments to seek foreign assistance through beggary, extortion or threats, instead of creating needed change at home. Bauer observed, “Unlike manna from heaven which descends on the whole population, these subsidies go to the government”.(4) Government to government aid facilitates statism, which is hostile to the needs of the individual. It normally supports government directed projects and feeds a system of corruption. In other words, aid has tended to erode the proper role of governments in poor societies, hence scuttling ongoing development and scuttling any reforms that may be already underway. I would like to explore briefly the chief role of government by comparing the government and individuals to a referee and soccer players.

    The referee and players in soccer is suggested as an analogy that can be compared to government and individuals in wealth creation. Without the referee, football would be chaotic but, for the sake of fairness, the referee ensures a fair game that prohibits illegal scores. Competition is live in the field and the duty of the referee is to see to it that the best talent takes the show. Note that it is not the referee who chooses the talent; the spectators and the efforts of the individual players determine who is best.

    The referee is not a player but we have had incidents where the referee influences the outcome of a game by unfairly awarding penalties that make a team in his favour win. We have heard of referees and their linesmen (assistant referees) ignoring offsides and even giving red cards unfairly. When this happens the best team rarely reaches t h e league finals. T h e actual t e s t comes when such a floppy team has to represent a country against other teams that won out of talent. Victory never comes home. In the world of economic soccer, individuals are the players and the government is the referee. When a government favours a few businesses at the expense of the others, the economic game is messed. When it continually awards “red cards” to those it does not favour, a poor team is presented to the international economic market and victory can never be ours. What aid has done over the years is strengthen governments in poor countries whose role has been largely to erode the capacity of individuals to generate wealth. Does Africa need aid from donor agencies?

    ”Aid to Governments”

    Aid to governments certainly has some positive effects, which include the development of major projects such Aid has sapped the initiative, creativity and enterprise of ordinary people as dams, roads and public buildings. However, it also leads to a government receiving resources from external sources other than taxes. This makes the government less responsive to its people. People become less attached to the government system, which in most cases is normally richer than the rest of the society. This leads to patronage and rent seeking. Accumulation of wealth becomes directly linked to political patronage and links as opposed to products presented to the market. Aid has politicized the economies of many poor nations, diverting attention, energy and resources from productive activity to concern with political and administrative decisions.

    Between 1981 and 1996, nearly half the countries in Africa experienced significant episodes of violent conflict between government and opposition groups. By 1998, an estimated 4 million people had lost their lives as a direct result of political violence. Another 3 million became refugees. During the 1980s, at least 92 successful or unsuccessful military takeovers were recorded, affecting 29 African countries. Seven Africans heads of state lost their lives whilst in office in the 1980s and 1990s.(5) A keen analysis of these events reveals a quest to partake of the “national cake” which in most cases is aid from the wealthy countries. In summary, aid to poor countries is counter-productive for the following reasons.

    *It gives untrustworthy leaders resources they use to repress their people and legitimizes brutal tyrannies.

    *Aid corrodes indigenous democratic institutions.

    *It undermines the institutional capacity of governments, making most of them to be too dependent on aid that they cannot deliver public services without external funding.

    *It promotes graft in poor countries. For instance, graft grew hand in hand with foreign borrowing. By 1982, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) had accumulated a foreign debt of $5 billion and the president Mobutu Sese Seko had accumulated a personal fortune of $4 billion.(6)

    *Like welfare in developed countries, it makes the poor people heavily dependent and reduces incentives to be creative.

    *Lending to governments expands a country’s bureaucracy, finances and centrally planned economies.

    *Governments use aid to buy arms instead of focusing on creating the legal structure and commercial code necessary for long-term investment that can spur economic growth.

    *Aid to governments funds government enterprises, which compete with private sector enterprise. For instance, Ivory Coast’s Structural Adjustment Loan was used to “finance the arrears of several state agricultural enterprises.”(7)

    *The citizens in developing countries have not been given an opportunity to create their own agenda for their countries.(8) In most cases their governments focus on meeting donor set benchmarks instead of focusing on the productivity of their citizenry. An exit option seems nonexistent once a country gets hooked on aid.

    *Poor governments have been forced to work exclusively with bureaucracies of aid agencies (estimated 40,000 expatriates in Africa). This has made it difficult for poor countries to realize an effective human resource capability because their own experts are either ignored or no investment is prioritized to this end.

    *Caufield observes that aid has facilitated the creation of monstrous projects that have devastated the environment and ruined lives.(9) For example, “in 1977, the World Bank agreed to lend Kenya $40 million for the Bura irrigation project. The idea was to irrigate the 16,000 acres along the Tana River in the semi arid eastern part of the country, and bring in 5,000 families to grow cotton and other crops for export. Within 9 years, the project’s costs had quadrupled, the irrigation works had failed, and 20 percent of the settlers had abandoned the area. Those who remained were seriously indebted, had a high incidence of malaria and malnutrition and had death rates several times greater than the rest of the country.”

    *Aid has sapped the initiative, creativity and enterprise of ordinary people by making them reliant on government aided initiatives

    *It has sucked potential entrepreneurs and intellectuals in the developing countries into nonproductive administrative work by seeking to produce better aid managers as opposed to producing a productive work force.

    *Aid has allowed the dead grip of imposed officialdom to suppress popular choice and individual freedom.

    *Wealth creation has been scuttled by promoting a dependency on handouts.

    *Governments of poor countries seem to rely less on taxes and more on aid. This has made them to be less responsive to the needs of the people and inefficient in public service delivery. Economic Impact of Aid The amount of money that left the Third World during the lending boom is staggering. From 1976 – 1984, capital flight from Latin America equaled the increase in external debt of the same countries.(10) When Africa became the most aided continent, GDP per capita fell by an average of 3.4 percent per annum.(11)

    Caufield states that since the early 1980s, mainly as a result of a sharp decline in new lending by private banks coupled with ongoing repayments of old loans at rising interest rates, the wealthy countries have consistently been net recipients of funds from the Third World — not net donors to it — even when Overseas Development Aid (ODA) is taken into account. Initially the gain of the North was small — just $300 million in 1983. In 1984, however, it had risen dramatically to $12.5 billion. Since 1985, the poor South’s net transfer of finance to the rich nations has exceeded $30 billion per annum. The figure for the year 1 July 1987 to 30 June 1988, for instance, was $39.1 billion.(12)

    *Between 1986 – 1988, the IMF received net payments totaling $8 billion from the Third World.

