Pono Press, November-December 2013, Page 1 Special points of interest: TPM at the Senior Fair Page 2. Debra Green gave an interesting talk to TPM. More info on Page 3. Have you seen the Maui Liberty Network episode on the Second Amendment? Check out info on their second episode on Page 4. Book review of Freedom and the American Future on Page 9. Public Education in 2013 by Jim Wagoner... Don’t miss it on Page 11. Decision Points by George W Bush! If you haven’t read it yet check out the review on Page 12. Heard of the Bitcoin? Learn more from Joe Kent on Page 12. In This Issue: TPM Happenings Pg. 2 Local Issues Pg. 8 National Issues Pg. 9 November-December 2013 The voice of The TEA Party Maui In Support of a Fiscally Responsible, Constitutionally Limited Government & a Free Market Economy Volume 3, Issue 7 by Lee Aldridge TEA Party Maui welcomed Councilmember Mike White at our October monthly meeting. Mike White is a sixth-generation kama’āina, born and raised on Oahu. He spent his career in the travel industry and has been the General Manager of the Kā‘anapali Beach Hotel for the past 27 years. Mike represented the Seventh District in the Hawaii State House of Representatives from 1993 to 1998. In 2010, he won a two-year term on the Maui County Council, serving the residents of Makawao, Ha‘ikū and Pā‘ia and was re-elected in 2012. He serves as the Chair of the Council’s Budget and Finance Committee, which deals with all matters relating to County revenues and expenditures. Mike spoke to TPM about pending County issues such as: the Old Wailuku Post Office, proposed Launiopoko land acquisition, state of County finances & budget overview, and fiscal challenges facing Maui County Mike did cover these subjects, but he also spoke about a great deal more than just these topics for the nearly 80 minutes that he held court front and center of the TPM audience. Of course the time also included a bevy of questions from the audience. Mike came armed with interesting facts, some of which include that between 2001 and 2011, Maui County has experienced only a 3% growth of jobs in the private sector while there was a corresponding 27% growth in the public sector (County) employment during that period. Commensurate with the job growth numbers for the same span of 10 years, private sector wages grew by 36% while public sector (County) wages increased by a whopping 97%. It was not clear whether or not these numbers were adjusted for inflation; but nevertheless the comparison of wage growth between the public and private sector demonstrates that true economic growth is all but stagnant on Maui. The more depressing news is that the County estimates a long term budget shortfall which is illustrated by the fact that an estimated $6200 in taxes and fees per resident is required for future County expenses, yet only $750 is actually collected per resident. This revenue/ expense imbalance can only mean either a hefty increase in taxes (primarily property taxes) in the future, or a substantial decrease in (Continued on page 2) County and Budget Issues Covered by Council Member Mike White
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Pono Press, November-December 2013, Page 1
Special points of interest:
TPM at the Senior Fair Page 2.
Debra Green gave an interesting talk to TPM. More info on Page 3.
Have you seen the Maui Liberty Network episode on the Second Amendment? Check out info on their second episode on Page 4.
Book review of Freedom and the American Future on Page 9.
Public Education in 2013 by Jim Wagoner... Don’t miss it on Page 11.
Decision Points by George W Bush! If you haven’t read it yet check out the review on Page 12.
Heard of the Bitcoin? Learn more from Joe Kent on Page 12.
In This Issue:
TPM Happenings Pg. 2
Local Issues Pg. 8
National Issues Pg. 9
N o v e m b e r - D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 3
The voice of The TEA
Party Maui In
Support of a
Fiscally Responsible,
Constitutionally
Limited Government
& a Free Market
Economy
V o l u m e 3 , I s s u e 7
by Lee Aldridge
TEA Party Maui welcomed Councilmember Mike White at our October
monthly meeting. Mike White is a sixth-generation kama’āina, born and
raised on Oahu. He spent his career in the travel industry and has been
the General Manager of the Kā‘anapali Beach Hotel for the past 27
years. Mike represented the Seventh District in the Hawaii State House
of Representatives from 1993 to 1998. In 2010, he won a two-year term
on the Maui County Council, serving the residents of Makawao, Ha‘ikū
and Pā‘ia and was re-elected in 2012. He serves as the Chair of the
Council’s Budget and Finance Committee, which deals with all matters
relating to County revenues and expenditures. Mike spoke to TPM about
pending County issues such as: the Old Wailuku Post Office, proposed
Launiopoko land acquisition, state of County finances & budget overview,
and fiscal challenges facing Maui County
Mike did cover these subjects, but he also spoke about a great deal more
than just these topics for the nearly 80 minutes that he held court front
and center of the TPM audience. Of course the time also included a bevy
of questions from the audience. Mike came armed with interesting facts,
some of which include that between 2001 and 2011, Maui County has
experienced only a 3% growth of jobs in the private sector while there
was a corresponding 27% growth in the public sector (County)
employment during that period. Commensurate with the job growth
numbers for the same span of 10 years, private sector wages grew by
36% while public sector (County) wages increased by a whopping 97%.
