Three Earthquakes in 24 Hours

What's up with all of these earthquakes? Yes, I haven't forgotten them. Small earthquakes continue to pepper the west side of the Big Island of Hawaii. In the last 2 days there have been 3 earthquakes in the 3.0 range that were recorded offshore from the Big Island with one occurring closer to Maui. Friends and acquaintances from the Big Island have reported feeling a few of these. Seems like the west side of the island still hasn't settled after the big October 15, 2006 earthquakes.

• January 31 Earthquake - 6:20 pm - 3.4 magnitude
• January 31 Earthquake - 4:50 pm - 3.0 magnitude (Maui)
  
• January 30 Earthquake - 5:33 pm - 3.6 magnitude

• Recent Earthquakes in Hawaii - map & info regularly updated

Despite the recent rash of small earthquakes, there was no media coverage since strong Kona winds have been causing some damage on several islands over the course of the past few days.

Rail: We Cannot Afford It

So yesterday Mayor Mufi Hannemann selected the route for his expensive choo choo train. The proposed rail line will start somewhere in Kapolei and run to Ala Moana Shopping Center. Cost for building this portion of the rail line will be $3.8 billion! Billion! Say that a few times and think of all the taxes the city and state will continue to take away from you. Thanks Mayor Mufi. Thanks Governor Lingle.

The $3.8 billion is the City's estimate on the rail construction cost. It is more than likely the train will cost taxpayers at least $6.4 billion as repeatedly pointed out by Cliff Slater at HonoluluTraffic.com.

The cost of living in Hawaii continues to be high because of the increased taxes we are paying for this very expensive train. We can't afford this expensive debacle. Someone please stop this train!

Additional Links

• Poverty Rights Advocates Should Rally Against Rail
• GE Surcharge Will Hurt Hawaii's Economy
• State in Talks to Build $700 Million Toll Road
• Kapolei to Honolulu Toll Road may be Next
• Houston Bus Riders Get Short Changed by Rail

Photo: Cliff Slater speaks on rail at the January 10 Small Business Hawaii conference.

March for Life

The 34th annual Hawaii March for Life rally was held yesterday (January 22) near the State Capitol in Honolulu, Hawaii. Hundreds of supporters of life came out to celebrate the sanctity of life -- from conception to its natural end.

Participants heard inspiring speeches from clergy and political leaders of Hawaii who share in the common belief that "life is sacred" and must not be taken away even before it is born.

References to bills introduced in the State Legislature were acknowledged including measures that protect the unborn from partial birth abortion, parrental notification, and criminal acts. Several end of life measures will also be introduced to prevent physician assisted suicide.

After the speeches were made, participants marched around the entire historic capital district in a march of unity that sent a strong message to the commuting public late in the afternoon.

Coverage of this event by maintstream local media was largely non-existent. No articles in either of Honolulu's daily papers nor was there coverage on local television.

Marchers passed by a very small group of noisy anti-demonstrators near the capitol entrance as they began and ended their victorious march. One of the most touching moments I noticed was when a parent was explaining to her small children exactly what abortion is and why they were there. Yes, our children have to be taught early about the sanctity of life. Amen.

More photos:



Additional links:

• Hawaii Right to Life
• Hawaii Right to Life Blog
• President Calls March for Life Participants

Let Honolulu Vote!

We need initiative. Especially tax initiatives where citizens get the right to vote on any and all tax issues that effect their pocketbooks. Let Honolulu Vote is a grassroots organization created just for that. Their mission this year is to get as many as 60,000 registered voters to sign their petition to amend the Honolulu City Charter allowing voters to place tax issues on future ballots. Power to the people, let the people decide!

From their website:

What is LET HONOLULU VOTE doing?

The LET HONOLULU VOTE Petitions seek to amend the City Charter. The amendment would allow voters to place tax questions on future City ballots, using the initiative process (the same process as this Petition itself, i.e., gather enough signatures, and a question goes on the next election ballot). The current petition charter amendment would be voted on during the November 2008 election.

Join the grassroot movement. Sign the petition today!

• Let Honolulu Vote Website
• PDF file of Recent Tax Increases
• Photos from the Let Honolulu Vote Press Rally / Conference

Photo: Taken at Rally/Press conference in front of Honolulu Hale (City Hall).

