28 Responses to “flASHback: Off and running”

1. Kaimuki Sam:
   December 18th, 2009 at 5:51 am

   I like your double quote of the week. Obviously, one of the R's got their signals crossed. I would be curious to know what the LG's quote was, if any.



2. Pat:
   December 18th, 2009 at 6:11 am

   Thanks for your perspective on these issues. A perfect score!



3. Bongo:
   December 18th, 2009 at 7:22 am

   I must be somewhere in the middle of political scale because the idea of Congressman Abercrombie and Congressman Djou are equally distasteful.



4. Kailuaresident:
   December 18th, 2009 at 7:25 am

   Youd think when a entire membership meeting of the GOP consists of like 150 people they could get their strategy straight.....



5. Bongo:
   December 18th, 2009 at 7:29 am

   Kailularesident, I think they're down to about 80 members now that the Ron Paul wackos left.



6. Earl of Sandwich:
   December 18th, 2009 at 7:57 am

   So if Jonah's using the mainland GOP playbook and attacking everything in sight, and Djou's going against that startegy, does that mean Djou's going rogue? Will we soon see him hunting mongoose from a helicopter?



7. David Shapiro:
   December 18th, 2009 at 8:39 am

   Kaimuki Sam, this is the quote I saw from Duke Aiona, which I believe he posted to Twitter:

   ""While my opponent has resigned from office, I will honor my commitment to serve my full term."



8. Bongo:
   December 18th, 2009 at 10:05 am

   twenty to life with the possibility of parole



9. HItaxpayer:
   December 18th, 2009 at 12:53 pm

   Bongo Thanks for makin the point that the Repulican party with only 80 members cannot be responsible for the great shape the state is in. Ya gotta love the way the democrats have run it for the last 50 years



10. Earl of Sandwich:
    December 18th, 2009 at 1:08 pm

    Um, but one of them has been the Governor for the last seven years.....



11. Kolea:
    December 18th, 2009 at 2:33 pm

    This quote from Jonah should haunt him for the rest of his life.

    The counter-argument from Chuckie Djou is not necessarily that accurate either, but I understand his need to encourage his supporters and potential donors that he may have a chance after all.

    It's a little tough to predict how this will shake out. Will Hanabusa and Case split the (nominally) Democratic vote, which would benefit Djou? Or will haoles and/or conservatives split between Case and Djou?

    The three elections, special, primary and general, will provide a unique data set for examining questions about "crossover voting" and other issues long debated among Hawaii political geeks.

    If I had to predict, I would say many Republican voters are likely to abandon Djou for Case in the special election, both because he is more substantial than Djou, and because he is more likely to defeat Hanabusa.

    I expect all three campaigns will be doing their own, in-house polls on exactly this question.

    If Malia Zimmerman would direct me to her apocryphal "Chinatown bookie," I'll place on bet on Case to win the special election, depending, of course, on the odds.



12. Fluffy McNutter:
    December 19th, 2009 at 8:05 am

    Since the Union memebership in Hawaii is involuntary (one has to join a union to get a job, say at the UH teaching or working on a road crew) and the membership dues are extracted and sent directrly to the Democrat party's offices, no opposition would be able to raise enough funding to oppose the machine.

    Since both newspapers are the organs of the DNC (Quick! Name one conservative board memebr or an editirial writer in any of the newspapers published in HI?), the free media supplements the above money advantage.

    Since our voter rolls are full of illegal aliens (there was not a single check ran with ICE, a successor to the INS, ever, to check the eligibility of any single Hawaii voter) and all illegal aliens are voting Democrat to get the benefits from the state.

    Since it is vitrually impossible for a conservative or a Republican to get any employment in the Democrat controlled businesses such as the First Hawaiian Bank, etc

    Since our children are daily indoctrinated in the Democrat controlled schools to hate their country, despise Christianity and to become rasists and antisemite Democrats, making it impossible for them to comprehend any of the ideas enshrined in our constitution.

    Since....

    You get he idea why the Democrats are victorious. It is for the same reason that the city of Chicago will have the mayor by the same last name for the past 60 years - a pure collection of criminals masquerading as a political party.



13. Scott Goold:
    December 19th, 2009 at 8:20 am

    Aloha Fluffy ~
    Your posts are complete insanity ... did you run out of your medication?

    While all your points are nonsense, the last one was most outrageous: "You get he idea why the Democrats are victorious."

    The current governor of the state is ... Republican ... Fluffy.

    Hope your doctors have time for you today!

    A*L*O*H*A



14. hipoli:
    December 19th, 2009 at 9:50 am

    Oh, Scott, McNutz hasnt written one original thought there. Hes just been drinking from the Rush Limbaugh - Glenn Beck Kool Aide.



