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One of the great benefits of running around the state during my Race For Congress is the number of wonderful I encounter while on the road. On Tuesday I ran from Kapaa toward Anahola. During the start of this run I was able to see construction activities that will soon result in locals and tourists using a world class bike trail along the beautiful beaches and hills of Kauai. I applaud all persons who have been instrumental in getting this project underway. That bike path represents forward thinking that has implications for issues involving tourism, the ecology and the health of our citizens.

I think increased federal funding should be available to communities who wish to find cost effective ways to develop bike, jogging and walking paths in their communities. I also think special priority for this funding should be given to communities who propose cooperative projects using creative ways of keeping costs low and communities who use volunteer efforts to assist in the projects.

After passing the bike path construction area I faced lots of hills and very strong winds as I continued my run. I stopped to catch my breath a few times but kept on running. Step by step and step by step. Soon I was at the entrance to the residential area of Anahola. I decided to run through those quiet streets and was greeted with a few shouts and surprises by residents. I am pretty sure they have never seen a Congressional candidate running with a big sign past their homes.

A ran a loop around some of the streets and on my way back I saw five residents (3 adults and 2 infants in arms) under a big shade tree. I introduced myself and told them I was running for Congress and gave out my standard ‘green dollar bill” which tells about the impact of the national debt on infants such as the two being held. The adults agreed that sticking these little children with our present day debts was not right and surely not within anyone’s definition of “family values”.

As we talked I got to know one of the adults named Billy Kaneholani. He told me of his personal efforts to register all of the young residents of his community so they can participate in upcoming elections. He said he recognizes those young adults as the future of the Hawaiian Nation and our state and country. He hopes to get young adults involved in the political process so they can shape the future for their children.

People that I meet on the road, like Billy, renew my spirit on hot and tired runs with winds in my face ans sweat pouring down into my eyes. I think of the inspiration that people like Billy give me and then my run seems to go smoother.

I congratulate Billy Kaneholani on his efforts to register voters in his community. Without people like Billy, democracy will perish in our Nation.

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.

Kauai Airport…Just finished five days running my ideas for a Common Sense Congress around the island of Kauai. During those five days I suspect that I interacted with approximately 30,000 persons. Actually who is counting when the temperature is blazing hot and the sweat is poring down your face. Simply stated thousands of residents and tourists learned that a Race for Congress is under way in Hawaii.

I cannot begin to describe the kindness of the many people who I met while on the road. In my mind, the residents and tourists of Kauai are some of the kindest people I have every met. I do not begin to think that they were all supportive of my ideas for common sense in Congress. With luck they will eventually learn about my proposals to end wasteful (pork barrel) earmarks and my ideas for a Second Front on the War on Terrorism. But for now I simply think that they appreciated my effort at getting out on the road in the hot sun and my act of holding up my Joe Zuiker For Congress sign while running down their roads.

For my part I think people and tourists on Kauai love adventure and are independent enough to appreciate individual effort. And I know that the many persons who did learn of my Campaign Finance Reform ideas of running for Congress without taking special interest money were really enthused by my efforts. Those folks like independence and they had no trouble understanding why taking special interest money leads to Congressional candidate “business as usual”.

Finally the many persons who I talked to on Kauai had no trouble agreeing with me that there are no “family values” in forcing our children and grandchildren to pay for our national lack of budget discipline.

As I leave Kauai I have to admit that I am very tired and my legs hurt after five days of hitting the pavement. But as long as the good people of Kauai and the Second Congressional District give me the number of smiles, Shakas and “right on Joe” that I received during the last five days, I will keep running and running in my Race for Congress. One thing is very clear to me…As long as I get the support of the people at ground level, I am in this race to stay.

Joe’s been running his ideas for a Common Sense Congress around Kauai these past 5 days. The Kauai Garden Island News quoted him in this article:

Joe Zuiker, an attorney and marathon runner from O‘ahu, recently ran through some neighborhoods of Kaua‘i as part of his campaigning. He also held an election sign by the old Oki Restaurant on Kuhio Highway.

Zuiker called for the U.S. military to leave Iraq and an immediate end to pork barrel spending by Congress to begin whittling a $9-trillon national debt.

Zuiker, who was Peace Corp volunteer in the 1960s, said he would like to start a national program that would allow for thousands of Muslim children to visit the United States.

The program would allow the children to see Americans as kind and caring people who can work with different cultures to make the world a better place.

If it is Friday, I must be on the road again. I try and balance my day job and my Race for Congress as best as I can. So I assist injured workers and their families throughout the Hawaiian Islands Monday through Thursdays and hit the road in my Race for Congress on Fridays and weekends.

Yesterday I took my ideas for a common sense Congress from the Castle Hospital junction to the end of Waimanalo. As usual I met wonderful people, saw the beauty of Hawaii and had a great time. Here are some impressions from recent runs:

Sad and Powerful - Last week - Waimanalo

Most of the people I meet on my runs are hard working supporters of their families, with plenty of bill paying common sense. They live in a real world that includes fear of forgetting to pay bills on time, concern over their personal credit ratings and the knowledge that they could lose their cable connections, autos or homes if they do not pay their bills on time.

When I meet these people on the road, I give out campaign information that includes a replica credit card bill that tells people about our government’s failure to pay its bills. The bill states that our current Congress has increased the federal deficit by $3 trillion dollars, from $6 trillion to $9 trillion during the six years of President Bush’s time in office.

When I give out copies of this credit card bill to adults, I remind them that the U.S. budget deficit is nothing more than a gigantic credit card debt and that Congress will be making their children pay for that debt in the coming years. The usual reaction that I get from Hawaii’s residents is sad and powerful.

Last week I gave the information to a very nice young man who was ordering breakfast for his family at Keneke’’s. I told him about the federal deficit and handed him a credit card bill from Congress. As I told him that his child and my grandchildren will have to pay this huge deficit, he looked over to his small child who was next to him in his auto. The man then looked at me and said, “How can it be that my child has to pay this bill?” He said it with utter disbelief that his child could be stuck with the federal deficit mess made by Congress.

It is those powerful experiences that motivate me to hit the road, get sweaty and dirty and bake in the noonday sun while racing for Congress. (more…)

Four days ago I did a press release on the pervasive effect of pork barrel spending upon our country. Yesterday a national press report detailed how Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, made a neat $2 million dollars profit after he appropriated $270 million of taxpayer money to build a freeway near his property. He appropriated the money and the land went up in value. He pocketed the $2 million after only a couple years of investing in the land.

Then yesterday while on the road with my signs a friend gave me a large tin of government “pork” in a tin can. I have now decided to run the can around the Hawaiian Islands as a reminder of the damage that pork barrel spending is doing to our country and our children and grandchildren.

Joe Zuiker, a Democratic candidate in Hawaii’s Second Congressional District, called today for the immediate end to wasteful Congressional pork barrel spending. Pork-barrel spending requests, officially known as “earmarks” or “set-asides” are usually inserted into larger appropriations bills by mutual consent of current members of Congress to fund pet projects for their home districts. According to Zuiker there is usually little or no discussion as to whether these expenditures are even necessary.

“Last week members of both parties in Congress slipped about 1,500 pork barrel projects into a major appropriations bill.” Zuiker said. “At this rate, it is obvious that our Congress is now addicted to pork-barrel spending and their addiction is causing billions of dollars of financial headaches for tax payers in Hawaii and throughout the other states of our Nation”, he added. (more…)