 Welcome to Think Tech on Spectrum OC16, Hawaii's weekly newscast on things that matter to tech and to Hawaii. I'm Jay Fidel. And I'm Elise Anderson. And I'll show this time we'll cover a forum featuring Ed Case and Cam Cavasso, candidates for the U.S. Congressional seat representing District 1 of Hawaii. It was an important event where the candidates faced questions they haven't had to answer yet in other public forums, such as what to do about the Jones Act, state public pension reform, Honolulu's over budget and behind schedule rail, and more. This question and answer event was sponsored by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii and Think Tech Hawaii and was moderated by Kali Iakina, president and CEO of the Grassroot Institute. The forum was conducted at the Pacific Club at a lunch meeting on September 28th. It was very well attended. Dr. Iakina opened the forum by asking the candidates questions about issues facing Hawaii and the nation. Among other things, he asked them about promoting bipartisanship in Congress, the costs of the Jones Act, the Akaka Bill and federal recognition, reducing Hawaii's pension liability, health care reform, reducing the cost of rail, the 10th Amendment and state's rights, federal marijuana recognition, and North Korea and national security. How do you cut through? Well, first of all, I don't agree that it is simply a matter of what party you're in. I don't agree that it's simply a matter of whether a congressional delegation has Republicans or Democrats or some mix. I think it's about commitment to it and ability to do it inside of Congress, and I'll tell you what I did the first time around, because most of your questions, I'm going to say, well, this is what I did the last time I was there, and this is what I'd be committed to doing again. A, relationships. B, organized efforts to find your friends and work collectively. There is now a congressional reformers caucus inside of Congress made up of Republicans and Democrats who believe that the system is so broken that they're willing to do something that is actually not widely accepted in Washington, which is to put, to come together in a reformers caucus and start to advocate. The answer is to keep the economy growing. You know, our, for example, our pension system in Hawaii is north of 7% this year because of an economy that's doing well. The controls of that will have to be within the state of Hawaii. They do have an out-of-control system of retirement where people, and I think they're addressing that in our legislature and our government now, to limit the future growth or distribution of the pension system, but promises made are promises that should be kept, and we can move on from there. So my answer again is that from the federal government's perspective, we need to restore, return liberty and competition and an economy and give us all the right to work and make things happen. And that is the best answer for our retirement system in Hawaii to make the economy grow, and we're doing well right now. And I go to Washington to help make that continue to happen. When I was last in Congress, I introduced a reform of the Jones Act, and that reform was to exclude Hawaii and the insular parts of our country from the Jones Act. Remember that the Jones Act requires certain control shipping between U.S. ports. That's great when you're shipping between Atlanta and New York since if it becomes monopolistic and the cost gets driven up, then you can just switch over to trucks. You can switch over to trains. It's not true here in Hawaii. So Puerto Rico, Alaska, Hawaii, when you apply the Jones Act to those jurisdictions, it creates a virtual monopoly. And I don't like monopolies. I just don't like them. I think that they harm consumers, that they do not result in best business practices. We are susceptible to monopolies in a small insular state. I would disagree that Obamacare helped our nation. I would disagree that it brought us stronger. My position is that it actually hurt us. It hurt our competition. I would restore us to the healthcare system that we had even before then. The system that allowed our doctors to design their own systems allowed competition to come in. In my own case, insurance costs that I incurred were significantly higher under Obamacare. We were allowed to go out and we found a Medicare where you're sharing your costs with others, and our cost of insurance is half of what it was. That's the kind of system that works where we take care of the doctors, the medical systems and allow them to create their own systems to compete with each other. The government's role is to protect the competition and make sure that all things are honest and run with integrity. I believe that Hawaii is not without a strong Native Hawaiian presence. I believe that that is in both the Native Hawaiian community's interests and in our interests to have a strong Native Hawaiian presence. I've also believed for a long time that Native Hawaiians are better off if they exercise autonomy over a limited scope of their own affairs rather than other types of relationships that are out there. You're