Entries for 'Rep Charles Djou '

"Congress needs to follow up on this presidential trip by passing trade promotion authority to conclude a free-trade agreement across Asia and the Pacific”

"...A few days ago, I announced that I would run for the open seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.  The response has been nothing short of amazing and truly humbling...."

You deserve to have someone in Washington, DC, who will fight for our country, our children and our future – to create jobs, and make sure people can afford to live in our beautiful state....

...these soldiers, who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, will return home this week to a nation that initially refused to pay their families the military death benefit....

In both percentage and numerical terms, the Hawaii Legislature has fewer Republicans in its ranks than non-communists in communist China’s National People’s Congress....

May God bless you, the State of Hawaii and the United States of America....

...our internal polls have us with a slight lead....

Even when given a softball question on finding common ground between the political parties, Colleen Hanabusa, actually stated, "I'm not quite sure what you mean by common ground."

During my tour of duty in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, one of the most profound things I saw was the first day of school.

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I did not, however, have the heart to share with the Afghan governor that in my home state, less than 40% of those people eligible to vote actually vote....

Hanabusa avoided debating at a Waikiki Neighborhood Board forum moderated by KHON's Tami Mori.... Today, she avoided debating at a forum moderated by former KHNL anchor Diane Ako hosted by the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association....

...our opponent is one of the most liberal and hyper-partisan lawmakers in the United States. She was ranked as the 14th most-partisan Democrat of the 435 U.S. House members....

...she actually argued that the main problem in the economy is public confidence and that if you would only have more confidence in your government, our economy would improve....

Hanabusa said she doesn't condone the practice, but will gladly continue to accept all the money and political help that comes from it.

We are on the same treacherous fiscal path as Greece, Italy and Spain....

We need to elect leaders who are more concerned about America than their political party and will put aside partisan differences to work together to solve our nation's problems. 

... over $50,000 for every American - including our children ....

Last night...our opponent immediately turned to name calling and finger pointing to define us. But that is exactly what is wrong with politics today. There are too many politicians who just want to point out problems and too few who want to find solutions.

Yesterday, I joined my former congressional colleague Brian Baird (D-WA) in an extended interview with the Washington Post. Brian and I discussed whether Congress can still compromise.

The City hired PB Americas to plan this rail system. The City’s Transportation Director is a former senior executive at PB Americas and his wife is still an employee of PB Americas. The consulting engineering firm the City hired to monitor PB Americas, Infraconsult, was founded by former executives at PB Americas....

During my tour of duty, I had the privilege of serving with several Afghan translators. One translator in particular stood out for me. This translator regularly went out on the most dangerous patrols with our U.S. soldiers and took enormous risks to help our mission succeed....

... bureaucrat-focused, DC-centered approach based on bigger government is not what is right for Hawaii, or the nation ....

...sustainable job growth is not going to come from a few big corporations hiring hundreds of people. Job growth is going to come from lots and lots of small businesses....

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As someone who has served both as a Member of Congress and as a soldier under NATO command in Afghanistan, I have a unique perspective on NATO’s role and future....

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"I'm glad to see this small business bill pass the House, with the support of 18 Democrats, and disappointed that Congresswoman Hanabusa voted against it," stated Former Congressman Charles K. Djou....

 According to Opensecrets.org ....

After having served in Afghanistan, after serving with real American heroes, I know that the problems and issues facing our community and our country can be fixed through solid leadership and by each and every one of us coming together to do our small part. 

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"A serious run for U.S. Congress will require more than $1 million in campaign funds. Your early support will help us to kick this campaign off right."

 At stake is whether our children will find good jobs, whether our families will be able to stay in Hawai‘i, whether we will have the resources to protect our environment and provide the social services we pledged to provide.

...good government means more than just saying what people want to hear. It means identifying problems that concern our community and proposing constructive solutions....

Tomorrow, look for a new editorial in Pacific Business News on problems with fiscal responsibility in our government.

As we look forward to 2012, I remain disappointed with our delegation's adherence to a partisan agenda that places party loyalty above the best interests of Hawaii's residents and our nation. If we are to protect and advance Hawaii's best interests in our nation's capital, we need a balanced delegation with representatives who can and will work with both Republicans and Democrats alike....

...the East-West Center is under fire again, as Congress is looking at completely eliminating the center. The House Foreign Affairs Committee recently voted to wipe out the UH based facility. The center might again be saved in the U.S. Senate, but these difficulties will continue as long as Hawaii continues to send a one-sided and unbalanced delegation to Congress that is unable to speak with the new GOP majority in the U.S. House.... 

On rail, the current and previous city administration and city councils have shown anything but real leadership. Given the philosophy of government by polling at Honolulu Hale, we should get rid of the mayor's office and the city council. Instead, we could save a lot of money by just retaining a good polling company and have the polling firm lead our community.

"I wish Mazie well in her effort to seek higher elective office. It was my pleasure to have served with her in Congress and to have represented her as a congressman and city councilmember."

With Hawaii now experiencing the highest gasoline prices in history, it is baffling that the politicians in the City government are actually contemplating an increase in the gasoline tax.

The last time Hawaii had a real conversation about reforming the civil service system was in 1999 lead by then Democrat Governor Ben Cayetano.

In the current Libya crisis...leadership has come from the president… of France.

Hawaii’s elected officials are ready to tackle every issue - except job creation and the deficit.  The first major action taken by the Hawaii State Senate was to become the only legislative chamber in the United States to eliminate the invocation.  The legislature has confronted issues ranging from decriminalization of marijuana, civil unions, bingo on Hawaiian Homelands and banning the sale of toy guns. 

The Obama-style politics and the youthful 2010 class of freshmen Republicans in the U.S. House might be a passing fad or it might become a lasting trend.  Hawaii has sent a congressional delegation that is betting the modern movement toward a much quicker internet dominated system of governing, based on transparency rather than pork, is temporary and our nation will eventually return to the 20th Century seniority centric system of quiet machine based power-dealing.  The American people will render the verdict on Hawaii’s bet in the next couple of years.

Former Rep. Djou served on the House Armed Services Committee with Rep. Gifford.  The two of them co-sponsored the Truth-in-Spending bill in the 111th Congress and co-authored editorials together advocating for restraint in Federal government spending.  Djou and Gifford’s bipartisan cooperative relationship was a subject on televised debates in Hawaii and Arizona.

I believe that a vibrant two-party democracy is better at preserving liberty than monolithic one-party rule.

I believe that open and responsive elected officials are better at ensuring an accountable government than an old-boy network.

Congressman Charles Djou gave the following speech as his final address the the U.S. House....

“I welcome the GAO’s decision to audit the federal funds that go to the COFA. I have been vocally calling for reforming this treaty throughout my campaign and time in Congress – this is a good first step."

“I applaud President Obama's compromise with the Republican leadership on taxes. Congress has dragged its feet for too long on this issue. I repeatedly stated my support for what is now the Obama compromise during the campaign and hope the Democrat leadership will finally agree.”