Hawaii Pork Report - Citizens Against Government Waste

Transcription

2009
Hawaii Pork
Report
The Book
Hawaii’s
Government
Doesn’t Want
You to Read
Grassroot Institute
of Hawaii
Citizens Against
Government Waste
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Citizens Against Government Waste
2009
Hawaii Pork Report
The Book
Hawaii’s Government Doesn’t Want
You to Read
Contributors
Pearl Hahn • Wendy Fujimoto
Kristian Somi • Justin Rouzaud • Kenny Lee
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii • Citizens Against Government Waste – 2009 Hawaii Pork Report
1
GRASSROOT INSTITUTE OF HAWAII
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research
institute dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, the free
market and limited, accountable government. Through research
papers, policy briefings, commentaries and conferences, the Institute
seeks to educate and inform Hawaii's policymakers, news media and
the general public.
Committed to its independence, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
neither seeks nor accepts any government funding. The Institute is a
501(c)(3) organization that enjoys the tax-deductible support of
individuals, foundations and businesses sharing a concern for
Hawaii’s future and an appreciation of the role of sound ideas and a
more informed debate.
CITIZENS AGAINST GOVERNMENT WASTE
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) is a private,
nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to educating the
American public about waste, mismanagement, and inefficiency
in the federal government.
CAGW was founded in 1984 by J. Peter Grace and nationallysyndicated columnist Jack Anderson. CAGW has 1.2 million
members and supporters nationwide. Since 1986, CAGW and its
members have helped save taxpayers $1 trillion. CAGW publishes
a newsletter, Government Waste Watch, and produces special
reports, monographs, and television documentaries examining
government waste and what citizens can do to stop it.
2
2009 Hawaii Pork Report – Grassroot Institute of Hawaii • Citizens Against Government Waste
Table of Contents
1
Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Taxpayers Get Railroaded
The Rail Ad Swindle
The Boat to Nowhere
The Handi-Van Isn’t So Handy
2
State Agencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Department of Agriculture
Department of the Attorney General
Department of Education
University of Hawaii System
3
City and County Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
City Sewage Pipe Bursts; Death, Debt,
and Destruction Ensue
Taxpayer Dollars Burning in Incinerator
Stairway To Heaven is Literally Priceless
Keeping Golf Courses Afloat
Monkey Business Cashes In
4
Arts, Music, Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Trail of Vanishing Revenues
Royal Hawaiian Band
State Foundation on Culture and the Arts
Pimp My Ride
A Capitol Tragedy
5
State Legislature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Money Doesn’t Grow On Trees
The True Cost of “Free” Health Care
6
Government Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Get Paid To Play Hooky
Teachers Vacation At Disney Resort
Costs Are Flying Way Overhead
Government Employees Attend the Grammys
7
Open Records Requests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
3
INTRODUCTION
W
hen the Grassroot Institute
of Hawaii began compiling
the list of government waste
and corruption for its first
Hawaii Piglet Book in the summer of 2008,
Hawaii, like the rest of the country, was
experiencing the symptoms of an economic
downturn.
Yet only a year before, Hawaii’s future
appeared rosy. Governor Linda Lingle (R) and
the state legislature were deciding
what to do with a projected $732
million budget surplus, with
suggestions ranging from tax
relief to more spending on
public services such as
healthcare and education. In
its eagerness, the legislature
wasted no time frittering
the extra funds away on
feel-good programs
such as the first
universal children’s
health care plan in the
nation. By October 2008, budget
shortfalls brought about the program’s early
termination and forced Gov. Lingle to direct
state agencies to implement cost-cutting
measures.
Article VII, Section 6 of the state
Constitution says, “whenever the state
general fund balance at the close of each of
two successive fiscal years exceeds five
percent of general fund revenues for each of
the two fiscal years, the legislature in the
next regular session shall provide for a tax
refund or tax credit to the taxpayers of the
4
State.”1 In April 2008, the Senate signed off
on a $1 tax rebate, reducing the requirement
under the state Constitution to a mere
formality. Had the full amount been returned,
every Hawaiian resident would have been
$569 richer the following year.2
This rebate would have gone a long way in a
state where citizens pay one of the highest
overall tax rates in the country. For example,
of all states with an
income tax, Hawaii
imposes the secondhighest income tax on
one-parent families of
three with income at the
federal poverty line.3
Furthermore, instead of a
sales tax, Hawaii imposes
a general excise tax
(GET), which is
levied on the gross
income of businesses.
Whereas a sales tax is
levied on goods purchased at
retail prices, a .5 percent GET is levied on all
wholesale sales, and then the 4 percent GET
is levied on all retail sales (including food
and other necessities), on services (including
telephone and electrical service), contracting,
commissions, interest, lease, rental activities
and more. Proceeds from the 4 percent GET
are counted as gross income, meaning that
consumers pay a tax on top of goods
purchased with the GET already factored in.
The 4 percent GET is really a 4.166 percent
tax. The GET on Oahu was increased by 12.5
percent (to 4.5 percent) in January 2007 to
pay for passenger rail, encroaching even
further on disposable income and harming
lower- to moderate-income households the
most.
The 2009 Hawaii Piglet Book, published by
the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii and
Citizens Against Government Waste, is the
first step in identifying the waste. Whether
reading the following makes one laugh, cry,
or both, it should provide readers with a
heightened commitment to demanding
greater transparency and accountability from
the state government. After all, it only exists
to serve the taxpayers.
The Grassroot Institute was founded in 2001
and is the state’s only free market think tank
focused solely on Hawaii issues. The
Institute’s mission is to promote individual
liberty, the free market and limited,
accountable government. Through research
papers, policy briefings, commentaries and
conferences, the Institute seeks to educate
and inform Hawaii policymakers, news media
and the general public.
In 1982, President Ronald Reagan
empanelled a team of 161 senior business
executives and more than 2,000 private
sector volunteers to undertake a
comprehensive review of the federal
government. The report of the President’s
Private Sector Survey on Cost Control, better
known as the Grace Commission after the
panel’s chairman, the late J. Peter Grace,
made 2,478 recommendations to eliminate
waste, mismanagement, and inefficiency in
Washington, with three-year savings of
$424.4 billion. After the report was
completed in 1984, Peter Grace joined with
syndicated columnist and Pulitzer Prizewinner Jack Anderson to form Citizens
Against Government Waste (CAGW) to
promote implementation of Grace
Commission recommendations and
promulgate additional recommendations at
every level of government. Over the past 25
years, CAGW and its 1.3 million members
and supporters have helped taxpayers save
$1.04 trillion.
CAGW’s most well-known publication is the
Congressional Pig Book. Since 1991, CAGW
has published this annual exposé of porkbarrel spending in the federal appropriations
bills. CAGW also produces Prime Cuts, a
comprehensive look at the depth and breadth
of waste throughout the federal government.
Recommendations range from eliminating
corporate welfare to cutting unneeded
defense systems. Prime Cuts 2009 identified
$269 billion in potential one-year savings and
$1.9 trillion in five-year savings. Considering
that the federal deficit is projected to be a
record $1 trillion in 2009, Prime Cuts alone
could go a long way in bringing back fiscal
sanity to Washington.
5
1 Transportation
Shiny new transportation projects are popular and provide
good photo opportunities for politicians. Unfortunately,
taxpayers are the ones that ultimately have to pay for them.
Taxpayers Get Railroaded
Ridiculous, expensive and unnecessary rail
projects are spreading across the country.
