United States Monetary Tsunami

The Coming Entitlement Tsunami, By the Democratic Party:

by Michael D. Tanner

Michael Tanner is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and coauthor of Leviathan on the Right: How Big-Government Conservatism Brought Down the Republican Revolution.

Added to cato.org on April 7, 2010

This article appeared in the Daily Caller on April 6, 2010

Now that we've finished creating a new $1 trillion health care entitlement program, Washington has suddenly discovered that we are facing a crisis with—surprise—entitlement programs.

No one should be shocked to learn that government spending is out of control. In fact, last year, federal spending topped 24.7 percent of gross domestic product last year, the highest peacetime percentage in U.S. history. That compares to an historical average of roughly 21 percent. Meanwhile, federal taxes have traditionally run at around 18 percent of GDP. (Currently, they are down around 16 percent as the economic downturn—though that lower percentage has predictably become fodder for those looking for any excuse to ratchet up tax rates and depress the economy further). Thus, our current budget deficits.

Even President Obama has recognized the problem. Well, sort of: after presiding over an orgy of federal spending that could even put George W. Bush to shame, he has promised to freeze discretionary, non-defense spending…next year.

No one should be shocked to learn that government spending is out of control.

But our current budget squall is nothing compared to the tsunami to come. And the big wave has almost nothing to do with the 12 percent of the budget that Obama may or may not freeze after the next election. Our major entitlement programs, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, are all careening toward insolvency.



Social Security faces unfunded liabilities of more than $15.8 trillion. And while that sounds like a lot of money, it is dwarfed by Medicare's looming budget shortfall of between $50 and $100 trillion, depending on which accounting measure is used. Because of its funding mechanisms, Medicaid does face the same type of accounting shortfalls, but it will soon add hundreds of billions of dollars to federal, not to mention state, spending.

As the full force of entitlement programs kicks in, the federal government will consume more than 40 percent of GDP by the middle of the century. Half of that will be taken up by just those three entitlement programs. From there, it only gets worse.

Faced with this rising tide of red ink, the traditional response in Washington is that we must have the "courage" to raise taxes. But think about how much taxes would actually have to be raised to pay for all the government spending to come. And it's not just the "rich" who would get soaked. In fact, if you confiscated the wealth of every person in the United States earning over $1 million per year, you would barely make a dent in our future obligations.

If we really wanted to pay for the amount of spending to come, we would have to raise both the corporate tax rate and top income tax rate from their current 35 percent to 88 percent, the current 25 percent tax rate for middle-income workers to 63 percent, and the 10 percent tax bracket for low-income workers to 25 percent.

Michael Tanner is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and coauthor of Leviathan on the Right: How Big-Government Conservatism Brought Down the Republican Revolution.
More by Michael D. Tanner

In theory that would eliminate the deficit, but as a society we would be much poorer. After all, every dollar that government spends is a dollar that is siphoned off from American workers regardless of whether it is raised through debt or taxes. Both divert money from more efficient uses in the private sector to less-productive uses in the public sector. Both mean fewer jobs and less economic growth.

More importantly, we should remember that every dollar the government spends is one less dollar that you can spend on food, clothing, housing, charitable contributions, or other goods and services of their choosing. It is, after all, your money.

What's missing in Washington is not the courage to raise taxes, but the courage to cut spending. Unfortunately, that type of courage truly remains lacking—on a bipartisan basis.

Recently, Rep Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.)—one of the youngest members of Congress at age 40, but seemingly one of the few adults left in Washington—put forward a comprehensive proposal to reform entitlement programs and bring government spending back down to historical levels. His plan attracted fewer than a dozen co-sponsors. No one from the Republican leadership backed it; they were too busy complaining that the Democratic health care bill cut Medicare. (It actually won't, unfortunately.)

And the Democrats? Their latest contribution has been the aforementioned health care bill, with its unprecedented level of budget chicanery to hide its true costs.

It has long been a truism that "if something cannot go on, it will eventually stop." In Washington these days, Congress seems determined to prove that wrong.

Michael Tanner heads research into a variety of domestic policies with a particular emphasis on health care reform, social welfare policy, and Social Security. His most recent book, Leviathan on the Right: How Big-Government Conservatism Brought Down the Republican Revolution (2007), chronicles the demise of the Republican party as it has shifted away from its limited government roots and warns that reform is necessary to avoid continual electoral defeat.

Under Tanner's direction, Cato launched the Project on Social Security Choice, which is widely considered the leading impetus for transforming the soon-to-be-bankrupt system into a private savings program. Time Magazine calls Tanner, "one of the architects of the private accounts movement," and Congressional Quarterly named him one of the nation's five most influential experts on Social Security.

His other books include, Healthy Competition: What's Holding Back Health Care and How to Free It (Second Edition, 2007), The Poverty of Welfare: Helping Others in Civil Society (2003), and A New Deal for Social Security (1998). Tanner's writings have appeared in nearly every major American newspaper, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. A prolific writer and frequent guest lecturer, Tanner appears regularly on network and cable news programs. Before joining Cato in 1993, Tanner served as director of research of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation and as legislative director for the American Legislative Exchange Council.

Media Contact: 202-789-5200
To Book a Speaking Engagement: 202-789-5226
E-Mail: mtanner@cato.org

Charles Djou a Great leader

Take some time to look up Charles Djou and try to help him with what you can. A win right inside Obama’s backyard can only help unnerve many more Dems in the fall. Djou a leader in the polls

Hawaii, Democrats are facing a possible inversion!!!!!

By Chris Good - a staff editor at TheAtlantic.com
APR 8 2010


In Hawaii, Democrats are facing a possible inversion of New York-23--the '09 race in which Conservative Party candidate Dough Hoffman's entry derailed Republicans' chances and handed a congressional seat to Democrats. One major difference: this race doesn't express a larger ideological divide among Democratic ranks, as NY-23 did among Republicans.

This is a three-way race featuring two Democrats, former Rep. Ed Case and Hawaii State Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, squaring off against Republican Charles Djou. It is a winner-take-all contest between the three candidates, competing to replace Neil Abercrombie, who left Congress to run for governor. The winner will represent Hawaii's first district, covering urban Honolulu--the district where President Obama was born and raised.

Right now, the race is close: according to a Democratic source, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has conducted an internal poll showing Case at 32%, Djou at 32%, Hanabusa at 27%, and 9% undecided.

And there is some further in-fighting going on here. The DCCC has reportedly inserted itself into this race, sending some undercover help to the Case campaign, including assistance from DCCC Western Regional Political Director Adam Sullivan.

Hanabusa, meanwhile, has the support of Hawaii's two Democratic senators, Daniel Akaka and Daniel Inouye (who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee)--meaning the DCCC has evidently split from the wishes of Hawaii's two most senior politicians, in an attempt to elect the perceived frontrunner with an edge in the polls.

