Are All Politicians the Same? -- Or Do Some Change the Course of the Future?

http://starbulletin.com/2006/09/17/special/story15.html

21 KAIMUKI-WAIKIKI

Michael Y.S. Hu
Republican
Age: 56
Job: Online Investor (writer, researcher, instructor)
Past: Premier writing presence on the Internet

What qualifies you to be a state representative?
People say they want leadership and new ideas -- and not just more of the same, how it's always been done before. I pioneer new ideas on my blogsites -- http://thinkingdifferently.blogspot.com/...

What should be done to make housing more affordable?
They should explore more co-housing and the sharing of housing resources -- particularly for the many elderly living alone.

Does Hawaii spend enough on public education?
Public education is soaking up too much of the resources that should go elsewhere; it is mostly about job security for teachers in a world and time when people need to be taught to learn on their own.


Scott Y. Nishimoto
Democrat
Age: 32
Job: Attorney
Past: State representative 2002-2006; former staff assistant, U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye

What qualifies you to be a state representative?
I have been and will continue to be an effective advocate for my community because of my legal education, legislative experience, community involvement, and commitment to serving the people of Hawaii.

What should be done to make housing more affordable?
To address housing affordability and homelessness, we must keep existing affordable housing units affordable while increasing funding for the Rental Housing Trust Fund to spur public-private partnerships to stimulate the development of more affordable units.

Does Hawaii spend enough on public education?
No, particularly in the area of repairing and maintaining our school facilities. Presently, in our schools there is almost a $300 million construction backlog in renovations and repairs. We must provide a conducive learning environment for our children to succeed.