Aloha…

I genuinely appreciate being invited to meet you…

As Alan mentioned in his introductory remarks, I am a candidate for Congress representing Hawaii’s second congressional district. It’s a district that includes rural Oahu and all the neighbor islands.

I’ve been involved in public life in Hawaii for many years. I’m frequently asked, why am I willing to be involved in the public arena?

The short answer to that question is this:
When I was 17 years old, I almost died in a surfing accident. My grief-stricken mother had arranged for a priest to perform the last rites.

When it seemed possible that my life was over, I became overwhelmed with thoughts of regret. I felt I had wasted my life.

As I lay in my hospital bed, I was overwhelmed with the desire to live a life of purpose and meaning. The desire I had as a boy to work for the well-being of others, to help people in some way, was stronger and more real than ever.

The desire to be of service to others was first planted in my heart by my parents. By serving in the Air Force, my Dad – and my Mom – dedicated their lives to serving our country.

This desire to be of service was further strengthened by what I was learning in Church. Visiting monks inspired me—at the age of 14—to join a Catholic Seminary, intent on serving God and His children as a priest.

As I moved further into my teen years, surfing and other teenage interests became front and center.

But my surfing accident woke me up. The understanding I had as a child--that real happiness is found in working for the well-being of others—became a mature understanding in the core of my heart. My desire to be of service to others became stronger than ever and has, to this day, propelled and directed my life.

That desire to be of service has motivated me to try to be the best son, husband, and dad possible; to devote most of my adult life to working with children as an educator, teacher, and coach; to organize Stand Up For America in response to 9/11; to fight for the protection of traditional marriage; to serve on the City Council, and now, to offer to serve the people of Hawaii in Congress.

I am here today to try to convince you to choose me to represent you in Congress.

First, because I share your values and your concerns.
And, second, because I will be able to be effective in Congress.

As you know, I’m campaigning against Ed Case. How many of you think that Ed Case is a moderate? How many of you think Case is a moderate on social issues? How many of you think he’s a moderate on fiscal or tax issues?

The reality is that Ed Case is not a moderate. He’s not a moderate on social or fiscal issues. The truth is that Case is a very cleverly disguised extremist.

The Americans for Democratic Action—whose critique of members of Congress has served as the standard measure of political liberalism since 1947—rates Ed Case 95%!

That means—based on Case’s votes on social and economic issues—Case is more liberal than John Edwards (65%) and more liberal than John Kerry (85%).

On the “liberal scale”, Ed Case is tied with Ted Kennedy and Neil Abercrombie at 95%!

Both Case and Abercrombie are extreme liberals—but the difference is that Abercrombie doesn’t try to hide his liberal views. Abercrombie isn’t afraid to let voters know where he stands on issues.

I’d like to contrast myself and Ed Case on a few social and as well as fiscal issues.

I’m sure you all agree that marriage between a man and a woman is the foundation of family and therefore civilization itself. Therefore, marriage is connected to every issue and problem we face, be it education, crime, small business, etc. This is a reality that most people instinctively understand. That’s why 70% of the people in Hawai’i oppose same-sex marriage and want traditional marriage protected.

Soon after the Hawaii Supreme Court essentially legalized same-sex marriage in Hawaii in 1993, I formed the Alliance for Traditional Marriage and Values and devoted several years to working as a legislative advocate for a constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage.

On the other side in the battle was Ed Case--defending the State Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage and doing everything he could to prevent the people of Hawaii from having the chance to override the Supreme Court’s ruling by means of a constitutional amendment.

As you probably remember, the people of Hawaii set aside any differences in race, religion or politics and, in 1998, worked together and turned out in record numbers to vote in favor of the constitutional amendment. An overwhelming 70% of Hawaii’s voters said “No” to same-sex marriage and “Yes” to protecting traditional marriage.

As a state legislator in the 1990s, Case “championed” the cause of homosexual marriage. Only six state legislators voted against the constitutional amendment protecting traditional marriage—and Ed Case was one of them.

Case even voted against allowing Hawaii’s people to vote on the same-sex marriage issue.

Why? As reported in the Hawaii Tribune Herald* in March of this year: “Case said he believes same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.”

Case believes not allowing homosexuals to marry is discriminatory and rooted in bigotry. Let me read the complete quote from the Hawaii Tribune Herald*:

I suspect most interracial couples like Carol and I would be offended by Case comparing their marriage to homosexual relationships.

In 2002, when he was campaigning for Governor, Case spoke to a very appreciative audience of homosexual activists at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center and boasted about his role in the effort to legalize homosexual marriage in Hawaii.

To use his own words, Case said he has “championed…and will continue to champion…the war” to legalize homosexual marriage.