    *The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development in the financial year to 30 June 1988 received $1.9 billion from poor countries.

    *From 1982 – 1987, British Banks took in more than

    A Tale of a Tax Cut

    Hawaii Reporter
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    0

    When it comes to public policy, liberals are masters of manipulation. As Congress prepares to debate President Bush

    Grassroot Perspective – Feb. 5, 2003-Does Health Insurance Determine One's Health?; Simple Care Growing in Washington State; When Proselytizing Goes Too Far

    Hawaii Reporter
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    0

    “Dick Rowland Image”

    ”Shoots (News, Views and Quotes)”

    – Does Health Insurance Determine One’s Health?

    It is frequently said that the uninsured have less access to health care and worse health outcomes. However, there is evidence that poverty and lack of education may be a cause of both poor health and non-insurance. If that is true, increasing the access of the poor to health insurance may not improve their health as much as some hope it would.

    For example, a recent survey of the United States and four other
    English-speaking countries perceived to have some version of “universal” health insurance found that many more people with below-average incomes report poor health than do higher-income people.

    In the United States, for example, 37 percent of below-average-income adults said they were in fair or poor health, while only 9 percent of above-average-income people said the same. By comparison, in the United Kingdom the ratio of low income to higher
    income adults reporting themselves in fair or poor health was 31 percent to 10 percent. If insurance were the primary factor in determining health status, these income disparities should disappear in countries with universal health care — but they don’t.

    Similarly, within the United States, people on Medicaid are both low
    income and well insured; yet Medicaid recipients appear to do about as badly or worse than the uninsured in receiving health care services or maintaining good health. And among Medicare enrollees, who are covered by the same insurance program regardless of their incomes, those with low incomes are twice as likely to report poor health as those with higher incomes. Studies have also found a strong correlation between poor education and poor health for most conditions.

    The fact is that people with low incomes and limited education have
    worse health than the rest of the population.

    Source: Greg Scandlen (senior fellow in health policy), “Health
    Insurance: How Much Does It Matter?” Brief Analysis No. 416, Aug. 21, 2002, National Center for Policy Analysis.

    For more on Health Policy And The Uninsured, see: https://www.ncpa.org/iss/hea> https://www.ncpa.org/iss/hea

    – Simple Care Growing in Washington State

    SimpleCare keeps growing to meet the demand of both patients and
    physicians, according to an article in ManagedHealthCare.info. The
    article profiles a 42-member physicians’ group that is joining the
    SimpleCare network to, “help offset managed care and Medicare
    underpayments.” Dr. John Weaver says he loses three dollars for every routine office visit when seeing insured patients, due to cumbersome paperwork and overhead expenses. Under SimpleCare, he can charge patients less and still make more money because of the reduced overhead. One uninsured patient is quoted as saying, “It’s less than the cost of a plumber. It’s more than fair and I couldn’t be happier about it.” The article adds that the challenges is, “to get lawmakers to allow families and businesses the chance to build Medical savings Accounts to allow them to pool money for these kinds of service.”

    Source: https://www.managedhealthcare.info/

    https://www.managedhealthcare.info/ April 22, 2002

    ”Roots (Food for Thought)”

    – When Proselytizing Goes Too Far

    Author: James M. Taylor, Managing Editor

    Published: The Heartland Institute 02/01/2002

    The other day I decided to take my two daughters, ages one and three, on a nature walk. My girls love animals, and I truly enjoy communing with nature.

    On this occasion, rather than visiting my favorite Florida state park,
    we went on a more structured nature walk. The walk is designed with children in mind, with a guide leading small groups of visitors along a trail of various natural mini-environments interspersed with various hands-on animal stations. The walk is very popular with elementary school field trips, and I trusted my daughters would be similarly excited to see the many plants and animals that make up our environment.

    My daughters were fascinated by all the plants and animals. Equally
    blessed with my daughters’ attention was our guide, a young woman who clearly loved nature and who was very happy to share her nature walk with young children.

    As our guide pointed out the various plants, turtles, raccoons,
    armadillos, waterfowl, alligators, and just about everything else that
    makes its home in Florida, my daughters hung on her every word in
    unmistakable hero-worship. Truly, I told myself, I chose well to bring my daughters here.

    Welcome back to the real world

    About midway through our walk, however, I was jolted back into the world of political reality.

    While pointing out some mangrove trees, our guide made a truly startling statement. “The reason why we are having a drought in Florida is because too many people have cut down trees to build houses,” she said with a straight face. She then gave a sanctimonious speech about how trees “put water into the air at night,” and this can’t happen anymore now that man is cutting down all the trees.

    Forget the glaring scientific fiction of our guide’s drought rationale.
    Her argument had clear logical flaws, even if she was ignorant of the
    science.

    Although central Florida has suffered drought conditions during much of the past few years, 2001 was a year of normal rainfall. Did the trees suddenly detach themselves from peoples’ homes and replant themselves that January?

    Moreover, the drought conditions of the past few years were preceded by an extended period of above-average rainfall. How could we have had such longstanding, above-average rainfall if clearing land for houses prevents rain from falling? Surely, only a small percentage of the state’s homes were built after 1997.

    As I pondered whether to ask our guide about such obvious logical flaws in her enviro-political assertions, she floored me with another one.

    “Worst thing that ever happened”

    “The worst thing that ever happened to Florida was the invention of
    pesticides and air conditioning. Now people enjoy living here.”

    “Of course,” I sarcastically thought to myself, “Florida was such a
    veritable paradise when malaria ravaged all who came here.”

    As I watched my girls hanging on our guide’s every word, it saddened me very much that they will be taught people are the worst thing to ever happen. People are a part of nature, not nature’s opponent.

    Eliminating malaria, maintaining homes at something less than 95 degrees and 95 percent humidity, and putting at least a reasonable check on Florida’s frog-sized cockroaches aren’t the worst things to ever happen to Florida. Florida is still primarily in its natural state, and even its few major cities harbor uncountable alligators, wetlands, and native species of wildlife. People and nature can and do coexist.

    I recalled how a similar occurrence affected a good friend of mine.

    A free-market environmentalist for a Washington, DC think tank, my
    friend has a child who is the primary focus of his life. One day, the
    7-year-old boy came home from school, handed his father a
    hand-written note telling him that he was ashamed to have him for a
    father, and then ran to his bedroom in tears.

