With rail facing a more than $1 billion budget hole, Honolulu’s top elected leaders now aim to stop construction four miles and eight stations short of what was planned, leaving crews to build the most challenging, expensive and critical stretch at some future date, if possible.
“I wish we could go all the way to Ala Moana now. That’s for another day,” Mayor Kirk Caldwell told rail board members during their meeting Thursday, officially abandoning hope of finishing the entire rail project with its current funding, and instead urging the board to recommend a shorter rail line for now.
“I think we need to focus for now on how we get to Middle Street,” Caldwell said.
Critics of that plan say it undermines the point of building the rail in the first place: to offer West and Central Oahu commuters a more convenient way to get to town. It would significantly reduce ridership from the city’s longtime estimate of 119,000 daily rail trips and place a bigger burden on taxpayers to subsidize the line in place of lost fare revenues, they say.
Eliminating the eight stations past Middle Street could reduce rail’s ridership by at least 51,000 daily boardings, according to Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation estimates. The move might solve some of the rail’s immediate money problems, but it could also leave city officials with more difficult long-term challenges as they try to pay for its operations, one key state lawmaker said.
Nonetheless, faced with new cost estimates that put Ala Moana Center well out of reach — and an Aug. 7 deadline from rail’s federal partners to come up with a realistic plan that’s on budget — Caldwell and City Council Chairman Ernie Martin this week endorsed stopping at Middle Street for now.
“It is clear that the benefits of such a plan outweigh the drawbacks,” Martin wrote in a letter Tuesday to Federal Transit Administration Regional Administrator Leslie Rogers. “It does not preclude us from eventually completing the full 20 miles and 21 stations” when the city has the financial means to finish it.
HART officials have estimated it would cost about $6.22 billion to complete the first 16 miles and 13 stations to Middle Street. Rail can expect to receive construction revenues of approximately $6.8 billion, based on the latest estimates. However, it’s now expected to cost more than $8 billion to build the full 20 miles.
“It’s not a perfect-world situation,” HART board Chairwoman Colleen Hanabusa said at the Thursday meeting. “But … we don’t have the money.” The board could schedule a special meeting as early as next week to make a recommendation to the City Council on the Middle Street idea, she said. The Council would then have to discuss what rail policy it wants to pursue during its own meeting, she added.
Even if the city opts by Aug. 7 to pursue the Middle Street plan, there’s no guarantee that the FTA will approve the idea and agree to provide the project’s full $1.55 billion in federal funding. HART officials say FTA leaders have told them the system needs to be “functional” but that there aren’t specific guidelines for what that means.
Earlier this week Caldwell had still been pushing to get the full 20-mile line built.
“I believe we should work to the goal of building the full 20 miles, 21 stations. But we shouldn’t cap. We shouldn’t cut and run,” Caldwell said during an interview on Hawaii News Now’s “Sunrise” morning show several days ago. “This project is just too darn important. It’s something we’ve been fighting for 40 years here.”
The news that both Caldwell and Martin agreed work should stop at Middle Street surprised some members of the City Council’s Transportation Committee, which also met Thursday. Kymberly Pine, who represents the Leeward Coast, was deeply frustrated.
“That’s pretty stupid,” Pine told HART staff after they briefed her. “As someone who’s stuck in traffic the longest … I can tell you, you need to look at the ridership numbers on all these plans.” HART officials say they’ve just begun to analyze how stopping at Middle Street would affect ridership and other factors.
***
A month ago, even with an $8.1 billion price tag on rail, Mayor
Caldwell vowed to build rail to Ala Moana. Why did he flip flop and now
agrees with Charles Djou to stop rail at Middle Street? Because his and
other polls reveal he is trailing Charles Djou badly, said Ben Cayetano,
the former governor and unsuccessful candidate for mayor in 2012.
-- Richard Borreca, June 19, 2016
***
Caldwell hedged his position on Friday, asserting that continuity of the project would not necessarily be broken. The mayor pledges to secure other funding to complete the full alignment as designed, proposing to seek it from federal, state and private sources. But there’s no indication that this money will materialize in time to keep construction on track, or ever.
The only thing that is clear is that, as described, the project will end at a point where it’s projected to lose about half its ridership. Commuters won’t flock to ride the rail if, at Middle Street, they’ll have to disembark and wait for a bus to their urban-core destination.
That result wouldn’t justify the investment Honolulu’s taxpayers already have made.
