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Editor’s Note: In June 2012, Civil Beat sent 10 questions to each of the candidates registered to run in the Aug. 11 primary for the 1st Congressional District. All five responded, including John Raghu Giuffre. The questions and answers are reproduced below in full. Read the responses by Charles Djou and Colleen Hanabusa to see how Giuffre’s positions compare to those of his main competitors. Click on each topic listed below to read Civil Beat’s question and Giuffre’s response.

• Drone Strikes
• Transportation
• Federal Debt
• Economic Growth
• Health Care Policy
• Global Warming
• Bipartisanship
• District Distinctions
• 112th Congress
• Overlooked Issue

1. President Obama has significantly increased the use of drones to assassinate terrorist targets. The policy has been criticized for denying due process rights for at least one American living abroad, and for the collateral killing of civilians. Do you support this policy — why or why not?

The US has failed to provide a stronger context for all our foreign policy initiatives and so we find ourselves blocked-in by growing resistance at both home and abroad rather than the kinds of thankful support that a Heroic deed deserves. 95% of all Afghanistanis for example don’t know about 9/11. The broader context missing would be that Al Qaeda is actually a serious problem for Russia, China and India and it is the USA involvement that has buffered those countries from the same kinds of military engagements now performed by our US soldiers. It appears to me that America’s engagement there has allowed Russia, China and especially India the time and leeway to develop economically rather the kinds of military drains now suffered by the USA. The economic booms enjoyed by China and India is in large part because they have not been sidelined by the Al Qaeda’s international military adventurism which would have targeted both of those countries with a strength unfettered by America’s efforts. America has allowed these 2.5 billion people time to create developing economies and a real taste for being an economic superpower. Had America never gone into Afghanistan and Iraq, for example, we would likely have seen India and Pakistan at war by now. Al Qaeda would have changed the tenure of the war for Russia in Chechnya and the pockets of resistance of the Muslim up-risings throughout China. If America pulled out of Pakistan even today, the country would be overrun by Al Qaeda friendly forces in a relatively short time and then Russia, India and China could deal with a nuclear armed Al Qaeda. And yes, all of these countries would than be very much involved in such a scenario with a great deal of detriment to their booming economic development. It is America that has saved them trillions in military expenditures and economic lost opportunities. That is an example of context missing from our foreign policy. Once this kind of context has been laid out and the urgency of the situation clearly recognized by all, then tactics such as the drones have a real context to judge them by. I would develop that context so critically missing from our foreign policy. ↩ back to top

2. Transportation and infrastructure are critical to an island state — especially the neighbor islands. How would you work to increase federal support for Hawaii’s roads, airports and harbors?

Again, it is context. The true context of Hawaii is as the US Gateway to Asia and the official meeting of the East and West for the World. Hawaii has a different role then say Alabama or Kansas. Hawaii is more like the Manhattan of the world. It is the official showcase of America to the world and how that translates to Asia specifically. Washington recognized Hawaii’s critical role as a military outpost to the East for the last century. Now it’s time for Washington to recognize Hawaii’s social, economic and cultural role to Asia and the world for this century. That starts with infrastructure, but then goes on to include a whole cultural showcase to the social economic framework of America’s vision for the future. Hawaii should be the working model of America’s vision for the world. Federal budgeting should then be based upon that greater vision. That’s how I would approach the federal gov’t and private investment for building Hawaii’s infrastructure. ↩ back to top

3.A divided U.S. Congress has not been able to come to agreement on how to lower the federal debt, in spite of bipartisan recommendations from the Simpson-Bowles deficit commission and others. What is your evaluation of those recommendations, which include hard decisions regarding entitlement programs, defense spending and taxes?

$2 to $4 trillion of our deficits is from the banking bailout wherein Uncle Sam bought real estate securities from banks until the market for them regains traction. Solve the real estate crisis and you just paid-off $2 to $4 trillion of our deficits. This is part of our RADHA Mortgage program. This is the range of deficit reductions of most every other proposal, but achieved over a decade rather than the few months we provide.

Raghu-nomics has found an additional series of programs to shift out of our federal and state budgets. For example, 50% of both taxes and insurance premiums are lifestyle related. If people covered their own lifestyle costs, we could reduce both taxes and insurance by this same 50%. We demonstrate this in our ROOPA program.

We have the advantage of working with an entirely new technology for policy development. It’s called Raghu-nomics and it allows us a far greater scope for attacking these issues such our US deficits and reducing our federal budget burdens. ↩ back to top

4.The major issue for most candidates is jobs and the economy. Can you identify a concrete example of how you as representative would go about stimulating growth both nationally and in Hawaii?