The 2008 California Piglet Book highlighted
the $81 billion high speed rail project from
between the San Francisco Bay Area and
Sacramento to Los Angeles and San Diego
via the San Joaquin Valley. The 2008 New
Mexico Piglet exposed the Rail Runner
commuter train, the biggest single
boondoggle in New Mexico. At a cost of
$400 million to construct, the Rail Runner
now carries approximately 2,000 riders per
day. Although operating costs were heavily
subsidized by the federal government in its
early years of operation, New Mexicans will
foot the bill for all of the Rail Runner’s $20
million annual operating costs starting in
2009.
administration. To this end, the state
legislature passed a fifteen-year 12.5 percent
increase in Hawaii’s GET (raised from 4
percent to 4.5 percent on Oahu) to fund the
transit project. The city predicted that the rail
project would create 11,000 jobs during its
eight-year construction period6, neglecting to
mention the loss in jobs (an estimated 6,508
private sector jobs), decrease in private
investment ($159 million), decrease in state
personal income ($360 million) and loss in
disposable income ($765 million) due to the
12.5 percent tax surcharge.7
Not to be outdone, Hawaii is moving
forward with a $5.3 billion elevated train in
Honolulu, despite local opposition and
studies showing that the project will not
reduce traffic congestion.4 Hawaii’s senior
senator, Daniel Inouye (D), has said that a $1
billion sewer upgrade would bankrupt
Honolulu, a claim that would have more
merit if he was not strongly backing a rail
project whose capital costs exceed $5
billion.5
In order to further justify the project, the city
claimed that rail ridership is increasing in
Portland, Washington, D.C. and other cities
across the United States.8 Yet, none of these
cities have experienced a reduction in traffic,
and traveling times for commuters have
increased even in spite of rail.9 According to
the U.S. Census Bureau, in metropolitan
areas with high public transportation usage
(Boston, Chicago, New York, and San
Francisco), the percentage of public
transportation usage has decreased in all of
the cities following the implementation of
rail systems.10, 11 The same pattern is
occurring for metropolitan areas with second
tier public transportation usage (Detroit,
Houston, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland,
Sacramento, San Diego, and San Juan).12
Shortly after being elected mayor in 2004,
Mufi Hannemann made it clear that building
a rail system would be a priority of his
Another myth propagated by the city is that
rail is an environmentally friendly and energy
efficient alternative to cars and buses.
6
According to the U.S. Department of Energy,
energy use per passenger mile (Btu) comes
out to 3,512 for cars, 4,235 for buses, and
2,784 for rail.13 Motorcycles clock in much
lower at 1,855 while the Toyota Prius clocks
in at only 1,659.14 Given rail transit’s
permanent dependence on fuel, the
increasing popularity of fuel-efficient cars
such as the Prius necessitate adjustments in
road transportation to accommodate a
greater number of cars from
an environmental
standpoint, since
these vehicles
consume less
energy per
passenger mile
than rail.
Just a month before
the November 2008
elections, the city
released a glossy
information brochure rife with false
information. The brochure declared that rail
is “eco-friendly,” having “long been viewed
by health experts as an excellent way to limit
harmful vehicle emissions and improve air
quality.”15 In terms of carbon footprint, light
rail, with 0.67 pounds of CO2 per passenger
mile, actually exceeds the carbon footprint of
automobiles (with 0.54 pounds CO2 per
passenger mile) and motor buses (with 0.66
pounds CO2 per passenger mile).16 Again,
the carbon footprint of the Toyota Prius is
significantly lower. Light rail’s carbon
footprint is more than two and a half times
that of the Prius. Unfortunately, information
propagated by the city’s rail campaign
obscured such key details.
advertising campaign and support from
bureaucrats, elected officials and
corporations, the rail passed the November
2008 General Election ballot question with a
mere 50.6 percent voting in favor.
The Rail Ad Swindle
Between August 2005 and June 2008, the
City and County of Honolulu spent $2.6
million in advertising to promote the 20-mile
elevated rail transit project.17 The city intends
to begin breaking ground in 2009.
Despite widespread criticism of
his plan, Mayor Hannemann
pushed the steel-onsteel train through
radio spots, TV
commercials, fullpage newspaper
announcements, and other media.
The pro-rail arm of the city government, the
Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor
Project, claimed that the expensive marketing
efforts were mandatory and that they were
following Federal Transit Administration
(FTA) rules.18
Reporter Malia Zimmerman of Hawaii
Reporter took it upon herself to investigate
this claim and sent an inquiry to the FTA.
Shortly thereafter, FTA official Paul Griffo
responded that the FTA has no such policy
mandating public education about rail
projects.19 In other words, taxpayers got
railroaded out of $2.6 million and will be
saddled with far greater costs for the rail
system itself.
The Boat to Nowhere
A commitment to provide nonpartisan,
objective information to the public and
promote a transparent government should be
shared by citizens and government officials
alike. In spite of the mayor’s $2.6 million
For those living on a small island, it makes
sense to use boats to escape the traffic on
Oahu’s highways.
7
To that end, in September 2007, the City and
County of Honolulu launched TheBoat, a
commuter ferry service transporting
passengers from Kalaeola Harbor to Aloha
Tower. Prior to TheBoat’s first sailing, hopes
were running high. City officials boasted that
TheBoat would take cars off the road, reduce
traffic congestion and move commuters
quickly at little cost. The scheme seemed
more symptomatic of amnesia than
ingenuity. Honolulu had been down this road
before and taken taxpayers on a less-thansmooth ride.
Typically, the total length of a door-to-door
commute using TheBoat is one hour and 43
minutes.24 By car, it takes 28 minutes.25
Using express bus, the other public
transportation option, takes 37 minutes.26
No wonder TheBoat ridership is so low.
Perhaps officials are now pondering if it is
worth another million dollars in promotional
ads to hawk TheBoat and let taxpayers know
what they’re missing.
The Handi-Van Isn’t So Handy
The City and County of Honolulu’s HandiVan service provides transportation for
disabled residents and cost taxpayers
$23,211,669 in FY2007.27 Fares ($2 one way)
covered only 22 percent of the total
operating costs of $24.8 million. In 2007,
Handi-Van carried passengers on 807,851
unlinked one-way trips.
Proving once again that those who forget
history are condemned to repeat it, nearly
ten years ago, the state began operating the
WikiWiki Ferry along the same route as
TheBoat.20 The WikiWiki lasted for a year as
a pilot project. Towards the end of its
operations, the 136-passenger boat carried
fewer than 20 commuters per trip.21
Apparently, the Honolulu Department of
Transportation Services didn’t learn from the
experience. Armed with a $5 million federal
grant, officials forged ahead with TheBoat,
charging only $2 per ride.22 In August 2008,
TheBoat carried about 6,700 passengers one
way at a cost of $416,666 per month, or $62
per passenger trip.23 That means 97 percent
of the cost of each trip is being subsidized by
taxpayers.
In 2007, the average 5.7 mile one-way trip
cost approximately $16.47 per passenger
(not to mention a 24-hour advance notice).
By comparison, a one-way passenger cab ride
costs $13.68 and requires a mere five to 10
minutes notice.28
A contractor runs the program for the city
and much of the cost comes from the
upkeep of the city-owned fleet of 220 vans,
with as many as 188 on the road at a given
time.
Handi-Van allows temporary use of its
service without certification of a disability.29
Taxpayers are footing the bill for the city’s
branded service when private taxi companies
could carry passengers less expensively and
more efficiently.
Cars and city buses run at just a fraction of
the cost of TheBoat, and are also faster.
8
2 State Agencies
Each state is comprised of myriad agencies with complex,
duplicative and inefficient programs, and Hawaii is no
exception. The following agencies have had particularly
troublesome issues.
Department of Agriculture
Because of the climate and exposure to
invasive species, Hawaii has unique
challenges, especially in the Department of
Agriculture (DOA). That does not mean that
state officials are allowed to suspend
common sense and spend money as if they
have a blank check.
In 2008, Act 213, SLH 2007 provided the
DOA with $650,000 to treat the Varroa mite
infestation.31 According to a report to the
Twenty-fourth Legislature, DOA will be
spending an additional $52,000 on an
economic assessment of the impact of the
Varroa mite on agriculture, bringing the total
expense to $702,000.32
But don’t break out into hives just yet.
Another bee mite was recently discovered in
Hilo on September 11, bumping the total
count of mites found in the “infestation” to
44.33 Yes, that’s right, 44. That comes out to
$15,954.55 spent per Varroa mite so far.