    As it turned out, his teacher at school had been preaching the same
    anti-people, anti-free market principles espoused by the guide at my
    local nature walk. When the teacher learned who the child’s father was, she told him it was people like his father who were ruining the world. She then assisted the child in voicing his newfound shame and anger in the form of his hand-written note.

    Although I can exercise personal discretion over where I take my
    children on nature walks, I have little-to-no discretion over my
    children’s public schools.

    Will I someday have my daughter come home from school and tell me how ashamed she is to have me as a father? Is it really desirable for elementary school teachers to preach personal politics rather than objective knowledge and moral (rather than political) values?

    Is it any wonder so many parents choose to forego free public education and either homeschool their children or send them to expensive private schools?

    ”Evergreen (Today’s Quotes)”

    “The great ideological divide is between those who believe that theories should be adjusted to reality and those who believe that reality must be adjusted to fit their theories. Many of the horrors of the 20th century were created by the latter. And such people are still with us, in many movements.” — Thomas Sowell, Syndicated Columnist

    “Everything that is really great and enterprising is created by the
    individual who can labor in freedom.” — Albert Einstein

    “To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves is sinful and tyrannical.” — Thomas Jefferson

    “Not by force of arms are civilizations held together, but by subtle
    threads of moral and intellectual principle.” — Russell Kirk

    al principle.” — Russell Kirk
    ”’See Web site”’ https://www.grassrootinstitute.org ”’for further information. Join its efforts at “Nurturing the rights and responsibilities of the individual in a civil society. …” or email or call Grassroot of Hawaii Institute President Richard O. Rowland at mailto:grassroot@hawaii.rr.com or (808) 487-4959.”’

    Grassroot Perspective – Feb. 5, 2003-Does Health Insurance Determine One’s Health?; Simple Care Growing in Washington State; When Proselytizing Goes Too Far

    Hawaii Reporter
    -
    0

    “Dick Rowland Image”

    ”Shoots (News, Views and Quotes)”

    – Does Health Insurance Determine One’s Health?

    It is frequently said that the uninsured have less access to health care and worse health outcomes. However, there is evidence that poverty and lack of education may be a cause of both poor health and non-insurance. If that is true, increasing the access of the poor to health insurance may not improve their health as much as some hope it would.

    For example, a recent survey of the United States and four other
    English-speaking countries perceived to have some version of “universal” health insurance found that many more people with below-average incomes report poor health than do higher-income people.

    In the United States, for example, 37 percent of below-average-income adults said they were in fair or poor health, while only 9 percent of above-average-income people said the same. By comparison, in the United Kingdom the ratio of low income to higher
    income adults reporting themselves in fair or poor health was 31 percent to 10 percent. If insurance were the primary factor in determining health status, these income disparities should disappear in countries with universal health care — but they don’t.

    Similarly, within the United States, people on Medicaid are both low
    income and well insured; yet Medicaid recipients appear to do about as badly or worse than the uninsured in receiving health care services or maintaining good health. And among Medicare enrollees, who are covered by the same insurance program regardless of their incomes, those with low incomes are twice as likely to report poor health as those with higher incomes. Studies have also found a strong correlation between poor education and poor health for most conditions.

    The fact is that people with low incomes and limited education have
    worse health than the rest of the population.

    Source: Greg Scandlen (senior fellow in health policy), “Health
    Insurance: How Much Does It Matter?” Brief Analysis No. 416, Aug. 21, 2002, National Center for Policy Analysis.

    For more on Health Policy And The Uninsured, see: https://www.ncpa.org/iss/hea> https://www.ncpa.org/iss/hea

    – Simple Care Growing in Washington State

    SimpleCare keeps growing to meet the demand of both patients and
    physicians, according to an article in ManagedHealthCare.info. The
    article profiles a 42-member physicians’ group that is joining the
    SimpleCare network to, “help offset managed care and Medicare
    underpayments.” Dr. John Weaver says he loses three dollars for every routine office visit when seeing insured patients, due to cumbersome paperwork and overhead expenses. Under SimpleCare, he can charge patients less and still make more money because of the reduced overhead. One uninsured patient is quoted as saying, “It’s less than the cost of a plumber. It’s more than fair and I couldn’t be happier about it.” The article adds that the challenges is, “to get lawmakers to allow families and businesses the chance to build Medical savings Accounts to allow them to pool money for these kinds of service.”

    Source: https://www.managedhealthcare.info/

    https://www.managedhealthcare.info/ April 22, 2002

    ”Roots (Food for Thought)”

    – When Proselytizing Goes Too Far

    Author: James M. Taylor, Managing Editor

    Published: The Heartland Institute 02/01/2002

    The other day I decided to take my two daughters, ages one and three, on a nature walk. My girls love animals, and I truly enjoy communing with nature.

    On this occasion, rather than visiting my favorite Florida state park,
    we went on a more structured nature walk. The walk is designed with children in mind, with a guide leading small groups of visitors along a trail of various natural mini-environments interspersed with various hands-on animal stations. The walk is very popular with elementary school field trips, and I trusted my daughters would be similarly excited to see the many plants and animals that make up our environment.

    My daughters were fascinated by all the plants and animals. Equally
    blessed with my daughters’ attention was our guide, a young woman who clearly loved nature and who was very happy to share her nature walk with young children.

    As our guide pointed out the various plants, turtles, raccoons,
    armadillos, waterfowl, alligators, and just about everything else that
    makes its home in Florida, my daughters hung on her every word in
    unmistakable hero-worship. Truly, I told myself, I chose well to bring my daughters here.

    Welcome back to the real world

    About midway through our walk, however, I was jolted back into the world of political reality.

    While pointing out some mangrove trees, our guide made a truly startling statement. “The reason why we are having a drought in Florida is because too many people have cut down trees to build houses,” she said with a straight face. She then gave a sanctimonious speech about how trees “put water into the air at night,” and this can’t happen anymore now that man is cutting down all the trees.

    Forget the glaring scientific fiction of our guide’s drought rationale.
    Her argument had clear logical flaws, even if she was ignorant of the
    science.

    Although central Florida has suffered drought conditions during much of the past few years, 2001 was a year of normal rainfall. Did the trees suddenly detach themselves from peoples’ homes and replant themselves that January?

    Moreover, the drought conditions of the past few years were preceded by an extended period of above-average rainfall. How could we have had such longstanding, above-average rainfall if clearing land for houses prevents rain from falling? Surely, only a small percentage of the state’s homes were built after 1997.

    As I pondered whether to ask our guide about such obvious logical flaws in her enviro-political assertions, she floored me with another one.

