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....

“Hawai‘i is the only State in the nation that does not set by statute the minimum number of hours of instructional time a public school student should receive,” said Lt. Governor Aiona. “Our families, principals and teachers deserve a public school system that ensures our students have the tools and classroom time needed to succeed.”

Hawai‘i has the shortest amount of instructional time in the nation – 4 hours and 43 minutes per day.  Thirty-two states average 5-and-a-half hours per day of instructional time (990 hours per school year) and 16 states mandate a minimum of 6 hours of instruction per day (1,080 hours per school year).

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.”

On this day in 1898, the House approved Senate Joint Resolution 55 providing for the annexation of Hawaii as a U.S. territory. At the time, Hawaii was an independent republic. The vote was 209-91.

Hannemann’s “Notice of Intent to hold a Fundraiser” for his ill-fated campaign fundraiser sponsored by a Pittsburgh, PA rail-contractor wannabe is now finally posted on the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission website.  According to the time stamp from the Campaign Spending Commission, it was not filed until Wednesday June 9, 2010 at 3:08PM HST.  This is the same as 9:08PM EST—more than two hours after the scheduled ending time of Hannemann’s 5PM to 7PM EST fundraiser in Pittsburgh.

Yesterday in Beijing, the Governor had a private meeting with Ambassador Jon Huntsman at the U.S. Embassy. During this hour and a half discussion, the Ambassador and Governor discussed the importance of establishing a protocol for the processing of visas for Chinese who want to visit Hawai`i on charter flights going directly from cities such as Shanghai and Beijing to Honolulu.

It is unfortunate that State Rep. Tom Brower believes Lt. Governor Duke Aiona, as acting Governor, should sign or veto the civil unions bill (HB 444) behind the back of Governor Linda Lingle while she is on an economic mission to China.

Brower should not be doling out political advice, especially since he voted for HB 444 only days before turning on his Democrat colleagues for reviving the issue.

While Brower’s deceptive politics may pass in a State Legislature overrun with 90 percent of its members from one party, Lt. Governor Duke Aiona believes government works best with balance, integrity and accountability.

HONOLULU — Lt. Governor Aiona today signed into law Senate Bill 2897, as acting governor, which strengthens the ignition interlock law in Hawai‘i.

“This measure provides resources to improve our efforts to stop impaired driving and the tragedies that result from drunk driving,” said Lt. Governor Aiona. “Most of the injuries, fatalities and property damage caused by drunk drivers are preventable and we must keep these drivers off of our highways.”

Congressman Djou will continue to advocate for a free trade agreement with the Republic of the Philippines as well as expanding the number of visas the U.S. Government issues, particularly those for the purpose of family reunification.

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.

Are same-sex attractions biologically determined?  Most people are under the impression that they are.  Organizations such as the American Psychological Association (APA), have helped propagate the idea. 

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,”

The government cannot fix the economy and it cannot create real jobs. Only you, the citizen, can do that. The new Maui County Mayor must make county government work better with less money and must serve you in a fast and fair manner. The new Mayor must get the county out of your way so you can get on with the job of rebuilding our economy.

As Mayor of Maui County, I will do what we need right now to help get our economy moving again. I will rein in government. I will shrink taxes to put money back in your pocket where it belongs. I will apply county regulations so that the economy can grow and our people can prosper once again.