Kawaiku`i Beach Clean-up: Charles Djou on the Right
Friday June 8, 2007
There's more to the back-story: according to two Hawaii Democrats, Case offended Hawaii's senators by challenging Akaka for his Senate seat in 2006, campaigning (indirectly) on Akaka's age.

"He was trying to make the argument that, look, our two senators were 85 years old. Let's make a switch now and start building some seniority so we don't lose everything all at once," one Hawaii Democrat said. "In insulting Sen. Akaka, he pissed off Sen. Inouye."

"It was the subtext of everything, that Sen. Akaka was old and that for some reason he's incapable of representing Hawaii in Congress," another Hawaii Democrat said, adding that both Akaka and Inouye liked Case at the time and were comfortable with him becoming Hawaii's next senator--if he waited his turn.

Courtesy SFC Thomas Nichols

June 28, 2005, Nineteen American Warriors were killed in the mountainous terrain near Asadabad, Afghanistan. On the fourth anniversary of their deaths, a lasting memorial was dedicated in the park previously known as Triangle Park near Diamond Head Circle, Oahu, Hawaii. Placed in the newly renamed Operation Red Wings – Medal of Honor Park, plaques preserve their names and recount the action in which they died.

The Kahala Community Association and Waialae-Kahala Neighborhood Board joined in supporting City Councilman Charles Djou’s campaign to rename the park, which previously honored Civil War Maj. Gen. Thomas Ruger. The park was dedicated and renamed Veterans Day, 2008. At a meeting of the city council, Dennis Gaughan and Chad Buck, representing SEAL-Naval Special Warfare Foundation-Hawaii; and other Special Armed Force members – Randy West, Kelly LaPorte, and Daniel Rice were introduced. Councilmember Djou and the Board were thanked for entertaining the proposal to rename the park. From the Foundation’s perspective Operation Red Wing has strong Hawaii connections and recommended the proposed name of “Red Wing – Medal of Honor Park”, or “Operation Red Wing – Medal of Honor Park”. The Foundation worked closely in the production of the final plaques and the tribute.

Prior to the dedication. Left to right Representative Lynn Finnegan, Director Lester Chang, Major General Robert Lee, Councilmember Charles Djou, Commander Randal West, Rear Admiral Sean Pybus, Lieutenant Shemluck, Lieutenant Commander Pashneh-Tala.

The DCCC is airing an ad in the race attacking Djou, but not taking sides between the Democrats.

If Djou wins, it would be difficult for Republicans to claim it's a referendum on President Obama or health care reform: Hawaii has one of the most liberal health care systems in the nation, and the Democrats' recently passed health reform bill actually exempts Hawaii from one of its provisions.

But it is the district where Obama hails from, and if Republicans can take it, it will be a feather in their cap between May and November. The seat could turn red with 60% of the votes going to Democrats, but a Republican win in Hawaii would be a coup for the GOP--and Republicans would certainly trumped the symbolism of Obama's hometown district changing hands.

DCCC Poll: Hawaii Tied ( Djou Can Win)

The Dems are running scared in Hawaii with the upcoming special election ( May 22nd) in a district Obama won with 70% of the vote. Yet, Bush did get 46% in 2004 and Gov Lingle racked up big wins in the district ( 64%) and in this special election where all the candidates will be on the same ballot together and whoever gets the most votes wins Charles Djou poses a real threat. He has already proven his electability by representing Dem leaning seat based in Waikiki for city of Honolulu on city council.

The race includes Former Congressman Case and State Senator Hanabusa for the Dems whom is being supported by both US Senators as well as labor ( neither technically live in the district either). The DCCC is thinking of backing Former Congressman Case who represented Hawaii’s other congressional district but for now the DCCC admitted its goal is to attack Djou and this week they began just that. 2 attack ads on Charles Djou one of which is for his signing of Americans For Tax Reform pledge to not raise taxes ( this is bad how?) have begun and DCCC Van Hollen has promised more.

DCCC poll in the Hawaii’s first congressional district shows a close special election race with Ed Case (D) at 32%, Charles Djou (R) at 32% and Colleen Hanabusa(D) at 27% with 9% undecided.

Keep in mind Case has already ran statewide in Hawaii before and was Congressman ( he is considered more “moderate one who can appeal to Independents) and Hanabusa has run for Congress before herself and is in State Legislature in a leadership role while Djou is a city councilman still not known yet ( his numbers can grow) but he needs the help. The NRCC is still pretty cash strapped be interesting to see what they do in terms of a play here.

Take some time to look up Charles Djou and try to help him with what you can. A win right inside Obama’s backyard can only help unnerve many more Dems in the fall.

Mainland Democrat groups Invade Hawaii

Djou slams Mainland group's new ads

By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Government Writer

	City Councilman Charles Djou
	SPECIAL ELECTION To elect a U.S. Representative for 1st Congressional District: • Voters must register by April 22. • Ballots will be mailed to registered voters on or around May 2. • Ballots must be returned by 6 p.m. May 22. • Results will be announced on May 22.

Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou said yesterday that new campaign advertisements against him by national Democrats are an "outside interference" in the special election for Congress and should be rejected by voters.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which helps elect Democrats nationally, has paid for ads in Hawai'i that criticize the Republican Djou for signing a pledge by an anti-tax group promising that he would not vote to raise taxes.

The ad claims the pledge means Djou would "protect tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas."

"There should be no need for a Mainland Democrat group to be involved in Hawai'i elections unless they are afraid of how the people of Hawai'i will vote," Djou said in an e-mail to The Advertiser. "My position on issues is there for all to see, and the votes that I have taken are clear, honorable and correct."

The DCCC, concerned that former congressman Ed Case and state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa will split the Democratic vote in the May special election, is expected to spend heavily in Hawai'i to prevent a Djou victory.

The DCCC is reportedly so worried about a loss in President Obama's hometown urban Honolulu congressional district that it has considered taking sides between Case and Hanabusa.

Case, who campaigns on his independence and his desire to change the political culture in Hawai'i and Washington, D.C., has a new ad that stresses he is a Democrat. Previous Case ads have avoided the party label.

Local Democrats who have backed Hanabusa, including U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye and prominent labor leaders, have stood behind the state Senate president despite reports that national Democrats may go with Case.

Inouye has said he expects to meet with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., when he returns to Washington next week to urge the DCCC not to endorse Case.

HANABUSA'S EDGE

One local Democratic strategist, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Hanabusa may be in better position than Case to launch a get-out-the-vote operation in the all-mail special election because of her support among unions and traditional Democrats.

Case has higher name recognition, but may not be able to raise as much campaign money as Hanabusa or have the ability to deploy as much grassroots help without union support, the strategist said. Hanabusa's campaign said in a news release last night it had raised more than $450,000 in the last quarter.

Case has declined requests to talk about campaign strategy.

Dante Carpenter, the chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawai'i, said Djou poses a challenge. But he said he hopes national Democrats will stay neutral and let local Democrats decide between Case and Hanabusa.