    “Worst thing that ever happened”

    “The worst thing that ever happened to Florida was the invention of
    pesticides and air conditioning. Now people enjoy living here.”

    “Of course,” I sarcastically thought to myself, “Florida was such a
    veritable paradise when malaria ravaged all who came here.”

    As I watched my girls hanging on our guide’s every word, it saddened me very much that they will be taught people are the worst thing to ever happen. People are a part of nature, not nature’s opponent.

    Eliminating malaria, maintaining homes at something less than 95 degrees and 95 percent humidity, and putting at least a reasonable check on Florida’s frog-sized cockroaches aren’t the worst things to ever happen to Florida. Florida is still primarily in its natural state, and even its few major cities harbor uncountable alligators, wetlands, and native species of wildlife. People and nature can and do coexist.

    I recalled how a similar occurrence affected a good friend of mine.

    A free-market environmentalist for a Washington, DC think tank, my
    friend has a child who is the primary focus of his life. One day, the
    7-year-old boy came home from school, handed his father a
    hand-written note telling him that he was ashamed to have him for a
    father, and then ran to his bedroom in tears.

    As it turned out, his teacher at school had been preaching the same
    anti-people, anti-free market principles espoused by the guide at my
    local nature walk. When the teacher learned who the child’s father was, she told him it was people like his father who were ruining the world. She then assisted the child in voicing his newfound shame and anger in the form of his hand-written note.

    Although I can exercise personal discretion over where I take my
    children on nature walks, I have little-to-no discretion over my
    children’s public schools.

    Will I someday have my daughter come home from school and tell me how ashamed she is to have me as a father? Is it really desirable for elementary school teachers to preach personal politics rather than objective knowledge and moral (rather than political) values?

    Is it any wonder so many parents choose to forego free public education and either homeschool their children or send them to expensive private schools?

    ”Evergreen (Today’s Quotes)”

    “The great ideological divide is between those who believe that theories should be adjusted to reality and those who believe that reality must be adjusted to fit their theories. Many of the horrors of the 20th century were created by the latter. And such people are still with us, in many movements.” — Thomas Sowell, Syndicated Columnist

    “Everything that is really great and enterprising is created by the
    individual who can labor in freedom.” — Albert Einstein

    “To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves is sinful and tyrannical.” — Thomas Jefferson

    “Not by force of arms are civilizations held together, but by subtle
    threads of moral and intellectual principle.” — Russell Kirk

    al principle.” — Russell Kirk
    ”’See Web site”’ https://www.grassrootinstitute.org ”’for further information. Join its efforts at “Nurturing the rights and responsibilities of the individual in a civil society. …” or email or call Grassroot of Hawaii Institute President Richard O. Rowland at mailto:grassroot@hawaii.rr.com or (808) 487-4959.”’

    From Breaking Off a Bad Relationship to Accepting One's Self Image

    Hawaii Reporter
    -
    0

    “Suzanne Gelb Image”

    Dear Readers:

    As an added resource, over the next few months I will be supplementing my responses with references to self-help materials. Supplemental reading for today’s answers can be found in my book “Welcome Home. A Book About Overcoming Addictions” (pp. 38-41 relates to Answer No. 1; pp. 42-45 relates to Answer No. 2). For more information visit my Web site at www.DrGelbSays.com.

    ”Dependent – How Can I Make the Break?”

    Dear Dr. Gelb:

    My boyfriend and I were good friends before we started living together 11 months ago. The living arrangement is not working out, for me anyway. He is jealous and so controlling, it’s suffocating. I tried to break up three times in the last six weeks, but before I know it I’m back in his clutches, and after a brief, sweet reunion usually all about making love, the fighting and bickering starts again.

    Stuck

    A: Dr. Gelb says . . .

    Dear Stuck:

    That popular song “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” comes to mind. For many people who wrestle between breaking up and being pulled back into brief episodes of making up, the hunger for affection and to feel lovable outweighs their need to be independent and mature. Those brief moments of reconciliation or overnighters are all they have to sustain their sense of being lovable. These experiences do not resolve the incompatibility of the intellect or the personality structure. It is critical to try to wean oneself off that need to be instantly gratified. It is possible to put those needs on hold until one can meet that person with whom one feels compatibility supported by mutual understanding and nurturing.

    ”Body Image – How Can I Improve Mine?”

    Dear Dr. Gelb:

    I am a virgin at 33. I’m OK with that because up until now I have spent a lot of life traveling and learning about life. Now I want to settle down, I am dating a nice guy and we are considering marriage. I don’t want to have sex until we are married and he is OK with that. But even then I can’t imagine letting anyone see me naked. I watch my weight but I wish my shape were different. Until then, like I said it is almost impossible for me to imagine somebody seeing me without my clothes on.

    What’s a Body to Do?

    A: Dr. Gelb says . . .

    Dear Body:

    Your question reminds of the youth Narcissus who, as Greek mythology would have it, had a need to fall in love with Self. If you know the story, recall that he looked in a pool of water and fell in love with his own refection. This may sound corny, but we must learn to love ourselves, especially our physical selves. Otherwise we run the risk of allowing the body to deteriorate in some way, even to the point of obesity, for example.

    Your question affirms an unfortunate fact — many of us were raised to feel shame about our body, its shape and size, and particularly certain aspects of our anatomy. Some schools of thought believe that an effective way to begin resolving this is to spend some time in front of the mirror in the nude and touch each orifice of the body, starting with the ears, and to keep exploring and moving around and over the face until all the orifices on the face have been touched, then continuing to move the fingers down the body slowly, giving oneself permission to feel the touch of the body and to nurture every part of it.

    As one does this, shame is likely to melt away and the potential to gain a love and pride in one’s body is great, along with a pleasant expectation to share this prize of creation with a chosen mate who is just as eager and willing to share themselves.

    ”’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 services and related resources available at”’ https://www.DrGelbSays.com

    From Breaking Off a Bad Relationship to Accepting One’s Self Image

    Hawaii Reporter
    -
    0

    “Suzanne Gelb Image”

    Dear Readers:

    As an added resource, over the next few months I will be supplementing my responses with references to self-help materials. Supplemental reading for today’s answers can be found in my book “Welcome Home. A Book About Overcoming Addictions” (pp. 38-41 relates to Answer No. 1; pp. 42-45 relates to Answer No. 2). For more information visit my Web site at www.DrGelbSays.com.

    ”Dependent – How Can I Make the Break?”

