Small Business Hawaii | Volume 24 Number 10 | October 1999
Sam Slom is also a State Senator from the 8th District (Waialae Iki to Hawaii Kai)
and has a website at this URL: http://hotspotshawaii.com/sam/slom.html
Small Business Hawaii | Volume 24 Number 10 | October 1999
Sam Slom is also a State Senator from the 8th District (Waialae Iki to Hawaii Kai)
and has a website at this URL: http://hotspotshawaii.com/sam/slom.html
Sad. The stunning announcement September 15 that The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, our 117-year old alternative voice, would cease publication October 30 is a devastating blow to the public's right to know in Hawaii. Now there will be but one, liberal, Gannett-driven monopoly voice daily. About 200 employees will lose their jobs; maybe 30 will be assimilated by the morning Honolulu Advertiser, long known for its pro-majority party subservience and lack of investigating desire. (The Advertiser stalled on "The Broken Trust" expose' that the Bulletin published; this led to the fall of the Bishop Estate Trustees. The Advertiser shuns stories about rampant corruption in state government, ethics violations by majority party members and is very kind to union bosses. The Bulletin was constantly attacked by UPW's Gary Rodrigues.) Pacific Business News, currently a weekly, with a reputation to tackle and investigate the tough stories, could expand its clout. Small Business News could go daily. Not! On the same day, RFD Publications announced it will cease publishing the popular local community press newspapers (Kailua, Kaneohe, Hawaii Kai) Sep. 30 after 25 years. Rodrigues, by the way, was exonerated by AFSCME (surprise!) for his attack on UPW union members in the union rag. The parent union held he could slander them, threaten them and the statements didn't even have to be true. The Feds are still looking at his operations and hopefully may go harder on him. Check the dictionary for "arrogant" and you may find attorney, Governor-appointed Stadium Authority dictator Michael Green who made his rep defending drug dealers in LA. People still shaking their heads about the 40th Anniversary Hawaiian Statehood bash that never happened here. The only celebration was in San Francisco. Governor Ben Cayetano deemed a celebration of American statehood too "sensitive" with Hawaiian sovereignty claims. A far cry from the battle for statehood and the wild, ecstatic celebration 40 years ago. How times change. PC lives here! The PC movement is alive and well in provincial Hawaii: (1) the banning of the "insensitive" luau at Dartmouth because one student complained, and (2) physical threats against the UH football team's warrior mascot because it too is "insensitive." The Bulletin's humor writer, Charles Meminger wrote best about the PC mess here. We'll miss Charlie. Guv Cayetano boldly predicted UH would upset #21 ranked USC (as he boldly predicted economic turnarounds and budget surpluses) by 7 points on opening night September 4. Final score was a razor-close 62-7. (USC). It is one thing to root for the home team, another to have a basis and logic for specific predictions (like): "the economy has turned around...." And the Governor's advice to save more money - but why when the economy is "improving?" - is to again cut back on education. He suggested closing some of the smaller, more successful schools on Oahu, including, Kalani High, Wailupe Valley Elementary and again, University Lab School, and combine them with larger, more troubled schools. This Administration always opposes de-centralization and the concept that smaller is better. UH President Ken Mortimer's speech on September 7 touched on the school's recently won legislative autonomy, but Mortimer-who many students, faculty and community leaders want ousted-insisted autonomy mustn't mean breaking the ties with the State. Isn't that the real problem with my alma mater? Anita Lois Slater and other small business owners in Aiea are fighting for survival and zoning changes, aided by Aiea/Pearl City Association's Dick Rowland. They met with Mayor Jeremy Harris on September 3 and Harris barred the lone (PBN) media reporter. But the merchants may yet prevail. California Justice William W. Bedsworth writes in his monthly column of the Orange County Lawyer (Sep. 1999), " I don't know how many legislators Hawaii has, but according to Time, they just got around to declaring the hula the official state dance. Don't you think that might have come up a little sooner if they'd really been paying attention? And why do you think they finally did something about it now? Did they just suddenly decide they better move on it before South Carolina beat them to it." Mel Ah Ching refers to our $350 million Convention Center, now hosting beauty pageants, tuna fish deliberations and talent shows as a "glorified movie studio;" Brian Zinn wonders if Costco's next venture will be a discount for its own branded auto, the Kirkland. Astute political cartoonist Cagle rumored leaving MidWeek; most didn't know he lives on the Mainland but is savvy about Hawaii pols. Playground equipment under lock and bulldozer a big topic here. Safety and lawsuits, the big issue. How did any of us survive and grow up with monkey bars, swings and slides? What's with Senate prez Norman Mizuguchi? He snubbed the 50th anniversary rededication of Punchbowl Cemetery, attended by all veterans organizations, our Congressional Delegation, Governor, Mayor and House Speaker. He said he couldn't come and none of the 25 Senators could either. My Dad is buried in Punchbowl; I was proud to represent the State Senate at the ceremony. It's trick or treat time again-no, the Legislature isn't in Session. But watch what any politician offers you this or any month. BOO!
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Small Business Hawaii SBH also accepts articles relating to small business issues about its members and Hawaii. Submit your articles to SBH by the 10th of the month for publication into the next month's issue. E-Mail:smallbusinesshawaii@yahoo.com
Editor: Sam Slom
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