correct that the federal recognition bill is not before Congress and probably won't be before Congress and that there is an administrative process in place right now. That process awaits the Native Hawaiian community to decide what form of entity it wants to adopt and then go into those negotiations. Now that's not something that's going to happen at the end of the day. The end result is not going to happen without the federal government weighing in and the state government weighing in and the people of Hawaii weighing in because those solutions, those details of that relationship are not yet known. However, my approach from the perspective of a member of Congress would be to step back and let that process unfold on its own. Federal government, wherever possible, get out of the business of the state. Let us at the state level and the individual level make our own decisions. There are places where it's required. Interstate places, the place the federal government is to defend its people, to defend our borders and to keep us safe from enemies from without and enemies from within. But to the degree that they impose their will in the states, no. I absolutely believe in the word that you said that competition strengthens us. Competition, iron sharpens iron and we need to let the different states come up with their own solutions and then to compare those solutions between the states and and and take that for all of our benefits and grow together as a nation. My views on some issues may adapt over time and I think at this point states should be allowed to experiment, if I can put it that way, with different formulations of federal marijuana laws. So if California and Denver or Colorado and Washington want to go in that direction it doesn't it doesn't bother me as to that specific issue. Now the federal government obviously has an impact on that because marijuana remains a highly regulated, highly controlled and highly prohibited drug and that creates all kinds of issues in terms of the actual administration of state laws. I believe that states should be able to go in that direction so from my perspective from a federal approach I would not, I would not continue to have it on the schedule one. We're looking at technology that's generations old and that it's not advantageous to us but we went ahead as a state to move ahead and even though states across the nation are experiencing problems what we've done is is we put ourselves into a position that in my opinion we cannot reverse we need to go ahead it's a mistake but we need to go ahead and correct the mistake to the best of our ability which means to help it become operational. I've worked with a couple of engineers here recently that that show that if the private sector can get involved it looks like as of today they are getting more involved that we can find ways to reduce the cost and to make it into a much more workable system. One of the options we should look at is cutting the rail short and not completing the final phase so it's something we need to look at and as far as the federal government's concerned our place is to help Hawaii finish the job to work with the Hawaii situation from our federal position but not to tell them how to do it. My platform, my candidacy is built on really two planks. First of all let us try to get our country, our national government working again. Let us try to commit ourselves to what every American wants whatever side of the issue you're on which is for our national government to just work again to just stop yelling start to talk. Number one, number two, Hawaii a small state out in the middle of the ocean four members of Congress needs a very very strong delegation that delegation needs ability, that delegation needs experience, that delegation needs the know-how and the commitment to get the job done. I think my experience in both the private sector or where I have risen to the top of two professions law and executive indicates that I've done it there and of course I've had a long career in politics. You can judge me many times by what I've already done. I am who I am this is who I am I'm committed to Hawaii I'm a believer in Hawaii I'm a believer in my country and I'm a believer in representing everybody regardless of what party you're in where you're from what you believe my job is to represent you and I will. There is a great difference between the two between Ed Case and Kamcovasso. One of the greatest differences is in our in our approach to taxes in our last debate Ed Case said that he would have voted against the tax cuts in Washington and I go to Washington to secure those tax cuts make them permanent and increase them. There's a difference because I go to work with a Republican Congress to as a Republican Hawaiian I go to bring balance to Washington DC the it cannot do that in Washington much as he would like to bring the balance it's not there it's not possible he is forced to be under Pelosi's leadership there is there is no other solution we need balance in Washington DC I go to bring that balance I bring a fresh voice I bring a Hawaiian Republican voice to Washington to help us all I ask