Hold on to Your Wallets - Legislature in Session

The Hawaii State Legislature commenced with their 24th session this week with the usual, colorful opening ceremonies in both houses of the not-so highly esteemed governmental body. The opening day was filled with the pompous ceremony and colorful but predictable speeches. About the only high drama occurred in the State House of Representatives when 3 dissident reps voted in opposition to sustaining House Speaker Calvin Say as their leader. Good for them. Mr. Say has been in that leadership positon for a very long time.

In the State Senate, new leadership has taken control with Waianae/Leeward Oahu Senator Colleen Hanabusa taking on the duties of Senate President from Robert Bunda who lost political power last year. In her opening day speech, Senator Hanabusa talked about the return of $75 million to the State from the Ko Olina Resort who in 2003 gained special status through the obtaining of the controversial credit. Ended up they never used it, and are now returning the money to the state. Battle will be over what to do with the additional infusion.

One of the biggest issues for me is what the state will do with the more than a $400 million projected tax surplus. Governor Linda Lingle came out with a proposal to refund Hawaii taxpayers with $25 to $100 each depending on income level. Majority Democrats are already opposing this saying that public worker union pay raises need to be funded. Other legislators want to use the money to fund items like education and disaster preparedness.

Having a tax surplus tells me that the state is taxing the citizens of Hawaii way too much as is. The taxpayers need to get some if not all of that money back into their own wallets.

The 60-day legislative session with its built in recess days is scheduled to adjourn on May 3.

As the weeks progress, many other issues will rear their ugly head as the State Legislature sloshes through the mountains of paper that will probably make our lives more expensive and challenging in the future. Hold on to your wallets!

Photo: State Senate called to order by new President Colleen Hanabusa (standing at podium).

Last Week at Apple

Apple's annual trip to the MacWorld trade show (week of Jan. 9) was big news (as usual) for all Apple fans and Mac heads. The big news was the introduction of the new Apple iPhone, which goes on sale this coming June.

The Apple iPhone is a device that supposedly ramps up ante in the highly competitive cellular telephone market. There are already many cell phone companies making well known devices such as the Blackbrry, Palm Treo, Motorola Razor and a long line of Nokias. Cell phones are a common place accessory for many people around the world.

The new Apple iPhone runs on a special version of Mac OSX and features iPod music and video playback, a touchscreen interface, web browsing through wifi or a dedicated cellular connection and digital camera among its functions. The price for the iPhone will start at $499. Quite stiff even for die-hard cell phone fans.

Despite that, it seems the world has gone "ga-ga" over this latest device. Reports, reviews, blog entries and message board postings contain ecstatic comments such as this:

"Also, as you browse the other demos, you'll see that the UI has inertia. I don't know what else to call it, but it's fantastic. You tap the screen and flip your finger downward on the contact list, and it basically freewheels, or spins. Same deal when scrolling through album covers in your music collection. This is insane."

People are correctly noting that to use some of the extra will incur an additional charge. That still won't deter the fans from possibly buying the iPhone.

"My impression is that the iPhone is meant to compete with the Blackberrys and Treos of the world by offering the same features, maybe more, and raising the ease of use factor. For me, the "synergy" between this product and my Mac gets me excited. One would hope that with a larger demand for the iPhone, the premium to pay for data services will go down due to the volume of customers."

That all said, there will always be Apple skeptics who think the phone might fail in the crowded marketplace due to its high price. I would not bet on it. The Apple iPod was a high priced music player when introduced in 2001. A few years and several model derivatives later hitting several price points, the Apple iPod is the worldwide market leader for portable music players. I think the same fate awaits the iPhone as it could dominate the marketplace in a few years.

Despite all of the hoopla surrounding the iPhone, one thing for sure, is I won't be buying one anytime soon. I vow to remain one of the few cell phone less people on the planet. I just never liked the pricing structure of any cell phone plan with its allocation of minutes and penalties for going over and not being able to roll unused minutes into the next month. Not to mention all of the extra charges for enhanced features such as photo uploading and text messaging. Paying for more spam? Not me.

One possible kink in the iPhone introduction is the lawsuit on the iPhone name launched by technology company Cisco Systems against Apple. The iPhone could have a different brand name by the time of its introduction into the marketplace this summer.

I am quite certain people who buy the iPhone will be blissfully happy as they adopt this latest piece of Apple technology.