15. shaftalley:
    December 19th, 2009 at 11:13 am

    does anyone know how many of our local politicians have any children enrolled in public schools?or ever had any enrolled in the public schools?akaka? inouye?abercrombie? aiona?etc. or does it matter?



16. Kolea:
    December 19th, 2009 at 12:58 pm

    shaftalley,

    While you are not directly making the argument, some on the right have said teachers (or politicians) are somehow being disloyal to the schools if they put their kids in private schools instead of public. As I said, you did not say this yourself.
    It is a pretty ridiculous argument. If I deeply value education, but the local public school is underfunded, hobbled by the Felix Consent Decree, NCLB, deteriorating classrooms, outdated textbooks and students whose parents are unable or unwilling to teach them manners and good study habits, there is no reason why I wouldn't seek out an affordable private school for my kids. That's no betrayal.

    I attended Hawaii public school for all but two years of intermediate school. At the time, the schools were well-run and well-funded. But perhaps more important, the kids were much better behaved, less hyped up on sugar and trash popular culture, so classes were much easier to instruct. Students did their homework. I know, because I sometimes slacked and got in trouble for it.

    I was reading comments on the Advertiser discussion board. The article had compared the number of planning days provided to teachers in other states and with local private schools. Because Iolani provides only a couple of days fully dedicated to "prep," some comments were saying, "If Iolani teachers don't need so many planning days, then public school teachers don't need them either.

    I have a good friend who teaches at Iolani after years teaching at a public high school. He gets less pay and fewer benefits, but the workload is so much less and the satisfaction he receives from teaching kids who really want to learn, and who come to class prepared, has made the slight decrease in income totally worthwhile. I doubt he would return to public schools if they were to pay him twice as much as he gets at Iolani. (Well, maybe for a few years to save up money, but it would have to be a lot more than the current DOE salary).

    Some public schools are still quite good. A lot depends on the neighborhood. And the grade level. If a politician or teacher decides to put their kid into a private school after elementary school, I expect it is because they value education and think it is a cheap shot to criticize them for doing so.



17. shaftalley:
    December 19th, 2009 at 4:43 pm

    kolea, actually, public officials should be allowed to choose any schools they want for their children.just like the rest of us.and if these public officials use tax-payer money to put their kids thru private schools,the rest of us should be allowed to use our own money to do the same,rather than having your government confiscate it from us.



18. shaftalley:
    December 19th, 2009 at 5:51 pm

    when kolea mentioned no child left behind(nclb), reminded me of just how sinister that program is.i believe it's former pres. bush's program that ,like his faith-based tax-payer funded school programs.nclb was forced on the public school system if doe wanted increased funding.nclb also allowed for various federal agencies,including the military to collect personal data on every student in the program.it is a gold-mine for the army and other military recruiters to screen for "potential" high school students without their knowledge or consent.invasion of privacy.they gather this info and then pressure and try to sell the military.they target the economically distressed kids,etc. to entice,etc.another reason to terminate public schools.



19. David Shapiro:
    December 19th, 2009 at 8:08 pm

    Kolea, I agree with you that where public officials and teachers choose to send their kids to school is their own business, but I get pretty tired of all the blame for what's wrong with our schools being laid at the feet of the kids, parents, taxpayers and feds — with no accountability whatsoever assigned to the people who actually run the system and stand at the front of the class. How politically convenient.

    I also attended public school in Hawai'i, put two kids through and now have two grandkids in the system. The problems are not as recent as you suggest.



20. Kolea:
    December 20th, 2009 at 5:29 am

    OK, Dave. Some teachers can do a better job. And probably, some brighter people can decide to become teachers. But let's apply that insight to the problems facing us right here, right now, shall we?

    There are programs in place to help teachers learn better how to teach, including how to teach despite having disruptive students and those with special needs. That help happens during the "non-instructional days" you are eager to have the teachers give away.

    You want smarter, more capable people to become teachers (or, more realistically, to remain teachers)? In almost every other profession, employers need to offer higher pay to attract qualified applicants. Why does this logic break down when we talk about teachers? Oh yeah, I forgot. Teachers prove how "good" they are by doing their job "for the sake of the students." That actually gets some people into teacher. And it probably keeps a lot of them from giving up. But when the mortgage comes due and you have to decide which bills to pay, such moralizing lectures from John Q Public become a bit stale.

    So when your brother-in-law has an opening in his business, when your cousin the dentist comes to the family party driving a new car, with his kids going to Punahou, or you hear your sister the lawyer talk about her latest vacation in Tuscany, you don't want to open the paper and read Dave Shaprio lambast you for being "selfish."