It’s hard to feel sorry for the bees when
Hawaii’s taxpayers are still smarting from the
sting.
There Mite Bee a Problem
Chaos Over Coqui
Varroa mites are parasites of the honeybee.
Once the first Varroa mite was detected in
Oahu in the spring of 2007, the state wasted
no time in launching several initiatives to
keep the pest in check. Field laborers,
researchers, entomologists, and pest-control
workers have been dispatched to inspect feral
bee hives throughout the islands and
establish control methods. Surveys on Oahu
paint a bleak picture, having demonstrated
that the mite is “widespread throughout the
island.”30
In recent years, the quarter-sized, deafening
coqui frog, a species native to Puerto Rico,
has frequently made newspaper headlines. In
some parts of the state, the population
densities of the coqui frog—higher than two
thousand adults per acre—have surpassed
those found in Puerto Rico.34 Business
owners and residents complain of noise
levels, which can reach as high as 70
decibels.35 The DOA has led efforts to
control its population.
9
Alarm over the rapid spread of the coqui
frog, especially on the Big Island, has
inspired a multitude of projects such as the
Stop Coqui Hawaii program, the Coqui Frog
Working Group, the Volcano Area Coqui
Network, and Silent Night Hawaii, just to
name a few. Councils and community
organizations have popped up all over the
state and petitioned for funding to combat
the coqui infestation. Without skipping a
beat, the legislature released grants for
several groups by passing coqui-related bills.
One measure allowed the DOA’s Hilo office
alone to increase its staff by more than
300 percent with the sole
purpose being to “develop a
comprehensive coqui frog
plan.”36
Through 2007, more than
$4 million in federal, state
and county funds have
been allocated toward the
infestation.37 Yet despite
statewide eradication efforts,
the Hawaii Tribune-Herald
reported that the state coqui population
continues to grow.38
However, several treatments have proven to
be effective. According to the University of
Hawaii, extreme heat, hand-trapping, citric
acid and hydrated lime are all successful
coqui frog control methods.39 A major
obstacle is that the Environmental Protection
Agency’s temporary authorization to use
hydrated lime and citric acid expired this
year, rendering those methods illegal.40
Local residents have resorted to using harsh
household chemical sprays and cleaners in
an attempt to wipe out the coqui themselves.
Meanwhile, Hawaii County spent $31,000 to
figure out that potassium bicarbonate, better
known as baking soda, has “proven to be
ineffective on coqui frogs.”41
10
Department of
the Attorney General
In February 2007, the state auditor released a
report on the Child Support Enforcement
Agency (CSEA), a division of the Department
of the Attorney General. This report came
four years after a dismal 2003 CSEA report
which expounded upon the agency’s lack of
direction, lagging technology, poor efficiency
and underutilization of existing resources.42
Despite CSEA’s lackluster performance, $3.5
million in state and
federal funds were
doled out to address its
deficiencies in 2003.43
According to the state
auditor, even with this
large disbursement,
agency operations have
shown “minimal”
improvement.44
Yet in 2006, CSEA demanded
even more money from the
legislature—an additional $3 million for IT
improvements, $2.5 million for computer
system (KEIKI) enhancements and $500,000
for an electronic file conversion. The
legislature denied most of these demands
based on the CSEA’s demonstrated
incompetence.
Problems cited in the 2003 report appear to
be ongoing. Data errors and omissions
continue to abound in the KEIKI system,
ranging from missing Social Security
numbers to address information.45 Due to
these errors, CSEA fails to collect child
support payments to the detriment of
struggling parents and their children.46
It is no surprise that Hawaii ranks last in the
nation in collecting delinquent child support.
The auditor estimates that CSEA has yet to
recover more than $500 million in
outstanding payments.
Department of Education
While everyone can agree that a solid
education is essential to the development of
children, government spending on education
is a hot topic for debate. Hundreds of billions
of dollars are spent every year on education
at the state and federal level, yet there is very
little oversight and accountability.
Bankruptcy Won’t Stop Some from
Cashing In
In the midst of the intense debate over
proposed cuts at the Department of
Education (DOE) in 2008, Board of
Education member Mary Cochrane filed for
personal bankruptcy.47 Yet she continues to
sit on the Budget and Fiscal Accountability
Committee, which oversees DOE’s $2.4
billion budget.
Kupuna Impostors Con Taxpayers
DOE spends $3.2 million per year to fund
Hawaiian education programs where most of
the employed kupuna cannot speak
Hawaiian.48
Kupuna traditionally refers to a
knowledgeable elder in Hawaiian society. In
response to a survey, 84 percent (145 out of
173) of kupuna employed by the DOE as part
of its Hawaiian Studies program rated
themselves “less than competent” or
“minimally competent” speakers of the
Hawaiian language.49 Only 16 percent rated
themselves as “fluent” or “native speaker.”
One school employed a kupuna that was
only 19 years old.
Although all schools are expected to employ
kupuna to teach native Hawaiian language
and culture, many have diverted those funds
to pay for other supplies, such as computers,
furniture, audio-visual equipment and office
paper.50
DOE Gives Pac-Man a Run
for His Money
The DOE budget grew from $972 million in
FY 99-00 to $2.4 billion in FY 08-09, an
astonishing 147 percent increase.51 Yet over
this time period, Hawaii public school
enrollment and test scores have both
decreased.52 Essentially, children and families
in the public school system are getting less
for more. Taxpayers are currently spending
nearly $14,000 per student in government
schools—exceeding the tuition at elite
private institutions such as Island Pacific
Academy53 and Saint Louis School.54
Thieves
Ransack
Schools,
Taxpayers Pay
Sticky fingers seem to abound in Hawaii’s
public school system, and they don’t
discriminate between elementary and high
schools. At Keonepoko Elementary, $2,102
worth of stolen equipment was reimbursed
by the DOE this year.55 Ke Kula’o
’Ehunuikaimalino School took a hit of $4,860
while Roosevelt High had nearly $8,000
worth of equipment lifted from its grounds.
Pickpockets worked overtime at Kealakehe
Intermediate School, where $10,450 worth of
equipment was stolen.
11
In all, taxpayers footed the bill for stolen
goods to the tune of $60,025. Perhaps the
staff should consider keeping a closer eye on
valuables or simply lock up after-hours.
Substitute Janitors Break
the Bank
An examination of
the DOE budget
uncovered some
interesting facts
about substitutions
and funds allotted
for substitute staff.
For example,
substitute clericals
incurred a cost of
$1,719,914.56
Substitute security
attendants consumed
$264,736 of the budget,
and substitute custodians
cost a hefty $2.4 million.57 In
comparison, substitute teachers took up
$800,000 of the budget. It would have been
nice if the substitute security attendants
could have prevented the loss of more than
$60,000 of school equipment.
University of Hawaii System
University of Hawaii Board Member
Rolls In the Dough
In October 2008, the Research Corporation
of the University of Hawaii awarded
a contract to a company called
Science FUNdamentals.58 Dr.
Marlene Hapai, the owner of
Science FUNdamentals, was
hired to help the University
Curriculum, Research, and
Development Group to
coordinate and evaluate science
standards, provide assistance to
project teachers and prepare
project evaluations among
other tasks.
The arrangement seems
harmless enough, except for
the fact that Dr. Hapai also sits on
the University’s Board of Regents.59
The contract is worth $32,162.60
University of Hawaii Faculty
Member Rolls In the Dough
Another fishy contract involves the Institute
for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii
and Dr. Gerard Luppino, a faculty member at
the Institute, to conduct research and
develop new technologies in scientific
instrumentation for astronomy for $21,080.61
Apparently, in October of 2008, the Institute
for Astronomy needed certain equipment
solely supplied by GL Scientific, Inc. Dr.
Luppino, in addition to being a majority
shareholder, is the President of GL
Scientific.62
12
3 City and County
Government
Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Thomas
“Tip” O’Neill once quipped that all politics is local. That is
also true with government waste at the local level.
