A push poll is a fraud; and an attempt to disseminate information under the guise of a legitimate survey. This telephone exchange trashes Councilman Tom Berg - a telemarketing ploy to smear the candidate masquerading as a poll. It is obvious the smearing is being done by a pro-rail candidate or entity to exploit and spread rumors without leaving fingerprints.

FACT: APEC event- Tom Berg asked that police be called to vouch for him and assist him retrieve his phone- he was not intoxicated and no sobriety test was done to substantiate such nor was Berg removed by the police- and the police let Berg drive home- something if intoxicated, they would not do. The pollster claims Berg was drunk, this is a lie. Berg was not trying to get into a secured area, but rather return to the same area he just came from. APEC security made up a story Berg was never in the event. When the police showed up at Berg's request, the police helped Berg retrieve his phone from inside the event where APEC security exclaimed Berg was never at. Berg proved that APEC security had no clue who was in the event - $38 million on security wasted- when HPD found Berg's phone inside- something APEC security said could not have possibly existed because Berg could not have been allowed in to begin with. APEC security when exposed for its breach, concocted a story and filed fabricated reports to the police Berg was intoxicated to cover up for their own security breach and blunder. As soon as the police found Berg's phone inside the event, of which APEC security said could not have existed, APEC security went into cover up mode. Berg stood up to the security- the same type of federal agent that shot and killed a Hawaii resident- killed a unarmed man in a McDonalds a few days before. Berg was wrongfully attacked by the media for exposing the incompetent security and defending the man shot to death. If Berg were publicly intoxicated, the more than 100 security agents and police present would have arrested Berg for such. But that never happened and APEC security refuses to release the video of Berg walking in and out of the event that proved he was inside the event after all and not intoxicated, and more importantly, Berg telling the truth. APEC security was proven wrong for stating Berg could never have been inside the event and APEC refuses to release the first 15 minutes of the video that exposes APEC security lying.

FACT: Berg has not made any such movement to campaign using city time or resources. This false allegation - slander with the intent to cause ill-will and harm on Berg via the push-poll is grounds for a lawsuit upon the party that created and funded the push poll. There is no court proceeding, ethics investigation, or any findings whatsoever to substantiate Berg did what the caller, the pollster made claim to. The statement by the pollster is complete fabrication.

FACT: Berg has never yelled at the Chair of the Council nor has Berg been the cause or reason for the council to not complete its tasks. Berg rather, has exhibited disdain for the process and vocalized disappointment in how the true facts on rail have been muzzled and kept from the public. Berg believes it is time someone get loud at city hall to expose the deceit being advanced to ram this steel wheel rail project through even though it is obvious the majority now is against it.

FACT: Berg cannot raise any GET tax as a councilman by law- only the State of Hawaii State Legislature has the power and authority to approve of a GET tax and permit the county to act on any proposed increases authored by the State Legislature. The claim Berg created a tax costing millions of dollars is false. Berg voted no to all and any tax increases proposed. Berg wanted the voters to decide on a ballot initiative to compete with rail- if moneys should go to highways and bike lanes instead of the rail and let the voters decide. This was not a tax the city could implement, but a mechanism used by Berg to expose the double talk of the politicians who claim to be against tax increases but favor a rail tax and should be called out for their hypocrisy.

FACT: Berg was never contacted to opine and offer any such statements on opponents in the poll as the caller exclaimed. The pollster made a false statement that opponents - candidates- contributed to the statements of ill-will upon other candidates- Berg never did. Berg was never contacted and never contributed any material, background, or commentary for the push poll as exclaimed by the push poll facilitator.

FACT: Berg never discussed hires in any fashion in exchange for an endorsement by Kym Pine. This false statement by the pollster, that Berg and Pine did such is completely without merit and frivolous. In fact, Berg was asked by Pine to hire a member of her staff after the election and Berg rejected the request.

Take Control of Electric Bills

Another consumer rights matter involves the monopoly on electricity here on Oahu.

Here is how some have described their electric bills of late: "How come the fox is running the hen house?"

What does that mean?

It means the very entity that provides us with electricity is also in complete control of distribution, generation and overall supply of electricity.

In other words, when a consumer tries to cut down on his or her electric bill with solar, or other renewable sources, the consumer is penalized with an even higher rate to make up for the electric company's revenue loss.

The more the electric company loses out by patrons weaning themselves off of the electric company's power source, the more losses in revenue accumulate for the electric company. Hence, rates go up across the board to make up for revenue losses -a lose-lose for the consumer.

I introduced Resolution 12-62 to get discussions going on how consumers should be rewarded for deploying their own independent power supply. The resolution should not be construed as a guise to be against the electric company, but rather as a means to find out how we can get the fox out of the hen house.

A town hall meeting is scheduled from 6 to 8:30 p.m. May 29 at Ewa Makai Middle School. The school is located at 91-6291 Kapolei Parkway.

The meeting will feature prominent guest speakers who are knowledgeable about how we can implement a better relationship with the electric company and turn that effort into savings for the consumer.

There is a petition out there circulating to address the opinion that there is a monopoly on electricity and that such a monopoly should be dismantled. To check out that petition effort, click here.

HART VOTE MARCH 21

The vote on the three Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) Bills:

31,32,33 - was EIGHT in favor and ONE opposed . . . with myself being the only NO vote.

I will not condone the outrageous salary for the executive director of HART ($321k with all the perks per year - and it cost taxpayers $150,000.00 for that one job search position alone to be filled - executed on the mainland because HART believed no one locally was smart enough or talented enough to run HART - that only someone from the mainland possessed the capabilities to play the figurine of head honcho).

I will not support the HART budget with the frivolous downtown office rental space included to house some 90 HART personnel to promote rail propaganda; not support the reckless contracts to Ansaldo and other companies that are giving jobs to foreigners and mainlanders over our own talented workers; not support the payment for trinkets to indoctrinate our citizenry with misinformation and false hopes; and, I will not approve of a HART budget that has to borrow money because the feds have not kicked in their share, or approve of any budget for HART that takes one penny away from the bus, handi-van and the like - which this budget proposes.
The biggest risk thus far taken by HART in my opinion, is proceeding on this project with three lawsuits still pending . . . but as HART stated, if you believe this - it will be better for the taxpayer to build it and tear it down later if need be than wait to do it right from the beginning. Someone please ask Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty to come to Honolulu and sing - "Stop Dragging My HART Around."