Posted on: Saturday, July 4, 2009
Political wrangling wasting energy
By David Shapiro
Political and legal fireworks give way to the real thing as we "flASHback" on the week's news that amused and confused:
Gov. Linda Lingle said she may veto 65 bills, more than a quarter of the Legislature's output, and lawmakers are planning an override session. Imagine what they'd accomplish if they didn't waste so much energy undoing each other.
The state failed to have the Hawaii Superferry's bankruptcy case moved from Delaware to Honolulu. It's just as well. If the Superferry got worked over in a Hawai'i court one more time, we'd have to follow the bankruptcy proceeding with a mugging trial.
Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann let a City Council budget with tax and fee increases become law without his signature. That's the political equivalent of wearing a condom.
The worth of Sen. Daniel Inouye's personal stock in Central Pacific Bank: $350,000 to $700,000. The cost of his staff's call to regulators about a federal bailout for CPB: 25 cents. The value of the aid to CPB that followed: $135 million. Inouye's denial: priceless.
Prosecutor Peter Carlisle said he found plenty of "incompetence" in a state agency's bungling of an energy contract, but nothing criminal. Is that a legal opinion or the political epitaph on the Lingle administration?
The state Intermediate Court of Appeals lifted limits on corporate political donations. That's politics without the condom.
Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu, who had a DUI conviction in 2007, is exploring a run for lieutenant governor. If the Democratic nominee turns out to be the teetotaling Hannemann, Karamatsu would balance the ticket perfectly.
The Oscar Mayer "Wienermobile" has been seen cruising around Honolulu. Did Neil Abercrombie finally trade in his old Checker cab?
A writer for the UH student newspaper accused of making up quotes claimed he was a victim of poor editing. Sounds like he skipped Journalism 101 on getting it right and went straight to the seminar on blaming the copy desk.
North Korea has apparently dropped plans for a July 4 missile launch toward Hawai'i. They decided it wasn't worth it to compete with all the other illegal fireworks.