"Sooner or later they are going to have to make a decision," Carpenter said. "It may be difficult for some, easy for others, but that's the fortunes of war. That's politics."

Local Republicans have said a Djou victory would be comparable to U.S. Sen. Scott Brown's GOP upset in Massachusetts in January.

The Brown comparisons have brought national attention to the special election in Hawai'i, but have put Djou in the crosshairs in a state with a history of voting for Democrats.

Djou, like Case, often describes himself as an independent not beholden to a party.

"I do not have second thoughts on being compared to Scott Brown," Djou said. "I am, however, Charles Djou and running my own campaign for Congress in Hawai'i and not a campaign for the Senate in Massachusetts.

"I am disappointed the DCCC has resorted to dirty politics and neither Ed or Colleen will stand up and denounce the DCCC's unethical behavior."

DJOU DEFENDED

The National Republican Congressional Committee has listed Djou as a contender, the second tier of its candidate grooming effort. An NRCC spokeswoman could not say yesterday whether Republicans would counter the DCCC's ads.

Americans for Tax Reform, the national conservative group that asks candidates to sign an anti-tax pledge, released a statement yesterday arguing that the DCCC misrepresented the meaning behind the pledge.

The group said it wants candidates, like Djou, "to put their no-new-taxes rhetoric in writing. Candidates tend to talk a big game about never wanting to raise taxes. Why not simply ask them to put it in writing? A promise has more validity when put down for all to see. Djou has done just that and should be applauded for his decision."

Several Democrats in Congress have signed the pledge, although most who have signed are Republicans.

Hawaii Race War: How about American?

WE are all American I think?

Asian-American Democratic take offense at DCCC Hawaii move

Asian-American Democrats are criticizing the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for favoring a white former congressman from Hawaii over the Asian-American State Senate President in a hotly contested special election to represent a majority-minority Hawaii district.

“The DCCC should focus the party on uniting Democrats and keeping this seat blue rather than dividing us and helping us defeat ourselves. It is unseemly for party officials to step into a special election with more than one Democrat, particularly in a district where 58 percent of the population is Asian Pacific American," says the Asian American Action Fund executive director Gautam Dutta in a statement, provided to POLITICO, that's likely to be the first shot in a campaign to resist DCCC's efforts.

"Imagine the disgruntled reaction were the DCCC to step into a contested special election in a predominantly African-American or Latino district," Dutta pointedly added.

Viewing Case as the stronger candidate, the DCCC is reportedly quietly siding with former Rep. Ed Case over state Sen. Colleen Hanabusa in a nonpartisan election that also features a strong Republican candidate. But Hanabusa is also the more liberal politician, and the race is drawing comparisons from some on the left to the upstate New York congressional election that divided the Republican Party last year, and the issue of race adds another explosive element to the mix. Case, whose wife is Asian-American, has always been popular among Asian-American constituents, but the increasingly organized national Asian-American political class has long felt slighted by Democrats.

“We believe [Hanabusa] is an outstanding candidate who has already broken racial barriers, just like President Obama, by becoming the first Asian Pacific American female to ever preside over a legislative body in the United States. Sen. Hanabusa has consistently upheld Democratic ideals which are in line with Hawaii values. Hawaii voters value candidates like Hanabusa who keep their local roots strong, their ear to the concerns of Hawaii voters and their campaigns homegrown. They do not appreciate interference from Washington D.C. AAA-Fund has chapters, board members and supporters from across the country, including in Hawaii," said Dutta. "Asian Pacific American votes cannot be taken for granted, and the DCCC's actions risk alienating this critical bloc of voters and donors."

Another prominent Asian-American operative said Asian-American Democrats see the move as "beyond an affront" and that there's an effort to organize a boycott of the DCCC by Asian-American donors.

What is an Asian Pacific American?

Also Running in this Race is an Hawaii Chinese Republican Charles K. Djou

In Barack Obama's maybe hometown: The Democratic turf battle, "stay off my turf"

The Hawaiian word kuleana roughly translates to turf, as in, "stay off my turf!"

Gangs fight over turf, and so do politicians. It turns out that an internecine Democratic turf battle may just help elect the first Republican to the U.S. Congress from Hawaii in two decades.

The last Republican to hold the seat was former school teacher Pat Saiki, who left the House in 1990 and who now chairs the campaign of the Republican who is trying to change that trend, Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou. He may be sitting in a good spot in a year Republicans hope is good enough to make them competitive -- even in the Aloha State.

The coming special election for Hawaii's 1st Congressional District pits two Democrats -- former Rep. Ed Case (whose cousin is AOL founder Steve Case) and state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa -- against the GOP's Djou. What is more, it is winner takes all. There is no primary and no runoff election; whoever has the most votes on May 22 wins.

Further complicating matters for Democrats is that, for internal political reasons, party leaders cannot rally around either of the candidates. House leaders would reportedly like to support Case, but he angered both of Hawaii's U.S. senators when he "primaried" Sen. Daniel Akaka in 2006 and made an issue out of the fact that both Hawaii senators are over the age of 80. Not coincidentally, they are supporting Hanabusa.

"Ed Case has not been respecting U.S. Senator [Daniel] Inouye's kuleana," says Djou. "That's a concept people within the Beltway don't understand -- and that's why the division in this race is so sharp. Both of them dislike me, but they really hate each other."

Although Democrats cannot settle on a candidate, they have settled on a strategy of attacking the Republican interloper. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) recently released a TV ad blasting Djou for signing Americans for Tax Reform's "Taxpayer's Protection Pledge," saying it "protects tax breaks for companies who send jobs overseas." (ATR fired back, calling the claims "false".) Interestingly, the ad itself has actually stoked the Democratic divide. The ad's narrator says, "Hawaii needs a 'Congressman on our side," and some have speculated this may be a signal being sent from the DCCC that it actually prefers former Congressman Case.

Clearly, Democrats are concerned about Djou, as they should be. It appears that the Republicans are running the best candidate the GOP has fielded in years. Djou, 39, started fundraising for this campaign years ago, and has lined up respected advisers such as Web guru Patrick Ruffini and The Tarrance Group, a respected polling firm. His advantages don't end there. Djou tells me he is the only candidate in the race who actually resides in the 1^st District. Nor are those Democrats exactly political giants: Case previously defeated Hanabusa for the 2^nd congressional seat in a 2002 special election. He then abandoned his seat to run against Akaka in 2006. Hanabusa narrowly lost a congressional primary in 2006 in the 2^nd District.

Honolulu is the capital and largest city in Hawaii, and Djou, who serves on the City Council, is well known and highly qualified. He served as minority floor leader in the Hawaii Legislature, has a military background (he serves in the U.S. Army Reserve), is a law professor (on sabbatical at the University of Hawaii). He also is self-deprecating and easy-going -- always a plus in laid-back Hawaii -- and mainstream in his views. He is a fiscal conservative and a social moderate -- something that might harm him in other states, but which benefits him in Hawaii. In other words, he is a difficult candidate for Democrats to demonize.