you for your vote and pass the word to others to bring balance back to Washington DC thank you very much. Dr. Akina then took questions from the audience and referred them to the candidates for response there were many questions and the conversation was lively. One of the things that I would encourage is again liberalizing our government controls I talked to Hawaiians that are losing their homesteads because they're moving on to the next generation I believe that we have the space in Hawaii to expand our our ownership our land ownership where we should be opening the lands and allowing Hawaiians to build on those on those places without the tight restrictions they experience right now I built my own house in Waimanalo we built it in 100 days the same day that we broke ground in my house a Hawaiian homestead broke ground in Waimanalo four and a half years later it's not finished. The first amendment is critical to our country you know there's an old saying and I can't remember how it goes but if I can't remember it right it's now my saying which goes something like the first amendment is a real problem until you don't have it and I really believe that you know in a big picture of course there are certain things that our federal government can should and must do to maintain the strong free press especially in today's world for example I thought that the that getting rid of net neutrality was a real tragedy from that perspective to allow a monopolistic trend in the delivery of of of those platforms I think is very very dangerous. Various members of the media were there including the Honolulu Star Advertiser and KITV News and of course Think Tech Hawaii the forum was also streamed live on Facebook. If you want to know more about Ed Case check out his campaign site at edcase.com If you want to know more about Kam Kovasso check out his campaign site at kam4congress.com. If you want to know more about the Grassroot Institute check it out at grassrootinstitute.org. And now let's look at our Think Tech schedule of events going forward. Think Tech broadcasts its talk shows live on the internet from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays then we broadcast our earlier shows all night long and on the weekends and some people listen to them all night long and on the weekends. If you missed a show or if you want to replay or share any of our shows they're all archived on demand on thinktechawaii.com and YouTube. You can also see our videos on our Think Tech smartphone app available for download on iPhone and Android. For our audio stream go to thinktechawaii.com slash audio and we post all our shows as podcasts on iTunes. Visit thinktechawaii.com for our weekly calendar and live stream and YouTube links or better yet sign up on our email list to get our daily email advisories. Think Tech has a high tech green screen studio at Pioneer Plaza. If you want to see it or be part of our live audience or if you want to participate in our shows contact shows at thinktechawaii.com. If you want to pose a question or make a comment during a show call 808-374-2014 and help us raise public awareness on Think Tech. We're always looking for new shows. Here are some shows we've recently added to our talk show lineup. Tourism 101 hosted by Mufi Hanaman. It plays monthly on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. and covers tourism, a study of events and developments in Hawaii tourism. Pinoy Power Hawaii hosted by M. E. Ortega Anderson. It plays weekly on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and covers culture, a study of Filipino news events and culture. The Will of the People hosted by Martha Randolph. It plays bi-weekly on Thursdays at 1 p.m. and covers politics, a study of politics and public and political opinion. All great, all worth watching and of course all worth learning from. Go ahead give us a thumbs up on YouTube or send us a tweet at Think Tech H.I. We'd like to know how you feel about the issues and events that affect our lives in these islands and in this country. We want to stay in touch with you and we'd like you to stay in touch with us. Let's Think Together. And now here's this week's Think Tech commentary. My name is Cynthia Lee Sinclair. I am the host of Finding Respect in the Chaos here on Think Tech Hawaii. My show is live every other Friday at 4 p.m. The show is a safe place for survivors of abuse to come and tell their stories and a place for advocates to come and share important resources. All of my episodes can be found on the YouTube playlist. The latest events in Washington have prompted me to want to come and talk about the effects that these proceedings with Brett Kavanaugh have been having on victims of abuse. Hotlines across the country have had a 200% increase in their call volumes. A ground swell of courageous people are coming forward with their stories. I can understand their concerns. As a survivor myself, I have watched all of the hearings and I agree with the general consensus that Dr. Ford was very credible. In stark contrast, Kavanaugh with his arrogant sniveling acted like every abuser that I have ever worked with right