It was not clear whether or not these numbers were adjusted for inflation;
but nevertheless the comparison of wage growth between the public and
private sector demonstrates that true economic growth is all but stagnant
on Maui. The more depressing news is that the County estimates a long
term budget shortfall which is illustrated by the fact that an estimated
$6200 in taxes and fees per resident is required for future County
expenses, yet only $750 is actually collected per resident. This revenue/
expense imbalance can only mean either a hefty increase in taxes
(primarily property taxes) in the future, or a substantial decrease in
(Continued on page 2)
County and Budget Issues Covered
by Council Member Mike White
Pono Press, November-December 2013, Page 2
by Marty Foit
TEA Party Maui host-
ed a table at the 40th
Annual Senior Fair at
the War Memorial
Gym in Wailuku on
Saturday, October 26,
2013. This was the
second consecutive
year that TPM was there and it appeared to be another
great success. Despite not being an election year, there
were still a reported 88 “vendors” at the Fair.
TPM Event Chair Marty Foit, Bill Doyle, and Bill Seaton
arrived at 6:00 AM to set up at the same spot as last
year. It was an excellent location with a lot of foot traffic
just outside one of the main entrance/exit doors. The
TEA Party Maui Banner was stretched out in full view
between two large American Flags set up on each side
of the table festooned with other red-white and blue ban-
ners and ribbons, rendering it the most patriotic looking
table at the Fair.
David Deuter, Bill Doyle, Tim Means, and Bill Seaton
spoke with most passers-by and presented them with
“God Bless America” flags, pocket Constitutions and the
new TPM tri-fold brochure about how ObamaCare af-
fects Seniors and Medicare Benefits. People also
helped themselves to the stash of goodies in the candy
bowl, TEA Party Maui pens, and other informational
handouts. David Deuter brought along very good articles
from some great sources to arm the public with accurate
information on ObamaCare. A majority of the fairgoers
who passed by the booth acted civilly, if not favorably,
while approximately 200 people actually stopped to talk
and/or take handouts, candy, pens, etc.
TPM also wishes to acknowledge and thank other partici-
pants including: Rosemary and Lee Aldridge who
worked hard to research, design, and print copies of the
tri-fold brochure entitled "Affordable Care Act: What it
means for Seniors and Medicare". Also, Michael Hack,
Bonnie Seaton, and Valerie Sisneros who were all at the
table and/or involved one way or another with the prepa-
rations and event. TPM will favorably consider partici-
pating in this event again next year, as it will no doubt be
a larger and more significant event given the November
2014 mid-term elections.
TPM Participates in the
TPM HAPPENINGS
County expenditures and services. Yet, when asked if
the County Council recognizes this dilemma and that
they need to treat the peoples' money as if it is their own,
Mike frankly stated that for many in government it is too
easy to spend other peoples’ money. Mike also spoke
about the issues revolving around the old Wailuku post
office and how the Council has a fiduciary responsibility
to pursue the matter. There has definitely been a
violation of the County Charter inasmuch as there was
never any Council approval for the demolition of the
building and the responsible party in the County
administration is at risk of losing their job over the
incident. TEA Party Maui wishes to express its heartfelt
appreciation to Mike White for an interesting and highly
informative evening with this frank and forthright Maui
County Council member.
(Mike White talks with TPM, Continued from page 1)
Pono Press, November-December 2013, Page 3
by Valerie Sisneros
Debra Greene, PhD of
StopSmartMetersHawaii.com spoke
to TPM about the Smart Meters
project that has been in various
stages of implementation across the
nation. Many of us have been
concerned about this Grand Scheme
to make us more “sustainable”, and
in hearing Debra’s presentation it is
clear that this concern is well
founded. She talked to us at length
about the cost increases, privacy
invasions, security threats, safety
issues, health concerns, and the
global agenda/the Global Grid.
