olrw 1006 newsletter - Oahu League of Republican Women

O.L.R.W. Newsletter
Dues $25.00 Yearly $200.00 Lifetime
Oahu League of Republican Women
Carol Thomas, President • 808- 261-1146
Pam Smith, Editor • 808-398-5556 • olrwnews@gmail.com
Luncheon / Meeting
June 4, 2015
11:00 A.M. Social Hour
11:30 A.M. Meeting
12:00 Noon Lunch
12:30 P.M. Speakers
Cost
Or bring it to our next meeting
Oahu League of
Republican Women
#C-105
725 Kapiolani Blvd.
Honolulu HI 96813
Mail your check to:
Date_________ Birthday Month _____ Day _____
Name_______________________________________
Address_____________________________________
City_______________________ Zip_____________
Telephone___________________ Fax ____________
E-mail Address________________________________
Oahu League of Republican Women Membership Application
Buffet Menu
You will be choosing
from the entire Willows
buffet line including
Dues Deadline
Assorted Salads
Members whose dues are not
paid by May 31 will be dropped.
Roast Beef
Chicken
Willows Curry
Laulau
Kalua Pig
Sushi
More...
Dues are $25 per year.
You may pay on line at
www.olrw.org or mail a check to
the address above.
Legislative update featuring
The Willows
$30.00 Members
$35.00 Guests
725 Kapiolani Blvd. C-105
Honolulu HI 96813
June 2015
Left to right - Senator Sam Slom, Representatives Bob McDermott, Cynthia Theilen, Beth Fukumoto-Chang,
Andria Tupola, Lauren Cheape-Matsumoto
Our Legislators will each give us a legislative update. We have asked each legislator to give us the
highs and the lows of the recently closed session from their own perspective
Please think about how you would like
to participate in our July 3rd sale in
conjunction with the Honolulu County
Committee Patriotic Pancake Feed.
We want this to be much like our
Christmas sale, so Baked Goods,
Silent Auction items, gently used
Please bring in your OLRW PAC Change.
items that might be of interest to our
The change brought in last month was
attendees. Please contact
$22.50.
Mimi Torreano at 941-9350 or
mimitorreano@gmail.com if you
We have jars available that you can reuse
have something you would like to
every month.
donate or if you would like to help with
the sale.
Remember: Your Small Change can mean
The money from this sale will go to
Big Change in Hawaii!
our PAC.
Christmas in July Sale
Assorted Desserts
Happy Birthday
June Babies
Beverages
Reservations/Cancellations
Celyn Chong Kee
306-5089
olrwreservations@gmail.com
olrw.org
Reservations/Cancellations must
be made by May 28th. We are
committed to pay for all lunches
reserved, so No Shows will be
charged for their lunch.
Please - no walk-ins.
HAU’OLI LA HANAU To
Inside
The Pres Says 2
June Holidays 6
OLRW PAC Update 5
Letters to the editor 7
Patricia Anderson 2
Alice Kealoha 2
Claire Ching 3
Governor Linda Lingle 4
Lani Oprescu 10
Liz Larson 11
Danielle Smith 17
Cynthia Rosebrough 18
John Henry Felix 26
Gail Dukes June 28
Diane Yri 28
Golden Wheelden-Davis 29
June Lee 29
Frank Henrion 29
Jacqueline Payer 29
George Krueger 30
For more information about upcoming events and volunteer opportunities at HRP call 808-593-8180 or online at http://
www.gophawaii.com
Kailua 4th of July Parade
OLRW Volunteer opportunities: contact Ione Gumpfer, OLRW Volunteer Coordinator, at 262-9788 or igumpfer@aol.com
july 3 First annual Honolulu County Patriotic Pancake Feed & OLRW sale. Plese contact Diane Yri for mre infor
mation on how you can participate. yriarthur@hotmail.com
Upcoming Events
The Pres Says...
Letters to the Editor
We encourage our members to write letter to the editor. As akamai
members of the community, we should be commenting on the issues of
the day to educate people that lack our perspective. If you have an issue
that you want to speak out on, but don’t know how to write a letter Garry Smith is willing to help our members to write letters to the editor. You
can call Garry at 392-5559 or email him at garrypsmith01@gmail.com.
Carol Thomas, President
Politics and
Bureaucracy
Do we really need a token piece of the
Obama library now that Chicago has it
all? Surprised? Is Hawaii financially
ready to undertake another unnecessary
excessive expense? Isn’t the rail fiasco
enough with its costs overrun? Questions
about the operating and maintenance
costs of most government capital projects
go unanswered. We must insist that they
show us the money and not give us vague
estimates of potential income.
The Kaka`ako revitalization with high-end
properties attracting non-residents will
displace many small businesses. The
developers “veil” their projects with token
affordable units to dismiss our concerns
and win our support.
Affordable Housing crisis: What is
affordable? If we are serious about the
need for affordable housing, then build
only starter homes at $300,000 or less
that are expandable as families grow.
Ho`opili is another City Council blunder.
They all should be fired. How can you
approve 12,000 new homes which equate
to 24,000+ more cars on the road? Then
justify it by stating that D.R. Horton will put
in more lanes!? We would need a new
freeway, not a few lanes that feed into the
same overcrowded H-1 corridor. The rail
won’t be an alternative to this mess.
The homeless crisis continues to explode.
I haven’t seen any real solutions from the
City Council or this last legislative session.
Many families sharing public housing were
kicked out because they exceeded the
maximum allowed in their units.
IF NOT US, WHO? IF NOT NOW, WHEN? IF NOT HERE, THEN WHERE?