Just as Ed Case used his position as a state legislator to actively oppose the state constitutional amendment protecting traditional marriage in Hawai’i, he is now using his position in Congress to actively work to legalize homosexual marriage throughout our country.

Case recently voted against the Marriage Protection Act which would prevent federal judges from forcing homosexual marriage on the people of Hawaii.

Why did Case vote against the Marriage Protection Act? Because he wants federal judges to have the power to over-turn Hawaii’s constitutional amendment and other laws protecting traditional marriage.

That’s also why Case opposes the Federal Marriage Amendment which would protect traditional marriage.

As your congressman, I will fight to protect traditional marriage and the 1998 decision of Hawaii’s people—because I know that legalizing homosexual marriage and teaching our children that homosexuality is normal and natural will weaken the family.

Another issue that illustrates the difference between how Ed Case and I view the family is abortion. Increasingly, parents feel as though they’re losing their influence over their children. Parents instinctively want to be involved in their children’s lives, and they know the importance of parental involvement. Anti-drug public service announcements on TV warn parents to stay involved with their teenage children; ask questions; communicate; stay close.

But Ed Case wants parents left out of something as important as their 13-year-old daughter having an abortion. A teenager cannot receive even minor medical treatment without parental approval, but Case is against requiring parental approval before a teenager can obtain an abortion. Case doesn’t even want parents NOTIFIED before their teenager gets an abortion.

At the very least, parents should be kept in the loop—I support parental consent and parental notification before a child can obtain an abortion because I know that excluding mom and dad from a child’s important decisions does not strengthen that family—it weakens the family.

On fiscal issues, Case has an anti-family record of voting for tax increases or against tax cuts.

As a state legislator, looking just at his last year in office—2002—Case voted to: • Increase the Driver's Education Fund Fee (HB 1730)
• Increase the Marriage Tax (SB 2763 and HB 2502)
• Increase the Business Registration Fee (SB 2732)
• Increase Employment Training Fund Tax (SB 733)
• Increase the Machine Operators Board Fee (SB 2786)
• Increase the Real Estate Agents and Brokers Fee (SB 2724)

And, in the event that Case missed YOU in any of those tax increases,
he voted to:
• Increase the Birth and Death Registration Fee (HB 2506)

Ed Case and I have very different views about what should be taxed and what should not be taxed. The family is so important to our civilization that I don’t want to tax people for getting married, I want to encourage them to get married! Government should not be increasing the marriage tax—it should be doing away with the tax altogether.

I don’t want our young families burdened with payment of a “birth tax.” And I don’t want our grieving families saddled with a “death tax.” These laws weaken the family.
Case’s tax and spend record went from bad in the state legislature to worse in Congress.
The typical American works three hours a day to pay taxes—and two of those three hours we work every day is just to pay federal taxes.

What happens to the family when we’re over-taxed? Dad spends so much time working, his direct influence in the family is minimal. In most families in Hawaii, mom and dad both work—sometimes at two or three jobs! Rather than growing up influenced by mom and dad, our children grow up influenced more by their peers, the mass media and the internet. High taxes weaken the family and decrease the all-important interaction between parents and their children.

That’s why I’ve signed the Americans for Tax Reform Pledge to not vote to increase federal taxes. My opponent, on the other hand, refuses to sign the Tax Pledge. Case refuses to pledge not to increase our federal taxes. The Americans for Tax Reform give Case a rating of 20% and say that as our congressman Case has voted in favor of 80% of the bills that would raise your taxes.

Another congressional watchdog organization, the Citizens Against Government Waste, rates Case “Unfriendly” to taxpayers based on his performance in Congress spending taxpayers’ money.

The Citizens Against Government Waste examine congressional votes to determine which members of Congress protect tax dollars and which members fritter away our hard-earned money.

With a rating of 21%, Case is just two points better than “hostile” and ranks solidly at the hostile end of the “unfriendly” to taxpayers range.

I want to reduce the size of government and eliminate government waste so our people don’t have to work so hard to pay unnecessary taxes.

Case, on the other hand, even wants to tax you when you die. As our representative in Congress, Case voted against the permanent repeal of the estate or “Death Tax”. He voted to keep the Death Tax in place and establish a tax rate of 49%!

It doesn’t make sense to penalize a family that has worked hard to build a successful small business by forcing surviving family members to pay the federal government nearly half the value of the family business when Dad dies. I oppose the “Death Tax” and will fight to have the tax permanently repealed.

I support the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003. This Act provided the most significant tax cut to American taxpayers in over 20 years, benefiting small business and families alike.

Case voted against the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act.

Case does not appreciate the difficulty many families having just making ends meet. Case voted not once but twice against the Tax Cut Package and Child Credit Preservation and Expansion Act of 2003. Among other benefits to Hawaii’s families, the Act that Case voted against would have increased the child tax credit to $1,000.

