Ethics

Washington, DC — Congressman Charles K. Djou (HI-01) appeared on MSNBC today with guest host Cenk Uygur to discuss the current economy, today’s disappointing jobs numbers and the need to create more private sector jobs by enacting pro-growth policies.

Here's the real reason: "Sen. Clayton Hee, in opposition, raised concerns about whether Leonard would be open enough to Native Hawaiian rights. A court that strictly follows the rule of law may not have led to the recognition of customary Hawaiian rights, he said."

Congressman Djou articulated his concerns about the impact of Micronesian immigration to Hawaii on the City and County of Honolulu and the State of Hawaii's social service programs. Congressman Djou and Ambassador George both acknowledge that the status quo is not working.

Washington- The Obama White House promised this would be a summer of economic recovery, but after another disappointing month of high unemployment it is evident that is simply not the case. Now, Hawaii families can add another false promise to their growing list of grievances against Colleen Hanabusa's out-of-touch Democrat friends, whose runaway spending addiction has led the economy astray. With unemployment standing at 9.5 percent and over 130,000 jobs lost last month, Hawaii families are feeling burned by Hanabusa's Washington friends, whose trillion-dollar stimulus has failed to bring them out of this jobless recovery.

But Pelosi agreed to offer her support when the Abercrombie camp sought to counter a tough ad that attacked Abercrombie’s attendance record in the House, his March resignation from Congress to run for governor, and calls him a “follower.”   (Gee. I wonder where they got THAT idea?)

“His early resignation cost President Obama critical support for healthcare and Wall Street reform,” the ad says. “Neil says to look at his record. We agree.”

Three months after Rep. Charles Djou (R-Hawaii) won a key special election in one of the blue state's two House districts, the RGA is signaling that it thinks it can win that state's governor's race too.

The TV and radio ads are 100 percent positive and don't mention Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona's (R) Democratic opponents. They feature Aiona himself and talk about his efforts to control drugs in the state.

This Tuesday voters in Missouri, by a 40-point margin, approved a ballot measure rejecting the individual mandate at the core of President Barack Obama's health care law. Asked what the vote meant to the White House, press secretary Robert Gibbs said: "Nothing." Yesterday in San Francisco, federal judge Vaughn Walker gave the exact same weight to a California ballot measure that affirmed marriage as an institution between one man and one woman. Specifically Judge Walker overturned the California Marriage Protection Act after concluding, as a matter of fact, that the majority of Californians who voted to protect marriage were bigots who had no rational basis to define marriage on their own terms.

JUDGE: THE RIGHT TO MARRY PROTECTS AN INDIVIDUAL’S CHOICE OF MARITAL PARTNER REGARDLESS OF GENDER...

DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIPS DO NOT SATISFY CALIFORNIA’S OBLIGATION TO ALLOW PLAINTIFFS TO MARRY...

Could Sen. Dan Inouye be next?  The US Senate equivalents of the Waters charges could easly be brought to bear against him if the political will exists.  While Waters was allegedly seeking help for her husband’s bank, Inouye allegedly sought help for Central Pacific Bank.  At the time, CPB stock made up an estimated 66% of Inouye’s personal net worth.

Adoption of national standards by states appears to be only an attempt to gain federal grants—not real reform. But in taking Washington’s money, are states sacrificing their educational autonomy for short-term budgetary security?

Just two-and-a-half months after winning his special election in HI-01, a new poll from Rep. Charles Djou's (R) camp shows he starts the general election in a rather strong position. In the survey, Djou led state Senate Pres. Colleen Hanabusa (D) 50-42%.

Aloha State conservatives still have a 7% edge—28% to 21%--over liberals.  Hawaii’s 47% of self-identified moderates tops the nation. 

Mainland gay activists are doing everything they can to make sure that Hawaii remains under the thumb of child-molester advocate Rep Joe Bertram (D-Kihei) and HB444 sponsor Rep Blake Oshiro (D-Aiea).  The multi-million dollar Washington, DC-based Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund names Oshiro as one of its “featured candidates” pumping mainland gay money into Oshiro’s campaign as he faces off against a strong Democrat Primary challenge from Honolulu Councilmember Gary Okino, a firm opponent of HB444.