FIRST ANNUAL
PATRIOTIC PANCAKE FEED
PLEASE JOIN US
The Hawaii Republican Honolulu County Party is
having their first annual Patriotic Pancake Feed
Saturday, July 3rd
9 to 11:00 am
Prince Kuhio Elementary School
2759 South King Street, Honolulu.
2
The breakfast is being catered by Koa Pancake
House and will feature pancakes, scrambled eggs,
fried rice, assorted meat, fried potatoes, coffee,
and orange juice. The Oahu League of Republican
Women is hosting a bake sale, craft sale, silent
auction sale, and red elephant sale (new and nearly
new items) at the event. Tickets to the Patriotic
Pancake Feed are $25 each.
If you are interested in purchasing tickets or
would like more information, please contact
Mimi Torreano at 941-9350 or
mimitorreano@gmail.com
Luncheon Schedule
We are dark July & August
this year.
Sept 3 Oahu Country Club
Oct 1 Waialae Country Club
Nov 5
Dec 3 Waialae Country Club
These bureaucratic regulations work in
ideal times but today over-crowding might
be better than throwing them on the
streets. If we can’t provide immediate
shelter, then these regulations need to be
revisited to meet the needs of these poor
people now.
Our state hospitals are going bankrupt,
the state health exchange is bust, and
an elderly couple can’t live together in a
care home because of a dumb regulation
created by dumber bureaucrats. Our
governor won’t intervene even though
Governor Lingle made an executive
decision to do the right thing during her
administration.
Are we lucky to live in Hawaii where one
political party dominates and mediocrity
and incompetence are the norm.
Think about it.
Welcome
Following are the rules for The Star Advertiser and MidWeek Letters:
The Star-Advertiser welcomes letters up to 150 words and guest columns of 500-600 words. The Star-Advertiser reserves the right to edit letters for clarity
and length. Please direct comments to the issues; personal attacks will not be published. Include your name, address and daytime telephone number.
Letters must
Below are letters from OUR MEMBERS printed by the Star Advertiser and Midweek
(a) be signed and include your area of residence and
in the past month.
(b) include a daytime telephone number (not for publication).
We should aim for at least 3-4 letters per month from our members in print.
Postal Mail: Letters to the Editor, Star-Advertiser
7 Waterfront Plaza, 500 Ala Moana, Suite 7-210
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
E-mail: letters@staradvertiser.com
Fax: (808) 529-4750
Don’t extend rail tax without more facts
‘Honolulu Star-Advertiser’ - 2015-04-21
Our only hope as taxpayers is that Gov. David Ige will veto the
Legislature’s attempts to give a five-year extension to the rail
general excise tax surcharge, which covers up why rail needs
the additional $910 million it is currently over cost.
House Bill 134, which recently passed, ignores the fact that
the city wanted a 25-year extension, in order to extend an
overbudget rail to Manoa and West Kapolei.
Mayor Kirk Caldwell has stated that he cannot give us the
final cost of the system because they are still negotiating the
contracts and to disclose that information would increase costs.
So based solely on faith, we taxpayers are supposed to believe
that a five-year extension will result in rail on time and on
budget (the new budget of $6 billion).
Instead, I hesitatingly prefer to put my faith in Ige to veto this
blank-check legislation — and also to demand that the public
be given the details on the price overruns and final cost.
Stan Gibbs
Council on verge of forcing rent hikes
‘Honolulu Star-Advertiser’ - 2015-04-24
to our newest member:s
Bryan and Stefani Jeremiah
Jim Hochberg
Jim and Kaye Bowman
Anne McComas
We are looking forward to getting to
know you!
We are Happy to announce
Lloyd Yonenaka
joined as a Life Member
In its seemingly endless quest to find more ways to tax the citizens of Honolulu, the City Council now wants to increase the
rents of every renter in the county (“Residential A bills deserve
a quick death,” Star-Advertiser, Our View, April 26).
The Council opened the door for taxing non-owner-occupied
homes two years ago by charging such homes worth over
$1 million $6 per $1,000 of valuation instead of $3.50 per
— nearly double the property taxes of all other homes. Few
people cared then about the “millionaires” having to pay more
in property taxes.
But now Bill 33 would nearly double the property tax on every
rental from $2,397 for a medianpriced $685,000 home per
year, to $4,110 — a $1,713 increase, or nearly $150 per
month.
Of course landlords will have no choice but to pass on this
cost to their renters. So in reality, Bill 33 would increase rents
for every renter on Oahu.
Mary Monohon
You can’t change peoples’ minds if you don’t speak out.
email letters to
Dchapman@midweek.com
At-grade rail never hindered
‘Honolulu Star-Advertiser’ - 2015-04-24
It is extremely embarrassing that city Transportation
Director Michael D. Formby would attempt to deceive the
public (“Atgrade train wouldn’t help,” Letters, Star-Adver‘Honolulu Star-Advertiser’ - 2015-04-22
tiser, April 3).
It’s so hard to believe that the Honolulu Authority for
He should know that atgrade rail is not hindered by traffic
Rapid Transportation and Mayor Kirk Caldwell have no at any point.
idea where the money will come from to pay for the
At-grade rail such as MAX in Portland, Ore., runs entirely
operation and maintenance of the rail system (“Detailed within its own right of way. Other vehicles that would
operations plan could be two years away,” Starcross rail are controlled by stop lights and crossing barriAdvertiser, April 19).
ers. At no time is there any competition between vehicles
It seems that when money is needed to support
and MAX.
core city services — maintain our parks, buy new
The gridlock we experienced on April 1 would not have
garbage trucks to make condo garbage pickup, fix the affected at-grade rail at all. Honolulu decided to build the
Natatorium, remove asbestos at Honolulu Hale or any most expensive elevated heavy rail system in the U.S. for
number of things the city is supposed to do — it claims reasons other than “fast and reliable,” as stated.
it cannot afford it. But when it comes to spending $80 There is no logical reason that Honolulu could not have
million a year for maintenance and operation of the rail built at-grade rail.
system, city officials have more money; they just need
to find it.
Shirley Gibbs
But, they can’t tell us where the money will come from
until after the mayoral election in 2016.