    Dear Dr. Gelb:

    My boyfriend and I were good friends before we started living together 11 months ago. The living arrangement is not working out, for me anyway. He is jealous and so controlling, it’s suffocating. I tried to break up three times in the last six weeks, but before I know it I’m back in his clutches, and after a brief, sweet reunion usually all about making love, the fighting and bickering starts again.

    Stuck

    A: Dr. Gelb says . . .

    Dear Stuck:

    That popular song “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” comes to mind. For many people who wrestle between breaking up and being pulled back into brief episodes of making up, the hunger for affection and to feel lovable outweighs their need to be independent and mature. Those brief moments of reconciliation or overnighters are all they have to sustain their sense of being lovable. These experiences do not resolve the incompatibility of the intellect or the personality structure. It is critical to try to wean oneself off that need to be instantly gratified. It is possible to put those needs on hold until one can meet that person with whom one feels compatibility supported by mutual understanding and nurturing.

    ”Body Image – How Can I Improve Mine?”

    Dear Dr. Gelb:

    I am a virgin at 33. I’m OK with that because up until now I have spent a lot of life traveling and learning about life. Now I want to settle down, I am dating a nice guy and we are considering marriage. I don’t want to have sex until we are married and he is OK with that. But even then I can’t imagine letting anyone see me naked. I watch my weight but I wish my shape were different. Until then, like I said it is almost impossible for me to imagine somebody seeing me without my clothes on.

    What’s a Body to Do?

    A: Dr. Gelb says . . .

    Dear Body:

    Your question reminds of the youth Narcissus who, as Greek mythology would have it, had a need to fall in love with Self. If you know the story, recall that he looked in a pool of water and fell in love with his own refection. This may sound corny, but we must learn to love ourselves, especially our physical selves. Otherwise we run the risk of allowing the body to deteriorate in some way, even to the point of obesity, for example.

    Your question affirms an unfortunate fact — many of us were raised to feel shame about our body, its shape and size, and particularly certain aspects of our anatomy. Some schools of thought believe that an effective way to begin resolving this is to spend some time in front of the mirror in the nude and touch each orifice of the body, starting with the ears, and to keep exploring and moving around and over the face until all the orifices on the face have been touched, then continuing to move the fingers down the body slowly, giving oneself permission to feel the touch of the body and to nurture every part of it.

    As one does this, shame is likely to melt away and the potential to gain a love and pride in one’s body is great, along with a pleasant expectation to share this prize of creation with a chosen mate who is just as eager and willing to share themselves.

    ”’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 services and related resources available at”’ https://www.DrGelbSays.com

    Legislative Hearing Notices – Feb. 5, 2003

    Hawaii Reporter
    -
    0

    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 https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/site1/docs/hearing/hearing2.asp?press1=docs&button1=current 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”

    2/5/03 8:00 AM HB965 RELATING TO PROCUREMENT. AGR

    2/5/03 8:00 AM HB1105 RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL INSPECTIONS. AGR

    2/5/03 8:00 AM HB1330 RELATING TO DIVERSIFIED AGRICULTURE. AGR

    2/5/03 8:00 AM HB547 RELATING TO OFFENSES AGAINST PROPERTY RIGHTS. AGR/WLH

    2/5/03 8:00 AM HB576 RELATING TO LAND USE. AGR/WLH

    2/5/03 8:00 AM HB1558 RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL LAND PRESERVATION. AGR/WLH

    2/5/03 8:00 AM HB1559 RELATING TO STATE AGRICULTURAL LEASES. AGR/WLH

    2/5/03 8:00 AM HB1570 RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL LEASES. AGR/WLH

    2/5/03 8:00 AM HB454 RELATING TO LAND USE. WLH/AGR

    2/5/03 8:00 AM HB717 RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL LANDS. WLH/AGR

    2/5/03 8:00 AM HB718 MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE HAWAII DROUGHT PLAN. WLH/AGR

    2/5/03 8:00 AM HB845 RELATING TO LAND USE. WLH/AGR

    2/5/03 8:00 AM HB1106 RELATING TO THE AGRICULTURAL WATER USE AND DEVELOPMENT PLAN. WLH/AGR

    2/5/03 8:00 AM HB1107 RELATING TO THE IRRIGATION WATER DEVELOPMENT SPECIAL FUND. WLH/AGR

    2/5/03 8:00 AM HB1109 RELATING TO THE DELEGATION OF ALLOCATION AUTHORITY UNDER THE STATE WATER CODE. WLH/AGR

    2/5/03 8:30 AM HB1133 RELATING TO THE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION OF HAWAII. EDB/HSH

    2/5/03 8:30 AM HB1577 RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND TOURISM. HSH/EDB

    2/5/03 8:30 AM HB1635 RELATING TO GOVERNMENT. HSH/EDB

    2/5/03 8:30 AM HB840 RELATING TO AERONAUTICS. TRN/TAC

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB489 RELATING TO THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION. CPH

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB574 RELATING TO CAPTIVE INSURANCE. CPH

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB614 RELATING TO HEALTH INSURANCE. CPH

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB772 RELATING TO FAMILY LEAVE BENEFITS INSURANCE. CPH

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB875 RELATING TO INTERNATIONAL MATCHMAKING ORGANIZATIONS. CPH

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB1315 RELATING TO INSURANCE FRAUD. CPH

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB1316 RELATING TO DENTAL INSURANCE. CPH

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB1322 RELATING TO TAXATION OF PREMIUMS. CPH

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB498 RELATING TO THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION. CPH/SAT

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB856 RELATING TO CABLE TELEVISION. CPH/SAT

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB1055 RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLE INSURANCE. CPH/SAT

    2/5/03 9:00 AM HB846 RELATING TO ADULT RESIDENTIAL CARE HOMES. HLT/HSH

    2/5/03 9:00 AM HB906 RELATING TO ADULT RESIDENTIAL CARE HOMES. HLT/HSH

    2/5/03 9:00 AM HB914 RELATING TO ADULT RESIDENTIAL CARE HOMES. HLT/HSH

    2/5/03 9:00 AM HB665 RELATING TO CHILDREN. HSH

    2/5/03 9:00 AM HB1129 RELATING TO THE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION OF HAWAII. HSH

    2/5/03 9:00 AM HB1130 RELATING TO THE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION OF HAWAII. HSH

    2/5/03 9:00 AM HB1402 RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES. HSH

