Who to vote for in 08?

I am still undecided of who to vote for as far as the Hawaii candidates. It is really a tough issue because most of the time you go to vote and there are rules that make you vote within a certain party and do we really "know" the candidates? I mean they are mostly corrupt as far as I am concerned. For me, it is basically vote for the best of the bad because I do not know of any genuine politicians in America---they are all somewhat corrupt and biased. What if I like someone who is a republican even though I support Democrats in general and I am definitely voting for Obama for president--there is no way in hell I will support another Bush administration for the next four years. But I have some issues with Obama as well, for instance I heard him say that he would push the Akaka Bill and support it heavily, and I do not think the Akaka bill is good for Hawaii or Hawaiian people. I think that Obama most likely wants to aid the Hawaiian people and he probably thinks that the Akaka bill will help, but he probably has not really researched it entirely himself. So that is a huge fault and assumption on his part.

I really liked going to the forum last week to "meet the candidates" I thought that it was somewhat helpful as to making an educated decision on who to vote for. And actually I was surprised by one candidate Mickey Vierra R running for upcountry Maui district 12. I thought that he did a great job on answering questions and I liked what he had to say. I do not usually support republicans because they do not represent the working class such as myself in my opinion. However I did like what he had to say, but do I really know this guy? the answer is no! I decided to do some further research on him and actually not sure that I will support him. On this website called smart vote they did not have much of anything to say and I was left disappointed with this candidate, it is so hard to vote smart! This according to project votesmart website:
"Mickey Vierra repeatedly refused to provide any responses to citizens on the issues through the 2008 Political Courage Test when asked to do so by national leaders of the political parties, prominent members of the media, Project Vote Smart President Richard Kimball, and Project Vote Smart staff. "
I liked this website because it gives additional information on our candidates and helps to make a more informed vote. Http://www.votesmart.org/npat.php?can_id=109606

http://www.kalanienglish.com/

I also wanted to comment on Senator Kalani English. I grew up in Hana so I have known Kalani for many years and for the most part I like and support what he has accomplished and done for Maui in the past. I will also vote for him in the future because he is a good senator and supports critical issues that affect all of Hawaii in a positive way that I agree with. Such as invasive species. I went and spoke to him after the forum and he told me that he actually was instrumental in creating the Maui Invasive Species Committee which is now known as the Hawaii Invasive Species Committee and each island has their own chapter. In doing research, I have learned that invasive species is the single biggest threat to Hawaii and our future relating to impact. This according to Hear.org http://hear.org/

The invasive species problem in Hawaii. The silent invasion of Hawai'i by
insects, disease organisms, snakes, weeds, and other pests is the single
greatest threat to Hawaii's economy and natural environment and to the health
and lifestyle of Hawaii's people. Pests already cause millions of dollars in
crop losses, the extinction of native species, the destruction of native
forests, and the spread of disease. But many more harmful pests now threaten to
invade Hawai'i and wreak further damage. Even one new pest--like the brown tree
snake--could forever change the character of our islands. Stopping the influx of
new pests and containing their spread is essential to Hawaii's future
well-being.
Despite the efforts of more than 20 state, federal, and private
agencies, unwanted alien pests are entering Hawai'i at an alarming rate - about
2 million times more rapid than the natural rate. In 1993, the federal Office of
Technology Assessment declared Hawaii's alien pest species problem the worst in
the nation. Hawaii's evolutionary isolation from the continents, and its modern
role as the commercial hub of the Pacific make these islands particularly
vulnerable to destruction by alien pests. Gaps in current pest prevention
systems and a lack of public awareness add further to this serious problem.

Mahalo Annjulie