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle today heralded the designation of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a World Heritage Site, as another major milestone in the continuing effort to protect and preserve one of the most historically and culturally significant resources of Hawai‘i.  Papahānaumokuākea was inscribed as a World Heritage site at approximately 3:30 p.m. HST on Friday, July 30, 2010.

Hawai‘i has become one of the least business-friendly states in America. Having served in the Hawai‘i State House and on the Honolulu City Council, I know that we cannot continue to punish businesses and still provide for a prosperous Hawai‘i.

But the anti-business policies that I fought in state and local government are dwarfed by the tax-and-spend agenda that I am battling in the United States Congress. It seems that for every problem facing our nation, the government’s answer is to spend and spend some more.

President Obama has quietly been reworking the country’s education system, doing an end-run around normal legislative procedure. With the U.S. Department of Education’s (DOE) funding doubled thanks to the so-called "stimulus," the Administration has little need or incentive to bother negotiating its education agenda through Congress. Instead, the DOE is using that windfall of funding and power to stage a significant overhaul of local schools; dangling grant money before cash-strapped states on the condition they adopt key pieces of the Obama education agenda.

Lambda legal staff attorney Tara Borelli: “Because of the way Hawaii’s constitution was amended in 1998, that amendment reserves for the legislature, the decision about whether to allow marriage equality for same-sex couples. So we aren’t able to ask the court for marriage equality, it’s a case instead that seeks access to the complete package of legal tools to protect families.”

Hawaii state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, who split the Democratic vote with former Rep. Ed Case in the May special election, is the party's presumptive nominee against Djou.

"We now have sweetness and light in Hawaii — or at least we don't have a lot of darkness," Hoyer said.

In what appears to be a deliberate new strategy, gay legal groups are targeting some of the states that have banned marriage by constitutional amendment. In Montana, (and now Hawaii) the ACLU sued the state for equal rights on behalf of several same-sex couples, arguing that even if marriage was foreclosed by law, the equality principles in the constitution still require that Montana offer all the rights and benefits of marriage to gay couples, short of the name itself.

Congressman Djou’s amendment would’ve restored, through offsets, the necessary funding to one of the largest movements of military assets in decades while helping to maintain a robust military presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

Congressman Djou’s amendment would’ve increased funding for military construction projects necessary to realign Marine Corps forces to Guam.  The funds would come from offsets within H.R. 5822....

Washington, DC — Congressman Charles K. Djou (HI-01) gave the following speech today from the floor of the U.S. House, advocating for a stronger and deeper relationship with the Republic of Korea...

Sen. John Cornyn,R-Texas – who co-sponsored MOVE – wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on July 26 saying he is concerned that the Department of Justice is allowing states to opt out of the new law. ...

"... according to recent information, the Department of Justice has expressed reluctance to protect the civil rights of military voters under the new law. All our men and women in uniform deserve a chance to vote this November, and the Obama administration bears responsibility for ensuring that they have it.

The Congressional Budget Office employs talented economists whose job it is to study every aspect of every bill and predict how much each will cost – or how much each will save – years into the future.

They are good, but they are not infallible soothsayers. Economic predictions that are off just a little in a year can become wildly inaccurate over the course of decades.... 

When costs are higher than or savings lower than predicted, the Truth in Spending Act creates a fast-track process to reduce excess costs through legislation.

“Hawai‘i’s Race to the Top application represents a collaborative effort among our Administration, the Hawai‘i Department of Education, non-profit organizations, legislators and community leaders."

“To stimulate the economy and help small businesses, I am proud to join my colleagues in co-sponsoring the Small Business Assistance and Relief Act. Whoever is in the majority—whether Democrats or Republicans—we need fiscal responsibility in Washington, D.C. and tax relief for every working family and small business to get our economy moving again.”

H.R. 5554, the Small Business Assistance and Relief Act, will help small businesses thrive by providing tax relief, reducing regulatory burden and boosting lending in the currently tight credit environment.