‘Residential A’ terribly unfair
‘Honolulu Star-Advertiser’ - 2015-05-13
Pam Smith
The commentary, “Bill 32 would fix ‘Residential A’ flaws”
(Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, May 10) has good intenHelp celebrate Nurses Week
tions but provides support for the continual need by the
‘Honolulu Star-Advertiser’ - 2015-05-05
city for more taxes.
Nurses are the backbone of health care systems, bear- This year alone the city received a 7 percent increase in
ing up countless patients and working long days to help revenue by doing nothing but allow assessments to rise.
save lives.
Unfortunately, we have seen that many of these “milNational Nurses Week, which runs from May 6-12, is
lionaires” are just momand-pop family investors trying
a time to recognize the vital role nurses have played
to make some income from a home rental. With home
in hospitals and health care settings in Hawaii and our prices rising dramatically, more homes will be added to
nation.
the Residential A category each year.
Nurses set a high bar, ensuring people are treated with The often-used excuse from the City Council and the
dignity and respect while being treated for a variety of
mayor is that homeowners in Honolulu pay some of the
medical needs.
lowest property taxes in the nation.
Tell a nurse “Happy Nurses Week” and how special he The fact is, unlike other counties, Honolulu doesn’t pay
or she is.
for public education with property taxes.
The real question should be: Without the burden of payJanet Grace
ing for public education, what is the city doing with all
that money?
Barbara Wilcox
Indeed, how will rail be funded?
7
National Flag Day - June 14th
May
Luncheon
Waialae Country Club
The idea of an annual day specifically
celebrating the Flag is believed to have
first originated in 1885. BJ Cigrand, a
schoolteacher, arranged for the pupils in the
Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District
6, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary
of the official adoption of The Stars and
Stripes) as 'Flag Birthday'. In numerous
magazines and newspaper articles and public addresses over the following
years, Cigrand continued to enthusiastically advocate the observance of
June 14 as 'Flag Birthday', or 'Flag Day'.
The campaign to celebrate the nation’s fathers did not meet with
the same enthusiasm as Mothers Day. On July 5, 1908, a West Virginia church sponsored the nation’s first event explicitly in honor
of fathers, a Sunday sermon in memory of the 362 men who had
died in the previous December’s explosions at the Fairmont Coal
Company mines in Monongah. This was a one-time commemora- On June 14, 1889, George Balch, a kindergarten teacher in New York City,
tion and not an annual holiday.
planned appropriate ceremonies for the children of his school, and his idea of
observing Flag Day was later adopted by the State Board of Education of New
The next year, a Spokane, Washington woman named Sonora York. On June 14, 1891, the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a Flag Day
Smart Dodd, one of six children raised by a widower, tried to es- celebration, and on June 14 of the following year, the New York Society of the
tablish an official equivalent to Mother’s Day for male parents. She Sons of the Revolution, celebrated Flag Day.
went to local churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers and government
officials to drum up support for her idea, and she was successful:
Washington State celebrated the nation’s first statewide Father’s In 1894, the governor of New York directed that on June 14 the Flag be
Day on July 19, 1910.
displayed on all public buildings. The American Flag Day Association, was
organized for the purpose of promoting the holding of Flag Day exercises.
Slowly, the holiday spread. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge On June 14th, 1894, under the auspices of this association, the first general
urged state governments to observe Father’s Day. However, many public school children's celebration of Flag Day in Chicago was held, with
men continued to disdain the day. As one historian writes, they more than 300,000 children participating.
“scoffed at the holiday’s sentimental attempts to domesticate
manliness with flowers and gift-giving, or they derided the pro- Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, delivered a 1914 Flag Day address
liferation of such holidays as a commercial gimmick to sell more in which he repeated words he said the flag had spoken to him that morning:
products–often paid for by the father himself.”
"I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright
gleam of color, a symbol of yourself."
During the Depression struggling retailers and advertisers redoubled their efforts to make Father’s Day a “second Christmas” Inspired by these three decades of state and local celebrations, Flag Day - the
for men, promoting goods such as neckties, hats, socks, pipes anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 - was officially established by the
and tobacco, golf clubs and other sporting goods, and greeting Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. Flag Day was
cards. When World War II began, advertisers began to argue that celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson's proclamation.
celebrating Father’s Day was a way to honor American troops and
support the war effort. By the end of the war, Father’s Day may not On August 3rd, 1949 President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating
have been a federal holiday, but it was a national institution.
June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.
Thank you to Col. Suzanne Veres-Lum of the the Hawaii National
Guard for telling us how the Guard serves us in Hawaii.
In 1972, in the middle of a hard-fought presidential re-election campaign, Richard Nixon signed a proclamation making Father’s Day a
federal holiday at last.
The
ery
V
Not
Funnies
You laugh, because if you didn’t you would cry...
50/50
Celyn Chong Kee won the 50/50
drawing in May. $65 went to
Celyn and $65 went to the PAC.
Celyn generously donated her
winnings to the PAC.
6
3
Military Appreciation Month
We wished all of our mothers a happy Mothers Day
and gave small gifts to the following:
Oldest Mom
Anne Sutton (92)
Sandy Pease (88)
Youngest Mom Dianne Yri (48)
Most Kids
Carolyn Tobias (5)
Most Grandkids Chita Stewart (12)
Susan Kreuger (10)
The prizes for the Mothers were donated by members
- Pam Smith made Oatmeal/craisin/whitechocolate
cookies and put them on special plates donated by
Carol Thomas. Bev Toomey donated See’s Candies
gift cards. Thank you!
We expressed our
gratitude to the Military
wives in the league.
We had 12 military
wives at the luncheon each of them received
a lovely little flower
arangement of red and
white carnations with an
American flag at the center of it.