Then, once the forward drive to complete the project is allowed to stall out, inertia would settle in. When the project is finally completed — if it ever restarts — the full pricetag would be higher than it would be if the city stuck to the current plan. That much is certain.
***
A million years from now
Friday, June 17, 2016
Monday, June 13, 2016
Orlando shooting
At least 50 people were killed and more than 50 others were wounded
when a gunman opened fire and took hostages at a gay nightclub in
Orlando, Florida, early Sunday morning.
The shooter, identified by several law enforcement sources as Omar Mateen, 29, was killed in a shootout with law enforcement after a three-hour siege.
The massacre — the worst mass shooting in the history of the United States — began when the gunman stormed the Pulse Nightclub about 2 a.m. ET with an AR-15 type rifle and a handgun, officials said.
The gunman called 911 before the attack, expressing fealty to ISIS. He twice had been investigated by federally authorities for alleged comments he made about terrorism, but both investigations were closed.
***
Orlando shooting reignites gun control debate in Congress
Hillary vs. Trump
The shooter, identified by several law enforcement sources as Omar Mateen, 29, was killed in a shootout with law enforcement after a three-hour siege.
The massacre — the worst mass shooting in the history of the United States — began when the gunman stormed the Pulse Nightclub about 2 a.m. ET with an AR-15 type rifle and a handgun, officials said.
The gunman called 911 before the attack, expressing fealty to ISIS. He twice had been investigated by federally authorities for alleged comments he made about terrorism, but both investigations were closed.
***
Orlando shooting reignites gun control debate in Congress
Hillary vs. Trump
Friday, June 10, 2016
Rod Tam is back
Oh, man. Rod Tam.He’s back, like one of those viruses that hang out at the base of the spine and flare up when defenses are down.
This time he’s infected a new body, the Hawaii Republican Party, whose defenses are so weak it practically swooned over Donald Trump and his virulent, racist vulgarities.
Compared with Trump, Tam is a small-time offender, but he is offensive nevertheless. His greatest hits were so outlandish they made national news under headings like “Weird News.”
Remember the bill to authorize naps and snacks for state workers? That was Rod Tam. As a state senator he introduced the bill, saying it would help state workers feel appreciated.
Remember the smelly-bus-rider bill? That was Rod Tam. In 2009 he introduced a measure at the City Council to punish riders who stunk up public transportation with a fine of up to $500 and six months in jail.
Oh, then there was the time he blithely used the “wetbacks” slur. That was in 2008, blazing an ignorant, bigoted trail by insulting Mexicans long before Trump was talking about building a wall.
“We don’t want any, uh, wetbacks, basically,” Tam said back then. “OK. We’ve been receiving (reports about) developers or contractors been bringing in wetbacks from New Mexico. Uh, Mexico. I’m sorry. Mexico. OK. Illegal aliens. And that’s a problem here, basically. We don’t want that type.”
Then there was the time he wanted to turn Koko Crater into a dump. After months of study and discussion of various sites, Tam shocked the rest of the City Council by suggesting a place that wasn’t on the list, is home to endangered plants and is geologically ill-suited for a long-term landfill.
After that came the meals. Lots of them, paid for with taxpayer money and documented with phony restaurant receipts fabricated to show he was talking city business. He’d take family members out to dinner and claim he was talking to constituents about their concerns. Then, when he turned in the paperwork to be reimbursed for the meals, he’d tweak up the tab and pocket the extra money.
Tam spent two days in jail for his slippery accounting and was also sentenced to 324 hours of community service. He made a forgettable run at mayor in 2010 and has been lurking like a virus waiting for an opportunity to resurface.
Though Hawaii Democrats never disavowed Tam, the head of the Hawaii Republican Party was quoted as saying they’re “thrilled” to have the convicted thief, proven liar and all-purpose goofball on their team. What’s worse? Not kicking him out or welcoming him in?
No, the worst would be forgetting how this crooked, petty man took our money and thought he was absolutely entitled to take his wife out for Valentine’s Day dinner and have us suckers pick up the tab.
He probably thinks we forgot all about that stuff, and that’s why he’s running for state Senate again.
Yeah, that’s Rod Tam, too.
-- Lee Cataluna
This time he’s infected a new body, the Hawaii Republican Party, whose defenses are so weak it practically swooned over Donald Trump and his virulent, racist vulgarities.
Compared with Trump, Tam is a small-time offender, but he is offensive nevertheless. His greatest hits were so outlandish they made national news under headings like “Weird News.”