As the father of five, I know the difficulties families have making ends meet. I will support tax cuts that benefit families.

Nothing is more important than the safety and financial security of our loved ones. So we must work with equal vigor to protect our homeland from terrorists, ice dealers, improve our economy and lower the deficit.

Everything depends on our state and nation being safe and secure. Without security, we won’t have prosperity, our economy will suffer and the deficit will rise. 9/11 is proof of this.

And without prosperity, we won’t be able to afford all the security measures we need. Furthermore, without national security and economic prosperity, we won’t be able to afford to focus on improving education, caring for our seniors, defeating the ice epidemic or taking care of the countless other issues which face us.

To ensure prosperity, government needs to recognize that small business is the heart and soul of our economy. Government needs to help rather than hinder small business.

As a small businessman and a member of the Majority Party in Congress, I will be able to be an effective leader in the effort to help small business, reduce the deficit, and thereby enhance the prosperity that is absolutely essential to national defense and homeland security.

Case and I also don’t agree on the issue of individual responsibility. I believe we should demand that people take responsibility for their own behavior. Case voted to allow overweight individuals to sue restaurants for their obesity. Case thinks restaurant owners should be held liable if their patrons over-eat and get fat!

Case has voted consistently against small business and consistently against individual responsibility.

Another example: Case voted to allow negligence lawsuits against firearm manufacturers and vendors when criminals use firearms illegally. If Ed Case had his way, a small company that manufactures a firearm—and the gun store owner who sells that firearm--could be sued for negligence if the gun is used in the commission of a crime.

Case voted against medical malpractice reform. I support efforts to reduce excessive litigation costs and enhance patient access to quality health care. Case voted against medical malpractice reform aimed at reducing patient and taxpayer costs. With families in mind, we should do whatever it takes to make quality health care more accessible and affordable.

Unfortunately, most members of Congress, like Case, are lawyers. Nothing against lawyers, but I’m sure you would agree that there are enough lawyers in Congress already. Perhaps this is why government policies are encouraging our society to become ever more litigious. It’s our children’s education—not the interests of lawyers—that needs more attention.

Of 535 members of Congress, only 35 members have a background in education. If we really want to improve education, we need to send more educators to Congress.

One of the main reasons I’m a candidate for Congress is to focus federal attention on education. I’m not talking about focusing more bureaucratic attention on Hawaii’s educational needs. In fact, I’m in favor of drastically reducing the size and scope of the federal Department of Education and sending most of the $60 Billion the federal DOE spends every year back to the state. Actually, most of that money shouldn’t go to Washington in the first place. We should keep more of that tax money at home. If that money is to be spent on education, let our principals, teachers and parents—not federal bureaucrats—decide how that money should be spend to better educate our children.

As a lifelong educator, teacher and coach, there’s one thing I know about kids. They don’t see themselves as Republicans or Democrats. They just want to learn. We need to base education-related decisions not on partisan politics but on our aloha for our kids.

Another thing we all share is the desire to provide for our children—and preserve for our grandchildren and their children—a safe, clean and beautiful environment. The primary reason we live in Hawaii is the beautiful environment we’re able to share with family.

Shortly after I was elected to the Council, I discovered developers were poised to put a landfill—a garbage dump—over the Pearl Harbor aquifer. It was almost a done deal. It blew my mind that we were going to be gambling with the purity of the drinking and bathing water for 70% of Oahu’s residents from Waianae to Hawai’i Kai.

I thought, “Wait a minute, 10 or 20 years from now, our grandchildren might not have water! The effect would be devastating on our people and our economy. Two-thirds of Oahu could become uninhabitable. Hundreds of thousands of people would need to move to the mainland or neighbor islands, creating chaos.” I was determined to stop it and I’m very happy that we succeeded.

If I didn’t accomplish anything else in my life, just knowing that I helped protect our children and their children’s source of fresh water for generations to come is satisfying all by itself.

I’m also pleased that while on the City Council I’ve helped move Hawai’i closer to the day when we will no longer view landfills as a solution to our solid waste disposal challenge. In a project I’ve dubbed “Ship it Out”, I traveled to the mainland at my own expense to study the viability of shipping Hawai’i’s trash to environmentally-friendly landfills on the mainland. Taking the lead in this area has moved Hawai’i closer to the day when we will no longer be dependent on landfills. The “Ship It Out” concept is not a long-term solution to our solid waste disposal problem, but it is a viable, environmentally friendly alternative while we work on a cost-effective, permanent high-tech solution.

Further, it’s not just wishful thinking. A private solid waste disposal company in Hawaii has already signed a contract to ship at least 100,000 tons of Oahu’s garbage to the landfill I visited in Washington State.

