Ethics

Washington, DC — Congressman Charles K. Djou (HI-01) issued the following statement after signing on as an original co-sponsor to H.R. 5658, the “Securing Knowledge, Innovation, and Leadership (SKIL) Act,” a bill that would make it easier to attract and keep the best minds from around the world....

The Obama Administration announced earlier today that:

“As in any military operation, the ability of U.S. forces to operate effectively in Afghanistan depends on affording the Commander in Chief the utmost flexibility and discretion.  If the final bill presented to the President contains provisions that would undermine his ability as Commander in Chief to conduct military operations in Afghanistan, the President’s senior advisors would recommend a veto.”

A June 21 Gubernatorial race poll showing Duke Aiona leading Mufi Hannemann by four points apparently set off a panicked frenzy of activity in the Star-Advertiser newsroom—but readers of the print edition would have no way of knowing....

Tarrant Group came out with a poll June 21 showing Aiona in the lead over Hannemann.  So Rasmussen paired questions about Aiona with questions about no-name GOP candidates such as John Roco running against Inouye in a poll rushed out three days later.  This linkage with no-name candidates—especially in a robo-call format--creates a pattern in the answers and depresses the Aiona numbers, thus stacking the poll and giving the Democrat Case family mouthpiece the results it wants.

Washington, DC — Congressman Charles K. Djou (HI-01) issued the following statement regarding his vote on the Conference Report for H.R. 4173, the so-called “Restoring American Financial Stability Act:”

“While I was lobbied extensively by mainland special interests, the opinions that I cared about most were those of my constituents. The responses I received from businesses and residents in my district were nearly unanimous: this bill will hurt Hawaii. I have consistently said Hawaii comes first and I will not support a bill that hurts Hawaii."

Washington, DC — Congressman Charles K. Djou (HI-01) has continued to lead a push in Congress to enact a languishing free trade agreement with the Republic of Korea. A week ago, Congressman Djou signed onto a bipartisan letter that was sent to the President, which affirms President Obama’s goal to double U.S. exports over the next five years and to promote U.S. trade with key allies.

Washington- After coming under fire for their failure to pass a budget, House Democrats are now looking to pass off a ‘deeming resolution’ as a real fiscal blueprint. This leaves Hawaii families wanting to know: Does Colleen Hanabusa support this deceitful plan? After already rubber-stamping a failed trillion-dollar stimulus, one would think that House Democrats would be more concerned with getting the economy back on track before the midterm elections. Instead, they have continued to give the green-light to the same big-spending, big-government policies that are responsible for driving the economy off the cliff.

Washington, DC — Congressman Charles K. Djou (HI-01) issued the following statement in response to the Administration’s announcement over the weekend at the G20 Summit in Toronto that it would push for the free trade agreement with the Republic of Korea currently languishing in Congress to be enacted....

...Theodore Olson didn’t acknowledge much less attempt to discredit any of this information. Instead, he simply pointed his finger at his close-minded, bigoted conservative colleagues and declared that “there is no good reason why we should deny marriage to same-sex partners.”

This time last year, Colleen Hanabusa's Washington friends rubber-stamped a job-killing national energy tax that would increase costs on everything from electricity bills to groceries. While it’s not surprising that the out-of-touch Democrat majority would vote for tax-increasing legislation, this one is particularly egregious. According to the Department of Treasury’s own admission, the national energy tax could pile on an additional $1,761 in new taxes to struggling middle-class families. This begs the question: Would Hanabusa have supported the national energy tax?

When leaders of the Hawaii Business Roundtable June 4 sent a letter to Governor Lingle calling on her to veto HB444, mainland homosexual activists swung into action, dispatching two operatives to Hawaii.   They are now pretending to have scored a victory. 

The Case family’s Star-Advertiser headline trumpets: “Group backtracks on civil unions”.  Case family ally Pierre Omidyar’s Civil Beat purports to explain: “Why the Roundtable Quieted Its Civil Unions Storm.”

The mis-named Human Rights Campaign cheers as “Hawaii Business Roundtable Revises Call For Veto of Civil Unions Bill.” 

But if one looks more closely, the revision is the opposite of what all of these gay marriage advocates make it seem. 