The honorees were:
Cathy Brown
Kaye Bowman
Kathy Brown
Linda Humes
Helen Kekuna
Susan Krueger
Sylvia Lewis
Rene Morgan
Pam Smith
Mimi Torreano
Suzanne Vares-Lum
Diane Yri
HELP
NEEDED
Feature Writers
We need people that are willing to
write stories about current events
and biographies of OLRW members.
Professional credentials NOT required.
No need for a monthly commitment.
Contact Pam Smith for more information.
Is one of our members ill?
If you know of a member that is sick or
has had a death in the family please let us
know so we can send them get well wishes
or condolences. Call Corresponding
Secretary Jane Au at 373-3820
Advertisers
If we want to expand the newsletter to
include more content we need to get
advertisers to cover the cost. Please
contact Pam for details.
PASSED (sadly)
PASSED
Measure Title: RELATING TO TAXATION.
Report Title: Public Transit; County Surcharge on State Tax
Description: Reauthorizes the counties’ authority to establish a county
surcharge on state tax for a limited time period, with the surcharge to
be effective until 12/31/2027, if adopted. Requires counties to adopt an
ordinance to establish or extend a surcharge prior to 7/1/2016. Limits the
use of surcharge revenues by counties that have already established a
county surcharge on state tax to capital costs. Expands the definition of
capital costs for counties with a population greater than 500,000. Amends
the definition of “public lands” to include the air rights over any portion
of state land upon which a county mass transit project is developed after
7/11/2005. (HB134 CD1)
Measure Title: RELATING TO ETHANOL.
Report Title: Ethanol; Motor Vehicles; Energy Efficiency
Description: Repeals existing requirement that gasoline for motor
vehicles be composed of ten per cent ethanol. Effective December 31,
2015. (CD1)
HB134 HD1 SD2 CD1
SB717 SD2 HD1 CD1
Finally Some Common sense prevailed and EVERY
SINGLE LEGISLATOR voted to repeal this requirement
that amounted to a tax on every gallon of gas because
of the expense incurred to fulfill it.
Ifrom
n plain language this bill allows the county to continue to siphon money HB1366 SD2 CD1
the pockets of Oahu residents and tourists with ZERO accountability
for poor planning and cost overruns until 2027. This bill also give other
counties the same license if they act within one year to impose the tax.
The Oahu League of Republican Women would like to express
our gratitude to the following Republican legislators who stood
up for our values as outlined in our letter of February 10, 2015:
Senator Slom
Representatives Thielen, Tupola and Ward
4
Why I’m a Republican
By Diane Yri
M
y great-great grandfather was wounded in
the Battle of Gettysburg and shook Abraham
Lincoln’s hand while in the hospital. That
moment was the beginning of many generations
of Republicans in my family! Fifteen years after
Civil War ended, he and his Civil War veteran
friends left Vermont and headed on a wagon
train to the Dakota Territory to homestead. Our
family is lucky enough to have had a widely-read
book published about these pioneers and their
fierce independence and determination, as well
as their price of endless toil and hardship, in
“Old Prairie Days,” by Arthur E. Towne. Their
patriotism is echoed over and over in the pages
of this book, including their first Fourth of July in
the Dakota Territory, where they played their fiddles in the dusty streets of Huron.
The OLRW PAC is the arm of the League that collects money
to support our state and county candidates.
During the last election cycle we gave $9300 to candidates
running for State offices. We felt that some deserved more,
but we ran out of funds. We would like to at least double our
contributions next election cycle, but we need your continued
and constant support to do that.
If each of our members gave just $5 per month (about
17 cents per day) we would have well over $20,000 in
our account for the next election.
In 1918, my great-grandfather, a staunch Republican, sold his father’s farm in South
Dakota and used the cash as a down payment on a cattle ranch in North Dakota. In
1919, the commodity and land prices plummeted due to World War I, leaving him with
thousands of acres that he owed more on than it was actually worth. He didn’t give up
and quit! He had a hard work ethic, was extremely frugal, and had lots of free labor
with his 10 children. He diversified his farming with sheep and flax, which enabled
him to pay off his farm debts during The Great Depression. As WWII started, one
son served in the Europe Theater, and one daughter went to Washington, D.C. as a
congressional aide to Republican Senator Bill Langer from North Dakota. By the end
of the war, my great-grandfather was a very wealthy man (wool for uniforms and flax for
paint were in very high demand during WWII.) He was able to buy his six sons farms,
which ultimately created a very good way of life for many generations to come.
There are a variety of payment methods available. We accept
cash, checks and credit cards.
While I now live in an urban area in Hawaii and no longer on a cattle ranch in North
Dakota, my values remain relatively the same as it did for past generations in my
family. I, too, want the best education and opportunities avrailable for my children to
succeed in life.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our PAC during the
past month. We received
If you would like to just throw your loose change in a jar every
day we have jars available to save your coins in. When you
are coming to the luncheon just put your coins in a ziplock bag
along with a piece of paper with your name & phone number
and drop it at the door when you check in.
Every coin, every check, every dollar brings us closer to our
goal.
Please help us help hard working candidates win their races.
$Change
22.50
for Change
Elected officials that hold my “Republican Values” of less government and more personal
freedom create conditions that allow business owners and farmers to succeed. It also
creates an environment where freedom of religion and a free exchange of ideas thrive.
This is what America is all about.
19.3%
of Goal
with
Measure Title: RELATING TO STATE ACQUISITION OR DEVELOPMENT
OF REAL PROPERTY.
Report Title: State Acquisition; Real Property; Appropriation ($)
Description: Appropriates funds to identify, plan, and acquire or build
upon real property in urban Honolulu to provide office space for state
governmental agencies and offices. (HB1366 CD1)
$Calabash
65.00
This bill provides $500,000 to obtain appraisals and assess
maintenance and other requirements to determine whether the state
should purchase the downtown office building Alii Place to provide
office space for state workers.
The Lone Ranger, Senator Sam Slom is the only Republican legislator
to vote against this bill.
