My purpose is to help show people all of the information that the government puts on the web for their benefit. There’s a wealth of information out there, but the average citizen doesn’t know it exists, or where to find it. My motto is “You support the government, the government supports you.” Let me be your guide to finding that information on the web. As I’m based in Hawaii, most, but not all, of the information I provide will cover Hawaii state and county services.
New! Signing up for Social Security Benefits Online (Week of March 16, 2009) I asked my mother what government service she would most like to see on line, and with a moment of hesitation, she said, “social security.” I was pleased to find out that the Social Security Administration has a great website, ssa.gov, with some videos of its own. I’ll provide a link for you to the main page here, but I also wanted to provide you with a bonus video – how to estimate your social security benefits and apply for them online.
New! Signing up online for your drivers’ license road test (Week of February 23, 2009 – delay due to technical issues): Do you remember the bad old days of trying to get an appointment for a road test for your drivers’ license? For some of you, the bad old days might still be today, because you are still getting up at 3 am to stand in line for a next-day appointment for your road test. The City & County of Honolulu has heard your pain and has enabled an online system that shows you which road test locations have open slots. You can then sign up right on line – it’s click and go magic.
Submitting Testimony to the Legislature Online (Week of February 9, 2009): We are in the thick of the legislative session, which has featured such controversial bills as a bill supporting civil unions, red light cameras, and shipping homeless people from the mainland back to the mainland. My previous videos have covered topics such as finding bills, reading their status sheets, and finding the text of bills. The legislature has implemented a new feature for 2009, submitting testimony via an online form. It’s so easy to use, and I’d like to show you how to access it.
Finding Out About Contractors, Part II (Week of February 2, 2009): As I mentioned last time, I have an old house that needs fixing from time to time, Right not, for example, I need some new windows installed. How do I figure out which contractor has a good reputation – currently licensed, in good standing, no complaints? The DCCA (Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs) website can help you answer that question. This video is a follow-up to the first ine, which showed you how to find out basic information about a contractor. Now let’s dig a little deeper!
Checking Your Contractor, part 2
Finding Out About Contractors, Part 1 (Week of January 19, 2009): I have an old house. It needs a lot of work. Somethings I do myself – paint, plaster, and caulk. I also can replace screens snagged by enthusiastic cats. However, some work I know if just beyond me. I don’t mess with electricity or plumbing, and I am not strong enough to replace windows on my own. So what do I do? Well, I turn to a handyman or a contractor, depending on the job. Sometimes a handyman will do, and that’s who I used to install my ceiling fans, for example. But when I had a new shower stall put in? Contractor all the way. In this week’s video (part 1 of two parts), I show you how to start your investigation online of a potential contractor so you know that whoever you chose is licensed and has a clean record. This episode will finish up next week.
Checking on Your Contractor
Week of January 12, 2009: This week, we’re back at the Legislature! Next week is opening day, and the 60 day session just zooms along after that. In this video, I will show you how to find the timetable for the session, a link to the legislative hearing broadcasts, how to find your own legislators, what the various acronyms mean, and much more. If you’re just finding your way to this site, you may want to go back to the first entries on this blog, which cover how to find bills and committee reports, how to find hearing notices, how to read status sheets, and how to submit testimony on a bill.
Additional info on the legislature's website
Week of January 5, 2009: What do fertilizer, bug spray, and paint have in common? They are all items often found in the home, and which need to be disposed of properly if they are not all used up. Did you know that these three items (in addition to many others) are considered hazardous household watse and are not supposed to be put in the trash? Come explore, in this easy to understand video, which items can be disposed of in the regular trash and which cannot, and how to dispose of those that can’t simply be put in the trash. We live on an island. We drink from its water table. We need to know this.
Disposing of hazardous household waste
Week of December 29, 2008: Yeah, you got a ticket. Maybe you were a little mad and you didn’t pay it right away, or maybe you got a little distracted and tossed it in a pile of mail and it got misplaced for a while. Now you’ve got the ticket in your hands, and maybe you’re a little nervous about whether the payment would get there in time if you mailed it in. Hey, no problem – take care of it by paying your traffic ticket online. Click on the link below to see the video that will show you how.
Paying Traffic Fines Online
Week of December 22, 2008: With all the rain recently, who hasn’t seen an increasing number of potholes? The media have been covering stories of cars losing control as they swerve either to avoid potholes or after hitting them. Expensive and scary! The county and state governments will fill potholes – but they need to know about them first. Watch this week’s video to find out how to report potholes online. The video will also cover reporting another common irritation – reporting abandoned vehicles online.
Potholes and abandoned vehicles
Week of December 15, 2008: I had a friend whose family was contacted by a California PI firm, which said their deceased uncle who died intestate (without a will) had left some property for the heirs. The firm told the heirs that hey had to all sign a contract promising the firm 30% of the recovery before the firm would tell them how much it was, or how to collect it. I did some sleuthing for my friend and found out how this information could be obtained by her and her family for free. Then I wondered if we had the same set-up in Hawaii, and did some research. We do, thanks to the state government! See this week’s video, December 15, 2008, on locating abandoned property and make sure you’re not ripped off.
Finding unclaimed property
Week of December8, 2008: What good is being able to find all this information about bills if you can’t find out where the hearing is or how to submit testimony? Watch this week’s video and find out how to find and read hearing notices for bills.
Hearing notices for bills
Week of December 1, 2008: This week I cover how to find the latest (or any) version of a bill, and how to find the committee reports that will tell you who testified on the bill, what changes were made, and how they affected the bill. This is a very easy thing to do, once someone shows you how to decode all the acronyms. Let me show you how. Click on the link below to go to the video.
Finding bills and committee reports icon
Week of November 24, 2008: This week I cover bill status sheets. Ever want to find out what was happening to a bill during the Hawaii legislative session, but didn’t know where to look? Ever tried to figure out after session what happened to a bill you supported, or opposed? The Hawaii state legislature’s website contains all the tools you need to figure this out. Join me in this video on Bill Status sheets, and I’ll show you where a bill’s status sheet is, and how to decipher it. Whether you’re a paid lobbyist, a citizen lobbyist, or just interested in finding this out for yourself, this video will show you how it’s done. Click on the link to go to the bill status video page.
Status sheets video link
Week of November 17, 2008: For the inaugural week of this video blog, I want to give you a quick tour of the legislature’s website. There’s so much available there now – everything from the current version of a bill to its committee reports, from the hearing notices to the testimony submitted. Let me give you a a guided tour and help you make sense of it all.
legislature website tour video
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