    2/5/03 9:00 AM HB1409 RELATING TO HOUSING PRACTICES. HSH

    2/5/03 9:00 AM HB1550 RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES. HSH

    2/5/03 9:00 AM HB907 RELATING TO ADULT RESIDENTIAL CARE HOMES. HSH/HLT

    2/5/03 9:00 AM HB907 RELATING TO ADULT RESIDENTIAL CARE HOMES. HSH/HLT

    2/5/03 9:00 AM HB1402 RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES. HSH/HLT

    2/5/03 9:00 AM HB1402 RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES. HSH/HLT

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB468 RELATING TO ELECTIONS. JHW

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB1142 RELATING TO VOTER REGISTRATION. JHW

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB1147 RELATING TO ELECTIONS. JHW

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB1437 MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE OFFICE OF ELECTIONS. JHW

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB468 RELATING TO ELECTIONS. JHW/TMG

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB468 RELATING TO ELECTIONS. JHW/TMG

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB472 RELATING TO ELECTIONS. JHW/TMG

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB692 RELATING TO VOTER REGISTRATION. JHW/TMG

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB1393 RELATING TO THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS OF STATE GOVERNMENT. JHW/TMG

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB430 RELATING TO SKATEBOARD PARKS. TMG/JHW

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB711 RELATING TO HIGHWAYS. TMG/JHW

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB1149 RELATING TO ELECTIONS BY MAIL. TMG/JHW

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB1347 RELATING TO ELECTIONS. TMG/JHW

    2/5/03 9:00 AM HB681 RELATING TO HIGHWAY SAFETY. TRN

    2/5/03 9:00 AM HB1038 RELATING TO ROADSIDE HERBICIDE USE. TRN

    2/5/03 9:00 AM HB1064 RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION. TRN

    2/5/03 9:00 AM HB1247 MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A CONTRAFLOW LANE ON FARRINGTON HIGHWAY ALONG THE WAIANAE COAST FROM MOHIHI STREET TO PILIOKAHI AVENUE. TRN

    2/5/03 9:00 AM HB1516 RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION. TRN

    2/5/03 9:00 AM HB1566 MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE PLANNING OF AN ALTERNATE ACCESS ROAD FOR THE NORTH SHORE. TRN

    2/5/03 9:00 AM HB1592 RELATING TO HIGHWAY SAFETY. TRN

    2/5/03 9:00 AM HB1607 RELATING TO AUTHORIZED EMERGENCY VEHICLES. TRN

    2/5/03 9:00 AM HB1625 RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION. TRN

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB582 RELATING TO STATE BONDS. WAM

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB583 RELATING TO THE STATE BUDGET. WAM

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB584 RELATING TO STATE FINANCES. WAM

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB585 RELATING TO STATE FUNDS. WAM

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB609 RELATING TO THE AUDITOR. WAM

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB1307 RELATING TO UNCLAIMED PROPERTY. WAM

    2/5/03 9:00 AM SB1311 RELATING TO SPECIAL FUNDS. WAM

    2/5/03 11:30 AM HB1459 RELATING TO DRIVER LICENSING. TRN/INT

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB65 RELATING TO AGRIBUSINESS INCUBATORS. ECD/WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB869 RELATING TO BOATING. ECD/WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB6 MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR COACHES’ STIPENDS. EDU

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB15 RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. EDU

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB24 RELATING TO EDUCATION. EDU

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB56 MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR SCHOOL SECURITY GUARDS. EDU

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB666 RELATING TO EDUCATION. EDU

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB784 RELATING TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION. EDU

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1017 RELATING TO EDUCATION. EDU

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1086 RELATING TO JUVENILE COURT RECORDS. EDU

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1103 RELATING TO JUVENILES. EDU

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1522 RELATING TO CHARTER SCHOOLS. EDU

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1691 RELATING TO EDUCATION. EDU

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1700 RELATING TO CHARTER SCHOOLS. EDU

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB312 RELATING TO THE HAWAII PUBLIC EMPLOYEES HEALTH FUND. LBR

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB318 RELATING TO GOVERNMENT. LBR

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB435 RELATING TO PUBLIC EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFITS. LBR

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB577 RELATING TO PUBLIC EMPLOYEES. LBR

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB755 RELATING TO THE EMPLOYER-UNION HEALTH BENEFITS TRUST FUND. LBR

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB757 RELATING TO THE EMPLOYER-UNION HEALTH BENEFITS TRUST FUND. LBR

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB758 RELATING TO THE EMPLOYER-UNION HEALTH BENEFITS TRUST FUND. LBR

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB759 RELATING TO THE EMPLOYER-UNION BENEFITS TRUST PLAN. LBR

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB760 RELATING TO THE EMPLOYER-UNION HEALTH BENEFITS TRUST FUND. LBR

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB762 RELATING TO THE EMPLOYER-UNION HEALTH BENEFITS TRUST FUND. LBR

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB763 RELATING TO THE EMPLOYER-UNION HEALTH BENEFITS TRUST FUND. LBR

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB765 RELATING TO THE RETIREMENT ALLOWANCE FOR PRINCIPALS AND VICE PRINCIPALS. LBR

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB789 RELATING TO PUBLIC EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFITS. LBR

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB799 RELATING TO VOLUNTARY EMPLOYEES’ BENEFICIARY ASSOCIATION TRUSTS. LBR

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1424 RELATING TO INCOME TAX. LBR

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1438 MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING COST ITEMS. LBR

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1439 MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR SALARY INCREASES FOR PUBLIC EMPLOYEES. LBR

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1440 RELATING TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING COST ITEMS. LBR

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1441 MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING COST ITEMS. LBR

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1442 MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING COST ITEMS. LBR

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1443 MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING COST ITEMS. LBR

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1444 MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING COST ITEMS. LBR

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB753 RELATING TO PRIVATIZATION. LBR/TMG

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB766 RELATING TO SALARY PERIODS. LBR/TMG

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB777 RELATING TO THE HAWAII LIVING WAGE LAW. LBR/TMG

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB787 RELATING TO DISASTER LEAVE. LBR/TMG

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1065 RELATING TO MANAGED COMPETITION. LBR/TMG