“After supporting a Democrat agenda that has buried Hawaii taxpayers under a mountain of reckless government spending and record-high debt, it looks like Colleen Hanabusa could once again support a job killing tax hike that would devastate the economy even further,” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain. “Small businesses are looking for some much-needed relief, but all they’re getting from Washington is the uncertainty that comes from the Democrats’ harmful agenda. If Hanabusa can’t finally stand up against the Democrats’ tax-hiking agenda, it will prove once and for all that her loyalties do not lie with Hawaii businesses and families.”

“Raising $3.8 trillion in new taxes at any time is a bad idea. Raising these taxes in the middle of an economic downturn is a terrible idea. The current majority in Congress has spent hundreds of billions of dollars to try and turn around the economy with the so-called ‘stimulus’ package. It has utterly failed.”

In 2009 the US House Energy and Commerce Committee nailed Sandwich Isles as one of the nation’s “10 worst abusers” of Universal Service Fund (USF) tax dollars—which every telephone customer pays with their monthly phone bill.

SIC’s cables run to Hawaiian Homelands properties-most of which are unoccupied and are not going to be occupied anytime soon.  The cost per actual user of broadband services is estimated at $278,000 per customer.

The legislation penalizes entities that assist Iran in importing refined petroleum or in maintaining or expanding Iran’s domestic refining capacity. These sanctions penalize foreign financial institutions that do business with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, aid Iran’s nuclear program or support Iran’s sponsorship of terrorism. I was proud to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in supporting these sanctions.  

The bill that I co-sponsored has now become law, signed by the President on July 1, 2010.  

The DoE is paying millions of dollars to contractors for software when equal or superior alternatives are available elsewhere at lower cost--often free of charge. This wasteful spending is the direct result of the cozy, revolving door relationship between the contractors and the DoE officials who direct business their way.

Hawaii’s natural advantages continue to mask its political failings.

Setting snark aside, there is a real issue here: Is it appropriate for a state to require parents to declare their races so they can be stamped on to their children’s birth certificates, where they will remain in perpetuity? As of 1993, only five states had such policies in place. Now, over 15 years later, we have a multiracial president in the White House. Is it still necessary to insist upon racial identification on birth certificates — or is it time to discard such policies as outdated and counterproductive?

What valid purposes are served by such policies? Don’t they just exacerbate the problem of excessive race-consciousness in this country? To quote the wise words of Chief Justice John Roberts, “[t]he way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.” And the way to stop discriminating on the basis of race is to stop knowing or caring what race a person is. [FN1]

VIDEO of Djou interviewed on Fox News...

“With the economy reeling from an unprecedented national debt and an unsustainable addiction to expanding the size and spending of government, and with traditional values mocked and marginalized by an unaccountable, out-of-control Congress, we must bring sanity back to Washington, D.C.  More than any other Beltway politician, Daniel Inouye personifies the Pelosi-Reid Congress’s big spending, anti-family agenda. If we are to repair our economy and restore our nation, the reign of Daniel Inouye must end.”

Hanabusa said that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's preference for former Rep. Ed Case (D) in the special election was based on "bum information" in an interview with the Fix Monday. "I'm president of the Senate. I'm not a neophyte when it comes to understanding political alignments and misalignments," she added.  (Is that why she "aligned" with Mehau against Bronster?)

The Aloha State may be renowned as one of the most beautiful states in the Union, but that beauty comes at significant cost: the average Hawaiian paid out $1,010 in state taxes in the first quarter of the year, the highest of any state. The two biggest components to the state's revenues were income and excise taxes. 

Here are some questions for Abercrombie and Caraway:

At first blush, Hawaii’s First Congressional District doesn’t look like a potential Blue to Red conversion target. Obama did carry HI01 by a lopsided 70-28 percent spread, but that margin seems to be grossly distorted in favor of Honolulu’s Favorite Son. President Obama was born and spent some of his schoolboy years in this very district. 

