3. What do you hope to accomplish should you be elected?

First, I'm not in the illusion that I can accomplish anything all by myself. I will use my leadership skills to persuade members of the Majority Party in Congress to be of more help on issues of importance to Hawaii's people.

There are so many things to accomplish for Maui County, the state and our country. One of my priorities will be to improve education.

My wife Carol and I have devoted much of our lives to education. As lifelong educators, Carol and I know one thing about children. 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 children.

For more on my background in education, please come to MikeGabbard.com.

My other priority will be to bring more attention and resources to our battles against "Ice" and the crimes associated with it. In my previous election and in this election, I've been endorsed by SHOPO, our law enforcement union. SHOPO endorses me for a reason. They know that I'm committed to cracking down on drugs and crime so our families can be safe.

On the national level, I want to do whatever I can to cut federal government spending, reduce taxes, and get the deficit under control.  We must expedite the training and equipping of Iraqis, so that the Iraqi people can maintain their own democracy and our soldiers can return home as soon as possible to focus on homeland security.

4. At this point in the campaign, what do you believe are the top three issues and priorities of the 2nd Congressional District and how do you plan to address these?

Education, the economy, and crime including drugs like "ice."

Education:
As a long-time educator, I will be a strong voice for Maui's students, parents, and teachers who want and deserve more effective federal action on education.

Our children would be better educated if our teachers, parents, and principals had the power to decide where and how education dollars should be spent. This is why I believe the huge amounts of tax dollars going to the federal Department of Education should be kept at home and put directly into the schools.

I will fight for greater flexibility at the local level and for additional funding for the No Child Left Behind program.

The Economy:
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.

To ensure a strong economy, we also need to reduce federal taxes.

That's why I've signed the Americans for Tax Reform Pledge to not vote to increase federal taxes. Ed Case, on the other hand, refuses to sign the Tax Pledge. The Americans for Tax Reform say that as our congressman Case has voted in favor of 80% of the bills that would raise your taxes.

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 essential to national defense and homeland security.

War on Crime and "Ice"
I'm very gratified that SHOPO, the police officer's union, has endorsed me in this race for Congress. The men and women who put their lives on the line to protect us know they can depend on me in the fight against crime.

I helped organize and host the first major grassroots initiative to fight ice on the Waianae Coast, and I feel fortunate to have played a role in helping to get it started.

In addition to getting local people involved, it is very important to have increased police presence. As a result of legislation I introduced in the City Council, we have urged our state legislature to implement laws that give our hard working police officers the tools they need to fight "ice".

We also need to overcome hurdles in obtaining the necessary federal resources for law enforcement, prevention, and treatment.

We need to ensure that our local communities have more of a say in how these resources are allocated. Rather than have that determined in Washington, local communities should decide what drug they're going to use the money to fight. Marijuana or "ice", for example. Community involvement and decision-making is a critical component of the fight on drugs because the local community knows better than Washington, and getting them involved in the solution is the key to success.

In addition, we need to find enough federal support to keep the Weed and Seed program going. This has been a very successful program and, instead of closing it down, we should be starting new ones.