She began by informing us about
Electromagnetic Radiation/EMR, and
Radio Frequency Radiation/RFR. In
the last 75 years, the amount of
EMR has increased one quadrillion
times from just 2003 to 2007
worldwide.
The history of Smart Meters began in
2007 when both houses of congress
and President Bush approved the
Energy Independence and Security
Act. In 2009, the government began
subsidizing this Smart Grid
Modernization Project, which started
with taxpayer funding of 3.4 billion
dollars and has so far increased to
over $11 billion. At this time, 25
states participate in this project, and
the goal was to quickly rollout 18
million Smart Meters in the U.S.
Currently there are over 36 million
smart meters installed in the U.S.
That is one in every three
households!
Smart Meters operate in the
microwave frequency range and they
are 2-way communication devices
that send and receive information.
They can definitely be classified as
surveillance devices. They are part
of a Home Area Network with an
interactive website showing how
much energy you are using, what
devices use
more than
others, and
time of day
use, etc.
They also
interact with
Smart Appliances, which can be
programmed to be turned off and on
at certain times. The utility
companies can also turn off our
appliances if they see fit. We were
shown a diagram of the Advanced
Meter Infrastructure from the utility
companies. It looked very simple
and harmless, showing just your
Smart Meter communicating with the
utility company and giving you both
the information about your energy
usage. In actuality, it is much more
complicated and invasive. Your
Smart Meter is also communicating
with the neighbors’ Smart Meters,
which makes the data delivery
extremely vulnerable to petty
hacking and even worse, opens up
the grid to cyber- attack. Even
worse is the fact that our data can be
analyzed, permanently stored, mined
for government agencies, and sold to
marketing companies. This allows
the ability to monitor many of our
daily habits for use as they see fit.
Our electricity and our appliances
can be shut down remotely, at will.
The pilot project in Maui Meadows
started in 2012, with the hopes of
getting 200 volunteers to participate.
There were around 112, but some
have since dropped out and there
are presently around 95 participants.
According to Debra, many of our
water meters have been replaced
with this Smart Meter technology
without our permission, or
knowledge. Kauai has a utility co-op
and there was actually mandatory
installation of tens of thousands of
these meters. After a federal
injunction and major protests, people
were allowed to opt-out. However
they are required to pay a monthly
fee and a one-time opt out fee. On
Oahu in 2007, HECO installed
around 9,400 meters as a pilot
project, which did not go well.
Presently, there are still about 4000
meters in use. On Maui, we are
vigorously propagandized about the
need to have Smart Meters in order
to have a “sustainable grid” and to
be able to integrate sustainable
alternative energy sources.
There appears to be a mania to get
these meters installed as fast as
possible, which amplifies the cost to
the consumer. There is zero energy
savings, and these meters actually
use more energy than the older
analog meters. Monthly costs are
soaring after Smart Meters are
installed, energy bills are flawed, and
10,000 households surveyed had an
80% increase in the monthly bills.
Smart Meters are part of a Global
Agenda. The stated mission of the
Global Smart Grid Federation and
the International Smart Grid Action
Network is “to support rapid
implementation of Smart Grid
technologies and create a
mechanism for multi-lateral
government to government
collaboration to advance the
development and deployment of
Smart Grid technologies”. The
global agenda is the massive
collection and centralization of
personal data. In the last year there
have been almost 100 million meters
shipped worldwide, with the
estimate of 73 billion meters by
2020. The U.S. had the most meters
due to the stimulus (taxpayer) money
devoted to this project, but China is
now getting ahead. Planned overall
spending on this global agenda is to
(Continued on page 4)
Debra Greene Informs TPM About Smart Meters
Pono Press, November-December 2013, Page 4
Gun Control and the Second Amendment By Joe Kent and Valerie Sisneros
Hawaii has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the
United States. The Maui Liberty Network wanted to
inform the public about this important topic, so we were
happy to be able to sit down with Mark Redeker, owner
of Maui Ammo and Gun Supply to talk about Hawaii’s
gun laws, gun control, and the Second Amendment.
How much do you want the government to be involved?
