Schatz looking for a few good staff

Starting from scratch, new U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz has begun receiving applications for his staffs in Washington, D.C., and Hawaii offices, now until the deadline on Friday. The new Congress convenes Thursday.

Schatz said in a news release that he has "made good progress" in assembling his staff and is "looking for talented, energetic and public-minded people who want to serve their state and their country."

Applicants should send their resumes to senatorschatz.jobs@gmail.

This year’s congressional shakeup also means a new staff for newly elected U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and additions to the staff of Mazie Hirono, going to the Senate from the House.

Fiscal cliff has its advantages

This "fiscal cliff" thing was a deadline that was designed to be missed.

Think about it. There didn’t seem to be any possible agreement that wouldn’t involve raising taxes to some degree. And a fair-sized segment of the GOP-controlled House was dead-set against any such notion.

Once midnight passed, presto! Taxes have magically risen, and now the question is one of cutting them for at large proportion of the population. And everyone wants a hand in that action.

Imagine if we all were given a test with a due date, along with the promise that missing the deadline meant you get another shot at it, with half the answers filled in for you. Hawaii’s freshmen in Congress are probably thinking it’s not such a bad thing to be a newbie in Congress, with no fingerprints on budget deals, this time around.