A festering pig carcass, false promises and coach buyouts

Halloween is behind us and it’s time to "flASHback" on October’s news that amused and confused:

» The state is officially shutting its Obamacare exchange after blowing $300 million on the inept health care enrollment program. It’s a crying shame when there are so many other inept state programs that $300 million could have been wasted on.

» Gov. David Ige denied he’s reneged on his campaign promise to be transparent, saying, "I think that the biggest challenge is that everyone has a different definition of transparency." Ige’s definition of transparency is Casper the Friendly Ghost.

» As hundreds of homeless were evicted from Kakaako with little progress on alternate housing promises, Ige and Mayor Kirk Caldwell avoided the unpleasantness with wine-and-dine junkets to Okinawa and China. They left an emergency number for those with nowhere to go: 1-800-AINOKEA.

» Council Chairman Ernie Martin’s proposal to spend some rail tax revenue on affordable housing was coolly received by state legislators, who said the money was meant only for transit. That’s rich coming from legislators who skim 10 percent of the rail tax to spend on whatever they want.

» University of Hawaii-Manoa Chancellor Robert Bley-Vroman told lawmakers he won’t second-guess his buyout of fired basketball coach Gib Arnold, which cost taxpayers $700,000. He’s too busy raising funds for a buyout of soon-to-be-fired football coach Norm Chow.

» State Sen. Will Espero wants Hawaii to become the first state to approve medical marijuana for the treatment of anxiety, insomnia and stress. It’s about time the state government offers a remedy for the ailments it causes.

» Ninety-eight percent of Hawaii public school teachers were rated highly effective or effective in this year’s assessments, while only 48 percent of students tested proficient in English and 41 percent in math. The Department of Education scored zero on connecting the dots.

» U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono is holding a birthday bash with Hawaii’s power elite to celebrate her 68th, and "gifts" of up to $2,700 are suggested. She isn’t up for election for three years, but the futures market for buying politicians is hot.

» A dead pig was left on a Palolo sidewalk for days before authorities removed it. Nearby residents said it smelled like the city ethics ruling that excused gifts from rail lobbyists taken by current and former Council members Ann Kobayashi, Ikaika Anderson and Donovan Dela Cruz.

And the quote of the month … from rail CEO Daniel Grabauskas on soaring project costs: "The message that we want to send to folks is that no one’s going to come back to be asking for more money than the (tax) extension that was already passed by the Legislature and the governor." The only thing growing faster than the rail budget is Grabauskas’ nose.

Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com or blog.volcanicash.net.