Do you like zero control? Should there be some
government oversight? These were some of the tough
questions that Mark Redeker, Valerie Sisneros, and Joe
Kent discussed this month for our one hour TV show,
which will be broadcast on Maui's Akaku Public Access
TV and Na Leo Public Access TV on the Big Island.
Valerie started off by reading the Second Amendment
which states, “ A well regulated militia being necessary
to the security of a free state, the right of the people to
keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” Joe Kent
asked, “Should we ban guns, or should we keep them?
It's in the Constitution, but do we really need the Second
Amendment?” Valerie answered, “Contrary to popular
belief, this right has nothing to do with hunting. It is the
founders ensuring the right of the people to protect
themselves from a tyrannical government so that the
people can remain free. Mark, what do you think?”
Mark went into the history of it, saying, “Attempts to limit
the Second Amendment started way back in the early
1800’s. Year after year, decade after decade, basically
century after century there have been attempts at
modifying this 27 word law.”
Throughout the episode, we discussed school shootings,
assault rifles, federal controls, violent video games, and
the gun laws in our state. Each topic kept coming back
to the question of how much gun control there should be.
Mark had interesting stances on the issues, favoring a
uniform federal gun control law over state controls,
because of the
confusion
when
transporting
firearms
interstate.
Valerie
countered that
the federal government is too big and powerful, and that
it should remain an issue for the states to decide. Joe is
for zero government control, stating that laws just keep
guns out of the hands of the good guys. It was
interesting that even between just three freedom-loving
individuals, there could be such a wide variety of
opinions.
We concluded with a discussion of government tyranny.
Joe played the devil's advocate by asking, “Obama is
President, we live in the year 2013, we can't even
imagine the government taking our guns away. Would
the government ever do that?” Val answered, “Between
1911 and the 1990s, there were nine countries, I know
you're talking about America, but there were nine other
countries; Turkey, Soviet Union, China, Germany,
Cambodia, Guatemala, China again, Uganda, Rwanda
where almost two hundred million people total were
unable to defend themselves because they were
disarmed by the government. They were rounded up
and exterminated. It sounds hard to believe, but it has
happened time and time again throughout history. This is
so important because most of the people in those
countries never saw it coming.
We should be thankful that we live in America where we
are allowed to own guns, but never give up the fight to
keep our freedoms.
You can watch the episode online at:
www.mauilibertynetwork.com.
be 50 billion dollars by the year 2015.
Why are these meters being forced on us? Agenda 21.
Smart meters are an integral part of Agenda 21, the UN
plan for the global control of population behavior and
massive data collection. This is all currently being
accomplished at the local level, and done under the
guise of the sustainable development of every city,
county, state, and nation in order to enable a sustainable
future with sustainable energy. ICLEI, the International
Council for Local and Environmental Initiatives has
about 450 members in 46 states in the US, and over
1000 members worldwide. For more information, Debra
recommends reading the book: Behind the Green Mask:
UN Agenda 21 by Rosa Koire. She also recommends
viewing the documentary: Take Back Your Power at
TakeBackYourPower.net.
There is opposition. There have been repeated
complaints of 4th amendment violations, and the meters
are known to be dangerous, invasive, unlawful, and
harmful. All eyes are on Hawaii for sustainability projects
because of our endless sun and wind. TPM is grateful
to Debra Greene, PhD for her knowledge and passion
about this ill-advised endeavor to take away yet more of
With 2014 just a few weeks away, and with the knowledge that another one of the most important mid-term elections
in our lifetime is ahead, it seems like a good time to remind ourselves about the mission, guidelines, and goals of the
TEA Party. We are all familiar with the three Core Principles, but the following is some good information that will
hopefully keep you inspired and active in the coming year. We hear constantly from the President, and the
Democrats, that they won the election in 2012. Yes, we know, however, in contrast to what we hear almost daily,
this does not mean that we lay down and accept every one of the ideas, bills, and candidates being proposed by the
Progressives. Our mission is more important than ever to regain our rights and restore a Constitutionally Limited
Government to this great country. Please peruse the following information so that you can continue to do your best
to be involved in helping the TEA Party movement reach these goals in 2014.
