Senator Inouye in the news

[mella l]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/22...29896.html

Time for a change? Should there be an age limit on serving senators?

mella l

[leilaniguy]

He should have retired awhile back. But Hawaii is a state that will re-elect politicians even if they're already dead.

[Bob Orts]

I don't think his age is the factor, more like how long he served. Over his career, defense contractors have been a major supporter of his campaigns and causes. They are calling in their chips. He can stand on the moral, ethical and righteous ground and tell them he's sorry but this amendment is absolutely essential and correct. Or, as he is doing, pay the pimp for the services of the hookers.

[JerryCarr]

The best thing you can say about Inouye is that he is apparently not senile like Akaka. They both need to go.

[Rob Tucker]

I think it may be inappropriate to condemn Inouye for the crime of aging. The man has done plenty for the country and for the islands of Hawaii. It would be difficult indeed for anyone to have as long a record as his without acquiring critics, detractors and enemies.

I have never been completely sold on term limits. It seems to restrict the will of the people. Unlike corporations people are mortal and changes are inevitable.

In the course of events Hawaii will have new senators. Until then Senator Inouye is of the WWII generation and I will still respect him for his service.

[JerryCarr]

I, too, respect Senator Inouye for his war service and to a certain extent for his Senate service. I just see him as the ultimate embodiment of the "good old boy" political culture and someone whose useful time has passed. I will not be voting for him when he runs again. And he will.

[Rob Tucker]

Whether I might vote for him depends on who might be running against him.

[Kelena]

I think Inouye is the only man bringing home the bacon for Hawaii. He charged up a hill in Italy in World War II, overcame a German stronghold almost singlehandely and lost a body part or two in the process. All this, after begging to fight for his adopted country.

This report in Huffington has been discounted. Not completely discounted, but at present, we do not know where he stands on this bill.

[Frankie Stapleton]

Sen. Inouye has already stated he is running for reelection this term. He still gets considerable points in the progressive watchdog polls, despite his militarism. Unfortunately, Senate rules give all the eggs to the most SENIOR senators...use your heads, folks!

And Sen. Akaka is NOT SENILE! He IS old and has a job that places great demands on his body, his time and his energy. But he is not senile, and that's an insult to a man who would truly be happier to be able to retire but he is the only one able to deliver the votes on issues dear to the heart of most people in Puna!

While Sen. Akaka was voting against the Iraq war, our U.S. Rep. Ed Case voted for war and defended GWB over and over...and he was too c.s. to go up against Inouye so picked Akaka to run against instead. And who paid for Case's campaign? The National Realtors Assoc.....why would they spend so much money for him unless they expected him to deliver Hawaii for the real estate industry? Which is NOT for Hawaii's people, but for real estate people!!!

Sen. Akaka is the only one of our 4 congressional reps who regularly responds to communiques, not just from me but from other constituents, according to what they tell me. And his voting record, with the exception of the Arctic Wildlife bill, tops the list of 100 senators supporting issues important to Punatics: peace, energy and sustainability, care for veterans, the environment. If you don't believe me, check for yourself.

[JerryCarr]

I will repeat what I have said many times. Senators Akaka and Inouye are at the core of an extremely dysfuntional political status quo in Hawaii. Akaka routinely ranks near the bottom of every survey of effectiveness in the U.S. Senate. I have spoken with him personally and observed him at a meeting, and came away with the impression that he was not able to keep track of what was going on around him. His handlers were ever present to try to deal with questions for him, and it is likely they who respond to communiques.

Sen. Inouye does indeed bring the pork home, most of it military. While the military is important to the nation and critically important to Hawaii's economy, it is part of the failing economic "triad" model of the state, the other two legs being tourism and real estate development. (Also, we should note that a lot of the military pork that Inouye gets credit for would probably have been approved anyway due to the strategic needs of the military.) I would respect Sen. Inouye more if he would shift more than just token amounts of his funding expertise toward sustainability, agricultural redevelopment, technology based businesses, and educational reform. He appears to be mentally sharp man, but I believe his policies are out of sync with the modern needs of the state. His vaunted war service, while worthy of my deep respect, has nothing to do with qualifications to lead us today.

Neither of our Senators is willing to break out of the orbit of labor unions which hold a disproportionate level of influence at all levels of government. In this case, they put the interests of the few over the interests of the many. The Jones Act forces everyone in Hawaii to pay artificially high shipping rates to preserve inflated wages for a few hundred workers in the shipping industry and artificially high profits for their employers. Repealing the Jones Act would allow real competition in our shipping lifeline, but our Senators have made no gesture in that direction for fear of losing union support.

The Democratic Party establishment wants us to continue to support the status quo. In the topsy-turvy world on Hawaii politics, the Democrats are the real conservatives, meaning they are highly resistant to change. Sometimes the progressive thing to do is to vote against establishment Democratic candidates. And for what it's worth, I consider myself a Reform Democrat and am not a Republican. I will vote Republican or Green when necessary, though, to make a point.