Trying to weather the storm — and lawmakers’ actions

Miserable weather left muddy waters that only the Legislature could swim in as we "flASHback" on the week’s news that amused and confused:

» Thunderstorms, heavy rain and hail battered the state, flooding homes, uprooting trees, causing landslides and closing roads and schools. Drinks are on the TV newscasters who get bonuses every time they say "severe weather."

» Floodwaters and overflowing sewers forced authorities to issue "brown water" warnings for much of Oahu. An exception was the state Capitol, where brown water is ideal working conditions.

» The Capitol’s video surveillance system to detect mischief in public areas is dysfunctional only six years after it was installed and must be replaced. Why bother? Most mischief in the square building occurs behind closed doors.

» The Legislature passed its crossover deadline, leaving the House and Senate to turn their attention to bills passed by the other chamber. Lawmakers get perspective from focusing on somebody else’s foppery for a while.

» The two houses took different approaches on bills to give bigger tax breaks to movies and TV shows that film in Hawaii. The Senate bill kisses the okole of Hollywood moguls, while the House measure licks their boots.

» Despite warnings from economists and regulators, some legislators are still pushing for the creation of a state bank. The idea is ingenious, really. When they inevitably screw it up, it’ll bring us millions in federal bailout dollars.

» The proposed state bank would be chaired by Gov. Neil Abercrombie and directed by a board appointed by House Speaker Calvin Say, Senate President Shan Tsu­tsui and two labor organizations. It could be scarier: Imagine these guys running a sperm bank.

» GOP Senate candidate Linda Lingle took heat for her Washington fundraiser with Sen. Roy Blunt, author of controversial birth control limits. Lingle practices the rhythm method of political safe sex. She rocks with conservatives when she’s in Washington and rolls with moderates at home.

» Chief Election Officer Scott Nago said the long delay by the state Reapportionment Commission in setting legislative district boundaries could cause "confusion at the polling places." In other words, we’ll have a typical Hawaii election.

» The Department of Education postponed its plan to seek a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind law while administrators scurry to dodge penalties for poor performance on Race to the Top. They only have the resources to weasel out of one federal mandate at a time.

And the quote of the week … from former Hono­lulu Managing Director Robert Fishman on his part-time retirement job with the city that could pay $97,000 a year: "This is more about helping and giving. This is not a lot of money for me." ‘Tis better to give than receive — and better yet to get paid for it.

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