Our Core Values
Fiscal Responsibility: Honors and respects the freedom of the individual to spend the money that is the fruit of
their own labor. A constitutionally limited government, designed to protect the blessings of liberty, must be
fiscally responsible or it must subject its citizenry to high levels of taxation that unjustly restrict the liberty that our
Constitution was designed to protect. Runaway deficit spending, as we now see in Washington D.C., compels
us to take action. The increasing national debt is a grave threat to our national sovereignty and the personal and
economic liberty of future generations.
Constitutionally Limited Government: We, the members of TEA Party Maui, are inspired by our founding
documents and regard the Constitution of the United States to be the supreme law of the land. We believe that it
is possible to know the original intent of the government our founders set forth, and we stand in support of that
intent. Like the founders, we support States' Rights for those powers not expressly stated in the Constitution. As
the government is of the people, by the people and for the people, in all other matters we support the personal
liberty of the individual, within the rule of law.
Free Markets/Individual Liberty: A free market is the economic consequence of individual liberty. The
founders believed that personal and economic freedom were indivisible, as do we. Our current government's
interference distorts the free market and inhibits the pursuit of individual and economic liberty. Therefore, we
support a return to the free market principles on which this nation was founded, and oppose government
intervention into the operations of private business.
Our Operating Guidelines (abridged)
1. TPM is proud to be a part of the larger TEA Party Movement.
2. TPM is focused on the importance of education and seeks to expand public understanding of the Declaration of
Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and free enterprise economics.
3. TPM will seek to conduct educational programs that are consistent with our mission and purposes.
4. TPM will work with other organizations on advocacy projects when such projects are consistent with our mission
and purposes.
5. TPM welcomes all who support our mission and purposes regardless of partisan affiliation. We do not support or
oppose political parties. We simply seek to hold elected officials accountable to their oaths of office.
6. The focus of TPM is policy, not politics. When a public official supports the Constitution and the principles of
liberty and limited government, they are worthy of our praise. If they do not, we will seek to hold them accountable.
7. TPM will not support or oppose candidates for public office solely based on party affiliation, but rather on the
candidates’ pledge to support the TPM Core Values.
8. TPM rejects the idea that we should throw all existing officeholders out of office. There are those who hold office
who serve the public well, and we should exchange information and ideas with them to shape legislation.
9. TPM seeks to involve all those who wish to work constructively with us to advance our mission and purpose. We
encourage volunteers to choose an area of interest on one or more of our committees and work with us in the fight
to restore our Constitution and bring fiscal discipline to our government.
Pono Press, November-December 2013, Page 6
2013 TEA Party Maui Speakers in Review
Tea Party Maui hosted a number of interesting and informative guest speakers in 2013. Each speaker was selected on the basis of our 2013 TPM goal of building coalitions, while also keeping in mind the purpose of providing our membership and guests with a rewarding informative and educational experience. The following is a month by month
listing of the 2013 guest speakers and their discussion topics.
February TPM Monthly Meeting
Speaker: Bob Williams, President of State Budget Solutions, also Founder and Senior Fellow of the Freedom
Foundation, a public policy organization in Olympia, Washington.
Topic: Understanding the Fiscal Cliff
www.statebudgetsolutions.org
March TPM Monthly Meeting
Speaker: Mark Redecker, owner of Maui Ammo & Gun Supply, and former police officer.
Topic: The 2nd Amendment and the Right to Bear Arms in Hawaii.
April Special TPM Meeting, April 13th
Speaker: Matt Kibbe, President and CEO of FreedomWorks and Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Austrian
Economic Center in Vienna, Austria.
Topic: How the TEA Party Movement has morphed from a Grassroots Uprising to a Real Paradigm Shift.
April TPM Monthly Meeting
Speaker: Joe Kent, Secretary of the Maui Libertarian Party
Topic: What is a Libertarian?
May TPM Monthly Meeting
Speaker: Simon Russell, local farmer, Vice President of the Maui Farmer’s Union, and candidate for State House of
Representatives/District 13 in 2012
Topic: Maui Farmer’s Union and Sustainability of Local Food Production.
June TPM Monthly Meeting
Speaker: Sam Slom, Hawaii State Senator (R), Minority Leader, 9th District O’ahu, President/Owner, SMS
Consultants, and President/Executive Director, Smart Business Hawaii.
Topic: No Consequences for Bad Government Behavior in Hawaii
July TPM Monthly Meeting
Speaker: Myles Kawakami, owner of Hawaiian Carpet One & Ceramic Tile, member of the International
Transformation Network, Transformation Hawaii, and Grace Bible Church Maui, and Board member for the Chamber
of Commerce Maui.
