Hawaii Liberty Chronicles

Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming, as men of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.

Isaiah ’twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it, the virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright, she bore to men a Savior,
When half spent was the night.

The shepherds heard the story proclaimed by angels bright,
How Christ, the Lord of glory was born on earth this night.
To Bethlehem they sped and in the manger found Him,
As angel heralds said.

This Flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere;
True Man, yet very God, from sin and death He saves us,
And lightens every load.

O Savior, Child of Mary, who felt our human woe,
O Savior, King of glory, who dost our weakness know;
Bring us at length we pray, to the bright courts of Heaven,
And to the endless day!

15th Cen­tu­ry car­ol (Es ist ein Ros ent­sprung­en)

Open Letter to the Republican Party of Hawaii

By Keith Rollman, Campaign Manager for John Carroll

Rules established by the Republican Party are meant to ensure a level playing field for all candidates in the party’s primary election.

The Republican Party is based, in part, on a long-held sense of fairness and trust in the democratic process. The Republican primary is a time to compare our candidates for higher office, debate the issues and make choices based on our own values and principles. At least, that is what is supposed to happen.

Rule 11 of the Republican Party was established to provide fairness for all qualified candidates and avoid insider political deals that circumvent and corrupt the primary election process.

Rule 11 of the Republican Party states, in part:

The Republican National Committee shall not, without the prior written and filed approval of all members of the Republican National Committee from the state involved, contribute money or in-kind aid to any candidate for any public or party office except the nominee of the Republican Party or a candidate who is unopposed in the Republican primary after the filing deadline for that office.

The problem is that Rule 11 contains a glaring loophole. It states that “with the approval of all members of the Republican National Committee from the state,” that these individuals can short circuit the process of fairly electing the party’s nominee, and simply anoint their choice. By allowing RNC and PAC money to pour into their chosen candidate’s campaign and starving off contributions to any opposing candidates they can unilaterally suppress any competition.

This is a rather underhanded and cowardly strategy considering the alternative is to openly and fairly discuss the issues concerning the voters
and let them make an informed decision on whom they feel best represents them. It is, however, a convenient strategy for those who can’t stand real scrutiny of their ideas, principles and values.

In order to pull off this subversive power play, you must first remove any individuals within the state party leadership who might not go along. Once your ‘apparatchiks” are installed you have clear sailing to suppress any opposing candidates and change the rules without the formality of earning popular support.

Let’s all hope that Hawaii’s Republican Party never experiences such a moral calamity and grotesque forfeiture of its ideals.

The Bill of Rights guarantees important individual freedoms and restrains the powers of the federal government.

NEWS + VIEWS

By Sam Slom

President, Smart Business Hawaii

and SBH Entrepreneurial Education Foundation

Rail Supporters Take a Hit. Visiting Federal judge A. Wallace Tashima of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, has ruled in favor of the anti-rail project plaintiffs, including the SBH Foundation, and against the City & County of Honolulu and Federal Government who sought to stall the legal proceedings on the issues further (we’ve been waiting since May for a copy of the Administrative Record) by challenging the legal standing of four of the 7 plaintiffs. The City is using YOUR money ($600,000 initially) for frivolous legal challenges like this.

On to SCOTUS. Local attorney Bill Burgess has spearheaded a civil rights effort for non-Native Hawaiian taxpayers to be treated equally with the special tax exemptions given Hawaiians on the basis of race on Hawaiian Homelands. The case is one step closer to a full hearing by the U.S. Supreme Court after several justices yesterday asked the U.S. Solicitor General for the government’s position on the issue. State lawyers argued against going to the Supreme Court. Read the rest at Smart Business Hawaii.

From Carroll4Senate.com

“The Pledge has become something of a rallying cry in conservative circles.” — National Journal

John Carroll has signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, known as the “no new taxes” pledge. Apparently he will be the only candidate running for the U.S. Senate who is signing the pledge this year. Lingle, Case and Hirono have all declined.

Politicians often run for office saying they won’t raise taxes, but then quickly turn their backs on the taxpayer. The idea of the Pledge is simple enough: Make them put their no-new-taxes rhetoric in writing.

In the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, candidates and incumbents solemnly bind themselves to oppose any and all tax increases. While ATR has the role of promoting and monitoring the Pledge, the Taxpayer Protection Pledge is actually made to a candidate’s constituents, who are entitled to know where candidates stand before sending them to the capitol. Since the Pledge is a prerequisite for many voters, it is considered binding as long as an individual holds the office for which he or she signed the Pledge.

A December 11, 2011 Honolulu Star Advertiser article clearly defines the candidates’ position on taxes:

Conservatives have been successful at pressuring Republicans in Congress — and a few Democrats — not to agree to any tax increases. Americans for Tax Reform, a Washington-based interest group founded by conservative activist Grover Norquist, has persuaded 238 members of the House — a majority — and 41 members of the Senate to sign a pledge promising not to raise taxes. The group offers the pledge to all new candidates.

Hirono and Case will not sign the pledge.

Lingle will not sign, either. As governor, Lingle opposed most new tax increases. She did support higher state taxes on tobacco products to curb smoking and allowed a bill that gave Oahu the right to impose a rail surcharge to become law without her signature.

According to a spokesman, Carroll would sign the Americans for Tax Reform pledge against new taxes.

Lingle had previously signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge during her campaign for governor, but once elected reneged. As noted by the Star Advertiser, she supported higher taxes on a number of occasions.

From LearnLiberty.org

Which are more important, economic liberties or civil liberties? The conventional view portrays conservatives as caring more about economic liberties than civil liberties. Liberals, on the other hand, are conventionally viewed as caring about civil liberties more than economic liberties. To Prof. Aeon Skoble, this distinction between economic and civil liberties is fictitious. The influence of market exchanges and civil liberties on one another is inseparable.

By Jonathan Butcher

Jorge has big plans. A senior at Glendale Christian Academy, Jorge has set his sights on earning a degree in business management and then starting his own business. He looks forward to using his music skills one day to help underprivileged children by offering music lessons.

Jorge and his mother, Lydia, say these goals wouldn’t be possible without his scholarship to attend Glendale Christian, granted by one of Arizona’s School Tuition Organizations and made possible through the state’s scholarship tax credit program. Married couples filing jointly can receive a tax credit on donations of up to $1,000 to scholarship organizations. Corporations can also receive credits for donations.  Read the rest at Goldwater Institute.

Featuring Todd Myers, author or Eco-Fads: How the Rise of Trendy Environmentalism Is Hurting the Planet, and Patrick J. Michaels, Senior Fellow in Environmental Studies at the Cato Institute.

From LearnLiberty.org

Prof. Ben Powell discusses the importance of sweatshops in third world countries. Despite conventional views on the issue, sweatshops are actually the best alternative available to several third world workers. Further, sweatshops are part of an industrial development process that leads to higher wages and better working conditions. Heartfelt attempts to eliminate sweatshops actually reduce the choices, wages, and working conditions of workers in third world countries.