21. David Shapiro:
    December 20th, 2009 at 9:08 am

    Kolea, whoa there, this isn't about whether teachers are bright, capable and qualified, which I think they mostly are. It's about a school culture that holds none of the responsible politicians, administrators and educators accountable and instead blames bad kids and bad parents rather than a bad system that sucks up the biggest share of the state budget but can't teach kids to read and do math to a basic level of proficiency despite having them seven hours a day, nine months a year for 13 years.



22. shaftalley:
    December 20th, 2009 at 9:54 am

    are the public school teachers in hawaii covered by the traditional defined benefit(db) pension plans?,in which employees receive a regular retirement check based on a legislatively determined formula? if they do,it means that they are offered retirement at relatively young ages.and the retirement checks should be pretty good.some government employees with 30 years of service,for example are entitled to between 60-75% of their final salary.is that true with teachers also?and then,in nearly all civli service or government retirement plans,they have cost of living adjustments.if the teachers have defined benefit plans,that usually means their retirement benefits are secured at guaranteed amounts.the teachers' retirement are legal obligations,so the state of hawaii must pay it no matter what.most private sector plans are defined contribution or similar 401(k) plans.



23. Kolea:
    December 20th, 2009 at 10:37 am

    Sorry, Dave,

    I was reacting to this statement, which appeared to be targeting teachers:
    "with no accountability whatsoever assigned to the people who ... stand at the front of the class."

    If you are willing to back off on the teachers, I am willing to discuss the "school culture." Heck, I'm a child of the sixties, deeply immersed in the thinking of A.S. Neill, Paul Goodman and Paulo Freire. I am willing to participate in such discussion. But I can tell you why teachers in general are reluctant to have such a discussion. They have (at least) two fears which shut down their willingness to participate in public discussions of this sort:

    First, they have a reasonable fear that any reorganization of education will lead to a loss of their pay and benefits. We have seen a clearly expressed lack of sympathy for teachers expressed quite openly in comments on blogs, on talk radio programs and, only slightly less blatantly, in the anti-HSTA position taken by Advertiser columnists and editors.

    Second, teachers know there are a lot of people in the community highly motivated to "fix education" who have no friggin' idea what they are talking about. The religious right and the teabagger movements are recent expressions of highly motivated groups standing ready to take over school boards if they are given a chance.

    Should this preclude reasonable people of goodwill from holding such discussions. Not necessarily, but it explains some of the reflexive resistance of teachers.



24. David Shapiro:
    December 20th, 2009 at 12:19 pm

    Kolea, OK, but your ... knocks out all the other people responsible for running schools I was referring to in addition to teachers and makes it look like I was targeting teachers only. Teachers are hardly as powerless as you make it out. HSTA was the third leading donor to state political campaigns in 2008 behind only the realtors and UHPA, averaging about $1,000 per legislator. It's been a very good investment in squelching discussion of educational reorganization and getting party activists such as yourself backing them down the line.



25. kolea:
    December 20th, 2009 at 2:15 pm

    Hi Dave,

    I wasn't trying to misrrepresent your views with my .... Iwas merely pulling out the excerpt I was directly commenting on.

    I doubt my sympathy for the teachers is rooted in their campaign contributions. Since the realtors give more and I am scarcely an advocate for their interests. I sincerely and honestly do have several close friends who are teachers, respect them for it and am amazed at how hollow real world "support" for teachers is in a community which claims to value it so highly.

    Let me go a step further, since you insinuate my party affiliation has undermined my judgment on this: I find it appalling that Democrats have controlled the state budget for several decades, yet have allowed our schools to be so underfunded. There! Does that re-establish my independence for you? (Well, independent from the Party, if not from the teachers).

    I hope the holidays are treating you and your loved ones well, Dave.

    Aloha,
    K



26. shaftalley:
    December 20th, 2009 at 3:47 pm

    the government school system should be reorganized.i think everyone that resides in hawaii should be given the oppurtunity not only to voice their opinions but offer suggestions.and who is to say that some of us don't know "enough" about public education to try to be helpful.how am i suppose to react when there are studies out there that have shown that the average cost per pupil for public schools is twice that of private schools?that's one concern.



27. zzzzzz:
    December 21st, 2009 at 1:12 pm

    I wonder how much input the rank and file teachers have into the spending of their dues on political contributions, and the positions those contributions buy.



28. Manawai:
    December 21st, 2009 at 3:05 pm

    "Who can? Tam can." Rod Tam. Isn't he they guy that was pushing for public worker paid nap time? Now that's Hawaii!!!