Lost in the fervor of the iPhone was news of Apple's other new device called "AppleTV." This is a $299 Tivo-like box that connects only to high end digital TV sets that can be used to playback video content purchased from the iTunes music store. Initially I was interested in the device, but after reading a few reports I am not as excited. Perhaps after Apple upgrades the device and I myself buying a flat screen digital TV set, will I consider getting a version of this device.

Lastly Apple changed its name from "Apple Computer" to "Apple Inc." This kind of worries me a little in the fact that Apple is obviously refocusing themselves to be more of a high-end entertainment and communications company vs. being a pure computer firm. Could this be the first step in marginalizing the Macintosh computer brand? Time will tell, but I hope not. Macintosh forever!

Photo: Apple iPhone with touchscreen interface. Courtesy of Apple

Hawaii's Train to Tax Hell Continues

The train to tax hell.

As the calendar turned from the year 2006 to 2007, the State of Hawaii once again perpetuated its long running reputation as being a "tax hell." The new year saw several taxes, fees and costs spiral up again.

The biggest tax increase in the State of Hawaii went into effect on January 1. The General Excise Tax (GET) which is levied on every good and service in the state suffered a 12.5% increase. The increase is supposed to finance Honolulu's $6 billion rail transit proposal. Every resident and visitor to the island of Oahu will be paying this higher tax. Many residents and visitors the neighbor islands will also be paying this tax.

Governor Linda Lingle let the increase to the General Excise Tax happen in 2005 after HB 1309 passed into law without her signature. She could have vetoed the damn bill, but did not on the false premise that allowing the county to levy this tax was "a home rule issue." Baloney!

In the end the State of Hawaii Department of Taxation ended up administering the collection of the tax, with the county getting the bulk of the 12.5% surcharge and the state scraping a little off the top as part of an administrative charge. So in the end you get the state doing the collection but the City & County of Honolulu reaping the benefit solely to build the rail while businesses and public get hit in the wallets. Thanks Governor Lingle for nothing.

By the way, Mayor Mufi Hannemann signed Bill 79 into law yesterday. He had the ceremonial bill signing in Kapolei where train support is the highest. He is too afraid to do it in urban Honolulu because as he well knows, the opposition to rail is strong as noted in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin today:

"I just feel that if we try to do this somewhere in the urban, downtown area, we are going to run into all types of concerns. The city could be taken to court or face other types of resistance from landowners and others who oppose it," the mayor said. "And I know that coming from the west side, we are not gonna have those kinds of issues."

Besides the dreaded increase to the GET, several other taxes, fees and costs have recently gone up, thanks to our legislators, the governor, county leaders, public utilities and some corporations. These include the following:

• 11% increase to the gasoline tax due to the sunset of the ethanol tax credit. (2007)
• Property Tax Assessments Increased (ouch!)
  
• $5 hike to vehicle registration fees. (2007)
  
• Increases to the conveyance tax (2005, 1990s)
• The "Hi-5" Bottle Recycling Tax (2004)
• HECO electric rate increase (proposed 2007)
• 9-11 Cell Phone Fee
• Increase shipping charges by Young Brothers (2007)

All of these add to the increased cost burden of living in Hawaii. When will these added costs be eliminated or reduced? It's harder and harder for people to stretch limited dollars while government takes them away to build foolish projects like a $6 billion choo choo train.

Time to stop the madness today.

Additional reading & information links:

• Mayor Signs City Transit Bill
  
• The Search for Honolulu's "Holy Rail" Brings Largest Tax Hike in Hawaii's History
• Year of the Pig - Pritchett Cartoon
• Gas Tax Will Pump Up the Price
  
• Tax Raises Island Gas Price
  
• Excise Tax Increase Begins Tomorrow
• Rail Taxman Cometh
  
• HECO Eyes Rate Increase
  
• Looming Tax Hikes Fill Stores, Gas Tanks
• The State's Gas Tax Money Grab
  
• Hawaii Residents Burdened with Many Tax Hikes in Recent Years
• Yes, Hawaii Can Get Even More Expensive
• Thanks Mayor Hannemann For Making Me a Millionaire
  
• Honolulu Transit: A Black Hole
• Honolulu City Officials Want Us Out of Our Cars
• Honolulu's Proposed Rail Transit: A $4.6 Billion White Elephant
• New Laws for the New Year
• Road to Nowhere
  