Despite having a Republican governor, Hawaii is a deep blue state and the birthplace of President Obama. "I actually went to the same high school as the president," says Djou. "Had I known Maya's older brother would grow up to become president, I may well have asked her out to senior prom."

This will be the first-ever all-mail-in election in the state, with ballots being sent out on April 30 (voters have until May 22 to return them, but Djou expects most people will cast ballots during the first few days).

"The campaign is probably going to reach a fever pitch when the ballots are put in the mail to the voters," Djou tells Politics Daily.

Djou says the race is over "whether or not the people want another insider, or someone who's going to shake up the system. My opponents are running as insiders, and I am not." Djou favors a moratorium on earmarks, is a free trader, would have opposed the stimulus, and would have opposed health care reform. Djou is currently trailing both Democrats in the polls, and the National Republican Congressional Committee has not yet committed to coming to his rescue. But if Republicans can win in Massachusetts, then anything is possible.

"If Republicans win Barack Obama's hometown, it is going to make a profound statement about the 2010 midterm election," Djou says.

How can the Republican Party bosses in Washington resist that story line?
http://www.djou.com

Charles Djou to emerge as the winner would be Great for Hawaii

Colleen Hanabusa and Daniel Inouye chief of staff in Hawaii: The infighting, back·stabbing begins

State Sen. Colleen Hanabusa, a Democrat running in Hawaii’s May 22 special election for a vacant House seat, has brought on a top aide to Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) to help run her campaign.

Jennifer Goto-Sabas, Chief of Staff for US Senator Daniel K. Inouye

Jennifer Goto-Sabas, who serves as Inouye’s chief of staff in Hawaii and had been informally advising the Hanabusa effort, is taking on an expanded role in the campaign for the seat left vacant by the resignation of former Rep. Neil Abercrombie, according to a source familiar with the move. Inouye and fellow Hawaii Democratic Sen. Daniel Akaka have both endorsed Hanabusa over former Democratic Rep. Ed Case in the three-way, winner-take-all May contest.

The source said the move was in part intended as a warning shot to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which is considering an endorsement for Case. Democrats are worried about a scenario in which Hanabusa and Case split the party vote, paving the way for Republican Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou to emerge the winner in the heavily Democratic seat.

On Tuesday, Van Hollen told POLITICO that the DCCC was not closing the door on making an endorsement in the race.

The move also signals an attempt to stabilize the Hanabusa campaign, which recently came under sharp criticism for an ad touting a vote to cut state legislative salaries. The campaign later pulled the ad from the airwaves after conceding the spot was misleading.

“Jennifer is here to be a steady hand,” said the source.

Hawaii Denies Requests for Obama's Birth Certificate

President Barack Obama born in Mombosa, Kenya?

Hawaii has a message for those who question whether President Barack Obama was born there: Get off our backs! The state Department of Health (DOH) set up a special page on its website to help handle dozens of requests it receives monthly from "birthers" trying to obtain evidence of the President's origins. And Democratic state Senator Will Espero recently introduced two bills in an attempt to stem the tide.

Senate Bill No. 2056 would reverse current state law by allowing more open access to birth records inspection, and Senate Bill No. 2937 would allow the State Health Department to ignore illegitimate requests for vital records by labeling abusers of the system as "vexatious requestors." Espero told the Honolulu Advertiser his reason for introducing the bills. "It's because of all the noise about the president not being born here. I believe he's born here. Most of Hawai'i believes he's born here, and it's not an issue as it is with these Mainland birthers."

The Health Department website explains that current state law "prohibits the DOH from disclosing any vital statistics records ... unless the requestor has a direct and tangible interest." Release of birth certificates is limited in most cases to immediate family, legal guardians, or executors.

According to Health Department spokesman Janice Okubo, the state receives 40 to 50 requests for Obama's birth certificate each month, as reported by the Honolulu Advertiser. Okubo says that the law is necessary to protect against "identity theft and other types of concerns." She also complained that the requests place a heavy burden on DOH staff already severely strained by recent budget cuts.

Birthers maintain Obama is not eligible to be president because, they say, he was not born in the United States. They claim he was born in Mombosa, Kenya, and that his mother traveled to Hawaii shortly after his birth.

DOH Director Dr. Chiyome Fukino issued a statement in 2008 stating that both he and the Registrar of Vital Statistics "have personally seen and verified that the Hawai'i State Department of Health has Sen. Obama's original birth certificate on record in accordance with state policies and procedures." He followed up with another statement in July, 2009, saying simply that he has "seen the original vital records maintained on file by the Hawai'i State Department of Health verifying Barack Hussein Obama was born in Hawai'i and is a natural-born American citizen."

The major media is quick to label birthers as extremists not worthy of consideration. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs mockingly told a reporter at a press briefing in July 2009, "The noble truth is that the president was born in Hawaii, a state of the United States of America."

But that isn't good enough for birthers, who demand to see the actual document instead of the less complete Certificate of Live Birth issued by Obama's presidential campaign. Hawaii law allows parents of children born out of state to obtain certificates of live birth, a fact that prompts birthers to believe Obama has something to hide in not revealing the original long form birth certificate.

The topic has sparked a number of court cases. Prior to the 2008 presidential elections, Pennsylvania Democrat Philip J. Berg filed suit in U.S. District Court challenging Obama's eligibility to run, but the court dismissed the case in 2009.

U.S. Army Sergeant Steven F. Cook, a soldier ordered to Afghanistan, sued in 2009 for a temporary restraining order on his deployment based on Obama's ineligibility to be commander-in-chief. A California judge agreed to hear the case. However, the LA Independent reported that the army revoked Cook's deployment orders before the hearing date.

In response to birthers' concerns, U.S. Representative Bill Posey (R-Fla.) introduced H.R. 1503, a bill to require future presidential candidates to provide documentation proving they meet Constitutional requirements for eligibility to the office of president. The bill has 11 cosponsors but in the year since its introduction still awaits a committee hearing. Regarding Obama's birth certificate, Posey told WorldNet Daily, "The only people I know who are afraid to take drug tests are the people who use drugs."

Before his abrupt departure from CNN last November, Lou Dobbs gave the issue considerable coverage.

Below are responses to frequently asked questions related to all records and documents maintained by the Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) related to the vital records of President Barack Hussein Obama II. Frequently requested records and documents which can be released to the public are attached by electronic link below or, for those records and documents that are not available electronically, directions are provided for requesting copies.

The State’s public records law, the Uniform Information Practices Act (Modified) (“UIPA”), found at chapter 92F, Hawaii Revised Statutes (“HRS”) requires that all government records be open to public inspection unless access is restricted or closed by law. Government records means information maintained by an agency in written, auditory, visual, electronic, or other physical form, see HRS §92F-3. The UIPA does not require an agency to provide access to government records that state law protects from disclosure, see, HRS §92F-13 (4), nor does it require agencies to respond to all questions asked of the agency.

