It should be noted -- which you failed to do here, I might add -- that the "official" estimated cost of this proposed rail system has more than doubled in the six years since it was first proposed by former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, from $2.7 billion in 2006 to its present $5.7 billion as of Sept. 2012, when the courts halted construction.

Further, we should also note for those TL readers here who remain interested in learning more about the quid pro quo-style politics plaguing the City & County of Honolulu, that the proposed segment from Ala Moana Center to the University of Hawaii at Manoa has since been deferred indefinitely by current Mayor Peter Carlisle's office to keep those burgeoning costs down.

Because otherwise, according to a May 9, 2012 letter from Dan Grabauskas, executive director for the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART), to City Councilmember Ann Kobayashi, the project's cost would balloon to $9.1 billion!

Now, perhaps you have a perfectly plausible explanation regarding how the original estimated cost of a capital project of this size and scale more than effectively tripled from $2.7 billion to $9.1 billion in only six years' time, were the rail system to be built as initially sold by Mayor Hannemann and his administration to the people of Oahu.

Well, from my considerable experience in public sector policy development, I'd offer that it can most likely happen either one of two ways:

• The team initially appointed by Mayor Hannemann to put together this project was totally and collectively incompetent when calculating its projected estimated costs; or

• The Hannemann administration deliberately lowballed those initial cost estimates to the public, in order to first gain voter approval at the ballot box via charter amendment in November 2008 for the creation of HART, a quasi-public entity which is now responsible for the planning and oversight of the project's inital construction, as well as its subsequent management and maintenance.

After all, Horner's only serving simultaneously as the current chairs of both the Hawaii State Board of Education AND the Board of Directors for the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau!

Doesn't that rather unique and remarkable consolidation of power over three very influential governing bodies, all in the well-greased hands of this one extraordinarily influential corporatist, even bother you in the slightest?

In the meantime, Honolulu has thus far only collected $480 million on the 0.5% excise tax that was specifically enacted by the Hawaii legislature in 2007 to pay for rail and has further diverted $444 million from the city's existing (and excellent) bus system toward the rail project, which has in turn forced a 25% increase in fares and some very steep cuts in service on key routes.

The $1.5 billion in federal funding promised by Sen. Inouye has yet to be approved by Congress, and as long as the GOP remains in control of the U.S. House, there's no guarantee at all that these funds will either appropriated or released any time soon.

The Honolulu City Council has also approved the initial issuance of over $2 billion in general obligation bonds to pay for the first phase of construction. However, it should again be noted that without providing a sufficient means of revenue to pay for it, this bond issue will increase the city's debt service from its current 12% annual share of general revenues to 30% -- that's right, I said 30% -- by the year 2018, should a hefty increase in property taxes not be forthcoming.

Because without an increase in revenues, the city's bond rating would undoubtedly crater at that point, compelling the state government to intervene financially in order to prevent its largest municipaity from going belly-up fiscally.

Simply put, the City & County of Honolulu doesn't presently have a revenue stream that's in any way adequate to both pay for the project's construction and account for projected cost overruns (by 25%, conservatively) and the rail system's projected maintenance costs, neither of which has even been budgeted.

Further, the State of Hawaii's own finances are hardly sufficient to take on a project of this magnitude and also sustain its own obligations, without a corresponding increase in its own revenues.

In spite of this, former acting Mayor Kirk Caldwell has explicitly promised that if elected he would not raise property taxes to meet the anticipated shortfall in city and county revenues, even as he collects huge campaign donations from contractors and firms who would benefit financially from this muti-billion dollar boondoggle.

And when I consider the sheer chutzpah of Caldwell's corporate allies, who continue to falsely accuse former Gov. Ben Cayetano via an extensive media campaign of "pay to play" corruption -- Mahalo Nui Loa, SCOTUS and Citizens United -- I have to consider the Caldwell / Hannemann hui to be the penultimate example of irresponsible, crass and cynical politicking.

This is really much less about planning for Honolulu's future, than it is about protecting a lucrative and publicly funded cash cow, by locking in public funding for those private developers and well-connected contractors who expect to reap a healthy windfall from the single largest capital project ever undertaken in the history of the Hawaiian Islands.

I proudly support Ben Cayetano for Mayor of Honolulu. I do so with my eyes wide open, in full knowledge that I have many friends up at the Capitol who for whatever their reasons are backing the other side.

But speaking for myself only, I am simply not willing to risk financial havoc for the City & County of Honolulu, and potentially compromise the future socio-economic well being of its residents, for the mere sake of installing a political crony and corporate shill like Kirk Caldwell in the mayor's office at Honolulu Hale.

1.  It feels like Michelle Obama has you on speed dial.

2.  You're worried Mitt Romney might show up for dinner (but the good news is, that might mean you're not one of the 47%!)

3.  ???

Obama has also authorized the DoD to tap into the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserves.

Now, they just have to get power to more gas stations so they can pump the gas.

The good news is not as good as it sounds. Con Ed says it will have all of its "underground networks" on by tomorrow. If that happens, that's a day ahead of schedule in the blackout area, which is a big step forward. However, that does not mean everyone will get power back. Remember, buildings connect to the electrical grid. If a building was flooded, its own electrical systems may have been damaged. This is particularly likely in high-rises, which tend to put that equipment in the basement. My understanding is that it takes 2 inspections before damaged building equipment can be reattached: one by Con Ed, another by NYC building inspectors. Even if the latter is waived on behalf of large "reputable" building operators, the former is essential. That may mean that a lot of the high-rises in the Wall Street area (particularly near Water Street and South Ferry), Battery Park City, and buildings in the lower parts of Tribeca may not have power restored (one bit of schadenfreude: this may continue to inconvenience top bank lawyer Rodgin Cohen, who is managing partner of Sullivan & Cromwell. The Financial Times reported that the white shoe firm had less than adequate disaster recovery planning. Maybe this is karmic payback for their role in acting as chief handmaiden to Wall Street).

And to be fair to poor Mitt, who had to kind of go off the radar while Obama was being all presidential and stuff.

I should add that I don't mean to minimize at all what's happening on Staten Island; there is clearly suffering and devastation and great need for help.  I don't know what these people are going to do when they find out that their insurance isn't going to cover the flood damage unless they had separate coverage for it.

The only real questions remaining in Hawaii presidential politics are whether or not:

• Obama can break 70% again, like he did four years ago against McCain; and
  
• We beat out Mitt Romney's adopted home of Massachusetts, as the blue state with the largest margin of victory for the president.

Tampering with a ballot is a felony here. According to the news, this fraud was discovered when something the employee did triggered the election system's security measures.  No news on how many ballots were affected or how this will be corrected. The State Dept. of Justice and the Secretary of State are conducting the investigation.