Remember the bill to authorize naps and snacks for state workers? That was Rod Tam. As a state senator he introduced the bill, saying it would help state workers feel appreciated.
Remember the smelly-bus-rider bill? That was Rod Tam. In 2009 he introduced a measure at the City Council to punish riders who stunk up public transportation with a fine of up to $500 and six months in jail.
Oh, then there was the time he blithely used the “wetbacks” slur. That was in 2008, blazing an ignorant, bigoted trail by insulting Mexicans long before Trump was talking about building a wall.
“We don’t want any, uh, wetbacks, basically,” Tam said back then. “OK. We’ve been receiving (reports about) developers or contractors been bringing in wetbacks from New Mexico. Uh, Mexico. I’m sorry. Mexico. OK. Illegal aliens. And that’s a problem here, basically. We don’t want that type.”
Then there was the time he wanted to turn Koko Crater into a dump. After months of study and discussion of various sites, Tam shocked the rest of the City Council by suggesting a place that wasn’t on the list, is home to endangered plants and is geologically ill-suited for a long-term landfill.
After that came the meals. Lots of them, paid for with taxpayer money and documented with phony restaurant receipts fabricated to show he was talking city business. He’d take family members out to dinner and claim he was talking to constituents about their concerns. Then, when he turned in the paperwork to be reimbursed for the meals, he’d tweak up the tab and pocket the extra money.
Tam spent two days in jail for his slippery accounting and was also sentenced to 324 hours of community service. He made a forgettable run at mayor in 2010 and has been lurking like a virus waiting for an opportunity to resurface.
Though Hawaii Democrats never disavowed Tam, the head of the Hawaii Republican Party was quoted as saying they’re “thrilled” to have the convicted thief, proven liar and all-purpose goofball on their team. What’s worse? Not kicking him out or welcoming him in?
No, the worst would be forgetting how this crooked, petty man took our money and thought he was absolutely entitled to take his wife out for Valentine’s Day dinner and have us suckers pick up the tab.
He probably thinks we forgot all about that stuff, and that’s why he’s running for state Senate again.
Yeah, that’s Rod Tam, too.
-- Lee Cataluna
Friday, June 03, 2016
many satisfied with Obamacare (and some not)
More than 60% of working-age Americans who signed up for Medicaid or a
private health plan through the Affordable Care Act are getting
healthcare they couldn’t previously get, a new nationwide survey
indicates.
And consumers are broadly satisfied with the new coverage, despite some cost challenges and an ongoing Republican campaign to discredit the law.
Overall, 82% of American adults enrolled in private or government coverage through the health law said they were “somewhat” or “very” satisfied, according to the report from the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund.
“If the fundamental purpose of health insurance is to provide people with adequate access to needed healthcare, then it would seem that, on balance, the Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansions are working well for most of the people who have enrolled in them,” the report concluded.
The findings paralleled a recent nationwide survey by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation, which found that two-thirds of people in a marketplace plan created through the law rated their coverage “excellent” or “good.”
Unlike the new report, the Kaiser survey did not include people newly enrolled in Medicaid through the law, which is often called Obamacare.
New Medicaid enrollees are even happier with their health coverage than Americans in commercial health plans purchased through the marketplaces, with 88% reporting they are somewhat or very satisfied, the Commonwealth Fund found.
Americans with employer-provided health plans – which have lower premiums and deductibles than many marketplace plans – are the happiest, with 90% reporting satisfaction with their coverage.
The high marks are not universal, cautioned fund Vice President Sara Collins, the report’s lead author.
Indeed, some consumers who had coverage before the health law was implemented have seen their premiums and deductibles increase as insurers have absorbed millions of new consumers, many of whom could not obtain health insurance previously because they had a pre-existing medical condition.
The Commonwealth Fund, like Kaiser, has found that many Americans are concerned about the cost of their healthcare.
Nearly half of consumers in marketplace plans reported difficulty paying premiums in 2015. The fund plans to update those findings with 2016 numbers later this year.
“This [report] doesn’t mean that the law is working well for every single person,” Collins said. “But in general, it seems to be enabling people to get the healthcare that they need.”
More than eight in 10 people said their ability to get needed care has either improved or stayed the same since they enrolled in coverage through the health law.
The law allows Americans who don't get health benefits at work to shop among plans on state-based exchanges operated by the federal government or by the states themselves.