Unless a request for DOH records is specific enough to be understood, the request cannot be responded to by the DOH.

The DOH may not have a record which is responsive to a request. The UIPA does not require an agency to compile or create information to respond to a request.

State law prohibits the DOH from disclosing any vital statistics records or information contained in such records unless the requestor has a direct and tangible interest in the record, or as otherwise allowed by statute or administrative rule. See HRS §338-18. Direct and tangible interest is determined by HRS §338-18(b).

In light of the unprecedented number of requests for information relating to the vital records of President Barack Hussein Obama II, the DOH has reviewed the requirements of UIPA and the confidentiality provisions of HRS Chapter 338.

Based upon that review, the DOH has determined that the information listed below constitutes all of the publicly available information related to requests for vital statistics records pertaining to President Barack Hussein Obama II, and the only disclosures pertaining to those records that can be made in accordance with Hawaii law. The Department of Health is providing links to copies of the records in the form that they are available to the public.

1. Birth Certificate or Certificate of Live Birth

State law prohibits the DOH for disclosing any information about a Hawaii vital record unless the requestor has a direct and tangible interest in the record. This includes verification of vital records and all the information contained in a record. Vital records disclosure laws protect all birth, death, marriage and divorce records held by the department and all amendments, changes, supporting records, and requests related to vital records.

Direct and tangible interest is determined by HRS §338-18(b). This statute may be accessed on the state legislative website at:
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol06/Ch0321-0344/HRS0338/HRS 0338-0018.htm

The law that governs vital records in the State of Hawaii is Hawaii Revised Statutes chapter 338, which may be accessed on the state legislature website at:
http://www:capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/

Information on how to order certified copies of vital records in Hawaii and who is eligible to order vital records in Hawaii, is available on the DOH website at:
http://hawaii.gov/health/vital-records/vital-records/index.html

2. Index Data

Haw. Rev. Stat. §338-18(d) states, “Index data consisting of name and sex of the registrant, type of vital event, and such other data as the director may authorize shall be made available to the public.” Refer to link above for HRS §338-18.

Index data consisting of name and sex of the registrant, and type of event is made available to the public. The director, in accordance with HRS §338-18(d), has not authorized any other data to be made available to the public.

Index data referred to in HRS §338-18 from vital records in the State of Hawaii is available for inspection at the Department of Health’s Office of Health Status Monitoring at 1250 Punchbowl Street in Honolulu. The public will be asked to provide identification and sign in to inspect the names and sex of all births, deaths and marriages that occurred in the state. Data are maintained in bound copies by type of event with names listed alphabetically by last name.

The index data regarding President Obama is:

Birth Index
Obama II, Barack Hussein
Male

To request a search for index data, provide a first and last name of the individual, and the type of event along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Requests must be sent in writing to:

State Department of Health
Office of Health Status Monitoring
Issuance/Vital Statistics Section
P.O. Box 3378
Honolulu, HI 96801

There may be a cost for search, segregation and copying based on the request. If prepayment is required, the DOH will send a Notice to Requestor form with the amount required for prepayment. Only a money order, certified check, or cashier’s check (make money order and checks payable to the State Department of Health) will be accepted. Personal checks will not be accepted. All fees are non-refundable; if no data is found after a search is conducted, the fees are retained to cover the cost of the search. Requests for index data will be sent out within 2-3 weeks after receipt of payment.

3. All past statements by the Health Director are available at:

http://hawaii.gov/health/about/pr/2008/08-93.pdf
http://hawaii.gov/health/about/pr/2009/09-063.pdf

The statements speak for themselves and there are no other public records maintained by the department related to these statements that are available to the public

4. Records pertaining to the Department of Health database for vital statistics information:

Records pertaining to the Department of Health database for vital statistics information are not required to be disclosed by the Uniform Information Practices Act because those records, by their very nature, must be confidential in order for the government to avoid the frustration of a legitimate government function (see HRS §92F-13(3)). Disclosing such information compromises the department’s ability to protect the integrity of vital statistics records, to ensure their proper use, and to ensure the efficient and proper administration of the vital statistics system as is required by HRS §338-18.

5. All records on department regulations and rules related to vital records are at:

http://gen.doh.hawaii.gov/sites/har/admrules/default.aspx

These records consist of:
Public Health Regulations Chapter 8 (Vital Records Regulations and Records)
Public Health Regulations Chapter 8A (Delayed Birth Registration)
Public Health Regulations Chapter 8B (Vital Statistics Regulations and Records)
Hawaii Administrative Rules, Title 11 Department of Health Chapter 120 (Foreign Born Persons Adopted in Hawaii)
Hawaii Administrative Rules, Title 11 Department of Health Chapter 123 (Names of Natural Parents in Birth Certificate of Adopted Person)

If you would like to have a hard copy of the rules sent to you by mail or by facsimile, please send a prepayment of $10.00 along with your written request to:

State Department of Health
Office of Health Status Monitoring
Issuance/Vital Statistics Section
P.O. Box 3378
Honolulu, HI 96801

Will Sarah Palin Get a Second Chance at the Presidency?

Sarah Palin is a woman who makes things happen and would be a great addition to the federal government, from what I found would make an excellent president.

Sarah Palin was born on February 11, 1964 making her to be 44, and has already been the youngest governor in the United States and the only woman to become governor of Alaska.

Sarah Palin takes a tough stand on wasteful spending and high taxes, when she was on the city council in 1992 in Wasillia she vowed to cut both. She reduced her own salary and even cut property taxes by 40%., showing us she knows what needs to be done and is not afraid to do it.

Sarah Palin ran for governor in 2006, without the mud slinging and she spent far less then her opponent and still won! That was when she was 42, and she was the youngest to hold this position in the country.

Sarah Palin has strongly supported oil resource development in her home state. In light of the high gas prices up there, she wanted to send people a hundred a month to offset those cost, but that measure failed so she instead proposed to send them all 1,200 dollars a year to offset the cost. Again, she is helping the little person, and not big business.

Sarah Palin, is not above firing those who need to be replaced. When the dairy board wanted to close in Alaska, she knew it would hurt the farmers, so she fired them all. The new board of directors reversed the decision to close the creamery and thousands of Alaskan farmers and other people in the state benefited from this move.

Sarah Palin is a take-charge kind of woman and she is exactly what is needed to turn this country around. It would be quite awesome to see her become president after McCain is through with the office.

Sarah Palin won a beauty contest, placed second in the Miss Alaska pageant, and won a scholarship to college where she studied Political science. She was active in basketball in high school, and her family ran in races often. She does have the winning combination of beauty and brains, and she brings this to the office.

Sarah Palin is an only child of Sarah, a school secretary and Charles, a science, and track teacher. She was born in Idaho but the family moved to Alaska when she was an infant.

Sarah Palin married Todd on August 29 1988, and on their 20 wedding anniversary she was nominated for the vice presidency of the United States. Talk about a wedding anniversary present! They were also high school sweethearts who married.

