SBH News + Views January 25
And So It Began. The 26th State Legislature opened last Wednesday without fanfare and started its 60 working day session, until May 5. All bills have now been introduced. Taxes, gambling and assisted suicide are back on the agenda with very little to help business or our residents.
Minimum Wage. One bill has been introduced to raise Hawaii’s $7.25 minimum wage by $1 over the next two years. A real job destroyer.
Come to SUNRISE. The SBH SUNRISE Networking Breakfast will be held tomorrow, Thursday, from 7 – 8:30 am. Featured speaker is Regina Ossey, General Manager, Victoria’s Secret Hawaii. You won’t want to miss hearing Regina. Sunrise is held in the Pineapple Room, Macy’s Ala Moana. The public is welcome. Reservations required. Call Darlyn @ SBH, 396-1724
Tip-A-Canoe? Governor Neil Abercrombie delieverd his 2nd State of the State speech on Monday before a joint House-Senate audience and full gallery. Former Governors Ariyoshi, Waihee and Cayetano were present; Governor Lingle was not. In the one-hour speech, the Guv was passionate and enthusiastic—about government. He never used the word, or mentioned “business” or “small business” once. Everything was about more government involvement and more expenditures. Last year, he used the metaphor of a Hawaiian canoe saying we were all in the canoe together. This year he neglected to mention that canoe, aka, The “Costa Abercrombia.” Did it sink? Where is it??
Laptops (Chicken in Every Pot) For All! The Governor promised “laptops for all public (government) school kids” in his speech. There are currently about 185,000 school kids. Will they all get a laptop? At what cost? Who will repair? Do we need them? Can we afford them? Can we maintain them?
Oh, Sole Mio. The sinking of the Costa Concordia cruise ship in Italy, loss of life, and the lies of the ship’s Captain, were distasteful enough, but then the marketing department for Carnival sent each passenger an apology and a 30% off coupon on their next cruise to reward their loyalty. Huh??
Education Choice. The Heritage Foundation, in Washington, D.C. is presenting a teriffic program (dinner and panel) on Education Choice, next Wednesday evening, February 1, 5 pm, at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. The featured speaker is Dinesh D’ Souza, President, The King’s College, who will speak on “Obama’s America.”. The panel on, “Why Parental Choice in Education Matters for Student Success,” includes: Allen Cardines of Hawaii Family Forum; Jennifer Marshall, The Heritage Foundation, and yours truly, The Small Business Hawaii Entrepreneurial Education Foundation. Call 1-202-608-152 fopr more information and reservations.
One Man, One Vote. Last Saturday the Hawaii Republican Party held an election for a new National Committeeman. The contenders? Former Party Chair Willes Lee and former Lingle DBED&T head, Ted Liu. The final vote was 31-30 for Liu.It is an unpaid position but important nontheless.
Pro Bowl Sunday. This Sunday, the NFL showcases its top stars in the Hawaii Pro Bowl, thousands of people visit, millions of dollars are spent here and we get worldwide good PR; yet, Governor Abercrombie still doesn’t think its worth it. The NFL took note of his words. But the Guv did attend and speak at the local NFL Press Conference here yesterday.
Vote “Descendants.” The movie, “The Descendants,” written by Kaui Hemmings and filmed in Hawaii, was nominated for five Oscars. Let’s root for this film.
Reapportion. The Hawaii Supreme Court ruled against a motion filed by the Hawaii State Reapportionment Commission last Friday. It had ruled earlier that the Commission must go back to the drawing board and re-draw new state lines but gave no specific direction. Hawaii Island seks to add one senate seat and possibly a new House seat. Candidates were supposed to pick up nomination papers next week, February 1, but it is doubtful new maps will be ready. The Commission meets again January 30.
Yellow Pages. The Berry Company, publisher of the Hawaiian Telcom Yellow Pages, is kicking off its annual directory recycling program in Oahu. This year the Think Yellow, Go Green campaign challenges residents to surpass last year’s collection total of 85 tons and set a new recycling record for the island.
Berry and volunteers from the Lokahi Giving Project have placed four recycling bins around Oahu, and beginning this Friday are encouraging the community to drop off their outdated telephone directories for recycling.
Whose Sidewalk? Now that the City passed the ordinance requiring safe, unblocked sidewalks, the homeless have been rousted. But what about “Occupy Honolulu” at Thomas Square? They are still there. Why?
Mokulele Flies. Mokulele Airlines announced it will begin Mainland flights to Chicago and European flights to London by April.
“Mr. BIT Coin” Last week I mentioned “The Good Wife” lawyer drama on Sunday (CBS). I referred to the episode and main character as “Mr. Big Coin.” A reader, Susan, corrected me: it was Mr. Bit Coin!
Chicken Anyone? How NOT to give a corporate answer. If you saw the network news last week there was a story of unhappy customers who went to a mainland KFC, bought some chicken, and bit into what they surmised was not a tender but a chicken “brain.” They took it back to their local eatery and got no satisfaction. They sent a letter and photo to KFC corporate who responded about the company’s dedication to food safety, quality, etc., then added, “ we have examined your photo and it definitely is NOT a chicken brain; more likely it is a chicken lung.” What? Brain, lung, what kind of business answer is that??
Balanced Budget? Reserve now for the next SBH SUNRISE Networking Breakfast, Thursday, February 23, 7 – 8:30 am, featuring Kalbert Young, State Director of Budget & Finance. The networking and breakfast takes place in The Pineapple Room, Macy’s Ala Moana, and the public is welcome. Learn what is in store for you this legislative session. Call Darlyn @ SBH, 396-1724 for required advance reservations.
Got Motivation? There is a Get Motivated event, next Tuesday, January 31, at the Convention Center. Top notch speakers coming include: General Colin Powell, Steve Forbes (who will also do a fundraiser that day for Linda Lingle), Joe Montana, Laura Bush and others.
HawaiiReporter Reporting. Malia Zimmerman owns and edits the award winning Hawaii Reporter.com, Hawaii’s first electronic daily newspaper. Hawaii Reporter still is free to all readers. Malia reports daily (M-F) on the Rick Hamada Show, KHVH radio on 830 AM at, 7:40 am.
Want more local business information? Please visit the several SBH websites at:: http://www.smartbusinesshawaii.com, http://www.educate808.com and http://www.sbhfoundation.org.
Aloha,
Sam