The Jones Act was an issue in the May 22 House special election in Hawaii: Both Republican winner Charles Djou and one of his two Democratic opponents charged that it benefited a handful of ship lines and unions at the expense of ordinary Hawaiians. Mr. Djou is preparing a bill to exempt Hawaii. If FedEx can move cargo across the country in European-made Airbuses, why can't a boat built in, say, Canada, ship wheat from Los Angeles to Honolulu? The Jones Act lobby crushed the last attempt at reform back in the 1990s.  May the next one meet with more success.

Washington, DC — Today, the U.S. House passed House Resolution 1464, which recognized the 50^th anniversary of the United States—Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security. This resolution, which was initially co-sponsored by former Rep. Neil Abercrombie, was the first piece of legislation passed of which Congressman Charles Djou (HI-01) was an original co-sponsor.

Washington - According to a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 63 percent of Americans are concerned about keeping the budget deficit down. With such a resounding majority of Americans clamoring to cut spending, this begs the question: Is Democrat candidate Colleen Hanabusa?

More than two years ago, then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton launched a campaign ad that took direct aim at Senator Barack Obama's inexperience. It painted the picture of a telephone ringing in the White House at 3 a.m. and asked the question, when there is a crisis in the world and your children are safe and asleep, "Who do you want answering the phone?"

Now, two years later, there are several crises confronting America, that telephone is ringing, and President Obama isn't quite sure what to do about it.

“I am confident that General David Petraeus will bring the necessary skills and vision to ensure a smooth transition in leadership. As we move forward, we must all re-commit ourselves to turning back al-Qaeda and the Taliban. For our men and women in uniform, this will mean continuing their exemplary work. For Congress, and particularly the members of the Armed Services Committee, this will mean ensuring our brave troops get the resources they need to secure victory in Afghanistan and return home safely."

In 2007 or 2008, then Portland Tribune reporter Nick Budnick made a public records request for the Portland police report, obtained it but the newspaper did not run a story….

In June 2010, the woman called police, asked for a copy of her statement….

On June 1, 2010 Al and Tipper Gore announced they would be separating.

This Jones Act is a 90-year old anachronistic law. It is basically protectionist legislation that limits ships operating in U.S. water to American-flagged vessels. Under normal circumstances in the past there might be some justification for this; but with the situation in the Gulf: we need to stop the spill, we need to clean up the mess and we need to do everything we can to hold BP accountable.

On the campaign trail, I pledged to listen to my constituents.  To that end, I asked my constituents about the issues that Congress is likely to vote on in the next few months.  I also held a live telephone “talk story” and had the privilege of hearing the thoughts and concerns of thousands of my constituents in the 1st congressional district.  I also plan on holding eight “talk stories” throughout the State in early July.

“The biggest concern I hear about on a regular basis from my constituents is the out-of-control spending in Washington, D.C.  We’re simply spending too much money on programs that don’t work with no plan to pay it back. This is irresponsible."

The Washington Post reports today that Gen. Stanley McChrystal, U.S. commander in Afghanistan, apologized for an upcoming article in Rolling Stone magazine that portrays him and senior officials on his team as dismissive of top Obama administration officials. As a result, General McChrystal has been summoned to the White House to explain his comments. It is a case of poor judgment on the part of the general and his staff to air comments on the character of senior civilian leaders to a reporter, but both the White House and the brass need to put this media gaffe aside and focus on the real problem - destroying al Qaeda, defeating the Taliban and helping establish an Afghanistan that can govern itself.

In order to avoid a vote on the record trillion-dollar deficits they are responsible for accumulating since taking office, Democrats have confirmed that they will be the first House majority that has failed to pass an annual budget resolution since the Congressional Budget Act was adopted in 1974.

  ILWU: Just another servant of Islamism.

 Rep. Djou At the Ewa Hongwangi Bon Dance

Alaska and Texas chose not to apply for Race to the Top funding because of the provision requiring adoption of national standards.

Both Minnesota and Virginia argue that their state standards are stronger than the proposed national standards supported with federal dollars.

But if the Obama administration has its way, states might not have a choice in the matter. The U.S. Education Department recently released a "blueprint" for reauthorizing No Child Left Behind. The blueprint language indicates the administration will try to tie $14.5 billion in money for low-income school districts to a state's adoption of national standards.

Federal law has also hampered the assistance. The Jones Act, the maritime law that requires all goods be carried in U.S. waters by U.S.-flagged ships, has prevented Dutch ships with spill-fighting equipment from entering U.S. coastal areas.