City Sewage Pipe Bursts;
Death, Debt, and Destruction
Ensue
The City & County of Honolulu has finally
completed a temporary bypass of the main
sewer line in Waikiki. The line broke in the
spring of 2006 after a record 40 days of rain.
The city dumped 48 million gallons of raw
sewage into the Ala Wai Canal rather than
risk a backup of sewage into homes and
Waikiki hotels.63 The resulting increase in
bacterial levels contributed to the death of
one man and injuries to others. In addition,
the city was fined more than $1 million by
the Environmental Protection Agency.64
To avoid similar incidents in the future, and
to save money, the city put in a temporary
bypass rather than a permanent replacement,
which would have cost $30 million.
However, installation of the temporary
bypass ran months behind schedule and
ended up costing $45 million.65 Originally
budgeted for $20 million, the bypass project
ran 225 percent over budget.66
Ironically, the city’s performance was an
improvement over previous sewer projects.
The Kalaheo Avenue sewer project on the
windward side of Oahu was originally
budgeted at $19 million. The work started in
2001 and was completed in 2008 at a cost of
$75 million.67
Taxpayer Dollars Burning in
Incinerator
In 2008, the City and County of Honolulu
approved a bill which would buy complete
ownership of H-Power for $43.8 million.68 HPower is a two-boiler trash incinerating
facility that processes approximately twothirds of Oahu’s non-recyclable trash. It has
been in part privately owned since the
1990s. H-Power, run by Covanta Honolulu
Resource Recovery Venture, reportedly
generates about 7 percent of the electricity
used on Oahu, the equivalent of 10 million
barrels of oil a year.69
The city says the purchase will allow taxexempt financing of a third boiler and air
pollution control improvements. It also cites
the need for full control of the flow of solid
waste, enabling it to proceed with plans to
ship waste to mainland facilities without
jeopardizing the revenue stream produced by
H-Power.70
It is unclear why the city needs full control of
the flow of solid waste in order to expand HPower or ship ash or surplus trash to the
mainland. Companies are positioning
themselves to get a city contract to export
trash or H-Power ash to the mainland at a
cost of about $100/ton.71 Meanwhile the
State of Hawaii is moving forward with the
development of new plasma arc technology
13
plants on three islands, which could generate
power from trash with minimal waste
product.72
Currently, Honolulu charges a $91/ton
“tipping” fee when trash is delivered to HPower or the city landfill. The funds have
been used to subsidize Honolulu County’s
solid waste program.73 Loss of those fees
might jeopardize curbside recycling, bulky
item pick up and other waste programs—so
the city is willing to pay $43.8 million to
keep receiving those fees, even though trash
can be shipped to the mainland for less than
the fee plus H-Power’s cost to process a ton
of trash. Ironically, the tipping fee was
originally collected to pay for exploration of
alternatives to landfills.74 Currently it is being
used to keep Oahu dependent on 20 to 30
year-old incinerator technology.
been investigating a possible land swap. A
local church controls the only parking in the
area, a less than desirable location at the
bottom of the stairs which is not anywhere
near the trailhead. Other access roads are
controlled by the State Department of
Transportation and Kamehameha Schools
Bishop Estate, a private trust. A small but
vocal group of residents is opposed to the
crowds that would arrive at the stairs.76
The city decided to shut down the trail a few
months after the reopening. Because the
stairs are so attractive to hikers, the city
spends nearly $50,000 a year for private
security to keep hikers away during daylight
hours.77 Efforts to evade security have caused
some hikers to trespass through private
property to gain access to the stairs.
Keeping Golf Courses Afloat
Stairway to Heaven is Literally
Priceless
In 2002, the City and County of Honolulu
spent $875,000 to reconstruct the Haiku
stairway, also known as the “Stairway to
Heaven.”75 Now it pays nearly $50,000 a year
to keep hikers from setting foot on the stairs.
Unfortunately, the city undertook repairs
before addressing access, parking and liability
issues, as well as neighborhood opposition.
Most importantly, between 1987 (when the
stairs were originally closed) and 2003 (when
repairs were completed), the Coast Guard,
which had regulated climbers to 75 at a time,
had moved out leaving the stairs
unsupervised.
A tangle of public and private interests
makes the matter more complex. The valley
where the stairs are located and the land
under part of the stairs are controlled by the
State Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.
The land is undeveloped and the city has
14
The City and County of Honolulu operates
five municipal 18-hole golf courses: Ala
Wai, Pali, Ted Makalena, West Lock and Ewa
Villages, as well as one nine-hole course in
Kahuku, totaling 979 acres. The city is
responsible for running all aspects of the
business, except for the food and beverage
concessions, driving ranges and pro shop
concessions, which are contracted out.
In FY 2007, golfers played 550,073 rounds
and brought in revenue of $8.2 million
(including concessions), which amounts to
an average of $14.91 per round. Operating
expenses for FY 2007 totaled $7,960,245, or
$14.47 per round, a “profit” of nearly
$240,000. Unfortunately a loss of $500,000
is expected for FY 2008, increasing to
$880,000 in FY 2009.78
And it gets worse. In FY 2007, $750,000 was
allocated in the county budget for golf course
improvements and $100,000 for the design
of new cart paths at the Ted Makalena
elephant and stork exhibits to
constructing classrooms and a
gift shop complex, repaving
roads and acquiring exotic
creatures like the two-toed
sloth and Komodo dragon.
These measures appear to be
well-received. The Zoo
attracted more than 600,000
visitors in 2007, slightly more
than the previous year, and
generated revenue of $2
million.82
course. In FY 2008, an additional $300,000
was budgeted for design improvements and
$100,000 for drainage improvements at the
West Loch Golf Course. For FY 2009,
$410,000 has been budgeted for the
planning and design of drainage
improvements at West Loch, $300,000 more
for design and inspection associated with
improvements, and $65,000 more for cart
paths at Ted Makalena—a total of $2.025
million in three years.79
Any golfer will tell you that Oahu’s municipal
golf courses badly need repair and
improvement. Ala Wai is reputedly the
busiest golf course in the world with more
than 500 rounds played each day—and
nothing is scheduled to be spent on
improvements there over the next three
years.80 A public-private partnership could go
far to improve the city’s golf courses.
However, the fix-ups didn’t come cheap.
Operating expenses for the Honolulu Zoo
last year were nearly $4.4 million. For 2008,
expenditures are expected to climb to more
than $4.6 million. In FY 2007, another
$550,000 was approved to be spent for the
design of the Asian Tropical Forest Elephant
Facility, $100,000 for new directional panels
and animal graphics and $450,000 for front
entrance improvements—a total of $10.1
million. For FY 2008, nearly $6.9 million was
approved for the construction of the elephant
facility.
It is hard to get excited about the Zoo’s
recent accreditation when it operates on a
budget that runs in the red by more than $2
million before capital expenditures are even
considered.
Monkey Business Cashes In
The Honolulu Zoo has been identified as one
of the nation’s best zoos, according to The
Intrepid Traveler.81 With recent accreditation
and hopes of erasing its 2006 “year on
suspension,” the Zoo has not wasted a
moment in refurbishing its grounds.
Improvements range from redesigning the
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii • Citizens Against Government Waste – 2009 Hawaii Pork Report 15
4 Art, Music
and Entertainment
One of the first expenditures scrutinized by family households
when confronted with grim economic news is spending on art
and entertainment. A financially strapped family doesn’t splurge
on these non-essential items, unlike the state of Hawaii.