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB36 RELATING TO WAIKIKI BEACH RESTORATION. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB516 RELATING TO KANEOHE BAY PIERS. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB535 RELATING TO THE CONTROL OF AXIS DEER IN MAUI COUNTY. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB537 AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB540 MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB542 RELATING TO ORGANIC LABELING. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB543 RELATING TO STATE IRRIGATION SYSTEMS. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB546 MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR PINEAPPLE RESEARCH. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB550 RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB553 RELATING TO CONTROL OR ERADICATION OF PESTS. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB554 RELATING TO BROWN TREE SNAKES. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB561 RELATING TO AGRICULTURE. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB602 RELATING TO PESTICIDES. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1034 RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL LANDS. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1178 RELATING TO PUBLIC LANDS. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1255 RELATING TO ARGICULTURAL INSPECTIONS. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1256 RELATING TO THE AGRICULTURAL WATER USE AND DEVELOPMENT PLAN. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1257 RELATING TO THE IRRIGATION WATER DEVELOPMENT SPECIAL FUND. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1432 RELATING TO DIVERSIFIED AGRICULTURE. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1434 MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE KAUAI TROPICAL FRUIT DISINFESTATION FACILITY. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1496 RELATING TO AGRICULTURE. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1532 RELATING TO SOLID WASTE. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1547 RELATING TO MARINE ACTIVITIES. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1556 RELATING TO COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1620 RELATING TO ANIMALS. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1680 RELATING TO DANGEROUS DOGS. WLA

    2/5/03 1:15 PM SB1435 RELATING TO SPECIAL PURPOSE REVENUE BONDS. WLA/ECD

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB141 RELATING TO INSURERS. CPC

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB661 RELATING TO VEHICLE SALVAGE. CPC

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB1098 RELATING TO THE UNIFORM INFORMATION PRACTICES ACT. CPC

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB1099 RELATING TO THE UNIFORM INFORMATION PRACTICES ACT. CPC

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB1100 RELATING TO THE UNIFORM INFORMATION PRACTICES ACT. CPC

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB1103 RELATING TO PROCUREMENT. CPC

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB1161 RELATING TO PSYCHOLOGIST LICENSING REQUIREMENTS. CPC

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB1171 RELATING TO CONCILIATION PANELS. CPC

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB1329 RELATING TO MORTGAGE BROKERS. CPC

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB1465 RELATING TO INTOXICATING LIQUOR. CPC

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB1470 RELATING TO TIME SHARING. CPC

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB1472 RELATING TO TIME SHARES. CPC

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB445 RELATING TO THE UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODE. CPC/JUD

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB861 RELATING TO INSURERS. CPC/JUD

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB1155 RELATING TO UNCLAIMED PROPERTY. CPC/JUD

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB1258 RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLE FRANCHISES. CPC/JUD

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB1471 RELATING TO LAND COURT. CPC/JUD

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB1495 RELATING TO CREMATION. CPC/JUD

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB1511 RELATING TO CONDOMINIUM PROPERTY REGIMES. CPC/JUD

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB170 RELATING TO CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS. LMG

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB282 RELATING TO THE AUDITOR. LMG

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB403 RELATING TO THE EMPLOYEES’ RETIREMENT SYSTEM. LMG

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB413 RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF ELECTIONS. LMG

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB475 RELATING TO THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION. LMG

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB747 RELATING TO THE EXPENSES OF THE LEGISLATURE. LMG

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB753 RELATING TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE STATE ETHICS COMMISSION. LMG

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB1125 RELATING TO OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION. LMG

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB1277 PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE III, SECTION 16, OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF HAWAII, TO PROVIDE THE LEGISLATURE WITH THE POWER TO RECALL A BILL PRESENTED TO THE GOVERNOR. LMG

    2/5/03 1:30 PM HB1668 PROPOSING AMENDMENTS TO THE HAWAII CONSTITUTION RELATING TO APPOINTMENTS AND REMOVALS FROM PUBLIC OFFICE. LMG

    2/5/03 2:00 PM HB166 RELATING TO SCHOOL-LEVEL MINOR REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE ACCOUNTS. EDN

    2/5/03 2:00 PM HB632 RELATING TO TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARING CENTERS. EDN

    2/5/03 2:00 PM HB638 RELATING TO THE HAWAII STATE PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM. EDN

    2/5/03 2:00 PM HB1091 RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. EDN

    2/5/03 2:00 PM HB1173 RELATING TO EDUCATION. EDN

    2/5/03 2:00 PM HB1176 RELATING TO EDUCATION. EDN

    2/5/03 2:00 PM HB1177 RELATING TO THE HAWAII STATE PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM. EDN

    2/5/03 2:00 PM HB1365 RELATING TO EDUCATION. EDN

    2/5/03 2:00 PM HB1536 MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR CANOE PADDLING PROGRAMS IN PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS. EDN

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB884 MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR MEDICAID PROGRAMS. HMS
    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB938 RELATING TO REIMBURSEMENT FOR MEDICAID COVERED DENTAL SERVICES. HMS

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB1235 RELATING TO CHILDREN’S HEALTH. HMS

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB1240 RELATING TO MEDICAID. HMS

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB1352 RELATING TO HOME AND COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES. HMS

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB1428 RELATING TO MEDICAID. HMS

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB1579 RELATING TO MEDICAL CARE PAYMENTS. HMS

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB1580 RELATING TO ADVOCACY FOR HUMAN SERVICES. HMS

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB1584 RELATING TO CHILD CARE. HMS

    2/5/03 2:45 PM GM3 Submitting for consideration and confirmation as Comptroller, Department of Accounting and General Services, Gubernatorial Nominee RUSSELL SAITO, for a term to expire 12-04-06. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB43 RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLES. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB71 RELATING TO DRIVER LICENSING. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB84 RELATING TO THE TRAFFIC CODE. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB85 RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB313 RELATING TO CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB315 RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLE DRIVER LICENSING. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB345 RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLES. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB398 RELATING TO THE DRIVERS EDUCATION FUND. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB613 RELATING TO THE MOTOR VEHICLE INDUSTRY LICENSING ACT. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB664 AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS AND MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A VETERANS AFFAIRS LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB676 RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLES. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB680 RELATING TO TOWING. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB681 RELATING TO TOWING. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB835 RELATING TO STORED VEHICLES. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB873 RELATING TO CRUELTY TO ANIMALS. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB914 RELATING TO CELLULAR TELEPHONES. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB997 RELATING TO RIDING IN CARGO AREAS OF PICKUP TRUCKS. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB1051 RELATING TO PERSONAL TRANSPORTATION. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB1185 RELATING TO IMPOSITION OF A SURCHARGE ON TRAFFIC FINES TO BE PAID TO THE COUNTIES. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB1201 RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLE FRANCHISES. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB1330 MAKING EMERGENCY APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE OFFICES OF THE GOVERNOR AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB1331 RELATING TO UNADJUDICATED TRAFFIC FINES. TMG

    2/5/03 2:45 PM SB1657 RELATING TO THE ADMINISTRATION OF PARKING FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES. TMG

    2/5/03 3:00 PM HB893 RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII. HED

    Raffles Set to Expand, eyeing United States

    Hawaii Reporter
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    0

    SINGAPORE, Afghanistan, Jan. 28 (UPI) — Raffles Holdings Ltd., owner of Singapore’s landmark Raffles Hotel, is set to expand its activities around the world and is especially eyeing markets in the North Asia and the United States.

