According to Fox News, GSA employees spent 5 days in Hawaii for a 1 hour ribbon cutting ceremony and they had a 10 day trip planned to Hilo Hawaii for some ground breaking ceremonies.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said Wednesday that five employees associated with the recently scandal-plagued Government Services Administration went to Hawaii for up to a week in 2011 to attend an hour-long groundbreaking on space leased by the federal government for the FBI…

The employee indicated to the IG investigator that trip was not isolated and that there was another, longer junket scheduled for Hawaii this fall.

That one would be in Hilo, Hawaii for 10 days and would include groundbreakings for a federal building, a post office and perhaps a courthouse.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/04/11/gsa-employees-travel-to-hawaii-five-days-for-one-hour-ribbon-cutting/#ixzz1sXvkX8i9

Of course this trip is pretty much all government business. What else could you do in Hilo for 10 days? Now Las Vegas on the other hand…

Golf Courses in Hilo, Hawaii

There are two golf courses in Hilo: Hilo Muni and the Naniloa Golf Club. Both are good courses and fun to play, unless you are looking for something that is a little more high end. But the side benefit is that they don’t cost an arm and a leg. Hilo Muni is already one of the most inexpensive golf courses in the state, but it is even more inexpensive to us, residents. Last time I played there it was $40 for a one month pass for all you can play on week days. Let’s just say it is a bargain for all of the retirees who seem to play five rounds a week rain or shine. Though in Hilo it is generally more rain then shine.

I don’t remember exactly how much Naniloa costs but it wasn’t that bad either compared to the $50 to $150 rounds I played in California. But the Naniloa is only 9 holes. Though what is nice about it is that it is located across the street from Hilo Bay, so if you like looking at water it might be the course for you. And if you are staying at one of the Banyan Drive Hotels it is a no brainer because it is right across the street.

One fun thing about Naniloa is that it is right in the flight path of the airplanes that are landing in Hilo Airport. This makes both putting and driving a very interesting and uncertain event, unless you have the exact departure and arrival schedule on your iPhone.

Here’s a little blog post with some pictures of Hilo Muni. I’d snap some photos of Hilo Muni myself, but my back has kept me from playing golf for a while. Oh well. Besides, I’d be more focused on my round than on taking photos anyway. That is unless there’s some slow play going on in the group ahead of me. My favorite quote from that post is:

Every green is elevated, if you hit short, you did not get on. If you hit a flyer you were off the back. I suggest you practice your chipping if you play Hilo Municipal Golf Course.

Do you know why all the greens are elevated?

It’s because of all the rain we get here. If the greens weren’t elevated the would be a water hazard or at least a mud hazard.

It also has a covered driving range so that you can hit golf balls in the rain. But it’s not much of a help when the rain is coming down sideways. Just don’t hit an air ball or you will hit the roof and all the middle school golfers will laugh at you when they hear the loud clank. But then again, this advice is probably just for me. I’m sure that you are a much better golfer than I am.

Many hours of incredible hula have drawn to a close in Hilo and the results of the 2012 Merrie Monarch Festival are in. According to www.bigislandvideonews.com:

…the night belonged to the group from Pauoa on Oahu, Halau I Ka Wekiu. Kumu Hula Karl Veto Baker & Michael Nalanakila’ekolu Casupang’s halau were top place finishers in both the Kane Kahiko and Kane ‘Auana divisions (1,147 points overall), and even took 2nd place in the wahina auana.

And here are the winners:

Kane Kahiko

Halau I Ka Wekiu
Na Kumu Hula Karl Veto Baker & Michael Nalanakila’ekolu Casupang
Pauoa, Honolulu, O’ahu

Wahine Kahiko

Halau O Ke ‘A’ali’i Ku Makani
Kumu Hula Manu Boyd
Kane’ohe, O’ahu

Kane ‘Auana

Halau I Ka Wekiu
Na Kumu Hula Karl Veto Baker & Michael Nalanakila’ekolu Casupang
Pauoa, Honolulu, O’ahu

Wahine ‘Auana

Halau Mohala ‘Ilima
Kumu Hula Mapuana de Silva
Ka’ohao, Kailua, O’ahu
Overall kane

Halau I Ka Wekiu
Na Kumu Hula Karl Veto Baker & Michael Nalanakila’ekolu Casupang
Pauoa, Honolulu, O’ahu

Overall wahine

Halau O Ke ‘A’ali’i Ku Makani
Kumu Hula Manu Boyd
Kane’ohe, O’ahu
OVERALL

Halau I Ka Wekiu
Na Kumu Hula Karl Veto Baker & Michael Nalanakila’ekolu Casupang
Pauoa, Honolulu, O’ahu

Congratulations to all of the winners and all of the participants! Though I think that the real winners are the residents of Hilo, who get to witness this incredible display of Hula every year.

Hawaii is actual number 1 for something. According to Fitch and Moody’s Hawaii is number 1 when it comes to debt as a percentage of GDP. Somehow I don’t think it’s a good sign to be number one in this measure.

According to Hawaii Reporter:

According to newly released Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Investors Services, Hawai‘i ranks first in the amount of debt as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product and second in debt per capita: almost $8000 for every man, woman and child in the state.

Wow! $8,000 for every resident of the state and this doesn’t count all the debt imputed to us at the federal level. I sure hope that interest rates don’t go up.

The article also quotes Bob Marx who is running for congress:

Speaking to a group of students near the University of Hawai‘i – Hilo, Marx stated: “I stand with former Governor Cayetano in his opposition to the proposed Honolulu Rail Project. Increasing the debt for Honolulu and writing it off on rural Oahu, the neighbor islands, and our future generations is not only fiscally irresponsible but impractical.”

“As usual, the City of Honolulu will again ask the rest of the State to pick up its tab on bloated spending projects. Importing steel from Europe will not create jobs for Hawai‘i. Working class people on Oahu have been hit hard enough already by the economic downturn, and raising taxes on them is not the solution. As a small business owner, I know the devastating effect that even a 1/2 percent excise tax increase can have on a business.”

General excise taxes are paid by businesses on gross receipts, not on revenue. Therefore, even businesses that are losing money would be asked to pay more. Documents presented by former Governor Cayetano and his supporters at a press conference yesterday outlined the questionable nature of the project’s proposed job creation statistics.

I don’t get it. I don’t live in Honolulu and I won’t benefit from the proposed rail system, yet I still have to pay tax to help fund it?

Don’t even get me started on the GE tax. Even if my business loses money I still have to pay tax?

Doesn’t it make more sense to have a consumption tax? Say we exempt the first $25K of spending and then tax the rest. This way people with low incomes who spend primarily on necessities aren’t taxed. And people who have the money to spend on luxuries are taxed more. Sounds a lot fairer to tax people when they have the money to spend. Than to tax businesses even if they are struggling and not making money. After all if we tax businesses that are struggling and they then shutdown, what happens to all the people working for them?

The Shipman House aka Shipman Castle is one of the nicest homes in Hilo. It is so nice that instead of calling it a house, most of us call it a castle. I’ve never stayed there as it is a little too extravagant for me. And I have a hard time paying to stay somewhere, when I can drive less than 10 miles and sleep in my own bed, in my own home.