• Stop The Tax Increase
  
• Rail System Cost Higher Today
• Rail Transit - expect to be pounded if you oppose rail there.
• Rail System Garners Mixed Feelings
  
• Here Comes the Tax Increase Ready or Not
  
• 61 Days Until Hawaii is Hit with Higher Taxes
• They Built it But No One's Riding
• Environmentalists Want to Guarantee Increased Property Taxes
• The Ugliness of Collecting the New GET Tax
• Rail: Expensive & Ugly
• Governor Lingle Rescinds Decision to Veto Tax Increase (2005)
• Business Bill Voting Matrix (2005)
• Rail Transit Myths
• We Oppose Rail & GE Tax Increase
• Individuals Opposing Rail & the GE Tax Increase - join us!
• Ramming Rail & Taxes Down Our Throats
  
• No New Taxes Hawaii!

31st Annual SBH Conference to Look at Hawaii's Business and Economic Future

SBH PRESS RELEASE JAN. 6, 2007

The 31st annual Small Business Hawaii Conference will be held next Wednesday, January 10 at the Ala Moana Hotel (Hibiscus Ballroom) from 8am to 2pm. It is the first major business and investment conference of the New Year and will combine information, education and networking with a individual speakers, panels and special events. It is an excellent opportunity for business owners-and their associates, clients or key employees-to get a running start on business ideas and alerts for 2007.

The theme of the Conference is "Small Business 2007: Contributing to Hawaii's Dynamic Economic Change."

Principal sponsors of the Conference include: Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, The Systemcenter, Inc., ALTRES, Inc., CARE Hawaii, Inc., Hartmann Metals Corp., JS Services, Summerlin Insurance, HawaiiReporter, Peterson Sign Company, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, Techniques Hawaii and Clear Channel/KSSK.

Among the speakers are: Cliff Slater of HonoluluTraffic.com, State Labor Director Nelson Befitel. City Deputy Prosecutor Chris Van Marter and State DCCA Director Mark Recktenwald.

There will be a legislative panel headed by new Senate President Colleen Hanabusa.

SBH's Small Business Success Awardees will share tips and secrets of success in Hawaii.

The keynote luncheon speaker is David Tyreman, owner of World Famous Company, LLC, and author of the book "World Famous." Basing his presentation on his own experience - going from being penniless to multi-millionaire by using his talents and creativity. He has been featured in the Wall Street Journal CNN, MTV and several other top publications around the world. His clients include Polo Ralph Lauren, Levi's, Nike and Banana Republic

There will also be business awardees, exhibits, a silent auction and surprise guests at the SBH Conference.

Registration is $50; Special discount registration rates ($40) for SBH members and their guests.

For information, call Darlyn at 396-1724 or go online to www.smallbusinesshawaii.com.

Strykers Moving Out?

The United States Army may move the 4,000 soldier, 160 vehicle Stryker combat brigade out of Hawaii reports KITV 4. The Stryker brigade has been under a lot of fire from radical Hawaiian activists and whacko environmentalists. Because of the envrionmental concerns, the courts ruled that the Stryker brigade would have to look into other options outside of Hawaii in which the units could be based and train at.

Removing the Stryker brigade from Hawaii will be bad for our economy as 4,000 troops and their families are good for businesses near the Schofield Barracks area. If the Strykers are withdrawn, one businessman claims that "all businesses will die."

Should this happen it will once again show the nation and the world that Hawaii is not appreciative of the long standing military presence in our state and of course anti-business and anti-American. We can blame all of this on the whacko environmentalists and the radical Hawaiian activist groups.

Time for the courts to stand up for America and let the Strykers stay. Our nation's defense depends on a strong military and Hawaii needs a military presence to keep our economy going.

• Link: Army Considers Moving Stryker Unit Out of Hawaii

Photo credited to the U.S. Department of Defense.

First Sunrise of 2007

I greeted the new year as I have usually done recently, by driving up to Diamond Head lookout and taking photos of the sunrise. This year we got a nice sunrise. No rain like last year. Early risers were treated to a glorious sunrise that opened what will truly be a trying new year for every resident in Hawaii. Wish you all the best for 2007.

• More First Day Sunrise Photos at This Link