Our country will continue to face challenging times. These arise not just from our worst recession since the ’30s, but from the uncertainties of a rapidly changing world.

Our Congress is at the center of both those challenges and their solutions. I know from my prior service that it’s impossible to describe or anticipate every challenge or solution. But I also know that we must prioritize and act on what we know we face now and believe we will face later.

The following are just some of my priority issues for our national government. New issue agendas with principles and specifics will be released periodically throughout the next few months. As they are released, they will be posted here for your review. I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Growing Our Economy - January 11, 2012

Strengthening Tourism - January 19, 2012

Enhancing Hawaii's Defense Community - January 26, 2012

Fixing Washington - February 6, 2012


Break Partisan Gridlock
We must forge a new way of governance that rejects pure partisan politics and incorporates our best ideas regardless of origin.

• Reach across the aisle for broad inclusion
• Act and vote for people and not party first
• Reject culture of no regardless of party
• Participate in Outside-The-Beltway efforts to reform Washington

Balance Our Budget
We must run our country’s finances just as we would our personal and business books.

• Submit to states a proposed balanced budget amendment to our Constitution
• Apply/expand PAYGO requiring budget-neutral tax and spending policies
• Cap discretionary spending
• Strengthen efforts to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in federal government programs

Secure Our Homeland
We must provide for our common defense against the reality of terrorism and international uncertainty.

• Strengthen terrorism prevention efforts both internally, at our borders and overseas
• Maintain a strong military and take care of our troops both in the field and at home
• Strengthen our intelligence capabilities and continue needed reforms
• Support our President/military’s plans for withdrawal from Iraq and stabilization of Afghanistan

Lead Our World
We must work within our global community toward worldwide peace and prosperity.

• Continue policy of constructive engagement with rest of world especially Asia
• Work to fulfill the promise of the United Nations
• Work with other countries to address problems states such as North Korea and Iran
• Continue international nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament efforts

Invest In Our Future
We must provide the foundation and tools today with which our next generations can succeed.

• Support proposed reforms to No Child Left Behind
• Support healthy families initiatives
• Support fair accessibility to higher education through affordable student loan programs
• Address today’s problems today and without handing them off to our children

Fulfill Our Promises
We must preserve and strengthen Social Security and Medicare and fulfill our commitments to our veterans and others.

• Lockbox Social Security trust funds and kick habit of spending them for non-SS purposes
• Amend unfair Medicare reimbursement formula as applied to Hawai‘i
• Fully fund all veterans health, education, housing and other entitlement programs
• Support continued affordable pension guaranty programs

Care For Ourselves
We must assure available healthcare and help our fellow citizens in need.

• Improve our new health care reform law with addition of tort reform and other cost controls
• Continue welfare reform efforts of past decades
• Focus federal health care efforts in Hawai‘i on Hawai‘i-specific needs e.g. disproportionate ethnic illnesses
• Support community health centers, telemedicine and other health care components of greater utility in island state

Assure Our Energy Needs
We must provide for adequate sustainable energy.

• Pursue effective federal renewable portfolio standards
• Reject federal subsidies to fossil fuel development and utilization
• Focus federal research on Hawai‘i-specific alternate energy include solar, wind, biofuels
• Support continued federal support of Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative

Protect Our Earth
We must preserve our global environment.

• Enhance federal network of national parks and other protected places and species
• Focus on international marine environmental conservation
• Support proven science-based controls on carbon emissions
• Heighten global environmental protection as centerpiece of our foreign policy

Strengthen Our Country
We must include all Americans in our national decisionmaking and demand integrity and honesty in our governance.

• Continue Talk Story with Congressman Ed Case open community meetings throughout district
• Continue to push envelope on interactive e-communications with constituents
• Reform earmarks to break corrosive connection among earmarks, lobbying and campaign contributions/support
• Reform campaign contribution laws to continue to exclude corporations

Cherish Our Country
We must keep alive, strengthen and hand down to the next generations the foundations and values of our great nation.

• Defend our Constitution
• Defend civil rights and basic freedoms
• Fulfill my constitutional duties as a member of a separate, independent and coequal branch of government
• Educate fellow citizens especially our youth on our government and system

Perpetuate Our Hawai‘i
We must preserve the soul of our special home and pass it on.

• Support federal recognition for Native Hawaiians in full consultation with all citizens of Hawai‘i
• Support federal health, education, business and other programs targeted to Native Hawaiian community
• Maximize federal assistance to Hawai‘i-specific environmental protection efforts
• Reject one-size-fits-all federal programs without full appreciation and accommodation of our ethnic, cultural and place of origin diversity

Again, this agenda just scratches the surface, and does not specifically address current priorities such as financial and immigration reform. And again, my prior record also provides a good indication of the goals I will pursue if re-elected.

I hope this provides you with a sense of my general focus if again honored to serve you on Capitol Hill. I welcome your own agenda and questions at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).