Sarah Palin is the mom of five children, two boys, Track who is 18 and in the Army, Trig who was born April 2008. She and Todd also have three daughters, Bristol who is 17, Willow who is 13, and Piper who is seven. Within three days of having Trig early, she was back to work, and is applauded for choosing to have him knowing he has Down’s syndrome. This says a lot about her as a mom, and a woman that she is not afraid of hard work, as being a mom of a special needs child can be exhausting.

Will Sarah Palin Get a Second Chance at the Presidency?

In order to decide if Sarah Palin has a second shot at the US presidency, one must believe that she had any shot all. John McCain thrust Sarah Palin into the national spotlight with an ill-conceived and premature judgment call. In all likelihood, McCain was begging for women’s votes. Recall that he chose Sarah Palin right after Hillary Clinton dropped out. The ploy was obvious. But, to paraphrase John McCain in the debates, “Sarah Palin is not Hillary Clinton.” Given John McCain’s clear desperation, even that early in the game, one assumes that neither McCain nor Palin were White House bound.

Let’s give the Republican running mate a slide and say that Sarah Palin was in legitimate running for Vice President. Her “roguish” behavior and her inability to form simple sentences should disqualify her from future presidential consideration. Oh, wait for it, who can forget our current leader of the free world. Apparently, sentence formation is not a disqualifying criterion. Even so, Palin’s aerial gunning, bride of Bloomingdales, Joe-Six-Pack, “First Dude, and unbridled gullibility (think punked and French President Sarkozy) perhaps indicate that she is too much a woman of the people. The question must be asked, “Do we want (another) creature of such rabid self-interest, shooting off her big mouth on the world stage, from the podium of this country? Sarah Palin may not even survive her political ambitions in Alaska.

Moving forward to a terrible future in which Sarah Palin either is chosen as a running mate and the candidate wins the Presidency or in which Palin is voted “First Babe,” imagine possible scenarios. Sarah Palin, through fortune’s whim, is President of the United States of America! The deficit, finally brought by President Obama into numbers that human beings can comprehend, is catapulted into whatever comes after “trillion.” The reason? Madame President’s exclusive wardrobe. With jewelry made from endangered whale bones, gloves designed out of the tiny pelts of baby seals and wolf pups, and a unique facial treatment that relies on ground elephant tusks and tiger eyes (the actual eyes), the cost of maintaining Ms. Palin has bloated the Federal budget beyond redemption. There are the awkward and unsolicited winks at Ayatollahs and other Muslim clerics. There’s a fatwa on our President’s head. The First Dude and the President of France come to blows over the good lady’s honor and the first Saturday of every odd-numbered month is keg night at the White House. Former President George Bush is in charge of the pump. Gotta keep a good foam-to-beer ratio. Of course, every American looks forward to the televised coast-to-coast witch hunts and exorcisms of demon liberals.

In a rational universe, Sarah Palin will fade and recede like the polar icecaps. Is the universe rational? Ask Schrodinger’s Cat. Does Sarah Palin has a second chance at the US presidency? Of course she does. With the right big money, a wink and a nod, anyone can be President of the United States of America.

I definitely believe Sarah Palin will get a second chance at becoming a United States President. While no one can argue that Sarah Palin brought a certain freshness to the Presidential Campaign, with it she also encountered much bias that men never encounter. Did anyone ask Obama how much his shoes cost or how often he went shopping? Maybe they should have asked how much time he spends playing basketball. That is as relevant to being President as the questions put to Sarah Palin.

When will women in politics be measured by their accomplishments rather than their wardrobe? After seeing how Sarah was raked across the coals for absurd things such as clothing and shopping, this is something that needs dire attention. Women need to receive the same respect and be held accountable for the same things.

I do not think that she will fade back into the background now that she has a taste of the big race. She has a lot of options now that she did not have prior to accepting the Republican Vice Presidential Nominee. For instance, just by signing with the Washington Speakers Bureau, Palin will be the most sought after speaker on the American lecture circuit overnight.

With that said, I do think that Sarah Palin will run for President of the United States. Depending on how happy the citizens of the United States are with the job that President Elect Obama does, the time may be ripe for Sarah Palin to run. The fact that a minority achieved Presidency, which in itself is an accomplishment, will be a benefit to a woman seeking the position of President. We tend to swing from one extreme to the other in the United States.

I think the main thing is that Sarah Palin will have to remain in sight and active within the lower 48 states. She will have to have some goals to achieve and show that she is able to meet those goals for the U.S. citizens. I think that it is a trust issue that people will have to actually see that she will do what she sets out to do. This will give her a big boost in seeking the Presidency.

As pointed out, she needs to really study up on U.S. politics and world geography. She is very smart and needs to know her stuff because they will constantly test her knowledge of these things. The more she knows the better off she will be.

Sarah Palin comes from a modest background and knows what it is like to have to work for what she has. She was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth. That really appeals to voters like myself.

I definitely think that Sarah Palin has a chance to become President of the United States. Timing is everything. She would take care of women’s rights, special needs children, keep a Christian perspective, and put the United States back on the map as a country not to be reckoned with. She appeals to political conservatism because she embraces Christian beliefs. Sarah Palin’s Christian background is something that Christians who hold the Bible to be the absolute truth are looking for. She is not afraid to speak out about her beliefs about God and Christian beliefs. I find that quality very appealing.

In America your always given second chances and former vice president candidate Sarah Palin will be afforded that as well. Palin for many was a fresh face with new ideas that energized many from her party, but also alienated some of the old school people who still are not ready for change. Most likely Palin will head back to Alaska and finish being Governor and a run at the White House looks to be in her cards again. This powerful Governor from Alaska learned a lot on the campaign trail from what you can say and what you cannot. Many times she did not realize how cruel the press or people can be, but now she has a firm grasp on the situation and what she will need to do to make a run at White House.

Sarah Palin now understands what it takes to make the push to get to the highest office in the land and behind the scenes she is probably planning her moves so when the time is right she will announce it. The Republican party right now is in disarray and is the perfect time for Sarah Palin to lay the ground work for a run at the White House. Many people though were not happy with some of the things she did and mending some fences inside the party will be Palin’s first order of business. Throughout the campagin for vice-president she was tagged with the name Diva which she will need to overcome if she wants the masses of people to give her a second look. American people want someone they can identify with and once she appeals to a larger group of people her popularity will soar even higher than it already is.

