Ethics

Last week President Barack Obama's most recently minted czar, Special Advisor to the President for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Elizabeth Warren, spoke to 400 bankers at the swanky Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, DC. Her message, according to The Washington Post: "Behave, play nice, and we'll get along just fine." Specifically, Warren promised to take a more "principles-based approach" to regulation, rather than clearly articulating "thou shalt not" rules that banks could rely on.

[Colleen Hanabusa]  "I can tell you right now, in government I don't think there's waste, per se.”

[Charles Djou] "You know that's not true. Our government is wasting billions of dollars. We may be the first generation in American history to leave the next worse off.

“Today marks the start of a new Federal fiscal year.  Congress just closed one of the most fiscally irresponsible sessions in modern American history, spending an inordinate amount of money, running an unprecedented budget deficit—without turning the economy around."

Abercrombie attempted to drive up the cost of an important work project on Guam that is expected to create 15,000 jobs by forcing them to pay exorbitant wages, making the project unaffordable.  Even Senator Inouye came out against Abercrombie’s proposal saying it would “shut local businesses” out of work.

No surprise that since 1991 Abercrombie has voted with the Democratic Party 92 percent of the time, and in the last Congress 98.5 percent.... But which legislation did he vote “Nay” on when his own Democratic Party (and Republicans) voted “Yea”?

...former American Civil Liberties Union attorney Christopher Coates, testified before the Commission. He not only confirmed that Fernandes ordered DOJ attorneys only to enforce "traditional types of [voter intimidation] cases that would provide political equality for racial and minority language voters" but also informed DOJ attorneys that it was the policy of the Obama administration not to enforce anti-voter fraud laws since Obama "was not interested in that type of issue, but instead interested in issues that pertained to voter access."

“The fact that travelers are choosing Hawai‘i for their vacation is a reflection of the hard work and cooperative efforts between this Administration, private sector businesses and the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority.  The tourism outreach that has been undertaken by this Administration includes working with the airlines to increase airlift into our state and continued infrastructure improvements at our airports through the airports modernization plan."

Last night, even though I was in Washington, D.C., I was able to talk with over 3,000 residents in my district, my "bosses" in Hawaii's First Congressional District. I heard from you about your concerns on many issues: from jobs, to the economy, to taxes, healthcare and the size of government.

As Israel is in the fight for its people’s very survival, Congressman Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, has refused to support America’s important ally over the terrorist group, Hezbollah.

The resolution came after a series of reports in the media indicated there was a vast network of corrupt Democratic lawmakers engaging in pay-to-play schemes on behalf of the PMA Group. As indicated in the resolution, the Washington Post reported on February 14, 2009 that they “examined contributions that were reported as being made by [the firm’s] employees and consultants, and found several people who were not registered lobbyists and did not work at the lobbying firm.”

“No one denies that the current valuation of Chinese currency is troubling and remedial actions must be taken. While I support a free-floating currency exchange between the United States and China, this legislation will not affect the trade deficit and will not create American jobs. Instead, this bill would hurt more than it would help our nation and Hawai‘i.

“This measure will harm U.S.-China relations, hurt international commerce and, most troubling for Hawai‘i, impair the emerging Chinese visitor market in Hawaii."

At 20 minutes after midnight this morning, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) gaveled the House out of session, assuring that Congress will now adjourn until after the November elections without taking any action to stop the Obama tax hikes. Earlier in the day, 39 Democrats defied Speaker Pelosi and voted with the minority to keep the House in session until they could vote on the impending tax hikes.

When 34 Samoans were killed in a September 29, 2009 tsunami, Mufi Hannemann’s brother Afimutasi Gus Hannemann was front and center defending a Territorial Government which allegedly “created positions” with funds earmarked to install 30 tsunami warning sirens.

Congressman Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii awarded Pacific Biodiesel a $3.5 million earmark to try to grow fuel for the Army in Hawaii. It turns out the founder of Pacific Biodiesel is a co-chair of the Congressman's gubernatorial campaign.  The pattern is repeated over and over....

“The Community Awareness Act requires applicants for grant assistance under section 811 of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to hold public meetings regarding such applications. I introduced the legislation in response to recent events in the Ewa Gentry community, which is in my district. I hope that this legislation will receive bipartisan support and swift action.”

Abercrombie voted for higher taxes on Hawaii families, the bailout, failed stimulus - bonuses for Wall Street executives.  

In this economy, Mr. Abercrombie?

