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Name: Fred Fogel- Current job: Retired strategic planner and quality advisor to the Adjutant General, Hawaii State Department of Defense.
- Residence: How long you’ve lived in the district: 5 yrs, 37 yrs in Hawaii
- Background: What qualifies you for the position? I am not a politician. What else have you run for? County Council. Have you been in public office before and if so, what position? No
- Major issues: What are the biggest issue in your district/state and your proposed solutions? Jobs.Trades/Agriculture pipeline in high school. Zone land properly, then cut real ag a break in taxes/fees. Make it easier for business to thrive by streamlining bureaucracy. Put more emphasis on invasive species control, both import and export.
- Budget philosophy: What is your budget philosophy? Don’t spend what you don’t have. (Hawaii has the third largest debt load per capita in the nation.) Funds designated for a specific purpose shall not be raided to support an unrelated purpose. (e.g. Hurricane relief fund supporting Department of Education.) Do you foresee increases in revenue through tax hikes and fees or do you believe in cutting spending? Cut spending. (The size of Hawaii’s government per capita is near the top in the nation.)
- Taxes and fees: Do you believe Hawaii’s taxes should be lowered or increased? Taxes on food and medicine should be eliminated. Convert the state income tax to a flat tax for everyone above the poverty level. If you do plan to raise taxes and fees, which specific taxes or fees would you increase? N/A Or would you sign a pledge that says you will not raise taxes? A flat income tax will raise taxes for some and lower them for others, so I cannot sign such a pledge.
- Rail: If the city has difficulty raising enough revenue for the rail, would you support state tax support for the rail project? No new taxes. Use existing tax revenue. If additional funds required for rail, cut spending in other areas.
- Legalized Gambling: Do you believe gambling should be legalized in Hawaii in any form and if so, in what form? Counties should be able to decide if they want gambling (and should be able to keep all the revenue generated – except taxes, of course.) Gambling should be legal on cruise ships. Consideration should be given to a state lottery, with proceeds going directly (and only) to education.
- Public Education: What are your plans to support the public education system while ensuring accountability and results for our students? Eliminate the Board of Education. Principals serve on county boards. Principals have complete authority deciding how money is spent at their schools. Implement student voucher system. Cut overhead positions. Reward good teachers. Fire the bad ones. Do you support an appointed or elected school board? Neither.
- Economic Growth: What are your plans to promote long-term economic growth for Hawaii? Embrace agriculture. Streamline bureaucracy. Educate keki. Force power companies to purchase all alternate energy at a reasonable price. Stop invasive species at the door.
- Crime: What is your solution to making Oahu a safer place to live and visit? Teach prisoners. Make them work and grow their own food. Make room in prisons by releasing all prisoners convicted solely of drug possession. Publish all prison sentences along with all prior convictions and sentencing judge’s name in the newspaper. Put a halfway house in every district. Implement capital punishment. Drunk driving second offense – take away vehicle. Third offense – mandatory jail time. Legalize pakalolo. Focus police effort on crack and ice manufacturers/dealers.
- Second Amendment: Would you support concealed carry or more freedom for law abiding firearms owners. Definitely. Concealed carry is a joke, because permits are simply not issued. Do you feel the current laws should remain in place, or do you believe stricter gun laws should be in place? Current gun laws are strict enough.
- Homeless: What is your solution to homelessness? Ensure shelter space is available for all homeless. Provide mental counseling, job support and training. Provide some rent-to-own duplexes/apartments. Sweep homeless hangouts weekly and transport to shelters.
- Compact with Micronesia: Micronesians are able to freely move to Hawaii, which they are doing in large numbers to take advantage of the public education system, medical services and other government benefits. But the governor and other public officials say they are taxing Hawaii’s resources and costing the state more than $100 million a year. This is a federal decision, but would you share your view on whether the Compact with Micronesia should remain in place, should there be some parameters put on the Compact or do you have other solutions? If we blew up their home, we owe them the opportunity to live and work in America if they so desire. If their medical conditions are the result of our actions, we should cover it. A stipend for relocation is a good idea, but we should not support anyone for the rest of their lives.
- Akaka Bill: What is your position on the Akaka Bill? Support. Do you believe it will unite or divide Hawaii? Neither. What is your vision for how the Akaka Bill will change Hawaii? For the better.
- Jones Act: Opponents of the federal Jones Act say it increases the cost of living in Hawaii through a shipping duopoly while supporters say it is needed to ensure port security and American jobs. While this is a federal decision, would you share your view on whether you support an exemption for Hawaii from the Jones Act or should it remain in place? Support exemption, see how it works out, then adjust as necessary.
- Endorsements you would like to list: My girlfriend and kids.
Any additional comments: I’d like to see some fundamental changes to the way government operates… Eliminate riders that are not related to the subject of a bill. Extend the legislative session from five months to ten, but do not raise the salaries of politicians. Implement term limits for senators and representatives. Let only the electorate approve salary raises for politicians through ballot initiative. And here are a few other things I’d like to see… Limits for personal liability (“tort reform.”) Require labeling of food containing genetic modifications. Require labeling of point-of-origin for all produce. Make it extremely difficult to build on conservation land. Legalize gay marriage (or whatever you want to call it.) Implement campaign spending limits for local elections. Implement online voting. Change election process to support general election only. Put the name of anyone who qualifies on the ballot. Let political parties pay for their primary if they want to vet their candidates.
Contact information:
Phone: 808 896 8217
E-mail: trifox3@gmail.com
Mail: POB 1071, Volcano 96785
Web site address: fredfogel.net
Campaign Slogan or Theme (optional): Smaller government, More personal freedom.
Libertarian views are very much "in tune" with the general public. I think that Libertarians would be elected more frequently if people didn't feel that a Libertarian vote was a "wasted" vote. We need to vote for the best person whether we think they will win or not. Keep doing it over and over and, eventually, we (the people) might be able to take back some control of our government.
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