Archive | January, 2011

There is no point to this

31 Jan

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is the largest in the country.

It handles cases from Hawaii through California and up to Montana.

It’s also the most liberal.
Sometimes that’s good – or bad – depending on how your feel about an issue going before it.

We think it’s something in the San Francisco air that makes people living there liberal.

Lately, the U.S. Supreme Court, which has gotten more conservative, has been taking a swipe at the 9th.

In five straight cases, the court has rejected the work of the court.

Some of the recent reversals have been delivered with a scolding has says more than just a disagreement of law.

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Watch the GET go up

31 Jan

We’ve mentioned before we like to roll the dice and play the slots in Vegas occasionally.

That makes us gambling people, we guess.

Let’s roll the dice: we’re going to go out on limb and make a prediction.

We’re thinking the Governor is setting things up to increase the GET to help make up the budget deficit.

Follow along and see if this makes sense.

First, let’s clarify what the GET exactly is – and isn’t.

The Hawaii General Excise Tax (GET) was established in the 1930s and is somewhat unique in that it taxes both goods and services at every level, including food and medical care.

It’s not the same as the retail sales tax found on the mainland.

The GET is currently 4% statewide except on Oahu where a 1/2% surcharge is in effect to fund rail mass transit.
As a matter of information, the counties can not impose their own tax, other than what the State allows.
In Hawaii, we’re not true counties, but political sub-divisions and any taxing authority is only what the Legislature allows.

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They said…

31 Jan

A look at last week’s top political quotes.
Thanks to Politico.com

“We didn’t elect Superman, we elected a human being.” – Colin Powell, on President Barack Obama.

“I’m trying to stay out of prison, obviously.” – Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, on his current goals.

“Am I looking at the right camera?” – White House advisor David Axelrod, mocking Michele Bachmann’s confusing Tea Party Express interview, during his own TV interview.

“In spite of the fact that I’m now on TV, I don’t want to be on TV.” – Former President George W. Bush, telling C-SPAN how low-key he’d prefer his life to be.

“Granny is safe.” – President Obama, defending his health care bill from the “death panel” charges.

“I can’t spell at all. … In fact, you don’t have to know how to spell anymore” – Vice President Joe Biden, revealing one of the perks of power.

“I’m Italian. We don’t have problems with olives.” – Representative David Cicilline, dinging Dennis Kucinich in an interview with ABC News.

“Promiscuous.” – Former President Bill Clinton, describing political advisor David Gergen’s political switch-hitting, while in Davos, Switzerland.

“Back off.” – Senator Harry Reid, issuing a warning to the White House on its efforts to rein in congressional earmarks.

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President Trump – part 2

31 Jan

Donald Trump is a master at self-promotion.

He’s a man whose ego doesn’t allow him to see there’s maybe something he wants and can’t get.
His latest desire?
Run for president. Maybe.

One way to test the water is do a lot of interviews and see what the reaction from the public is.

We laughed at this before.

Right now his strategy is be mad as hell — and let everybody know it.

Leaving few stones unturned, this time the targets are China, OPEC, Obama’s Middle East dealings, the president’s State of the Union address and more.

He’s a man with a lot of anger.

Trump says America’s trade agreements are “horrible”, predicts the Middle East is going to explode, warns about “catastrophic” oil prices, and charges that Obama’s Afghanistan policy is “dangerous and stupid.”

He also complains that the United States is a laughing-stock throughout the world — and confirms that he is seriously considering running for president in 2012.

Asked directly about a possible run, Trump says, “I’m thinking about it. I’m looking at what’s happening with this country and frankly, it’s very sad. I see what’s happening left and right, how we’re being abused by other nations, and I don’t like it. I don’t like what’s happening with jobs. I am seriously thinking about it.”

Trump says if he does run it will be as a Republican and not as a third-party candidate.
The Tea Party must be all a-twitter.

Continue reading →

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The finger pointing begins

31 Jan

Republicans won a lot of seats last November after claiming Democrats had not focused enough on creating jobs.

It’s tit-for-tat time.

Democrats on the Hill are accusing the GOP of the same thing, saying they are using their new House majority to push to kill the president’s health care law, restrict abortions and highlight other social issues important to their most conservative supporters.

Back and forth.
The Republicans say they have a jobs agenda, and it’s starting with their attempt to stop what they call the Democrats’ “jobs-killing” health overhaul.

Democrats snort and they’re challenging Republicans to show how they can put more people to work.

It’s going to take a while to sort this out.

We weren’t surprised when House Republicans moved quickly to overturn the heath care law, even if the Democratic-controlled Senate will block that effort.
The was a campaign promise and this was a quick and dirty way to show they tried.

But then – surprise – Speaker John Boehner presented the next item on the agenda: writing into law a perennially renewed ban on federal money for abortion, and to specify that it applies to health plans.

Huh?

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