“What's wrong with accepting outside help?” Visser asked. “If there's a country that's experienced with building dikes and managing water, it's the Netherlands.”

Even if, three days after the rig exploded, it seemed as if the Dutch equipment and expertise wasn't needed, wouldn't it have been better to accept it, to err on the side of having too many resources available rather than not enough?

BP has been inundated with well-intentioned cleanup suggestions, but the Dutch offer was different. It came through official channels, from a government offering to share its demonstrated expertise.

To reinvigorate marriage in lower-income neighborhoods, Rector suggests, government could start by providing facts on the role of healthy marriages in reducing poverty and improving the well-being of children. Why not teach skills for selecting a wife or husband? Why not explain the importance of developing a stable marital relationship before bringing children into the world?

Nothing could be further from government practice. In social service agencies, welfare offices, schools and popular culture across America, what Rector calls "a deafening silence" reigns on the topic of marriage. The welfare system actively penalizes low-income couples who do get married. He adds:

For most on the Left, marriage is, at best, an antiquated institution, a red-state superstition. From this viewpoint, the real task is to expand government subsidies as a post-marriage society is built.

Continuing her mission in Asia, Governor Lingle is in Japan and met yesterday with Minister Seiji Maehara of Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).  The Governor thanked Maehara-san for his support of internationalizing Haneda Airport.  In October, Hawai`i will welcome daily flights by Hawaiian and Japan Airlines with the opening of the new runway at Haneda Airport.

On March 29, 2010, the first meeting of the Hawai‘i-Okinawa Task Force was held in Honolulu.  Top-level officials from the U.S. Department of Energy, Prefecture of Okinawa, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, New Energy Technology Department, Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, Hawai‘i State Energy Office, Department of Defense, and national laboratory representatives met to discuss the acceleration of renewable energy technologies and  energy efficiency, and evaluate the achievements of existing clean energy projects to enable the islands to be energy independent.  Initiation of several joint projects resulted from that meeting.

"Through the groundbreaking Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative, our state is leading the way toward an energy-secure and self-sufficient future," said Lt. Governor Aiona, who delivered the keynote address at the Hawai‘i-Okinawa Task Force meeting.

She was joined by Ann Wright, 63, of Honolulu, Hawaii, who wore a BP hard hat, overalls and sunglasses adorned with dollar signs.

"BP doesn't really care about this," she said, pulling out an oil-stained rubber ducky.

The Jones Act may also have played a role in delaying the construction of sand barriers to protect the fragile Louisiana coast. Mr. Visser, the Dutch consul, says American dredging companies, which lack the dike-building expertise of the Dutch, rebuffed Dutch offers of help, which might have meant running afoul of the Jones Act.

For the longer term, Mr. Djou is about to introduce a bill to exempt his home state of Hawaii from the law. Hawaii is hit hardest by the law because most goods arrive by sea. Despite the political power of unions locally, Mr. Djou is pressing forward.

The commission may go beyond the allegations made by the complainant if investigators feel there are any other irregularities.

“We could add additional counts to the complaint or file an additional complaint. At my discretion, I can file a complaint,” Wong said. “The commission has the opportunity to decide whether there is probable cause that a violation or violations occurred, whether to dismiss the complaint, whether to ask for additional investigation or whether to refer it to the prosecutor."

A prosecutor gets involved only in cases where willful or intentional violations are found. According to state statute any person who knowingly, intentionally or recklessly violates any provision of campaign spending law faces a misdemeanor. Anyone who knowingly or intentionally falsifies any report required with the intent to circumvent the law or deceive the commission faces a class C felony.

  The authors admit to working at Honolulu Hale.

In the evening, Governor Lingle was the honored guest of the China Diplomatic Friendship Association and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce banquet held in the Great Hall of the People, China's capitol building.  The special guest at this event was Lu Yong Xiang, vice chairman of the Chinese People’s National Congress and head of the Chinese National Academy of Sciences.  Vice Chairman Lu recently returned from visiting Mauna Kea on the Big Island, the site of the forthcoming Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT).  China intends to be a collaborative partner in the TMT project. 

Mr. Lu believes China and Hawai‘i have a great opportunity to work together in scientific explorations.  As he stated, “Hawai‘i can see the cosmos and the vast oceans—so its horizons are unlimited.”  Mr. Lu praised Governor Lingle for her foresight in establishing strong relationships with China, demonstrated by her four trips to the country during her administration.