Politics is a very funny business and Sarah Palin now understands that and what sacrifices she will need to make to become the next President Of The United States. She will have an uphill battle, but the one thing we learned about Palin is she is a fighter and works hard for things she believes in. Americans are a very forgiving Nation and will give her the second chance she wants. The next move will be up to her and how she proceeds with it. Look for a new improved Sarah Palin to hit the campaign trail in the next couple of years. The experience she gained this year will go a long way in defining who she will be in the future. Just as Barack Obama before her Sarah Palin can make history as well. I know I would not bet against this small dynamo from Alaska who came out of nowhere to be a household name in just a few months. Remember the name Sarah Palin as she could be the next President Of The United States.

http://msfrw.com/sarahp/will-sarah-palin-get-a-second-chance-at-the-presidency-part-2/

Mayor Mufi Hannemann

City and County of Honolulu wastewater treatment plants’ exemptions not renewed / Sand Island and Honouliuli plants will be required to upgrade to full secondary treatment

Contact Information: Dean Higuchi, 808-541-2711, higuchi.dean@epa.gov

HONOLULU – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today issued final decisions to not renew the City and County of Honolulu’s variances exempting the Sand Island and Honouliuli Wastewater Treatment plants from full secondary treatment requirements.

EPA has concluded that the discharges from the two plants do not meet the Clean Water Act’s conditions for renewed variances from requirements which apply to most of the nation’s municipal sewage treatment plants. Specifically, the discharges from the two plants do not meet all applicable water quality standards. Neither of the plants’ discharges protect recreational use or marine life in the vicinity of the ocean outfalls. As a result, the two plants do not qualify for renewed variances.

“This action will ensure that residents and visitors using Hawaii’s ocean waters are protected from inadequately treated sewage,” said Wayne Nastri, the EPA's Administrator for the Pacific Southwest region. “We will work with the city on a realistic schedule to upgrade its two largest wastewater plants, taking into account the other priorities for improvements to Honolulu’s wastewater system.”

The city’s Sand Island plant, located in Honolulu, and the Honouliuli plant, located in Ewa, were both operating under variances from secondary treatment. With the final decision to not renew the variances, both plants will be required to upgrade to full secondary treatment.

In reaching these final decisions, EPA considered nearly 600 comments received in writing and presented verbally at two public hearings. Written responses to all comments received have been posted on EPA’s website. In response to these comments, EPA made modifications to tentative Decision Documents released in 2007, but these changes did not alter the overall conclusions that the two plants do not qualify for renewed variances.

Primary treatment generally involves screening out large floating objects, such as rags and sticks, removing grit, such as cinders, sand and small stones, and allowing wastewater to settle, followed by the removal of collected solids. When secondary treatment is used, primary-treated wastewater flows into another facility where a large portion of the organic matter in the wastewater is removed by making use of the bacteria in the sewage. There are a variety of different biological treatment techniques that allow the bacteria to consume most of the waste’s organic matter.

The federal Clean Water Act generally requires municipal wastewater treatment plants to use both primary and secondary treatment. Amendments to the Act in 1977 allow for variances from secondary treatment for marine discharges, provided the plant meets water quality standards and other specific criteria as part of section 301(h) of the act. These variances are sometimes referred to as 301(h) waivers. Many coastal cities that once sought variances from secondary treatment, especially in areas where there is heavy recreational beach use, have chosen to upgrade their treatment plants to meet Clean Water Act requirements without variances.

EPA Refuses To Budge On Secondary Treatment

Reported by: Andrew Pereira Email: apereira@khon2.com

Honolulu needs to be on the same playing field with other cities when it comes to the secondary treatment of its sewage.

That was the assertion made by EPA Region 9 Administrator Jared Blumenfeld Tuesday in an interview with Khon2.

“We want to make sure that the wastewater treatment system here and the water going out into the Pacific is the same as it would be in any other state,” said Blumenfeld, who was in Honolulu to present the city a $499,000 grant for energy conservation efforts.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann has been trying to convince the Environmental Protection Agency secondary treatment of sewage at the Honouliuli and Sand Island wastewater treatments plants is unnecessary.

Secondary treatment involves removing most of the organic matter from the sewage. Upgrading the two facilities is expected to cost Oahu taxpayers $1.2 billion.

Blumenfeld, who has oversight over Arizona, California, Nevada, and Hawaii, told Khon2 the federal Clean Water Act needs to apply to all states equally.

“We need to create a level playing field so that people understand that the laws of the United States passed by Congress are applied equally wherever you are in the fifty states,” he said.

Currently within the fifty states, only the two wastewater treatment plants in Honolulu and one in Southern California do not provide secondary treatment of sewage. However the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment plant in San Diego has agreed to include secondary treatment by 2015 at a cost estimated at $1.5 billion.

“So really,” said Blumenfeld, “the largest city in the United States not to have secondary treatment is the City and County of Honolulu.”

The EPA refused to continue secondary treatment variances for the Honouliuli and Sand Island wastewater treatment facilities in January of 2009.

Since then Hannemann has waged a campaign against the EPA decision, saying the agency’s water quality standards as well as those used by the state Department of Health are outdated.

The mayor has said repeatedly that affluent from the Honouliuli and Sand Island plants pose no danger to public health. However repeated testing by the EPA and the Department of Health tell a different story.

“Neither of the plants’ discharges protects recreational use or marine life in the vicinity of the ocean outfalls,” the EPA said in a press release last year.

Robert Harris, director of the Sierra Club-Hawaii Chapter, believes the City and County of Honolulu will eventually be forced to make upgrades at the two facilities.

“I really do not see any way they can avoid not upgrading the sewage treatment,” said Harris, who believes the city could make use of federal stimulus money if plans to redesign the two plants were drawn up quickly.

The Sand Island wastewater plant produces 69 million gallons of primary treated sewage every day. The affluent is then pumped nearly 1.7 miles offshore at a depth of 240 feet.

The Honouliuli facility produces 31 million gallons of primary treated sewage per day that's pumped 1.5 miles offshore at depths of 200 feet.

Harris says testing has shown both of the outflows pose a potential hazard.

“You take organisms and you basically put it in the water coming out of the outflow and those organisms were dying,” he said. “There are concrete and specific issues where things are dying if they're in this water.”

NO QUICK FIX

Blumenfeld told Khon2 the EPA is willing to work with the city on a realistic time table to upgrade the two wastewater plants that won't overburden taxpayers.

“People have to pay bills,” he said. “They’re mounting up for families and this isn't a time that we want to increase those bills beyond the point that people have the ability to pay.”

Blumenfeld said he expects the EPA will soon reach an accord with the city over the issue of secondary treatment.

“Hopefully we're a few months away from reaching some kind of agreement.”

Have a news tip? Contact Andrew Pereira at 368-7273.

Honolulu residents and business owners will once again face sticker shock this summer as sewer fees increase yet again – this time by 15 percent.

The sewer fee base charge for residents will rise from $59.47 to $68.39 per month. The non-residential base rate, which currently stands at $53.49, will increase to $61.51 per month.

Usage rates, which are calculated on a per one thousand gallon basis, are also going up.

The rate increases take effect July 1 and marks the final chapter in a ten year rate schedule designed to raise capital for wastewater and storm water improvement projects.

In 1995, after challenges by the Sierra Club and other environmental groups, the city was forced to sign a consent decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that called for sewer infrastructure upgrades through a twenty year period.