Trail of Vanishing Revenues
Reveals Taxpayer Subsidies
The Blaisdell Center and Waikiki Shell are
the City and County of Honolulu’s largest
public concert, exhibition and meeting
venues. After reporting record revenues
(facility, equipment and concessions) of
$5,028,979 in FY 2005 and $4,840,457 in
FY 2006, the city stopped reporting
revenue for these auditoriums in its
proposed operating budgets.83
While expenses were reported as
$5,120,943 in FY 2007, budgeted to rise to
$5,336,730 in FY 2008 and increasing to
$5,799,205 in FY 2009, no revenue
estimates are provided. The two
auditoriums have a staff of 102 and salary
expense is expected to rise from 53
percent of expenses to 63 percent during
the same time period.84
keep running. In FY 2007, $705,000 was
budgeted for replacement of the Blaisdell
administration building air conditioning
system, $75,000 to replace the electrical
transformer in the Blaisdell conference hall
and $635,000 to design, construct and
inspect improvements to both
auditoriums—a total of more than $1.4
million. In FY 2008, $65,000 has been
budgeted for improvements to the Shell’s
parking lot.85
City officials have made it known that they
are investigating a public-private
partnership to manage the auditoriums.
For city taxpayers, it can’t come soon
enough.
Cover Your Ears (Wallet): The
Royal Hawaiian Band is
Coming
A reasonable observer could conclude that
the auditoriums, which have grown older,
are operating in the red and have suffered
from competition from the state-owned
Hawaii Convention Center.
The Royal Hawaiian Band, formed in 1836 by
King Kamehameha II, professes to be one of
the last living links to Hawaii’s monarchy.
The musical ensemble represents Honolulu
by performing at a variety of public functions
and events.
Regardless, these aged auditoriums have
required extensive capital improvements to
During performances, audiences enjoy classic
favorites like Aloha ‘Oe, Sophisticated Hula
16
and Hukilau year-round. In turn, being a
member of the band has its perks. Most
performances run around 45 minutes, and
rehearsals are scheduled several times a
week, lasting about an hour.86 Yet for a parttime gig, band members enjoy full-time
compensation, as they are listed as full-time
employees in the city’s operating budget.
The salary comes out to about $49,000 per
member, and the
bandmaster earns nearly
$100,000.87 The Royal
Hawaiian Band has the
dubious honor of being
the only full-time
municipal band in the
country—one that will
cost the city $2,197,968
in 2009.88
Somehow, the sweet
music isn’t so
comforting to the ears
of taxpayers.
Warning: The Following
Information May Induce
Art-Attack
Imagine what the average Hawaiian citizen
would be able to buy with a bundle of cash
amounting to as much as $50,000, $200,000
or even $500,000. For a lucky few individuals
in the state, the hypothetical is a reality.
The State Foundation on Culture and the
Arts (SFCA) is the official arts agency of
Hawaii. It is attached to the Department of
Accounting & General Services (DAGS).
According to SFCA’s financial report,
“funding for the SFCA and its programs is
provided by appropriations from the
Legislature of the State of Hawaii, through
general operating and special funds, grants
from the National Endowment for the Arts,
and private contributions for specific
designations.”89
SFCA expenditures are especially high for arts
in education grants, community grants,
presentation grants, art in public places,
biennium grants and commissioned works of
art. When asked to provide the breakdown
between public and private funding for these
items, an SFCA representative via e-mail
replied, “funds are from
the Hawaii State
Legislature and/or the
National Endowment
for the Arts and all are
public monies.”90
With the latest report
from Hawaii’s SFCA
claiming that nearly $6
million was spent in the
last year alone on arts
and culture related
programs, it is no
surprise that Hawaii leads the nation in per
capita support for the arts, a dubious honor
about which Governor Lingle and the SFCA’s
executive director continue to boast in
SFCA’s annual financial reports.
From 2001 to 2007, the SFCA paid artist
Nicholas Bleecker at least $300,000 for three
commissioned pieces of art. His sculptures
can be viewed at Aikahi Elementary School,
the Hilo Judiciary Complex and Pearl Ridge
Elementary School. Satoru Abe’s bronze
sculpture (FY 2004-2005) on display at Maui
Community College earned him a hefty
$300,000 from the SFCA. Carol Bennett has
also been a frequent recipient of generous
SFCA funds: from 2002 to 2003, two of her
works were purchased for $104,200, and
from 2004 to 2005, she brought in another
$183,800. Ms. Bennett earned $200,000 in
2005-2006 for a glass mural at the entrance
of the Kauai Judiciary Building. The taxpayers
of Hawaii must indeed be proud of doling
17
out a total of $491,120 to Ms. Bennett in the
span of just four years.91
for years. The last article available regarding
school visits was from 2002.
Sean Browne and Ed Carpenter have
something in common other than their
shared profession. Mr. Browne and Mr.
Carpenter hold the honor of having received
half a million dollars each for their
commissioned sculptures at the Hilo
Judiciary Complex and Burns School of
Medicine.
If the Artmobile is on a permanent holiday,
$92,935 should not be allotted for the
Artmobile in the DOE’s 2008 budget. The
taxpayers are funding a vehicle they can’t
afford or see.
Other noteworthy cash-outs include:
• $250,000 to Rick Mills for a glass wall
sculpture at the Maui Memorial Medical
Center;
• $220,000 to James Carpenter for a steel
and glass sculpture at the University of
Hawaii’s School of Architecture;
• $130,000 to Robert Flint for his artwork of
ceramic tiles that can be seen adorning three
water coolers at the Hawaii Convention
Center; and
• $80,000 to Jun Kaneko for two glazed
ceramics shown at the Contemporary
Museum in Honolulu.92
When it comes to emptying the pockets of
the Aloha State, the SFCA poses pretty stiff
competition.
Pimp My Ride
There is a $93,000 vehicle making the rounds
throughout Oahu, and it’s not a Porsche.93
Compliments of the Contemporary Museum,
the Artmobile, a traveling art exhibit, brings
miniature galleries to public schools.94 During
a phone call with the Contemporary
Museum, an employee stated that the
Artmobile’s school tour has been on hiatus
18
A Capitol Tragedy
Recent visitors to the Capitol building may
have noticed the tent sitting in the middle of
the entryway, completely covering the glass
mosaic on the floor.
To the misfortune of Hawaii’s taxpayers, over
the years, moisture and exposure have
severely damaged the tiles of the mosaic, a
creation of late artist Tadashi Sato. The last
time repairs took place in 1988, the mosaic
was restored at a cost of nearly $200,000.95
The past 20 years have taken their toll on the
artwork, and the state’s cost-effective
solution is to replace all 6 million tiles, a task
easier said than done. The process,
supervised by the DAGS, began in October
this year and requires removal of the entire
36-foot-diameter piece, plumbing work,
drainage, and ordering new glass tiles.
Of course, not any glass tiles will do. The
DAGS looked at selections from mosaic
companies based in Italy, Mexico and
Germany before settling on the Italian tiles.
The assembly and installation of the
replacement tiles will be handled by a
German company chosen through a no-bid
contract for $427,000.96
In all, the state is spending more than $1.5
million to restore the glass mosaic.97
5 STATE LEGISLATURE
State legislatures can be good or bad role models of fiscal
discipline. As evidenced by the following examples, it doesn’t
take a PhD to determine what kind of message the Hawaii
state legislature is sending.
Money Doesn’t
Grow On Trees
Talk about living the good life.
Hawaii’s legislators typically
convene from January to
mid-May. The part-time duties
of being a “leader” generate a
salary of $35,900 and a bonus
personal allowance of $7,500.
Since 2005, the last time the legislators
received a pay raise, the economy has taken
a turn for the worse. The state faces a
projected $900 million budget shortfall.98
Yet only three years since the last pay raise,
legislators are upping the ante again by 36
percent for a total salary of $48,708. The
allowance will also be raised to $10,200.
This is one pay raise that just doesn’t add up.
In all, taxpayers will be shouldering $1.17
million in additional costs.
The True Cost
of “Free” Health Care
When the state was flush with excess funds,
it was hard to resist the temptation of a
spending spree. Keiki Care, the nation’s first
and only universal child health care program,
was just one of many projects passed by the
state legislature that fell victim to a short-
lived budget surplus.