Shipping Hawaii’s solid waste to environmentally friendly landfills on the mainland would mean an end to the debate over where to put the next landfill on Oahu. I am as opposed as anyone else to the development of a landfill at the Ameron Hawai'i-owned Kapa'a Quarry in Kailua.

As you know, the 220-acre Kapa'a Quarry overlooks Kawainui Marsh, Hawai'i's largest wetland. Even two closed landfills near the marsh are leaching, causing nutrients to flow into the marsh and leading to plant growth that is crowding out habitats of water birds. I agree with area residents, including those dedicated to preserving archaeological sites in the marsh, that we do not want to see a garbage dump placed above the fragile marsh—and I will fight to see that it never happens.

Case and I also differ when it comes to taking care of our soldiers and their families. Case voted against the National Defense Authorizations Act of 2004. He voted against appropriations for fiscal year 2004 for military activities, including weapons, ammunition and military family benefits.

Having been raised in a military family, and as one whose daughter has volunteered to serve in Iraq as a member of the Army National Guard, I know the importance of supporting our military and military families.

As you may know, my daughter Tulsi Gabbard Tamayo has recently announced her decision to not campaign for reelection to the State Legislature so that she can join her fellow soldiers of Hawaii’s National Guard, 29th Brigade, in fighting terrorism. Tulsi has volunteered to go to Iraq early next year.

Carol and I are very proud of Tulsi. But, of course, we’re also concerned for her safety.

Since the day our daughter joined the National Guard, Carol and I have been thinking about the fact that she could be seriously hurt or even killed. There are thousands of young people in Tulsi’s position and an even greater number of parents and relatives in the position Carol and I are in. So we must all be committed to do everything possible to make sure the war in Iraq does not drag on.

We need to stay the course in Iraq, but we need to drastically speed up the training and equipping of Iraqis so they can take over the ‘occupation’ of their own country. As your congressman, I will fight vigorously for funding to speed up such training and equipping of these Iraqi soldiers.

America is providing the people of Iraq the opportunity to have a democracy, but if Iraqis are not willing to fight to establish and secure their democracy, then their democracy cannot survive once American troops are withdrawn.

It would be dangerous to set a deadline, but it would also be counterproductive not to have a goal. Having a goal will increase everyone’s motivation to expedite the training and equipping of Iraqis. Our goal should be to have the vast majority of our troops home within 12-18 months.

I fully support President Bush’s plan to drastically reduce the number of troops in Europe. We should have done this a long time ago. Our present military structure was created for World War II. There needs to be a major overhaul. A greater percentage of our troops should be specifically trained to ferret out and destroy terrorists.

Finally, I’d like to conclude my remarks by responding to a question I was asked the other day. A very nice older woman on Kauai said, “Mike, I really like you and I’m happy that you share my family’s values and concerns…but will you be able to be effective in Congress as a Republican?”

The answer is “Yes.” I will be effective. Ed Case has no real power and influence in Congress. This is because he’s a relative newcomer and a member of the Minority Party. On the other hand, I will be able to be effective the moment I’m elected to Congress because I will be a member of the Majority Party.

If you look at my opponent’s record, you’ll see a lot of things he’s “supported,” “opposed,” or “fought for,” but very little things he’s actually “achieved.” Since he was elected to Congress, Case has introduced 18 bills. Of that number, only one bill has passed. It renamed a post office. Voters want their representatives to actually achieve something. The problems and issues we face are real. It’s not enough that our representative just be an advocate for something. Our representative needs to be an effective advocate.

I am a proven leader. I have no doubt that as a member of the Majority Party in Congress, I’ll be able to be an effective advocate for our schools, our seniors and our veterans. I’ll be an effective advocate for small business. I’ll be an effective advocate for reducing the budget deficit, cutting spending, and tax reform.

Hawai’i’s congressional team is presently made up entirely of Democrats. Our delegation would be much more effective if it included a Republican.

As a Republican, I will be able to open doors and channels presently closed to our congressional delegation. With a Republican member in Hawai’i’s delegation, we will still speak with one voice for Hawai’i, but that voice will be heard by Republicans as well as Democrats. We need this balanced congressional delegation to more effectively serve the people of Hawai’i. I am not a very partisan person. I work very well with Democrats and Republicans. I have respect for Senior Senators Inouye and Akaka, and Rep. Abercrombie, and I’m confident that we will be able to work in harmony and effectively as a team on issues of special concern to Hawai’i.

In closing--this is a race I can win –with your help. Ed Case is vulnerable. This is his first reelection campaign. He was elected by less than 10% of the registered voters in the district.

I can win this race with your help—with your financial donations, your talking to friends on my behalf, and, of course with your vote. I need and humbly ask for your support.

Thank you.