Three years ago Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann warned sewer fees could go as high as $800 per month if the EPA mandated secondary treatment at the Sand Island and Honouliuli wastewater treatment plants under the federal Clean Water Act.

Hannemann has maintained the $1.2 billion worth of upgrades at the two plants are unnecessary, pointing to evidence from local scientists that it would provide little to no benefit to the environment.

On Monday the mayor and the city’s Environmental Services Director Tim Steinberger met with EPA Region IX Administrator Jared Blumenfeld to discuss the proposed upgrades at the two plants.

“We had a very productive meeting and we look forward to making further progress in our negations,” Hannemann said in a press release. The mayor added Blumenfeld would visit Honolulu later this month to “continue to the dialogue between the City and EPA.”

The federal agency has not said when it would issue its final ruling on the proposed upgrades at Sand Island and Honouliuli.

PLAYING CATCH-UP

Honolulu Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi says Oahu continues to play catch-up with its sewer infrastructure after former Mayor Jeremy Harris raided more than $100 million from the city’s sewer fund to pay for nice-to-have projects like the beautification of Waikiki.

Kobayashi remember questioning the Harris administration about the legality of such transfers in 2002, her first year on the Council.

“I started going through the budget line-by-line and I said, ‘How come these things are being funded by the sewer fund?’”

Once Mayor Hannemann came into office in 2005, he immediately saw the need to begin an aggressive campaign of repairing and upgrading the island’s sewage infrastructure and pushed for further rate increases.

In the past five years Hannemann has spent $1.2 billion in sewer and wastewater infrastructure projects and has budgeted another $1.6 billion through the next six years.

However fee increases pushed by Hannemann in 2005 and 2007 were approved by the City Council during happier times, when Hawaii’s economy was booming.

Lowell Kalapa, the president of the Tax Foundation of Hawaii, says residents and businesses will be hard pressed to keep up with the latest sewer fee increase.

“A lot of businesses are struggling with increased taxes - the unemployment insurance tax (and) the possibility of the healthcare premiums going up. This is not going to be a pretty sight in the next two years.”

Kalapa believes the Council should consider shifting some of the burden of the next sewer fee increase to property taxes, that way businesses and residents could write-off some of the expense.

“At least the property tax is deductible,” said Kalapa, “whereas sewer fees are not.”

MAYOR HANNEMANN MEETS WITH EPA REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR

(March 15, 2010) --- Mayor Mufi Hannemann met today in San Francisco with the new EPA Region IX Administrator Jared Blumenfeld.

The meeting covered the City & County of Honolulu's Wastewater program and consent decree negotiations.

""We had a very productive meeting, and we look forward to making further progress in our negotiations," Hannemann said.

Since 2005 when Hannemann became mayor, the City has dedicated more than a billion dollars to its wastewater program. Another $1.6 billion in wastewater improvements is planned over the next five years.

"Repairing our collection system infrastructure has been a focal point of my administration," Mayor Hannemann said. "There's no doubt our City's sewer system is in better shape today than it was when I took office five years ago, and we'll continue to make strides to ensure we leave this place better than we found it."

Sewage spills, also called Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSO), declined for the third consecutive year in 2009, according to data collected by the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Environmental Services (ENV).

SSOs in calendar year 2009 declined 17.3 percent compared to 2008. Last year, ENV recorded 101 total SSOs from gravity mains, lower laterals, pump stations, pretreatment facilities and force mains, compared to 122 in 2008.

Hannemann said that Administrator Blumenfeld plans to visit Honolulu later this month to continue the dialogue between the City and the EPA. At that time, Blumenfeld is expected to present the City & County of Honolulu with three EPA awards, including two Energy Star awards for efficiency at both the Fasi Municipal Building and Honolulu Hale, and the $499,000 EPA Climate Showcase Community Grant.
The city of Honolulu is facing serious issues with its aging sewer system. Much
of the sewer system is over 50 years old and it was not built to handle the large increase in population that has occurred over the past 50 years. In March of 2006, there was a break in the sewer system that dumped 48 million gallons of sewage into the ocean over a 6-day period (48 million gallons spill). As a result, the EPA revoked Honolulu's sewer exemption prompting repairs estimated to cost $300 million. The city may be required to invest large sums of money in upgrading the system to meet current federal guidelines. The city is projecting that they will raise the charges for sewer by 10% per year at least through 2015. A pending lawsuit may require these increases to continue beyond 2015. These issues will likely cause an increase in the rate that Honolulu residents payer pays for sewer.

TOXIC NIGHTMARE ON THE SOUTH SHORE
Giant sewage spill fouls Ala Moana and surrounding spots; surfer dies

The big news amongst surfers and environmentalists on Oahu is the recent catastrophic raw sewage spill emanating from the Ala Wai Canal. The canal, which feeds smack dab into the lineup at Bowls, is literally defecating into the ocean. Over 50 million gallons of the putrid slosh is contaminating beaches and surf spots between Sand Island and Diamond Head, putting a skidding halt to all ocean activities except boating for weeks.

Some swimmers and surfers have chanced infection and ventured into the water. Reports are many are now suffering from gastrointestinal infections.

UPDATE: Oliver Johnson, the surfer who was exposed to the water, died on April 6th. It turns out that he was assaulted sometime after leaving Harbor Pub and either fell or was pushed into the water. HPD Homicide detectives have opened up a murder investigation now that Johnson has passed away. His immediate family from Florida are here and will likely take what's left of him back home for burial. All here send our condolences, and are sure we'll hear from them or their lawyers soon.

COVER UP?: A Waikiki surfer revealed yesterday that she was infected by the sewage spill after suffering a reef cut while surfing one day before warning signs went up. Lisa Kennedy remains hospitalized in Honolulu. Doctors have diagnosed her with three bacteria strains that they link directly with fecal compounds, so there is no doubt in this case. Here's the scary part; Kennedy claims that she was "discouraged" by hospital officials from speaking to the media about her illness. She did anyway, and went public with KHON2 (Fox affiliate). If there is indeed an conspiracy involving the City and HTA, there could be others who are sick, but haven't come forward. I'll keep you posted on the situation.

GOING NATIONAL: The EPA is calling this event the worst sewage spill in the nation's history(!), State and Federal officials are claiming that the City (Mayor Mufi Hanneman) neither sought nor was granted authorization for the dumping, and tourist advocate groups are threatening legal actions against all parties involved. It was revealed by an anonymous internal source that the city was advised 2 years ago that this particular 42 inch main would burst if it was not replaced soon.



The Ala Wai Canal is on the far left, with Bowls, Rockpiles, and Kaisers in the foreground. Waikiki Beach is just off the photo to the right. The sewage dump occurred behind the gaggle of hotels and is circling around to the ocean (pink line). Oliver Johnson fell into the water somewhere within the shaded boat slips just across the hotels (yellow dot). Photo: Hawaii Coastal Geology Group
The blame and counterblame has commenced.