Honolulu Star-Bulletin Local News

Question:
Which federal programs
would you eliminate or cut back?

Candidates for U.S. House respond:



Congressional District 1:

U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie (Democrat): "1) Subsidies for timber-cutting in national forests; 2) Advanced light-water reactor; 3) Unneeded dam and irrigation projects; 4) Water treatment plants that do not meet Safe Drinking Water Act criteria; 5) Excess B-2 bomber production; and 6) Star Wars missile program (I support a less costly missile defense alternative covering U.S. mainland, Hawaii and Alaska)."

Orson Swindle (Republican): "People in Hawaii want government spending and taxes reduced. I'd focus on the wasteful mainland federal bureaucracy in Washington, D.C. Having managed two large federal agencies, I know how to cut needless layers of administration and personnel that so badly mismanage and waste billions of our hard-earned tax dollars."

Richard Thompson (Democrat): "As congressman, cut my pay, contributing $15,000 to PTAs/exceptional trees/libraries.

"Confused incumbent voted $10 billion more than Pentagon wanted. Save that money for H-1 view plane (sandy trees, bikeways), McCully overpass. Gradually reduce debt. No vouchers. Keep current capital gains rate. Against flat tax, for progressivity."

Did not respond: Nicholas Bedworth (Natural Law)



Congressional District 2:

F.D. Bollinger (Republican): 1) Education; 2) Military; 3) Medicare/Medicaid; 4) Judiciary/prisons/police; 5) Scientific and medical research; 6) Environmental protection; 7) National parks; 8) Welfare/housing; 9) National health care; 10) Urban renewal; 11) Foreign aid; 12) Space exploration; 1) Agricultural subsidies; 14) Arts, culture, humanities. Cut by $10 million to penalize the NEA support of obscene art projects; and 15) Abortion funds.

David L. Bourgoin (Democrat): "The military budget should be downsized further considering the end of the Cold War and the large deficits. An across-the-board 10 percent cut in government departments, coupled with a wage freeze up to $50,000, a 15 percent cut in wages above $50,000 and a cap on federal wages at $100,000."

Robert (Bobby) Bunda (Democrat): "I would trim Department of Energy applied research programs and terminate the Clean Coal Technology Program at a savings of $1.2 billion. I would abolish the Interstate Commerce Commission. That would save $129 million. I would urge privatization of NASA spacecraft communications. That would save $200 million. Cutting or downsizing the Bureau of Reclamation and Bureau of Mines would save approximately $266 million."

Pollyanna Casey (Republican): "I believe that the cutbacks in federal government spending should be in the area of studies and research programs. Although advancement through research is essential for a growing nation, these dollars never reach the people. While countless dollars go into research, people still are homeless, starving and dying."

James M. Keefe (Libertarian): "Starting with the FDA (Food and Drug Administration, the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) and the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), I would get rid of hundreds of federal programs and departments by combining all the spending cuts into a single package that includes the largest tax cut in American history - the total repeal of the federal income tax."

U.S. Rep. Patsy Takemoto Mink (Democrat): "Seven-year budget impact: Eliminate corporate foreign tax credit for multinationals - $82.5 billion revenues. Eliminate loophole which allows foreign-controlled corporations to pay less taxes than U.S. companies - $143.5 billion. Eliminate delay of tax on income earned by foreign subsidiaries until deposited in U.S. accounts - $5.7 billion. End Star Wars - $10 billion plus."

Tom Pico Jr. (Republican): "Wasteful federal bureaucracies such as the Departments of Commerce and Energy. The General Accounting Office reported that the Commerce Department 'faces the most complex web of divided authorities.' The Energy Department has long outlived the 1970s energy crisis, today two-thirds of its $16 billion budget is used for defense-related activities."

Did not respond: Charles (Lucky) Collins (Democrat), Nolan Crabbe (nonpartisan), James R. Deluze (Republican), Sherwood Glazier (nonpartisan), Hana Kauhi (Democrat), Amanda (Mandy) Toulon (Natural Law)



Decision '96

Politics on the Patio
series archive




Text Site Directory:
[News] [Business] [Features] [Sports] [Editorial] [Community] [Info] [Stylebook] [Feedback]