In 2007, the Hawaii Medical
Service Association (HMSA)
and the state partnered up to
launch Keiki Care, which was
supposed to be a three-year pilot
project servicing an estimated 3,500
uninsured children.99 The “no-cost”
plan touted medical, drug and dental
coverage, no charge for immunizations,
a $7 copayment for physician office visits
and a $5 copayment for generic drugs.100
In Hawaii, Keiki Care all but supplanted
private coverage. Toni Schwartz, the public
information officer for the Department of
Human Services, affirmed that Keiki Care
enrollment “skyrocketed” at the expense of
HMSA’s Children’s Plan, which experienced a
staggering 95 percent drop in enrollment
after the free program began. Parents of only
88 children chose to remain as paying
customers in the Children’s Plan, which
costs $55 a month.
It’s easy to see how a three-year program
only made it to seven months. On October
15, 2008, in light of a projected $900 million
budget deficit, Lingle was forced to notify
HMSA that she was withdrawing financial
support of Keiki Care.101 This is certainly a
case of grown-ups, not children, breaking the
piggy bank.
19
6 GOVERNMENT
TRAVEL
File this one under “The Most Ironic Waste of Taxpayer
Money, EVER!” Hawaii is a popular vacation destination, yet
state officials travel outside the state for conferences.
Get Paid to Play Hooky
The Department of Education doled out
$2,203,993 in its 2008 budget for sabbatical
leaves, which typically last around six
months.102 These sabbaticals are
synonymous with “taxpayer-funded breaks.”
In light of budget crunches, perhaps voters
should ask themselves if their money should
continue paying educators not to be in
school.
Teachers Vacation at
Disney Resort, Dolphins and
Swans Included
In June 2008, more than 600 state educators
went on a taxpayer-funded trip to Orlando,
Florida at the Walt Disney World Swan and
Dolphin Resort for the Model Schools
Conference hosted by the International
Center for Leadership in Education. The
schools paid for airfare costs and provided
the teachers with a $145 per diem stipend. In
all, they spent $1,573,852.23.103
A handful of schools did not send any
employees to Orlando, while one school sent
a whopping 27 people.
In the same month, Governor Lingle
announced budget cuts and asked all state
20
departments to comply with a 4 percent
spending restriction. The notice prompted
the school board to slash $9.2 million from
its budget, with a proposed cut of $800,000
from athletics inciting particularly heated
opposition. In addition, nearly one million
dollars would be taken away from a peer
education program.
This was one goofy trip that not even Mickey
Mouse would approve.
Costs Are Flying Way
Overhead
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) was
established during the 1978 Constitutional
Convention as a semi-autonomous entity
holding in trust nearly 2 million acres of
ceded lands set aside for native Hawaiian
citizens. Revenues generated by these lands
are used to fund various programs promoting
the well-being of native Hawaiians.
OHA is governed by an elected board of nine
trustees, chaired by Haunani Apoliona. To
fulfill their mission of advocacy and public
education, trustees take trips to other islands
and the mainland for various functions
including conferences, meetings and
hearings.
Some trustees travel more than others.
Walter Heen took a single trip in 2007 to
Washington, D.C. for the National Congress
of American Indians Executive Winter
Session. With an airfare charge of $1,560.31,
hotel charge of $1,346.54 and a per diem of
$310.00, Heen racked up a $4,456.85 bill.
Boyd Mossman’s trips to New York, Phoenix
and Washington, D.C. totaled $13,041.43 in
2007. In the same year, Oswald Stender flew
to New York, Tacoma and Washington, D.C.,
at a cost of $16,486.09. Rowena Akana took
six trips to the mainland and flew to
Rarotonga last year, costing taxpayers
$33,193.84.
With a total of
eight trips,
Apoliona was
one of the
heftier spenders,
taking a per diem of
$522.50 while on a tenday trip to Washington, D.C. The $522.50
daily allowance was the icing on top of a
hotel stay with a $3,266.15 price tag and
airfare that cost $1,444.41.
As of today, OHA has yet to completely
fulfill the Grassroot Institute’s original open
records request sent on September 12, 2008
asking for the class of ticket for each flight to
the mainland and expenses of accompanying
family members or staff on each trip. When
asked about the omission, OHA responded
via e-mail that it would supply the
information upon receiving a payment of no
less than $2,100.
Government Employees Attend
the Grammys for “Work”
The Department of Business, Economic
Development and Tourism regularly sends its
employees on trips to the mainland and
around the world to attend conferences and
meetings. Most of these trips are expensive,
and some of them sound less like work and
more like play.
The purpose of one employee’s trip in
October 2007 was for a “Hollywood
Reporter/Hawaii TV Production
Event” in Los Angeles. On top of
a $600 airfare, the hotel stay
was $385, car and
taxi costs were
$138 (not
including $15 in
gas and $84 in
parking) and the
per diem was
$398.75. The real
kicker is that the trip was only for one night.
In the private sector, she would have a lot of
explaining to do.
Another lucky employee got to go to Los
Angeles to attend the Grammy Awards in
February 2008. She racked up a hotel bill of
$1,716. She also spent $382 on ground
transportation and $150 for the Grammy
ticket. Meanwhile, while footing the bill,
ordinary Hawaiians had to watch the show
from their living rooms.104
Despite omitting the information concerning
staff and class of ticket, at least OHA
provided travel data for its trustees. The same
cannot be said for other state departments
and their employees.
21
7 Open Records
Requests
One of the cornerstones of the United States
is the availability of information. The 2006
Federal Funding Accountability and
Transparency Act, which created a Googlelike search engine and database to track state
grants, contracts, and earmarks on the
federal level, co-sponsored by then-Sen.
Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Sen.
Tom Coburn (R-Okla.)
showed that
citizens of all
political beliefs
want transparency.
The same is true at
the state level. In a
test of Hawaii’s
openness, the Grassroot
Institute submitted open
records requests to many agencies
over the last four months of 2008. In Hawaii,
the Office of Information Practices (OIP)
implements the Uniform Information
Practices Act (UIPA) to preserve and ensure
open government and public participation.
When passed in 1998, the Legislature
ordered “all agencies to accept this new law
as a challenge and as a mandate to ensure
public access to the public’s government.”105
According to the OIP handbook, UIPA
requires agencies to disclose “all government
records” excluding private information such
as an individual’s medical history or criminal
background.106 Government agencies are
asked to provide accurate and timely records
(an initial response is required in 10 business
days), promoting the public interest through
disclosure.107
22
During this test run, the Grassroot Institute
was stymied by several of the state agencies’
responses to its requests. The Department of
Agriculture charged $2,119.17 for its
mainland and international travel data for
2007 and 2008, and asked for a prepayment
of $1,059.58 before they would
begin search of records.108
Administrative Services Officer
Keith Aragaki claimed that
pulling the documents
would take 51.25
hours, another 68.33
hours for review and
segregation, and then
tacked on a fee of $300
for management review.
Comptroller Russ Saito of the
Department of Accounting and
General Services claimed search of records
would take 23 hours and review and
segregation another 55 hours, citing $1,306
in estimated costs.109
Darwin Ching cited a cost of $2,910 for the
Department of Labor and Industrial Relations’
travel records.110 Similar responses followed
from the Department of Land and Natural
Resources and the Department of Commerce
& Consumer Affairs. The Grassroot Institute
has yet to come up with the cash to find out
where and at what cost Hawaii state
employees traveled in the past two years.
CONCLUSION
The 2009 Hawaii Piglet Book does not paint a pretty
picture of current and future state spending. But, all hope
is not lost. Through some common sense and political
courage, Hawaii can turn things around.
The first step policymakers should take is to
cut the waste identified in this report—from
$130,000 for artwork to adorn water coolers
to $65,000 for improvements to a parking lot.
By cutting such wasteful and ineffective
spending, the heavy tax burden felt by all
Hawaiians could be reduced. Lawmakers
should also establish a Hawaii version of the
Grace Commission. This group would dig
through every nook and cranny of the state
budget to find waste, fraud, abuse and
mismanagement.