Djou’s Honolulu-based district is historically Democratic, but it is not utterly inhospitable to Republican candidates. As the Washington Examiner’s senior Political Analyst Michael Barone mentions in his Almanac of American Politics, HI01 is home to “many military families in modest neighborhoods who may vote for Democrats but can be attracted to Republicans.”  

“Mr. Speaker, the American people expect Congress to act responsibly and to be trustworthy. But how can this happen when this Congress has no plan?

“No plan for a budget. No plan to create jobs. No plan to turn around our economy other than to spend, spend, and spend some more of the people’s money.

“We spent more than a trillion dollars to ‘create jobs,’ but as of yet our unemployment rate still languishes at over 9.5%. Our nation is plagued with debt and not creating a budget further amplifies the problem."

...the recommendations center on creating a National Ocean Council to coordinate regulation of oceans and the Great Lakes, and on a principle of "ecosystem-based management" for marine areas….

The first draft of the policy, released in September, drew heavy criticism from some quarters, including industry and recreational anglers concerned that sport fishing might be restricted or banned.

Never has there been so little diversity within America's upper crust....  Today's ruling class, from Boston to San Diego, was formed by an educational system that exposed them to the same ideas and gave them remarkably uniform guidance, as well as tastes and habits. These amount to a social canon of judgments about good and evil, complete with secular sacred history, sins (against minorities and the environment), and saints. Using the right words and avoiding the wrong ones when referring to such matters -- speaking the "in" language -- serves as a badge of identity. ... America's ruling class speaks the language and has the tastes, habits, and tools of bureaucrats. It rules uneasily over the majority of Americans not oriented to government.

Despite having served for less than two months, Hawaii Congressman Charles K. Djou is influencing national policy in Washington.  He has rapidly become one of the most active and outspoken representatives in the U.S. today.

If Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) pulls the trigger and moves to proceed to the bill, Senator Murkowski may be the 60th vote to join liberal Democrats to break a filibuster....

 A source that closely follows progress of the Native Hawaiian bill tells Red State Insider that “despite the recent spinning and posturing in the press, the likelihood of the (Native Hawaiian Bill) passing in the Senate this year is nil … unless .. a few votes can be wrangled from the Republican side to break any Republican (threat of a filibuster) and stop time-consuming amendments.”  The Senator who is tasked to round up votes is Murkowski, and sources tell me that she has been specifically tasked with rounding up the votes of the other three Republican women Senators. 

Thursday’s editorial in the Washington Post: “Wrong way in Thailand” highlights an issue of personal significance to Congressman Djou. He is the first Member of Congress of Thai descent and still has family living in Bangkok. 

Washington, DC — Congressman Charles K. Djou (HI-01) appeared on the CNBC program “Worldwide Exchange” to discuss, among other things, the flawed financial regulatory reform bill that passed the U.S. Congress, the ballooning national deficit and debt, and Congress’ failure to pass a budget.

“This is an important bill that has stalled in Congress for far too long. This legislation will re-authorize Title VIII of the Native American Housing and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA), which has been waiting for reauthorization since 2005. This legislation will expand opportunities for Native Hawaiians, particularly those of limited means, to access affordable housing. This is a good idea and will benefit not just Native Hawaiians, but to Hawaii as a whole.  I look forward to working with my colleagues in both parties to ensure that this legislation becomes law.”

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the so-called “stimulus,” was enacted in February of 2009 when the national unemployment rate was 8.2% and Hawaii’s unemployment rate was 6.3%. Today, unemployment is at 9.5% nationally and remains at 6.3% in Hawaii.

Congressman Charles K. Djou is entering the general election with a strong showing of support from 4,137 individual donors for the quarter that ended June 30, 2010. The Djou campaign raised $935,435 in the second quarter, receiving nearly $200,000 of that in the five weeks after his special election victory.  Djou has entered the third quarter with $379,046 on hand.

Washington, DC — Congressman Charles K. Djou (HI-01) today expressed his concern regarding the municipal waste buildup in Honolulu to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and received verbal assurance that the matter would be resolved as quickly as possible.