Consumers making less than four times the federal poverty level — about $47,000 for a single adult or $97,000 for a family of four — qualify for subsidies. Insurers must provide a basic set of benefits and cannot turn away consumers, even if they are sick.
Very low-income Americans in most states can enroll in the government's Medicaid program at virtually no cost, an option provided by the health law that leaders in 31 states and the District of Columbia have elected to make available to their residents.
The dual coverage expansions have led to the largest drop in the nation’s uninsured rate in at least half a century, surveys show.
The new Commonwealth Fund survey found that 45% of adults enrolled in a marketplace plan in 2016 and 62% of adults newly covered by Medicaid were previously uninsured.
More state leaders are now considering Medicaid expansions, including in very conservative states such as Oklahoma.
And enrollment in the marketplaces has been increasing, albeit at a slower rate than initially forecast; there are about 12 million people in marketplace plans.
But the law remains a political hot button, with Republican congressional leaders and presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump promising full repeal.
At the same time, many insurers are seeking significant premium increases next year, in part because enrollees in marketplace plans are sicker and more expensive than they anticipated.
The Commonwealth Fund survey was conducted between Feb. 2 and April 5 among a random, nationally representative sample of 4,802 adults ages 19 to 64. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
And consumers are broadly satisfied with the new coverage, despite some cost challenges and an ongoing Republican campaign to discredit the law.
Overall, 82% of American adults enrolled in private or government coverage through the health law said they were “somewhat” or “very” satisfied, according to the report from the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund.
“If the fundamental purpose of health insurance is to provide people with adequate access to needed healthcare, then it would seem that, on balance, the Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansions are working well for most of the people who have enrolled in them,” the report concluded.
The findings paralleled a recent nationwide survey by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation, which found that two-thirds of people in a marketplace plan created through the law rated their coverage “excellent” or “good.”
Unlike the new report, the Kaiser survey did not include people newly enrolled in Medicaid through the law, which is often called Obamacare.
New Medicaid enrollees are even happier with their health coverage than Americans in commercial health plans purchased through the marketplaces, with 88% reporting they are somewhat or very satisfied, the Commonwealth Fund found.
Americans with employer-provided health plans – which have lower premiums and deductibles than many marketplace plans – are the happiest, with 90% reporting satisfaction with their coverage.
The high marks are not universal, cautioned fund Vice President Sara Collins, the report’s lead author.
Indeed, some consumers who had coverage before the health law was implemented have seen their premiums and deductibles increase as insurers have absorbed millions of new consumers, many of whom could not obtain health insurance previously because they had a pre-existing medical condition.
The Commonwealth Fund, like Kaiser, has found that many Americans are concerned about the cost of their healthcare.
Nearly half of consumers in marketplace plans reported difficulty paying premiums in 2015. The fund plans to update those findings with 2016 numbers later this year.
“This [report] doesn’t mean that the law is working well for every single person,” Collins said. “But in general, it seems to be enabling people to get the healthcare that they need.”
More than eight in 10 people said their ability to get needed care has either improved or stayed the same since they enrolled in coverage through the health law.
The law allows Americans who don't get health benefits at work to shop among plans on state-based exchanges operated by the federal government or by the states themselves.
Consumers making less than four times the federal poverty level — about $47,000 for a single adult or $97,000 for a family of four — qualify for subsidies. Insurers must provide a basic set of benefits and cannot turn away consumers, even if they are sick.
Very low-income Americans in most states can enroll in the government's Medicaid program at virtually no cost, an option provided by the health law that leaders in 31 states and the District of Columbia have elected to make available to their residents.
The dual coverage expansions have led to the largest drop in the nation’s uninsured rate in at least half a century, surveys show.
The new Commonwealth Fund survey found that 45% of adults enrolled in a marketplace plan in 2016 and 62% of adults newly covered by Medicaid were previously uninsured.
More state leaders are now considering Medicaid expansions, including in very conservative states such as Oklahoma.
And enrollment in the marketplaces has been increasing, albeit at a slower rate than initially forecast; there are about 12 million people in marketplace plans.
But the law remains a political hot button, with Republican congressional leaders and presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump promising full repeal.
At the same time, many insurers are seeking significant premium increases next year, in part because enrollees in marketplace plans are sicker and more expensive than they anticipated.
The Commonwealth Fund survey was conducted between Feb. 2 and April 5 among a random, nationally representative sample of 4,802 adults ages 19 to 64. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
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