I want to relieve the tax burden on Hawaii families and small businesses, while Mrs. Hirono has already committed to drastically raising your taxes this coming January. I want to stop the incessant and reckless government spending that jeopardizes our children and grandchildren’s future, yet Mrs. Hirono advocates more ill-conceived, ill-advised, and ill-fated and costly deficit bailout schemes. And I want to create jobs for our high number of unemployed and underemployed workers, but Mrs. Hirono wants to continue making Hawaii families more and more dependent on government handouts.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan sent letters to 216 low-income families informing them that he was taking back the $7,500 in scholarship money that the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program had previously awarded them. Yesterday on NBC's TODAY Show, Obama admitted that daughters Sasha and Malia deserve better than D.C. public schools -- that's the reason he sends them to a tony private school with other Washington elites. So then why is Obama blocking other kids from the same opportunity?

"There is little evidence that voters are willing to throw Djou out of office after only a couple months on the job. A private Democratic poll showed the congressman leading by double digits. This race is not over, and Djou may even have the advantage.”

In her own words, Colleen Hanabusa said in one of her recent advertisements that she is the kind of politician that, “What you see is what you’ll get.” Since she asked for it, let’s take a look at her record…

The stakes couldn’t be higher for our nation at this moment. In the coming months, Americans will help choose which direction our nation’s future will take. Will the federal government continue to spend more, tax more, control more, and defend our liberties less? Or will we choose a new and bolder direction that returns power to the people? All indications are that we are approaching one of those pivotal moments in our political history, a tipping point. It will be a test of our national character.

“I encourage the Legislature to take immediate steps to repeal these two laws since they place federally funded public construction projects in Hawai‘i in jeopardy and could even subject the State to fines and penalties for violating federal procurement rules,” said Governor Lingle.  “In addition to the legality of an ambiguous residency quota and procurement preference, I vetoed these measures because they discourage job creation, delay and increase the cost of public construction projects, and stall our economic recovery.”

In classic Obama form, he mentioned the words "I," "me" or "my" 34 times, including this line about his efforts to stop Iran's nuclear weapons program: "Now let me be clear once more: The United States and the international community seek a resolution to our differences with Iran, and the door remains open to diplomacy should Iran choose to walk through it." As Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech just hours later would show, President Obama is gonna be waiting a long time.

The Freedom Award is the highest recognition given to employers for their support of their employees who also serve in the National Guard and Reserve. The Hawai‘i State Government was selected as one of only 15 employers from across the nation to receive the 2010 Freedom Award.  This is the first time a state is being recognized with the award.  A national selection board comprised of senior Defense officials and business leaders selects the award recipients.

"Judging from their most recent ad, it's clear National Democrats are rattled. They know the only way they can win is by trying to mislead the people of Hawaii. They know, and more importantly, the voters of Hawaii's First Congressional District know that my record is clear: I have supported measures that will put our fiscal house in order, create jobs and help our community."

“Some are asking ‘where is the local and national Democrats’ plan?’ and I remind them that it is already being implemented, and here in Hawaii has been the norm for over four decades.  Higher taxes and fees, more spending, bigger government, less liberty and doing whatever union bosses tell them to.  That’s the Democrat’s ‘Pledge.’  They should have the guts to put it on paper and roll it out the way Republicans have.”

The American people want, and our economy needs, more private sector jobs, not more public sector programs.  The Pledge to America answers this call.

“Instead of taking the simple step of offering small businesses the assurance that their taxes will not go up in a matter of months, this bill deepens our nation’s debt and provides no long-term incentives to create jobs. In fact, this bill permanently raises taxes by nearly $14.5 billion dollars. We cannot tax our way out of recession.

In her own words, Colleen Hanabusa said in one of her recent advertisements that she is the kind of politician that, “What you see is what you’ll get.” Since she asked for it, let’s take a look at her record…

It looks like Congress is going to scamper out of Washington, D.C. having done nothing to stop the largest tax hikes in history. In just 100 days, you will be paying higher taxes than you have in over a decade.  What does this mean for you, for your family, for your small business?

Congressman Djou spoke on the House floor in support of S.1055 (H.R. 347) – granting the Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, United States Army, in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II.

High-income residents of New York City and President Barack Obama’s home state of Hawaii would have the highest marginal tax rates in the U.S. if Congress adopts the president’s proposal to increase taxes for top earners....

Recent news has shown that the Democrats’ healthcare takeover continues to grow more unpopular among the American public as it stunts job growth, imposes even more new taxes, and strips working families of their existing healthcare coverage. While the White House once claimed to be campaigning on ObamaCare, it now appears that Democrats like Hanabusa are running away from the healthcare takeover that they once supported.