Last Month
14
Months
to go
$Other100.00
Contributions
$Total187.50
this month
5
Military Appreciation Month
We wished all of our mothers a happy Mothers Day
and gave small gifts to the following:
Oldest Mom
Anne Sutton (92)
Sandy Pease (88)
Youngest Mom Dianne Yri (48)
Most Kids
Carolyn Tobias (5)
Most Grandkids Chita Stewart (12)
Susan Kreuger (10)
The prizes for the Mothers were donated by members
- Pam Smith made Oatmeal/craisin/whitechocolate
cookies and put them on special plates donated by
Carol Thomas. Bev Toomey donated See’s Candies
gift cards. Thank you!
We expressed our
gratitude to the Military
wives in the league.
We had 12 military
wives at the luncheon each of them received
a lovely little flower
arangement of red and
white carnations with an
American flag at the center of it.
The honorees were:
Cathy Brown
Kaye Bowman
Kathy Brown
Linda Humes
Helen Kekuna
Susan Krueger
Sylvia Lewis
Rene Morgan
Pam Smith
Mimi Torreano
Suzanne Vares-Lum
Diane Yri
HELP
NEEDED
Feature Writers
We need people that are willing to
write stories about current events
and biographies of OLRW members.
Professional credentials NOT required.
No need for a monthly commitment.
Contact Pam Smith for more information.
Is one of our members ill?
If you know of a member that is sick or
has had a death in the family please let us
know so we can send them get well wishes
or condolences. Call Corresponding
Secretary Jane Au at 373-3820
Advertisers
If we want to expand the newsletter to
include more content we need to get
advertisers to cover the cost. Please
contact Pam for details.
PASSED (sadly)
PASSED
Measure Title: RELATING TO TAXATION.
Report Title: Public Transit; County Surcharge on State Tax
Description: Reauthorizes the counties’ authority to establish a county
surcharge on state tax for a limited time period, with the surcharge to
be effective until 12/31/2027, if adopted. Requires counties to adopt an
ordinance to establish or extend a surcharge prior to 7/1/2016. Limits the
use of surcharge revenues by counties that have already established a
county surcharge on state tax to capital costs. Expands the definition of
capital costs for counties with a population greater than 500,000. Amends
the definition of “public lands” to include the air rights over any portion
of state land upon which a county mass transit project is developed after
7/11/2005. (HB134 CD1)
Measure Title: RELATING TO ETHANOL.
Report Title: Ethanol; Motor Vehicles; Energy Efficiency
Description: Repeals existing requirement that gasoline for motor
vehicles be composed of ten per cent ethanol. Effective December 31,
2015. (CD1)
HB134 HD1 SD2 CD1
SB717 SD2 HD1 CD1
Finally Some Common sense prevailed and EVERY
SINGLE LEGISLATOR voted to repeal this requirement
that amounted to a tax on every gallon of gas because
of the expense incurred to fulfill it.
Ifrom
n plain language this bill allows the county to continue to siphon money HB1366 SD2 CD1
the pockets of Oahu residents and tourists with ZERO accountability
for poor planning and cost overruns until 2027. This bill also give other
counties the same license if they act within one year to impose the tax.
The Oahu League of Republican Women would like to express
our gratitude to the following Republican legislators who stood
up for our values as outlined in our letter of February 10, 2015:
Senator Slom
Representatives Thielen, Tupola and Ward
4
Why I’m a Republican
By Diane Yri
M
y great-great grandfather was wounded in
the Battle of Gettysburg and shook Abraham
Lincoln’s hand while in the hospital. That
moment was the beginning of many generations
of Republicans in my family! Fifteen years after
Civil War ended, he and his Civil War veteran
friends left Vermont and headed on a wagon
train to the Dakota Territory to homestead. Our
family is lucky enough to have had a widely-read
book published about these pioneers and their
fierce independence and determination, as well
as their price of endless toil and hardship, in
“Old Prairie Days,” by Arthur E. Towne. Their
patriotism is echoed over and over in the pages
of this book, including their first Fourth of July in
the Dakota Territory, where they played their fiddles in the dusty streets of Huron.
The OLRW PAC is the arm of the League that collects money
to support our state and county candidates.
During the last election cycle we gave $9300 to candidates
running for State offices. We felt that some deserved more,
but we ran out of funds. We would like to at least double our
contributions next election cycle, but we need your continued
and constant support to do that.
If each of our members gave just $5 per month (about
17 cents per day) we would have well over $20,000 in
our account for the next election.
In 1918, my great-grandfather, a staunch Republican, sold his father’s farm in South
Dakota and used the cash as a down payment on a cattle ranch in North Dakota. In
1919, the commodity and land prices plummeted due to World War I, leaving him with
thousands of acres that he owed more on than it was actually worth. He didn’t give up
and quit! He had a hard work ethic, was extremely frugal, and had lots of free labor
with his 10 children. He diversified his farming with sheep and flax, which enabled
him to pay off his farm debts during The Great Depression. As WWII started, one
son served in the Europe Theater, and one daughter went to Washington, D.C. as a
congressional aide to Republican Senator Bill Langer from North Dakota. By the end
of the war, my great-grandfather was a very wealthy man (wool for uniforms and flax for
paint were in very high demand during WWII.) He was able to buy his six sons farms,
which ultimately created a very good way of life for many generations to come.
There are a variety of payment methods available. We accept
cash, checks and credit cards.
While I now live in an urban area in Hawaii and no longer on a cattle ranch in North
Dakota, my values remain relatively the same as it did for past generations in my
family. I, too, want the best education and opportunities avrailable for my children to
succeed in life.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our PAC during the
past month. We received
If you would like to just throw your loose change in a jar every
day we have jars available to save your coins in. When you
are coming to the luncheon just put your coins in a ziplock bag
along with a piece of paper with your name & phone number
and drop it at the door when you check in.
Every coin, every check, every dollar brings us closer to our
goal.
Please help us help hard working candidates win their races.
