Download League of Women`s Voters [Word Doc]

 Please provide a brief Candidate Statement.
Are you dissatisfied with government? Would you like more personal freedom and less
governmental intervention in your life? Should all politicians face term limits? Should
voters approve pay raises for politicians at the polls? Should the state income tax be flat
and all income up to poverty level exempt from taxes? Should tips and inheritance be
exempt from taxes? Should food and medicine be exempt from tax? Should individual
counties have more authority and the people therein be able to legalize cannabis,
gambling or prostitution - or ban things like GMO and geothermal? Should school
boards be local, not Oahu-centric? Should Hawaiians have sovereignty? Should add-ons
to bills that have nothing to do with the intent of the original bill be banned? Should
money dedicated for a specific purpose only be used for that purpose? Should the budget
really be balanced? Should concealed carry be reality, not just law? Should vehicle
safety checks be optional for personal vehicles under ten years old? Should prisons
rehabilitate not just incarcerate? If your answers are mainly yes - consider voting
FOGEL.
 Why are you running for this office?
Incumbent politicians need challengers. Voters need a choice at the polls - someone
without political career ambitions. Someone who is willing to make the systemic
changes that government needs to better serve the people. Government should be like a
pyramid with the small federal oversight at the top, larger state governments below,
county governments beneath that, and the people as the broad foundation. Today that
pyramid is upside down, with an overreaching federal government at the top and
correspondingly less power until you reach the people at the tip. We must right this
pyramid before it tips over. The trees of freedom planted by our forefathers are loosing
their leaves. The fruit from these trees must be replanted in the still fertile ground before
the trees whither and die. Hopefully, through careful attention and nurturing over the
decades to come, the fruit will once again feed the hopes and dreams of all who desire to
improve their lives.
 Why are you qualified to hold this office?
As an advisor to the Department Head, State of Hawaii Department of Defense in the
areas of strategic planning, process improvement and Total Quality Management, I have
the knowledge and experience required to implement meaningful changes to the way
government operates and supports the people it serves. As an engineer (Penn State) with
a Master of Science degree in Systems Management (USC), I look upon the legislative
branch of government differently than say a lawyer or person with career aspirations in
government might. Having lived in Hawaii over 40 years, working in both the public and
private sectors, having been married to a local Puerto Rican–Samoan lady, and presently
owning a small business, I am intimately familiar with the challenges facing the people of
Hawaii, as well as the potential opportunities to help people succeed in any endeavor they
choose.
 What are your top two goals and how will you achieve them?
My primary goal is to implement fundamental changes to the way government operates.
The net result will be a government that serves the people better at a lower cost to the
taxpayer. In simple terms the people will get more bang for their buck. My secondary
goal is to create an environment where the people have more freedom to pursue their
dreams and enjoy the benefits of their efforts. The net result will be a growing economy
and business environment that will support generations to come through better job
opportunities. This can only be achieved with a coalition of like-minded politicians
working together. It will not be easy, given the pressures of special interests (internal and
external) and procedural rules allowing committee chairs to table proposals without
hearing, gut bills to change original intent or insert items that do not pertain to the
purpose of the bill. However, persistence will prevail. If you vote for the person, not the
party, eventually lawmakers will come around to doing the right thing.
 Opportunities to promote clean energy exist at all levels of government. What would you do to help
move Hawaii away from using oil and natural gas and toward renewable sources of energy?
There has been a lot of talk about moving away from a governmentally controlled
monopoly (HECO/HELCO) in favor of a “people owned” co-op like Kauai. Whatever
the “model”, the bottom line is always the cost of electricity to the consumer.
Unfortunately Kauai’s cost is not much better than the “Big’s”. The best way to lower
the cost for the consumer is competition. Unfortunately in both the co-op model and the
governmental model, competition just doesn’t enter the picture. The Big Island has at its
fingertips all the different “clean” alternate energy sources – wind, geothermal, solar,
biomass and tides – yet HELCO is allowed to pay less than half for that energy and turn
around and sell it to the consumer for twice as much. On top of that, they limit the
amount of solar energy individuals or corporations can generate, because their antiquated
distribution system just can’t handle it. If you want to make anything public, make the
distribution system public and allow competition from any and all sources of electricity.