    The company owns and manages a chain of hotels around the world, and its President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Helfer said he was hoping the expansion would mainly be through new management contracts.

    “In addition to the two new management contracts secured last year, 12 new deal opportunities are being pursued of which three have signed memorandum of understanding,” Helfer said while announcing the company’s annual results Tuesday. Helfer added that although the company prefers to expand through new management contract, it would also consider strategic acquisitions if the right opportunities arise.

    Helfer said the company was looking at locations on the West Coast and the East Coast of the United States, the two main “gateways” for international travelers. He cited Los Angeles, where the group owns the Raffles L’Ermitage Beverly Hills, San Francisco, San Diego, Boston, Washington/Baltimore, Miami and New York.

    The company currently manages six hotels in the United States, in addition to the one it owns.

    In 2002, Raffles’ hotels in the Americas achieved an overall revenue per available room of $120, a 3.4-percent decline on the year, which was better than an industry decline of 4.7 percent for upscale hotels over the same period, Helfer noted.

    The hotel group is also expecting to increase its presence in North Asia, which it sees as a high growth region and is looking at location in Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Taipei, Seoul and Hong Kong, Helfer added. The group manages 10 hotels in the Asia-Pacific region, of which five are wholly or majority-owned.

    In 2001, Raffles acquired the Swissotel hotel chain, which brought its portfolio of hotel rooms to 12,000. The Swissotel contribution also means that 54 percent of the group’s turnover is in Europe, while the Americas represent 9 percent and Asia-Pacific 37 percent.

    Raffles Holdings posted an 82 percent drop in 2002 net profit to $26 million, though the fall mainly reflected a large one-off asset sale in 2001. The group’s turnover was up 7.1 percent to $222 million, while the turnover in the Hotels & Resorts segment was up 17.3 percent.

    “According to Deloitte & Touche, 2002 was the worst year in 75 years for the lodging industry, so we’ve done quite well in those conditions,” Helfer said.

    For 2002 as a whole, the group achieved an overall revenue per available room of $83, down 2.8 percent on the year, on an average room rate of $125 and an average occupancy rate of 66.4 percent.

    This decline was in line with industry-wide averages reported by Deloitte & Touche Hotel Benchmark Survey and Smith Travel Research. According to the survey, revenue per available room last year was down 4 percent across Europe and 3.9 percent in the United States, while it was up 1.4 percent in the Asia-Pacific region for the first eleven months of 2002.

    Raffles expects operating conditions in the hotel industry to remain challenging this year, and forecast flat earnings. The group said this forecast did not factor in the potential outbreak of war in Iraq, which would disrupt global economic growth, international travel and the lodging industry.

    It said North America and Asia were expected to lead the recovery in the industry ahead of Europe. Still the lodging industry is expected to continue to be impacted by the weak corporate travel market as a result of slower economic growth. Global industry room rates are forecast to remain flat or decline slightly, while occupancy rates are expected to remain stable or increase slightly in the later part of 2003.

    (All figures is U.S. dollars.)

    Copyright 2003 by United Press International. All rights reserved.

    Iraq Vows Suicide Fighters if Attacked

    Hawaii Reporter
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    0

    Iraq said it will use suicide bombers if necessary to stave off a U.S.-led attack on it, and the country’s deputy premier insisted it was free of weapons of mass destruction.

    “We are looking forward to seeing them (the United States) use ground troops against us after the bombing from the air. They will meet with tough resistance everywhere,” said Iraqi Vice-President Taha Yasin Ramadan in an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel. “We do not have any long-distance missiles or bomber squadrons, but we will use thousands of suicide attackers, the istishhadiyun, the martyrs.”

    Der Spiegel, which posted the interview on its Web site Sunday, did not say when the meeting with Ramadan took place.

    Ramadan said the Arabs would be his country’s new weapons.

    “They will be used not only in Iraq,” he said. “The Arab peoples will help the people in Iraq in the fight for their independence. This will be a wildfire in the entire region.”

    Meanwhile, Iraqi deputy premier Tariq Aziz reiterated his country was free of prohibited weapons of mass destruction. He called U.S. charges against Iraq psychological warfare and an attempt to create a pretext for war.

    Another Iraqi official, Information Minister Muhammad Sa’id al Sahhaf, said U.N. weapons inspectors at present in the country enjoyed freedom of movement but were still unable to find weapons of mass destruction. He said U.S. accusations that Baghdad possessed such weapons “camouflaged” Washington’s true intent, which he said was to control the area’s oil.

    His comments came in a meeting with Hans Von Sponeck, former U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Iraq.

    Since resuming searches on Nov. 27 after a four-year absence, more than 100 inspectors from the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency have visited over 500 sites across Iraq that are suspected of involvement in Iraq’s programs to develop weapons of mass destruction.

    Iraq’s Gen. Amer Saadi, a presidential adviser, invited U.N. chief inspector Hans Blix and IAEA head Mohammad ElBaradei to visit Baghdad before Feb. 10 to discuss Iraq’s agreement to allow a U.S.-made U-2 spy planes over Iraq, the questioning of Iraqi scientists in private, and other contentious points. Blix and ElBaradei have agreed to meet with Iraqi officials, most likely on Feb. 8. They are expected to present their second report on Iraq to the U.N. Security Council the following week.

    The two submitted a report to the Security Council on Jan. 27 in which they said Iraq was not cooperating as it should with the inspection teams.

    U.S. President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, meanwhile, are reported to have agreed to give inspectors as much as six more weeks to do their job. Bush believes Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has reportedly deceived the international community and so must be disarmed. Before his meeting with Blair last Friday, Bush had said he would use force unilaterally, if necessary to rid Saddam of his suspected weapons of mass destruction.

    Copyright 2003 by United Press International. All rights reserved.

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