$Change
22.50
for Change
Elected officials that hold my “Republican Values” of less government and more personal
freedom create conditions that allow business owners and farmers to succeed. It also
creates an environment where freedom of religion and a free exchange of ideas thrive.
This is what America is all about.
19.3%
of Goal
with
Measure Title: RELATING TO STATE ACQUISITION OR DEVELOPMENT
OF REAL PROPERTY.
Report Title: State Acquisition; Real Property; Appropriation ($)
Description: Appropriates funds to identify, plan, and acquire or build
upon real property in urban Honolulu to provide office space for state
governmental agencies and offices. (HB1366 CD1)
$Calabash
65.00
This bill provides $500,000 to obtain appraisals and assess
maintenance and other requirements to determine whether the state
should purchase the downtown office building Alii Place to provide
office space for state workers.
The Lone Ranger, Senator Sam Slom is the only Republican legislator
to vote against this bill.
Last Month
14
Months
to go
$Other100.00
Contributions
$Total187.50
this month
5
National Flag Day - June 14th
May
Luncheon
Waialae Country Club
The idea of an annual day specifically
celebrating the Flag is believed to have
first originated in 1885. BJ Cigrand, a
schoolteacher, arranged for the pupils in the
Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District
6, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary
of the official adoption of The Stars and
Stripes) as 'Flag Birthday'. In numerous
magazines and newspaper articles and public addresses over the following
years, Cigrand continued to enthusiastically advocate the observance of
June 14 as 'Flag Birthday', or 'Flag Day'.
The campaign to celebrate the nation’s fathers did not meet with
the same enthusiasm as Mothers Day. On July 5, 1908, a West Virginia church sponsored the nation’s first event explicitly in honor
of fathers, a Sunday sermon in memory of the 362 men who had
died in the previous December’s explosions at the Fairmont Coal
Company mines in Monongah. This was a one-time commemora- On June 14, 1889, George Balch, a kindergarten teacher in New York City,
tion and not an annual holiday.
planned appropriate ceremonies for the children of his school, and his idea of
observing Flag Day was later adopted by the State Board of Education of New
The next year, a Spokane, Washington woman named Sonora York. On June 14, 1891, the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a Flag Day
Smart Dodd, one of six children raised by a widower, tried to es- celebration, and on June 14 of the following year, the New York Society of the
tablish an official equivalent to Mother’s Day for male parents. She Sons of the Revolution, celebrated Flag Day.
went to local churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers and government
officials to drum up support for her idea, and she was successful:
Washington State celebrated the nation’s first statewide Father’s In 1894, the governor of New York directed that on June 14 the Flag be
Day on July 19, 1910.
displayed on all public buildings. The American Flag Day Association, was
organized for the purpose of promoting the holding of Flag Day exercises.
Slowly, the holiday spread. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge On June 14th, 1894, under the auspices of this association, the first general
urged state governments to observe Father’s Day. However, many public school children's celebration of Flag Day in Chicago was held, with
men continued to disdain the day. As one historian writes, they more than 300,000 children participating.
“scoffed at the holiday’s sentimental attempts to domesticate
manliness with flowers and gift-giving, or they derided the pro- Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, delivered a 1914 Flag Day address
liferation of such holidays as a commercial gimmick to sell more in which he repeated words he said the flag had spoken to him that morning:
products–often paid for by the father himself.”
"I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright
gleam of color, a symbol of yourself."
During the Depression struggling retailers and advertisers redoubled their efforts to make Father’s Day a “second Christmas” Inspired by these three decades of state and local celebrations, Flag Day - the
for men, promoting goods such as neckties, hats, socks, pipes anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 - was officially established by the
and tobacco, golf clubs and other sporting goods, and greeting Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. Flag Day was
cards. When World War II began, advertisers began to argue that celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson's proclamation.
celebrating Father’s Day was a way to honor American troops and
support the war effort. By the end of the war, Father’s Day may not On August 3rd, 1949 President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating
have been a federal holiday, but it was a national institution.
June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.
Thank you to Col. Suzanne Veres-Lum of the the Hawaii National
Guard for telling us how the Guard serves us in Hawaii.
In 1972, in the middle of a hard-fought presidential re-election campaign, Richard Nixon signed a proclamation making Father’s Day a
federal holiday at last.
The
ery
V
Not
Funnies
You laugh, because if you didn’t you would cry...
50/50
Celyn Chong Kee won the 50/50
drawing in May. $65 went to
Celyn and $65 went to the PAC.
Celyn generously donated her
winnings to the PAC.
6
3
The Pres Says...
Letters to the Editor
We encourage our members to write letter to the editor. As akamai
members of the community, we should be commenting on the issues of
the day to educate people that lack our perspective. If you have an issue
that you want to speak out on, but don’t know how to write a letter Garry Smith is willing to help our members to write letters to the editor. You
can call Garry at 392-5559 or email him at garrypsmith01@gmail.com.
Carol Thomas, President
Politics and
Bureaucracy
Do we really need a token piece of the
Obama library now that Chicago has it
all? Surprised? Is Hawaii financially
ready to undertake another unnecessary
excessive expense? Isn’t the rail fiasco
enough with its costs overrun? Questions
about the operating and maintenance
costs of most government capital projects
go unanswered. We must insist that they
show us the money and not give us vague
estimates of potential income.
The Kaka`ako revitalization with high-end
properties attracting non-residents will
displace many small businesses. The
developers “veil” their projects with token
affordable units to dismiss our concerns
and win our support.
Affordable Housing crisis: What is
affordable? If we are serious about the
need for affordable housing, then build
only starter homes at $300,000 or less
that are expandable as families grow.
Ho`opili is another City Council blunder.
They all should be fired. How can you
approve 12,000 new homes which equate
to 24,000+ more cars on the road? Then
justify it by stating that D.R. Horton will put
in more lanes!? We would need a new
freeway, not a few lanes that feed into the
same overcrowded H-1 corridor. The rail
won’t be an alternative to this mess.