after they'd been caught. I found it very hard to watch without feeling ill. It is infuriating to watch these senators cry foul and bang their fists while refusing to allow an FBI investigation. The fact that they did not allow the FBI to investigate immediately speaks volumes about just how far they have compromised their moral compass. Now finally with an investigation going, they are limiting the scope so severely that we are at risk to this investigation not being a complete and trustworthy one. They claim that the third accuser is so outrageous that she should not even be interviewed. I think it is important to take a sociological view of her accusations. I worked with teenagers in the 80s. There was a bracelet game being played in high schools all across the country back then. The thin bracelets of different colors were collected. Each color bracelet represented a different sex act accomplished by the wearer. Gang rape was one of the acts on the list. That was the sociological climate in that day. Kavanaugh lied when he was asked what the devil's triangle is. It is clearly noted on his calendar. He said it is a drinking game. It is not. It is a reference to sex with one girl and two guys. You can see him flush with embarrassment when he talked about it. Before he rallied and said it was a drinking game, he was under oath and he lied. And that was not his only lie. So now the main point of logic is it does not matter about the he said she said. It does not matter if you believe her or him. He lied under oath. I am appalled that they are still trying to ram this questionable man through. It is a complete outrage. Falsus in uno. Falsus in omnibus. Faults in one. Faults in all. At common law it is a legal principle that a witness who testifies falsely about one matter is not credible to testify about any matter. This is even a common jury instruction. I am very worried that the panel of old white guys won't go through the changes that this country needs to support women's rights and victims of abuse. When I look at history, Kavanaugh is an ultra conservative. He believes in full presidential power and has a history of voting against important women's issues. And this is just with the limited documents we were allowed to see. The Supreme Court is no place for such partisan tendencies. At best his beliefs are very polarizing. It seems to me there's too much of that in this country already. I do not believe it has a place on the highest court in our land. A Supreme Court judge needs to be completely above reproach. I have hoped from the start of these accusations that the good that could come from this whole proceeding would be to change the narrative about abuse. Well, I am encouraged to see that lots of the country is coming out to support Dr. Ford. They believe her and they respect her courage. Hopefully because of this the world as we knew it has forever changed, regardless of what happens with Kavanaugh. Now survivors can know they are not alone. They can come forward without fear of condemnation from society. If you have been triggered by any of these proceedings, I want you to reach out to your local services. There is healing in the telling. And I want you to keep telling until you get the help that you need. I'm living proof that there is hope and healing on the other side of abuse. If you would like to come on my show and share your story, or if you are an advocate that has important resources, please email me. Aloha, I'm Jay Fidel. And I'm Elise Anderson. We're from Think Tech, Hawaii. And we're kicking off our annual COSVOX fundraising campaign. We're calling this year's campaign, Think Tech United. Please visit thinktechunited.cozvos.com where you can create your own Think Tech United account and make a donation. You can also use this platform to ask your friends, family members and colleagues to make donations and raise money for Think Tech. As you know, Think Tech is a good cause doing good work in citizen journalism. In these times, it's more important than ever. And to keep things going, we need your support. Please help us by participating, donating, and spreading the word. Let's keep Think Tech United. We'll be right back to wrap up this week's edition of Think Tech. But first, we want to thank our underwriters. Okay, Elise. That wraps up this week's edition of Think Tech. Remember, you can watch Think Tech on Spectrum OC16 several times every week. Can't get enough of it, just like Elise does. For additional times, check out oc16.tv. For lots more Think Tech videos and for underwriting and sponsorship opportunities on Think Tech, visit thinktechhawaii.com. Be a guest or a host, a producer or an intern, and help us reach and have an impact on Hawaii. Thanks so much for being part of our Think Tech family and for supporting our open discussion of tech, energy, diversification, and national and global awareness in Hawaii. And of course, the ongoing search for innovation wherever we can find it. You can watch this show throughout the week and tune in next Sunday evening for our next important Think Tech episode. I'm Jay Fidel. And I'm Elise Anderson. Aloha, everyone.