Raghu-nomics provides a 6 step strategy for bring Jobs back America, immediately.

a)The first is the American Shopping Party, wherein we have 20 to 50 million American’s buy American Made on the 1st Sat of every month which means 13 million union members getting 3 friends and family each to join them. American consumes about 3 to 5 times more then we need to have 100% employment so if can increase our consumption of American made by as little as say just 20%, we will have 100% employment.

b)The second is Raghu-nomics Fair Tax Exchange wherein companies that hire workers at great wages and benefits, full time employment and family leave and education can get as much as 300% tax credit against taxes paid by their employee. This will instantly transform the tens of millions of low paying jobs into middle-income earners and create the incentives for companies to re-manufacture here in the US.

c)The third is a special surprise discovery that finally zero’s in on China’s competitive manufacturing advantage over American and once duplicated here in the USA will re-calibrate the advantages of American production. No it’s not their low tax, wage and regulations, but something far more significant.

d)The fourth is the ROOPA tax reform which will reduce the tax and healthcare burdens to American business by as much as 50%.

e)The fifth is the RADHA mortgage program that will reset the US banking and financial sectors to regenerate those markets into spending again.

f)The sixth is jump-starting the next generation of America products of the future. Previous recessions followed economic booms because American had the jeans everyone wanted to wear, the cars everyone wanted to drive, the cigarettes everyone wanted to smoke, but now, the rest of the world produces those things themselves. We now have to create the next generation of vehicles, roads, homes, fashion, energy etc. Trying to compete against price of labor is the old world economy. Today’s economy is about new generation products. Autos are 30 to 60 years behind our technology. Homes are 30 to 60 years behind our latest technology to withstanding hurricanes and tornadoes, fires and floods, earthquakes and high-energy consumption. We can over take the competition by creating that next generation of products. We have a list of such market areas overdue for the next generation of products. ↩ back to top

5.Regardless of how the U.S. Supreme Court rules on President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, what would your goals be in terms of health care policy as a representative? Would you support universal health care?

50% of all medical cost is lifestyle related, so why are we not looking there? Because our liberal vs. conservative paradigm says that Democrats have to go with gov’t and Republicans have to go with free-markets so though both know that lifestyle is 50% of medical costs, they cannot look there. At Raghu-nomics, we did look into lifestyle and found how we could reduce medical cost by this same 50%. Take alcohol for example, it runs at $200 billion a year. 50% of this is just from 5% of the consumers. They are the alcoholics. Help the alcoholics, you have just cut the cost by 50%. Of the remaining $100 billion, $60 billion is drunk driving. All the other consumers combined are responsible for just 20% of the entire cost which comes to about 7 cents a can of beer. Obesity runs $200 billion a year. That comes to maybe 10 cents for every hamburger, french-fries, ice cream and soda pop. This 10 cents means free, universal healthcare for all obesity related treatment. ROOPA can reduce costs by as much as 50% while providing free care for the largest health issues facing the country. ↩ back to top

6.Global warming is real, and rising sea levels will certainly impact Hawaii. What steps would you take as a U.S. Representative to mitigate the effects of global warming?

The interesting thing about global warming is that that bottom line solutions to global warming interface with self-sufficiency. One may contest global warming, but the mandate for self-sustainability in both political and economic terms is critical. America’s prosperity was based upon the old economic model of colonial power wherein we sucked in goods and resources from around the world at subsidized cost because of our military and economic might. Those foreign subsidies are dwindling quickly as the BRIC countries among others retake their own resources forcing us into even higher social costs for access to those goods. Self-sufficiency is the by-law of a 21st Century world and those who develop will win in the global economy, those that can’t will be shut out. Global warming is just a small part to this greater issue for self-sufficiency. ↩ back to top

7.Longtime D.C. observers say the inability of the two major parties to work with each other has never been worse, especially in the U.S. House. Many experienced leaders are leaving office rather than continue in such a hostile climate. Is compromise necessary to governance — and if so, how would you reach out to your colleagues to craft and pass legislation?

Democrat and Republican policies cover just 10% to 50% of any given issue and so they can only provide 10% solutions. For example, 90% of all abortions are social economic wherein it does not fit a women’s social scene or economic ability. Pro choice and Pro-life only 10% of the reason for an abortion. If social economics is 90% of the motive, why are we not looking there? If we can help the social economic side of this issue, we will have double the impact of Democrats & Republicans. 50% of medical cost is lifestyle and politicians know it, but they cannot pursue it because Democrats have to go with gov’t and Republicans have to go with free markets. $2 to $4 trillion of our federal deficit is real estate securities from the banking bailout, but conservative vs. liberal demands we look at tax hikes or service cuts and so they are blind to things they already know to be true. In short, we are here to demonstrate how much can be accomplish once we look beyond the ivory towers of the two party conflict. Raghu-nomics has simple solutions to every major economic issue of the day intended to be working models to expand the scope of the discussion far beyond the liberal vs. conservative straightjacket. ↩ back to top

8.How is the 2nd Congressional District different from the 1st Congressional District? Or are their issues largely the same?

The more obvious difference is the potential for more agricultural development in Dist. 2 over Dist. 1, while tourism is the mainstay for Dist. 1. The greater distinction though is the role Dist. 1 can play the role as the New Manhattan of the 21st Century wherein Honolulu is center stage of Asian American interface. ↩ back to top

9.What is the best thing the 112th Congress did, and why? What’s the worst thing, and why?

The best thing they did was demonstrate that the two party system and the ideology that it is bread upon is now obsolete and demands not a change of leadership or reformation of the system, but rather a new found social economic template that reflects the dynamics, ingenuity and savvy of a 21st Century World.

The worse thing is that they failed to review our simple solution to the real estate crisis that could solve this entire issue in a matter of weeks. ↩ back to top

10. What is an issue you think is important to address as a U.S. House candidate — one that perhaps has not been given sufficient attention during the campaign?

The number one issue is that we must break out of this ideological mold that is constrained our best options, scared away our best talent and empowered the worse of the country. Its destruction is personified by the two party conflict and its prospects are nicely demonstrated in our Raghu-nomics policy proposals. ↩ back to top