The homeless crisis continues to explode.
I haven’t seen any real solutions from the
City Council or this last legislative session.
Many families sharing public housing were
kicked out because they exceeded the
maximum allowed in their units.
IF NOT US, WHO? IF NOT NOW, WHEN? IF NOT HERE, THEN WHERE?
FIRST ANNUAL
PATRIOTIC PANCAKE FEED
PLEASE JOIN US
The Hawaii Republican Honolulu County Party is
having their first annual Patriotic Pancake Feed
Saturday, July 3rd
9 to 11:00 am
Prince Kuhio Elementary School
2759 South King Street, Honolulu.
2
The breakfast is being catered by Koa Pancake
House and will feature pancakes, scrambled eggs,
fried rice, assorted meat, fried potatoes, coffee,
and orange juice. The Oahu League of Republican
Women is hosting a bake sale, craft sale, silent
auction sale, and red elephant sale (new and nearly
new items) at the event. Tickets to the Patriotic
Pancake Feed are $25 each.
If you are interested in purchasing tickets or
would like more information, please contact
Mimi Torreano at 941-9350 or
mimitorreano@gmail.com
Luncheon Schedule
We are dark July & August
this year.
Sept 3 Oahu Country Club
Oct 1 Waialae Country Club
Nov 5
Dec 3 Waialae Country Club
These bureaucratic regulations work in
ideal times but today over-crowding might
be better than throwing them on the
streets. If we can’t provide immediate
shelter, then these regulations need to be
revisited to meet the needs of these poor
people now.
Our state hospitals are going bankrupt,
the state health exchange is bust, and
an elderly couple can’t live together in a
care home because of a dumb regulation
created by dumber bureaucrats. Our
governor won’t intervene even though
Governor Lingle made an executive
decision to do the right thing during her
administration.
Are we lucky to live in Hawaii where one
political party dominates and mediocrity
and incompetence are the norm.
Think about it.
Welcome
Following are the rules for The Star Advertiser and MidWeek Letters:
The Star-Advertiser welcomes letters up to 150 words and guest columns of 500-600 words. The Star-Advertiser reserves the right to edit letters for clarity
and length. Please direct comments to the issues; personal attacks will not be published. Include your name, address and daytime telephone number.
Letters must
Below are letters from OUR MEMBERS printed by the Star Advertiser and Midweek
(a) be signed and include your area of residence and
in the past month.
(b) include a daytime telephone number (not for publication).
We should aim for at least 3-4 letters per month from our members in print.
Postal Mail: Letters to the Editor, Star-Advertiser
7 Waterfront Plaza, 500 Ala Moana, Suite 7-210
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
E-mail: letters@staradvertiser.com
Fax: (808) 529-4750
Don’t extend rail tax without more facts
‘Honolulu Star-Advertiser’ - 2015-04-21
Our only hope as taxpayers is that Gov. David Ige will veto the
Legislature’s attempts to give a five-year extension to the rail
general excise tax surcharge, which covers up why rail needs
the additional $910 million it is currently over cost.
House Bill 134, which recently passed, ignores the fact that
the city wanted a 25-year extension, in order to extend an
overbudget rail to Manoa and West Kapolei.
Mayor Kirk Caldwell has stated that he cannot give us the
final cost of the system because they are still negotiating the
contracts and to disclose that information would increase costs.
So based solely on faith, we taxpayers are supposed to believe
that a five-year extension will result in rail on time and on
budget (the new budget of $6 billion).
Instead, I hesitatingly prefer to put my faith in Ige to veto this
blank-check legislation — and also to demand that the public
be given the details on the price overruns and final cost.
Stan Gibbs
Council on verge of forcing rent hikes
‘Honolulu Star-Advertiser’ - 2015-04-24
to our newest member:s
Bryan and Stefani Jeremiah
Jim Hochberg
Jim and Kaye Bowman
Anne McComas
We are looking forward to getting to
know you!
We are Happy to announce
Lloyd Yonenaka
joined as a Life Member
In its seemingly endless quest to find more ways to tax the citizens of Honolulu, the City Council now wants to increase the
rents of every renter in the county (“Residential A bills deserve
a quick death,” Star-Advertiser, Our View, April 26).
The Council opened the door for taxing non-owner-occupied
homes two years ago by charging such homes worth over
$1 million $6 per $1,000 of valuation instead of $3.50 per
— nearly double the property taxes of all other homes. Few
people cared then about the “millionaires” having to pay more
in property taxes.
But now Bill 33 would nearly double the property tax on every
rental from $2,397 for a medianpriced $685,000 home per
year, to $4,110 — a $1,713 increase, or nearly $150 per
month.
Of course landlords will have no choice but to pass on this
cost to their renters. So in reality, Bill 33 would increase rents
for every renter on Oahu.
Mary Monohon
You can’t change peoples’ minds if you don’t speak out.
email letters to
Dchapman@midweek.com
At-grade rail never hindered
‘Honolulu Star-Advertiser’ - 2015-04-24
It is extremely embarrassing that city Transportation
Director Michael D. Formby would attempt to deceive the
public (“Atgrade train wouldn’t help,” Letters, Star-Adver‘Honolulu Star-Advertiser’ - 2015-04-22
tiser, April 3).