Before Obamacare was passed six months ago today, former President Bill Clinton promised a leftist horde at the Netroots Nation convention: "The minute the president signs the health care reform bill, approval will go up, because Americans are inherently optimistic." Fast forward to last Sunday, when, after Meet the Press host David Gregory played a clip of Clinton's promise, the former President responded: "I was wrong."

In town halls and on public squares, in every corner of this country, people have gathered and spoken out – in small groups and larger crowds, through phone calls and in letters, through websites and new technologies. Though these petitions come from different walks, their message is uniform: Washington has not been listening. Politicians in Washington have imposed an agenda that doesn’t reflect the priorities of the people. What’s worse, the most important decisions are made behind closed doors, where a flurry of backroom deals has supplanted the will of the people. It’s time to do away with the old politics: that much is clear. It’s not enough, however, to swap out one set of leaders for another. Structure dictates behavior, so we have drafted this blueprint on a process of listening to the American people and fielding their concerns and ideas for turning things around.

Washington, DC — Congressman Charles K. Djou (HI-01) appeared on CNBC’s “Worldwide Exchange” this morning to discuss the departure of Larry Summers from the White House, the failed economic policies of this Administration and the current majority in Congress and what needs to be done to achieve economic growth. Clip and excerpts below....

Instead of listening to his generals, Obama drew up his own strategy calling for only 30,000 troops, denying Mrs. Young's son the "safety in numbers" she so desperately wanted. After the Pentagon kept trying to reopen the President's decision, Obama reportedly lost his poise, saying, "Why do we keep having these meetings?" and "I'm done doing this!"

When you are losing—you want distractions.

When you are winning—you do not want distractions.

We are winning at present. -- we should remain the “focus like a laser on spending” movement.

Reid bypassed usual Senate procedure and included "the DREAM Act" in the defense bill. The DREAM Act creates a "path to citizenship" for illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. before the age of 16, have lived here for 5 years, and either serve in the military or attend college. But the bill also prohibits the government from deporting anyone who has even filed an application for the program. This essentially gives amnesty to anyone who applies regardless of whether they actually qualify for the act's protections. Worse, the program would also allow applicants to sponsor their immediate family members for a green card.

Contrary to what you hear from the White House, the Obama tax hikes do not just hit the wealthy. Economic life at all levels is so tightly interwoven that tax increases for one segment of the population will ultimately affect everyone. Nearly everyone will pay something, either in lower income, higher interest rates or more expensive products...

Today, as we embark on the next phase of our campaign, we are launching a new television commercial entitled "Making A Difference."

It highlights my work in the short time I've been privileged to serve you as your congressman.

"I am humbled that the voters of Hawaii's First Congressional District have placed their trust in me. Once again, the voters have spoken: the status quo in Hawaii and in Congress is unacceptable and they want change. Over the next 45 days, I look forward to taking our message of fiscal responsibility and government accountability to all parts of this Congressional district and earning the people's trust to represent them in the U.S. House."

1) Pay-for-play politics with military contractors and other contributors

2) Efforts to organize dependency groups controlled by political cronies and put them in control of "land and assets" (Akaka Bill)

3) Efforts to undermine the traditional family and marriage, and efforts to extend "hate crimes' protection to pedophiles

4) Consistent support for socialized medicine, Carbon Tax and other tax increases.

5) Consistent opposition to Israel and advocacy on behalf of the foreign policy interests of Islamist terrorist groups.

The Universal Service Fund (USF) is that pesky tax on your phone bill that subsidizes connections for rural or lower-income households. The multibillion-dollar fund has caught enormous flak over the years for waste, fraud and abuse. And amid an ongoing and much-needed debate in Congress on how to reform the USF, the Federal Communications Commission is set to rule any day on the future of one small, politically connected company that built its entire business around receiving these taxpayer funds.

in approximately late 2007 and early 2008, federal authorities began conducting an investigation into allegations of bribes and kickbacks paid by vendors to officials of the American Samoa Government in connection with the government’s purchase of school bus parts and services.

Top women leaders from seven nations will gather in Waikīkī to share their personal and professional stories at the 7th annual International Women’s Leadership Conference (IWLC).  These remarkable women will each share their own incredible story of success in the hopes of inspiring audience members to move forward with their own hopes and dreams, while contributing to the community.

On September 17, we celebrate the creation of our Constitution, one of the greatest governing documents ever conceived by the hand of man. This is the day we commemorate the birth of the United States as a nation, based on the rule of law and dedicated to the preservation of personal liberty, political freedom, economic opportunity, and the natural rights with which we are all endowed by our Creator.

But 223 years after the formal signing of the Constitution, our country stands at a dangerous crossroads....