I brought my Race for a Congress to thousands of nice folks on Maui Auustg 10-14. Theme of the visit was From the Mountains To The Sea. I wanted to run my ideas for a Common Sense Congress from the summit through up-country and then down to the beaches, telling everyone along the way about the need to get out of Iraq now and the need to get Congressional big spenders off of the backs of our little children and grandchildren.

Here are some of the highlights of my visit to Maui.

Thursday: Flew over on the 5:20 a.m. flight from Oahu. Up the road to the top of the summit at Haleakala National Park. Gave my wife a nice hug and started running down the road. Remembered the ancient ones and their messages of preservation and conservation. Absolutely beautiful vistas of Maui’s mountains and valleys. Ran for several hours and eventually passed the park entrance. I ran about 10 to 12 miles downhill.

Friday: Great breakfast at Charley’s in Paia. Saw two pregnant ladies. Remembered that their unborn children already owe thousands of dollars in “national credit card” debt due to our “Family Values” Congress. (See Heartbeats on Maui.)

Saturday: Taped three-minute television statement on Maui’s community t.v. station. Public access T.V. is the life-line for a Campaign Finance Reform effort such as mine. I support vibrant federally funded public broadcasting.

Afternoon running in Kihei, thank you Kihei. What fun! Great response from local residents. Ran about 6 miles with my wife, Dorothy. We ran along major beach road and enjoyed the many “Go Joe” cheers that we received from residents. I did stop to talk to a number of nice folks, including a mayoral candidate and a bike path advocate. I described the wonderful new 17 mile bike path under construction on Kauai. I told him that I actively support federal funding for bike paths. They offer so many positive factors to our communities during these times of high gas prices. Simply stated, bike paths support healthy living, save gasoline, attract tourists, provide healthy recreation to local residents and provide jobs in eco-tourism for local residents.

Sunday: Church at Po’okela. Met an interesting couple who appreciated my People to People proposals regarding Muslim youth and disaster relief efforts.

Then I went to Haleakala Highway and headed toward the sea. I was determined to run to the sea and after about three hours I did it, stopping at the port entrance. By the time I got there I was hot, sweaty, dirty and very tired. But those runs are good for me because they allow me to remember how tired the workers of Hawaii are when they return home after a full day in the fields, on the water, in the hotels or just fighting traffic. During my runs we are together in spirit and I renew my fight for a Common Sense Congress for the benefit of our children and grandchildren.

Fun moment during hot run was when a local surfer stuck his head out of the window near the K-Mart and said, “Hey, Joe, I saw you up in Pukalani.” Yes you did, brother.

Monday: Yes, more running. This time from Haiku thru Paia (stopping at Charley’s again) and them out along the cane fields to the junction of the highways.

Summary: Ran about 50 miles from the mountains to the sea. Thousands of Maui residents saw me running their highways. Soon they will know about our desire to avoid special interest money in order to better represent them. That is why I run around the islands.

Felt the spirit of the ancient ones and the tranquility of “up-country” Maui. Felt the conflicts that residents feel over the rapid pace of living, the high gasoline prices and the never ending construction that feeds families but which fuels the creeping urban tensions. A “Common Sense Congress” cannot cure all of these problems but it sure can help.

Had a great breakfast at Charley’s in Paia this morning. Saw two pregnant ladies excitedly discussing their upcoming childbirths (about 3 months away). As I heard them talking about the new additions to their families and their hopes and dreams for their families, I realized that those two persons (yet to be) already owe thousands of dollars as their share of the national debt. Thanks to our “Family Values” Congress, those children have the burden of paying off our national credit card (national debt). In fact their debt is now three trillion dollars larger than it was six years ago.

That makes me mad. It is wrong. Congress must be changed to protect our children and grandchildren. Let’s get some common sense in Congress.

Off on the road running in Kihei for the afternoon. Taking our ideas to the people without the help of special interests.

On August 10th my Race for a Common Sense Congress will come to Maui for a four-day run from the highlands to the coast.

I finally broke the ice on Maui by hitting the pavement around Kahului including the shopping centers, the airport and out into the wide open fields. I only ran about two hours, holding my large sign as I introduced my Race for Congress to the residents of Maui. but during that short run I did get friendly smiles and signs of appreciation for my efforts. As always I hope that the kind folks will check out my website at www.joezuikerforcongress.com and see if they wish to support my ideas for a Common Sense Congress.

I will be back on Maui running miles, and miles and miles between August 10th and August 14th. I hope to meet thousands of Maui residents during those runs and have opportunities to discuss the difficulties facing Maui’s families and our Nation.

I do thank the Maui Democrats and their Century Club for their efforts at promoting political discussions through their weekly luncheons. I was one of their guest speakers on July 5, 2006 and thoroughly enjoyed exchanging ideas on topics affecting our children and grandchildren.

Thanks Maui Democrats for your good work to our community and our Nation.