It’s so hard to believe that the Honolulu Authority for
He should know that atgrade rail is not hindered by traffic
Rapid Transportation and Mayor Kirk Caldwell have no at any point.
idea where the money will come from to pay for the
At-grade rail such as MAX in Portland, Ore., runs entirely
operation and maintenance of the rail system (“Detailed within its own right of way. Other vehicles that would
operations plan could be two years away,” Starcross rail are controlled by stop lights and crossing barriAdvertiser, April 19).
ers. At no time is there any competition between vehicles
It seems that when money is needed to support
and MAX.
core city services — maintain our parks, buy new
The gridlock we experienced on April 1 would not have
garbage trucks to make condo garbage pickup, fix the affected at-grade rail at all. Honolulu decided to build the
Natatorium, remove asbestos at Honolulu Hale or any most expensive elevated heavy rail system in the U.S. for
number of things the city is supposed to do — it claims reasons other than “fast and reliable,” as stated.
it cannot afford it. But when it comes to spending $80 There is no logical reason that Honolulu could not have
million a year for maintenance and operation of the rail built at-grade rail.
system, city officials have more money; they just need
to find it.
Shirley Gibbs
But, they can’t tell us where the money will come from
until after the mayoral election in 2016.
‘Residential A’ terribly unfair
‘Honolulu Star-Advertiser’ - 2015-05-13
Pam Smith
The commentary, “Bill 32 would fix ‘Residential A’ flaws”
(Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, May 10) has good intenHelp celebrate Nurses Week
tions but provides support for the continual need by the
‘Honolulu Star-Advertiser’ - 2015-05-05
city for more taxes.
Nurses are the backbone of health care systems, bear- This year alone the city received a 7 percent increase in
ing up countless patients and working long days to help revenue by doing nothing but allow assessments to rise.
save lives.
Unfortunately, we have seen that many of these “milNational Nurses Week, which runs from May 6-12, is
lionaires” are just momand-pop family investors trying
a time to recognize the vital role nurses have played
to make some income from a home rental. With home
in hospitals and health care settings in Hawaii and our prices rising dramatically, more homes will be added to
nation.
the Residential A category each year.
Nurses set a high bar, ensuring people are treated with The often-used excuse from the City Council and the
dignity and respect while being treated for a variety of
mayor is that homeowners in Honolulu pay some of the
medical needs.
lowest property taxes in the nation.
Tell a nurse “Happy Nurses Week” and how special he The fact is, unlike other counties, Honolulu doesn’t pay
or she is.
for public education with property taxes.
The real question should be: Without the burden of payJanet Grace
ing for public education, what is the city doing with all
that money?
Barbara Wilcox
Indeed, how will rail be funded?
7
O.L.R.W. Newsletter
Dues $25.00 Yearly $200.00 Lifetime
Oahu League of Republican Women
Carol Thomas, President • 808- 261-1146
Pam Smith, Editor • 808-398-5556 • olrwnews@gmail.com
Luncheon / Meeting
June 4, 2015
11:00 A.M. Social Hour
11:30 A.M. Meeting
12:00 Noon Lunch
12:30 P.M. Speakers
Cost
Or bring it to our next meeting
Oahu League of
Republican Women
#C-105
725 Kapiolani Blvd.
Honolulu HI 96813
Mail your check to:
Date_________ Birthday Month _____ Day _____
Name_______________________________________
Address_____________________________________
City_______________________ Zip_____________
Telephone___________________ Fax ____________
E-mail Address________________________________
Oahu League of Republican Women Membership Application
Buffet Menu
You will be choosing
from the entire Willows
buffet line including
Dues Deadline
Assorted Salads
Members whose dues are not
paid by May 31 will be dropped.
Roast Beef
Chicken
Willows Curry
Laulau
Kalua Pig
Sushi
More...
Dues are $25 per year.
You may pay on line at
www.olrw.org or mail a check to
the address above.
Legislative update featuring
The Willows
$30.00 Members
$35.00 Guests
725 Kapiolani Blvd. C-105
Honolulu HI 96813
June 2015
Left to right - Senator Sam Slom, Representatives Bob McDermott, Cynthia Theilen, Beth Fukumoto-Chang,
Andria Tupola, Lauren Cheape-Matsumoto
Our Legislators will each give us a legislative update. We have asked each legislator to give us the
highs and the lows of the recently closed session from their own perspective
Please think about how you would like
to participate in our July 3rd sale in
conjunction with the Honolulu County
Committee Patriotic Pancake Feed.
We want this to be much like our
Christmas sale, so Baked Goods,
Silent Auction items, gently used
Please bring in your OLRW PAC Change.
items that might be of interest to our
The change brought in last month was
attendees. Please contact
$22.50.
Mimi Torreano at 941-9350 or
mimitorreano@gmail.com if you
We have jars available that you can reuse
have something you would like to
every month.
donate or if you would like to help with
the sale.
Remember: Your Small Change can mean
The money from this sale will go to
Big Change in Hawaii!
our PAC.
Christmas in July Sale
Assorted Desserts
Happy Birthday
June Babies
Beverages
Reservations/Cancellations
Celyn Chong Kee
306-5089
olrwreservations@gmail.com
olrw.org
Reservations/Cancellations must
be made by May 28th. We are
committed to pay for all lunches
reserved, so No Shows will be
charged for their lunch.
Please - no walk-ins.
HAU’OLI LA HANAU To
Inside
The Pres Says 2
June Holidays 6
OLRW PAC Update 5
Letters to the editor 7
Patricia Anderson 2
Alice Kealoha 2
Claire Ching 3
Governor Linda Lingle 4
Lani Oprescu 10
Liz Larson 11
Danielle Smith 17
Cynthia Rosebrough 18
John Henry Felix 26
Gail Dukes June 28
Diane Yri 28
Golden Wheelden-Davis 29
June Lee 29
Frank Henrion 29
Jacqueline Payer 29
George Krueger 30
For more information about upcoming events and volunteer opportunities at HRP call 808-593-8180 or online at http://
www.gophawaii.com
Kailua 4th of July Parade
OLRW Volunteer opportunities: contact Ione Gumpfer, OLRW Volunteer Coordinator, at 262-9788 or igumpfer@aol.com
july 3 First annual Honolulu County Patriotic Pancake Feed & OLRW sale. Plese contact Diane Yri for mre infor
mation on how you can participate. yriarthur@hotmail.com
Upcoming Events