Hawaii should also enact a Funding
Accountability and Transparency Act—
legislation that would create a search engine
and database to track state grants, contracts
and earmarks. This would be similar to the
federal legislation that United States Sens.
Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Barack Obama
(D-Ill.) pushed through in 2006. A few states
such as Missouri and South Carolina have
already completely opened up their
checkbooks online.111
With private-sector expertise and the help of
independent and nonpartisan organizations
like the Grassroot Institute, such a
commission would scrutinize expenditures,
account for every tax dollar and ensure the
elimination of wasteful spending.
23
Endnotes
1
Article VII, Section 6. Hawaii State Constitution. Hawaii Legislative Reference Bureau.
http://hawaii.gov/lrb/con/conart7.html.
2
Using the $732 million figure and US Census Bureau data, the population of Hawaii in 2006 was estimated to be
1,285,498. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/15000.html.
3
Hawaii imposed the second highest income tax on one-parent families of three with income at the federal
poverty line. Levitis, Jason A. & Johnson, Nicholas. “The Impact of Hawaii’s Income Tax on Low-Income
Families: An Update.” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. 5/4/2006. http://www.cbpp.org/5-4-06sfp2.htm.
4
Hao, Sean. “Four New Rail Contracts to Cost $1 Billion.” Honolulu Advertiser. 1/11/2009.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009901110335.
5
Brannon, Johnny. “Sewage Mandate Disputed.” Honolulu Advertiser. 4/23/2007.
6
Homepage of Honolulu on the Move, operated by the City & County of Honolulu, http://honolulutransit.org/.
7
Fujimoto, Wendy. “The Real Cost of the Rail GET Increase.” Policy Brief. Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. 10/2008.
http://www.grassrootinstitute.org/Publications/RailGET_1008.pdf.
8
Questions & Answers. Honolulu On the Move: Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor Project. City & County
of Honolulu. http://honolulutransit.org/.
9
Texas Transportation Institute 2007 Urban Mobility Report.
http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/congestion_data/tables/national/table_4.pdf.
10
Decennial Census 1960-2000 and American Community Survey for 2007. US Census Bureau.
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_lang=en&_ts=240267317805&_ds_name=ACS_2
006_EST_G00_&_program.
11
Somi, Kristian & Fujimoto, Wendy. “Debunking Myths of Honolulu Rail Transit.” Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.
10/2008. http://www.grassrootinstitute.org/Publications/GRIH_Study_1008.pdf.
12
Ibid.
13
Transportation Data Book, Chapter 2, Table 2.12, Passenger Travel and Energy Use, 2006. US Department of
Energy. http://www-cta.ornl.gov/data/chapter2.shtml.
14
Greenhouse Gas Emissions per Passenger Mile. Public Transport & Personal Mobility in USA in 2005.
www.demographia.com/db-ghg-carstr.pdf.
15
Honolulu Rail Transit Q & A. The City & County of Honolulu. www.honolulutransit.org.
16
Rail, Energy, & CO2: Part 2. Results for 2005 published by the Thoreau Institute.
www.ti.org/antiplanner/?p=218.
17
Hao, Sean. “City Ending Rail Transit Advertising Campaign.” Honolulu Advertiser. 10/21/2008.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081021/NEWS09/810210334/1001.
18
Q & A Honolulu Rail Transit. Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor Project.
http://www.honolulutransit.org/pdfs/QA_100808.pdf.
19
“FTA Says City Not Required to Advertise Its Pro-Rail Position.” Hawaii Reporter. 10/22/2008.
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?title=FTA+Says+City+Not+Required+to+Advertise+Its+ProRail+Position.
20
Brannon, Johnny & Hoover, Will. “Oahu Commuter Ferry May Also Launch In July.” Honolulu Advertiser.
3/12/2007. http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Mar/12/ln/FP703120355.html.
21
Ibid.
22
Ibid.
23
Intra-Island Ferry Demonstration Project. City and County of Honolulu.
http://www.co.honolulu.hi.us/Council/d9/tpwpresentation9408.pdf.
24
“City must solicit commuter feedback about TheBoat.” The Star Bulletin. 9/18/2007.
http://starbulletin.com/2007/09/18/editorial/editorial01.html.
25
Ibid.
24
26
Ibid.
27
City & County of Honolulu Department of Transportation Services Report for 2007,
http://www.ntdprogram.gov/ntdprogram/pubs/profiles/2007/agency_profiles/9002.pdf. Handi-Van figures
reported in the Demand Response line.
28
Taxi fare for Charley’s Taxi-a local cab company in Honolulu. Inquiry made by phone on 11/5/2008.
29
“The Handi-Van Rider’s Guide.” The City & County of Honolulu. http://www.honolulu.gov/dts/riders.htm.
30
“Report on the Study, Control, and Mitigation of the Bee Mite Infestation.” Report to the Twenty-fourth
Legislature, The State of Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Regular Session of 2008. December 2007.
http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/meetings_reports/legislativereports/2008LegReports/Varroa%20Mite%20Mitigation%20Report%202008.pdf.
31
Ibid.
32
Ibid.
33
“Bee Mite Found in Another Hilo Hive.” Honolulu Advertiser. 9/12/2008.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200880912083.
34
“Population Monitoring of Coqui Frogs.” College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of
Hawaii at Manoa. http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/coqui/population.asp.
35
Ibid.
36
The State of Hawaii Department of Agriculture, Plant Industry Division. Report to the Twenty-fourth Legislature
Regular Session of 2007: Statewide Efforts to Eradicate and Control the Coqui Frog and Future Outlook. March
2007. http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/meetings_reports/legislativereports/2007LegReports/2007%20Coqui%20Report.pdf.
37
Ibid.
38
Welsh, Karen. “Coqui Eradication in Action.” Hawaii Tribune-Herald. 5/16/2006.
39
Control of Coqui Frogs in Hawaii. College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii.
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/coqui/research.asp.
40
Armstrong, Jason. “Coqui Fighters Nearly Out of Ammo.” Hawaii Tribune-Herald. 7/16/2008.
41
Ibid.
42
The Auditor, State of Hawaii. Audit of the Child Support Enforcement Agency, Report No. 07-04. 2/2007.
http://hawaii.gov/auditor/Reports/2007/07-04%20oip%20opinion%2007-08.pdf.
43
Ibid.
44
Ibid.
45
Ibid.
46
Dooley, Jim. “Hawaii at Bottom In Child-Support Ranking.” Honolulu Advertiser. 4/10/2005.
47
“Hawaii Board of Education Member Files for Bankruptcy.” Pacific Business News. 10/24/2008.
http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2008/10/20/daily47.html.
48
The Auditor, State of Hawaii. “Management Audit of the Department of Education’s Hawaiian Studies Program.”
Report No. 08-02. 1/2008. http://www.state.hi.us/auditor/Reports/2008/08-02.pdf
49
Ibid.
50
Ibid.
51
The Superintendent’s Info Exchange. Department of Education, State of Hawaii. 3/6/2008.
http://doe.k12.hi.us/periodicals/infoexchange/2008/infoexchange080306.pdf.
52
College Board SAT national and state statistics. http://professionals.collegeboard.com/data-reportsresearch/sat/cb-seniors-2007.
53
Tuition and Expenses. Island Pacific Academy.
http://www.islandpacificacademy.com/ad_DowloadApp/2009%20Application%20Forms/Tuition%208.28.08.pdf.
54
Admissions. Saint Louis School. http://www.saintlouishawaii.org/admissions/index.php.
55
2008 DOE Budget data obtained from James Brese, DOE Chief Financial Officer.
56
Ibid.
57
Ibid.
58
Public Notice: The Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii Notice of Intent to Award Contract. Hawaii
State Public Financial Disclosure Filings. Hawaii State Ethics Commission. 10/10/2008.
http://hawaii.gov/ethics/awardcon.
59
Ibid.
60
Ibid.