Topic: The Conservative Coalition - Small Business Owners, Traditional Church Congregations, and Various
Conservative Leaning Special Interest Associations.
August TPM Monthly Meeting
Panel Discussion: Panelists; Pastor Robb Finberg, Kay Ghean, Myles Kawakami, Joe Kent, Tim Means, and
Shereen Seibert.
Topic: The State of Conservatism in Hawaii
October TPM Monthly Meeting
Speaker: Mike White, Maui County Council Member representing Makawao, Hai’ku and Paia.
Topic: County issues: Old Wailuku Post Office, Proposed Launiopoko Land Acquisition, State of County Finances &
Budget Overview, and Fiscal Challenges Facing Maui County.
November TPM Monthly Meeting
Speaker: Debra Greene Ph.D., creator of StopSmartMetersHawaii.com
Topic: Smart Meters; Unhealthy, Unsafe, Expensive, and Invasive.
the United States continues to be an embarrassing humiliation to all who care about the history and future of our great country. Early this month, Education Secretary Arne Duncan hailed this year's National Assess-ment of Education Progress (NAEP) as making progress. The NAEP is known as the nation's report card and our Secretary of Education read the results as being "encouraging". Student scores on the test, which is administered every two years to a sample of schools in all 50 states, have barely budged since 2011. Av-erage fourth and eighth grade math scores improved one point on a scale of 0 to 500 while fourth grade reading scores were flat. That is nothing to brag about Mr. Secretary. It is known that the Teacher's Union is the powerhouse and holder of the purse among Public Employee Un-ions. It is no coincidence that union-ized educators project an over-whelming presence at the Democrat-ic National Conventions. They have the power and are not bashful about using it. In spite of their power, they are getting some pushback from vari-ous political sectors. AND, the pushback is being reflected by supe-rior grades and education. Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin removed the teachers "Right to Work Law". Governor Chris Christi of New Jersey set a higher standard for teachers to qualify for tenure. Subsequent to hurricane Katrina, Governor Bobby Jindal made a promise to the people of New Orleans that they could send their kids to the school of their choice. The Louisiana legislature voted to take over New Orleans's failing school district, effectively firing 7,500 teachers and school workers. In place of most of these schools, charter schools were established.
Not all charters have made dramatic progress, but there has been a no-ticeable uptick in the quality of edu-cation since the city has embraced school choice. Yes,Yes,Yes. Some-thing good is happening to public schools. Washington D.C. gives us an excel-lent example of that good. We have heard about Michelle Rhee and her brief tenure as chancellor of the Washington D.C. Public Schools in 2007. Her domain consisted of 40 thousand students, 123 schools, and the worst performing school district in the United States. Her first order of business was to implement a rigor-ous teacher evaluation program that placed a heavy emphasis on student learning. After the initial review, she fired several thousand teachers who did not have proper credentials to teach. As expected, the teacher's union went bananas. Shortly after President Obama took office in 2009, she was fired. However, Michelle Rhee was not forgotten, and her cre-dential program lives on. Between 2010 and 2012, an additional 4% of the District's teachers were dis-missed for being ineffective. In the latest NAEP report card, Washington D.C. led the nation in student pro-gress. Average reading scores jumped five points in the fourth grade and six points in the eighth grade. The percentage of students scoring at or above "basic" in math rose by six points in both grade levels. Other states that have led in school reform also exhibited measurable progress in the NAEP. Indiana, which removed its cap on charter school enrollment, expanded vouch-ers and instituted merit pay in 2011, then demonstrated the third highest growth in the NAEP test scores in 2013. Also making large strides was Ten-nessee, where reading scores had
plateaued between 1992 and 2011. One glaring problem was that teach-ers were evaluated only twice every ten years, and collective bargaining agreements prevented the state from requiring higher accountability. In 2011, Governor Bill Haslam and the GOP legislature eliminated collective bargaining for teachers, which gave local districts the whip hand to change teacher contracts. The state also established a new evaluation system that weighs student achieve-ment; increased from three to five years of service before teachers get tenure; and linked pay and job secu-rity to performance. The results have been astonishing! The share of fourth-graders performing at or above "basic" in reading increased from 60% to 67%, while the percent-age rated proficient in math rose by 10 points. Tennessee fourth-graders, who have historically trailed their national peers by five to seven points, closed the gap in both sub-jects. The climb in test scores began with former Governor Jeb Bush who took the Florida school system from a rat-ed "bottom 5" to a "top 3" during his eight years in office. Florida public schools continue with their academic excellence. It stands to reason that Washington D.C. and the states of Tennessee, Indiana, Louisiana, and Florida are excellent case studies that could be utilized to enhance stu-dent achievement reform. Unfortu-nately, here in Hawaii, education is still going south.
