Originally prepared for "The Level Playing Field," a special presentation of The Koolau News. This piece was published Sunday, Aug. 11 (Week 2 of 7).

�If it ain�t broke, don�t fix it.� A good motto in some cases. But what about when it is broken? What about our unresponsive government � just plodding along, with many lawmakers keeping it that way because it works to their benefit? This needs to be fixed, and these lawmakers who are keeping the people of Hawaii down need to be replaced.

Our island government has been dominated by one party for half a century, and it has gotten to the point that some of those in office often believe they are entitled to be there, to fulfill their own narrow and short-sighted agenda. In reality, a government should be of the people, by the people and for the people. Now that the Republican Party is really coming into it�s own in Hawaii, we are posing a long-overdue challenge to the status quo.

I and my Republican colleagues are standing up for the citizens and forcing lawmakers to be responsible for their decisions. We are saying that we need a change, and we need that change now.

A government must be run efficiently to be effective. We need to vote candidates into office who are willing to put forth the effort to run governmental programs in a cost-effective manner and stop the waste of funds. We cannot make mistakes in the handling of the budget and then run to our special funds, such as the Hurricane Relief Fund, to make up for it. We need to have officials who will be aware of the consequences of all their actions and look ahead as they work. I will work to ensure our government lives within its means. I refuse to leave a legacy of debt for the next generation.

Local decision-making must play a bigger role in Hawaii. Especially in the area of education, we need to trust our communities to be able to handle the decisions required to make the system work for everyone. We need to listen to our constituents and keep their needs � not the needs of the bureaucracy � front and center. For this, we need leaders who are accessible and available.

We cannot continue to come up with misguided or single-minded laws that further entangle citizens and businesses in more red tape. I believe the people of Hawaii have within them the potential to make the islands the best place on Earth to live and do business, if only we allowed and encouraged them to do so.

We need to vote candidates into office who are clear and consistent in their points of view and their decisions. Legislators need to make decisions they can stand by � good and just decisions that will be effective and serve to improve the state of Hawaii. Only candidates with a strong vision of our state�s future should have the privilege to serve in office. It would be a privilege for me to put my vision to work for you in the State Senate.