61
Faculty, Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii. Gerard A. Luppino.
http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/users/ger/default/luppino.html.
62
Public Notice, The Research Corporation of the Unviersity of Hawaii Notice of Intent to Award Contract.
9/8/2008. Hawaii State Ethics Commission. http://hawaii.gov/ethics/awardcon/2008/08-K-10.pdf.
63
Antone, Rod. “Man Dying After Fall Into Polluted Ala Wai.” The Star-Bulletin. 4/5/2006.
http://archives.starbulletin.com/2006/04/05/news/story02.html.
64
“EPA Announces Hawaii Environmental Enforcement Accomplishments for 2007 Water Pollution Related Cases
Highlight Year.” United States Environmental Protection Agency.
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/2dd7f669225439b78525735900400c31/7faa85b632aa22cf85257394
006bb35c!OpenDocument.
65
“Beachwalk Emergency Bypass To Be Dismantled This Week.” City and County of Honolulu.
http://www.honolulu.gov/csd/publiccom/honnews08/beachwalkemergencybypasspau.htm.
66
“City Plans Waikiki Sewer Pipe Bypass.” Pacific Business News. 5/18/ 2006.
http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2006/05/15/daily58.html?from_rss=1.
67
“$48 Million Sewer Project.” Honolulu Advertiser. 12/10/07. http://savekauai.org/waste-%2526-recycling/$48million-sewer-project 10/10/2008.
68
City and County of Honolulu Approved 2009 Capital Budget.
http://www.honolulu.gov/budget/execbgt/ord0813.pdf, p 19.
69
H-Power Website. Covanta Energy. http://www.honoluluhpower.com/About.asp.
70
“Mayor Hannemann Announces Earth Month Initiatives, Major Expansion of Curbside Recycling.” Press
Release. 4/7/2008. http://www.honolulu.gov/csd/publiccom/honnews08/earthmonthrecyclingexpansion.htm.
71
Brannon, Johnny. “Hawaii seeks second garbage power plant.” Honolulu Advertiser. 8/26/07.
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Aug/26/ln/hawaii708260370.html.
72
Magnin, Janis L. “State OKs $100M bond for trash plant.” Pacific Business News. 5/30/08.
http://pacific.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2008/06/02/story1.html?b=1212379200%5e1643489&surround=etf
.
73
Brannon, Johnny. “Shipments of isle garbage hit snag.” Honolulu Advertiser. 5/1/07.
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/May/01/ln/FP705010343.html.
74
“Group Memory - EIS Public Scoping Meetings - Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill Expansion.” 8/10/2006,
http://www.opala.org/solid_waste/Group_Memory_08-10-06.htm.
75
“Haiku ‘Stairway to Heaven’ Repair Work to Begin.” City and County of Honolulu. News Release. 7/26/01.
76
Friends of the Haiku Stairs. http://www.friendsofhaikustairs.org/.
77
Turner, Dayle. “The Haiku Stairs in Hawaii – Will they ever be open for legal hiking?” 8/5/07.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/335468/the_haiku_stairs_in_hawaii_.html?cat=16.
78
Detail from Department of Enterprise Services section of “City and County of Honolulu Proposed Operating
Budget FY 2009.” http://www.honolulu.gov/budget/execbgt/fy2009operbudgetbook.pdf, p B-91.
79
Detail from 2007, 2008 and 2009 approved capital budgets. City and County of Honolulu.
http://www.honolulu.gov/budget/execbgt/index1.htm.
80
Ala Wai Golf Course Profile. Golf.com.
http://www.golf.com/golf/courses_travel/coursefinder/course/0,28290,1229626,00.html.
81
Travel Guide Ranks Honolulu Zoo Near the Top. Honolulu Advertiser. 7/16/2008.
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2008/Jul/16/br/hawaii307160012.html.
82
The Executive Program and Budget, Fiscal Year 2009. Volume 1- Operating Program and Budget. City & County
of Honolulu. http://www.honolulu.gov/budget/execbgt/fy2009operbudgetbook.pdf.
26
83
Quintal, Sidney & Haraguchi, Gail. Report of Department of Enterprise Services, Departmental and Agency
Reports of the City and County of Honolulu. Fiscal Year 2007. http://www.honolulu.gov/csd/budget/.
84
Detail from 2009, 2008 and 2007 City and County of Honolulu, Proposed Operating Program and Budget,
85
Detail from 2009, 2008 and 2007 City and County of Honolulu, Adopted Capital Budget,
86
Phone call made to Royal Hawaiian Band office, 11/2008.
87
Executive Program and Budget, Fiscal Year 2009 Volume 1- Operating Program and Budget. City and County of
Honolulu. http://www.honolulu.gov/budget/execbgt/fy2009operbudgetbook.pdf.
88
Ibid.
89
Annual Reports. Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.
http://hawaii.gov/sfca/aboutus.php?article_id=138.
90
RE: Need Information About Public and Private Funding. E-mail sent from Estelle Enoki, Hawaii State Foundation
on Culture and the Arts. 7/18/2008.
91
Annual Reports. Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.
http://hawaii.gov/sfca/aboutus.php?article_id=138.
92
Ibid.
93
Ibid.
94
Arcayna, Nancy. “Museum on Wheels.” The Star Bulletin. 8/11/2002.
http://archives.starbulletin.com/2002/08/11/features/story4.html.
95
Watanabe, June. “New Mosaic, Kokua Line.” The Star Bulletin. 11/16/2008.
96
Ibid.
97
Contract with Index Builders, Inc. Division of Public Works, Department of Accounting and General Services,
State of Hawaii. http://dags.hawaii.gov/pwd/pp/pdfs/22100418_20071120.PDF. Phone call with DAGS
Comptroller Russell Saito. 11/18/2008.
98
“Lingle: Budget Deficit To Stall Talks With State Union Employees.” Honolulu Advertiser. 9/23/2008.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080923/BREAKING01/80923095.
99
Lott, Laura. “Uninsured Children to Get Keiki Care Coverage.” News Release. HMSA. 2/26/2008.
www.hmsa.com/mediacenter/press/2008/080226_keikicare.aspx.
100
Keiki Care Plan. Hawaii Medical Service Assocation. http://hmsa.com/healthplans/individual/keikicare/.
101
Schwartz, Toni. “DHS Moving More Children Into Free Medicaid Coverage; State to Discontinue Funding for
Keiki Care Plan.” Press Release. Department of Human Services. 10/15/2008.
102
Ibid.
103
Chairperson Donna Ikeda. Letter to Governor Lingle. 8/28/2008.
http://archives.starbulletin.com/2008/09/03/news/modelschools08.pdf.
104
Information obtained via open records request to Department of Business, Economic Development, and
Tourism. 11/7/2008.
105
Office of Information Practices Handbook. June 2008. http://www.hawaii.gov/oip.
106
Ibid.
107
Ibid.
108
Response to open records request dated 12/8/2008 from Keith Aragaki, Department of Agriculture.
109
Response to open records request dated 12/8/2008 from Russ Saito, Department of Accounting and General
Services.
110
Response to open records request dated 12/8/2008 from Darwin Ching, Department of Labor and Industrial
Relations.
111
Active Spending Transparency Websites Launched Since 2007. Center for Fiscal Accountability.
http://www.senatenj.com/uploads/active-state-transparency-sites.pdf.
About the Authors
Lead author Pearl Hahn is a Policy Analyst
at the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.
Wendy Fujimoto is Director of Operations.
Justin Rouzaud, Kristian Somi, and Kenny Lee
were Policy Interns with the Institute.
k
To report waste, fraud or abuse
of taxpayer dollars, please contact the
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii at:
[email protected].
Anonymity is guaranteed.
28
1314 S. King Street, Suite 1163
Honolulu, Hawaii 96814
Phone: 808-591-9193 • Fax: 808-356-1690
www.grassrootinstitute.org
1301 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 467-5300
Internet Address: www.cagw.org

Hawaii Pork Report - Citizens Against Government Waste

Transcription

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