VIDEO: Republican Congressman Charles Djou, Hawaii, and Jessica Brady, Roll Call reporter, discuss Obama's first Oval Office address regarding the Gulf Oil spill.

“I am disappointed, however, that the President has failed to waive the Jones Act for foreign ships, who want to assist in the clean-up efforts. There is no good reason to turn away international help in responding to this environmental catastrophe.

“Nevertheless, I look forward to working with President Obama to temper the House energy bill and craft a sensible long-term energy strategy for America that makes sense for our economy.”

Washington- With two months passed since their April 15 deadline and still no budget produced by Washington Democrats, the majority in Congress continues to miss opportunities to rein in government spending and provide the fiscal discipline needed to create jobs and grow a healthy economy. Since the Congressional Budget Act was adopted in 1974, the House has never failed to pass a budget resolution, but Colleen Hanabusa and her Washington friends continue to forge ahead with their out-of-control spending spree and still no budget resolution in sight.

Hawaii GOP Rep. Charles Djou, who won his seat in a special election last month, says he's "disappointed" that Mr. Obama has failed to waive the Jones Act, an antiquated 1920 law mandating that goods shipped between U.S. ports be handled by U.S.-built and -owned ships manned by U.S. crews. Unions fiercely support the law as a means of preserving U.S. jobs. In this case, though, the law might be hindering the recovery of hundreds of thousands of Gulf Coast jobs.

Are President Obama and BP inhibiting efforts to cap the Gulf of Mexico oil rig blowout and mitigate the effects of the spill? 

Maximization of the effects of the crisis could be used in an effort to stampede the public and win Senate passage of the Cap and Trade Carbon Tax--from which BP stands to profit. 

POLITICO: Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers, the National Republican Congressional Committee's incumbent retention chair, urged PAC leaders at a briefing Monday to focus on helping just nine GOP members of Congress shore up their bids for re-election, telling attendees that the committee's work had already shielded a substantial group of members from facing any serious challenge in 2010.

"A year and a half ago, I was giving you the names of 30 members and you know what? It worked," Rogers said, according to a source familiar with his remarks. "We feel strongly at this point that only nine incumbents need your help to withstand the attacks by the DCCC and their allies."

Nearly 31 years ago, on July 15, 1979, President Jimmy Carter told the American people from the Oval Office: "Energy will be the immediate test of our ability to unite this nation, and it can also be the standard around which we rally. On the battlefield of energy we can win for our nation a new confidence, and we can seize control again of our common destiny." Last night the American people heard almost the exact same speech from President Barack Obama....

Joel Benenson, a pollster for the Democratic National Committee and Obama’s presidential campaign, circulated a memo on Capitol Hill arguing that a comprehensive energy bill "could give Democrats a potent weapon to wield against Republicans in the fall." Politico reports that Benenson’s recommended “messaging architecture" includes the slogan “Making BP Pay Isn’t Enough” and adds: “frame the opposition” as “Big Oil and corporate polluters who have blocked energy reform for decades” and “politicians protecting the special interests that fund their campaigns.”

If the federal government managed to return to the per-household spending level of the Reagan administration, the budget would be balanced by 2012 without any tax hikes. Or just returning to the per-household spending levels that existed before the current recession would balance the budget by 2019. But first we must stop the bleeding: the government bailouts must end.

With the DCCC’s help Ed Case came in dead last.  And now, they are going to do the same for “longtime insider” Hanabusa.  A DCCC news release sent out this morning announces Hanabusa is being included in the DCCC’s “Red to Blue” program....

“Over the course of the past two years of a Democrat-led supermajority, Colleen Hanabusa and her Washington friends have pushed the economy into a jobless recovery by supporting an anti-jobs, anti-small-business agenda at the expense of a healthy economy,”

Financially pressed states might have to return $1.1 billion to Big Tobacco this year, if a review finds the states aren't trying hard enough to keep a 12-year-old legal settlement from hurting the companies too much.

This summer, states and the nation's Big Three tobacco firms will begin arbitrating a dispute over 2003 payments made under the settlement, the companies have disclosed in financial filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Sums ranging from $705 million to $1.1 billion for each of the subsequent years also are headed for arbitration.