“It stands to reason that Washington D.C.
and the states of Tennessee, Indiana,
Louisiana, and Florida are excellent case
studies that could be utilized to enhance
student achievement reform.”
Pono Press, November-December 2013, Page 12
by Bill Doyle
Since leaving the Office of The President almost five
years ago, President Bush has concentrated his efforts
on leading the George W. Bush Presidential Center on
the campus of Southern Methodist University and writing
his 2013 best-selling "Decision Points"—which takes the
reader inside the mind and times of the man and the ma-
jor events of his very consequential presidency. He
takes the reader on a fascinating journey from the Texas
Governors' Mansion to the White House, and provides
some very illuminating illustrations of the influences and
people that inform his decisions and how those decisions
are shaped and the courses they take to determine the
final outcomes.
The book also provides an interesting look at his (and
Laura's) family background, their relationships and that of
their daughters, friends and associates and gives the
reader a true sense of just who they are. Told in the first
person, with a great collection of old photos and histori-
cal references, it captures the life and times of the man
who served eight critical years as our
president and awoke each morning
after September 11, 2001 with an
overriding mission to secure America
and the American people from such a
tragic event ever occurring on our soil
again.
Marty and I found ourselves in Texas
a couple of months ago on other busi-
ness and made the effort to travel to
Dallas and visit the the George W.
Bush Center. It was a very moving experience and al-
lowed us to gain a better understanding of the myriad
activities, issues and crises that present themselves
each and every day and intrude in such unexpected
ways on the presidential agenda. We were so glad we
took the time to make the trip and reading "Decision
Points" provided additional background and clarity into
the significant and consequential events of those years--
and I highly recommend adding it to your library.
by Joe Kent
About a year ago, I was at a Ron Paul rally, and I
saw a little booth with a bunch of people crowding
around it. Tiny little coins with holograms were
being sold for about $20 each, called “Bitcoins”. I
immediately thought it was some kind of scam, and
kept walking.
Then, last May, I heard about it again. The price jumped
up to $100. As of this writing (November 2013), the price
has jumped to $900, and it's still rising.
What are bitcoins, and why are they becoming so
valuable?
Well, a bitcoin is virtual money. There have been lots of
attempts at virtual money over the years. First there was
e-gold which was a complete failure. The problem with e-
gold was that it could be inflated. Much like the Federal
Reserve can print more money, programmers could just
program more e-gold. It was a scam from the beginning,
and it flopped.
But bitcoin is different. With bitcoin, everybody can see
the code – it isn't hidden. And the code says that there
can only ever be 21 million bitcoins. It can never be
inflated.
Beyond that, bitcoins behave just like money. They're
easy to carry around (it works with your smart phone).
And they can be
transferred easily from smart phone to smart phone.
More and more businesses are beginning to accept
bitcoins for payment. Already at a Subway chain in
Canada, you can buy a sandwich with your bitcoin.
Should you buy bitcoins? Well, that depends. Right
now, the virtual currency market is like the wild west. Wild
swings can make the price jump from $600 to $900 in a
matter of minutes. Also, there might be problems with the
currency. Although no one has discovered any problems
(it is so far, invulnerable to hackers), there could be
problems in the future.
Finally, the government is skeptical about bitcoins. A
virtual currency means that the government can't tax it. It
can't control it, and it can't inflate it. And the strength of all
governments rely on their ability to control the money.
Last week there was a hearing on capitol hill about
bitcoins. Politicians debated endlessly about what should
be done about the virtual money. Can we regulate it? Can
we control it? Should we ban it? But at the end of the day,
the politicians didn't see it as enough of a threat. Besides,
many of them had already bought bitcoins themselves.
Will bitcoin be the currency of the future? Who knows? All
I know is, it's a neat experiment in a truly libertarian