http://www.willoughbyforcongress.com/site/Viewer.aspx?iid=1414&mname=ArticleGroup Campaign News en-us 60 The Defense of Marriage Act, signed into law byPresident Bill Clinton in 1996, states that: "The federal governmentdefines marriage as a legal union exclusively between one man and onewoman." DOMA further prohibits States from being forced to recognizesame-sex marriages performed in other States.   H.R. 3567 is a bill that would repeal DOMA. Thatbill is co-sponsored by Hawaii Representative Mazie Hirono, formerRepresentative (and Gubernatorial Candidate) Neil Abercrombie and the CongressionalProgressive Caucus.   If elected toUnited States Congress, I will vote against repeal of DOMA. Period. Sat, 10 Jul 2010 14:36:00 CST http://www.willoughbyforcongress.com/site/Viewer.aspx?iid=28429&mname=Article http://www.willoughbyforcongress.com/site/Viewer.aspx?iid=28429&mname=Article As the only Pro-Life Candidate in the 2nd District race, John is proud and honored to receive the Endorsement of Hawaii Right to Life. Please click on this link to see the endorsement! http://hrtl.org/vote.htm Wed, 30 Jun 2010 10:35:00 CST http://www.willoughbyforcongress.com/site/Viewer.aspx?iid=26531&mname=Article http://www.willoughbyforcongress.com/site/Viewer.aspx?iid=26531&mname=Article Aloha to the Valiant Members of the Hawaii State Republican Party Platform Committee! I would like to express my appreciation for your grit, diligence, and selfless determination in developing a strong platform – a framework of which all Hawaii Republicans and candidates can be proud. As a member of the committee, I have received and read all your communications with deep interest. But as a candidate for the 2nd U.S. Congressional District, I have intentionally recused myself from the process, instead allowing you to develop and nurture synergies that have been crucial to completing this monumental task. Yours has been a shared process that will guide us candidates in our mission to reshape and redirect the political realities that have defined our State for the past 50 years. From your writings, we validate that our core values of Liberty, Limited Government, Individual Responsibility, Financial Accountability, and Equality of Opportunity are the very basis of Conservatism in Hawaii. Contrary to what the monopolistic liberal media in Hawaii has unilaterally proclaimed, Hawaii is a proudly Conservative State. Since I began my campaign last October, I have spoken with thousands of Hawaii residents. An overwhelming majority of those have offered unsolicited opinion that our State needs to move in a more Conservative direction. Our challenge as candidates is to not only highlight the differences between us and our misguided opponents on the extreme left side of the Democrat Party, but to offer clear solutions designed to demonstrate to all Hawaii families that our intentions are just and right and good. The Conservative values you have defined in our LLIFE platform are common sense: to be American is to believe in Liberty; the government that governs best, governs least; we are all responsible for our own actions; we cannot spend more than we take in; and, we as Americans firmly believe in equality of opportunity for all with special privileges for none. Up to now, the media has been very adroit at defining and maligning the Republican Party and Conservatism in Hawaii. This is no longer acceptable. Local television broadcasters and newspaper editors have dismissed “Economic Conservatism” as being cruel to the less privileged. Instead, they have embraced crony capitalism as the benevolent means to achieve a “nanny state” that is all things to all people. This also is no longer acceptable. More importantly, it is no longer sustainable. Additionally, they have defined “Social Conservatism.” They have taken the Conservative philosophy on issues like education, immigration, abortion, gay marriage, parental rights, national security, energy, our ‘Aina and the environment, Hawaiian Rights, and religion among others and labeled them as “extreme” – a label most people seek to avoid. What the media has consistently achieved by defining and separating economic and social conservatism is that they have fractured the Republican Party and virtually guaranteed victories for every candidate who claims that he or she is not they. The question is, can we as candidates regain the initiative by redefining and recombining economic and social Conservatism into what has – up to now – been portrayed as an uneasy alliance? I genuinely believe we can. That is the very reason I, as a Commercial Airline Pilot and Retired Navy Officer (and someone who has never been involved in politics) have temporarily deviated from my chosen career path to seek public office. If we can regain the initiative, we will reestablish our Party and lead it to what Chairman Jonah Ka’auwai envisions as the new political majority in Hawaii. When Ramsay Wharton recently announced that she would join me as a candidate for the 2nd District nomination, I welcomed her into the race and offered her my best wishes. Naturally, we both feel uniquely suited to offer 2nd District voters the most stark possible contrast to the destructive and failed representation we all have received from Mazie Hirono and her extreme Democrat majority. I’m sure I speak for Ramsay when I say that we each will wholeheartedly accept your platform as the basic structure for our respective campaigns. As for me, I recognize this platform as the strongest possible foundation to support whichever philosophy, hers or mine, the families of Hawaii choose to embrace. My Conservative philosophy and stand on both fiscal and social issues, as described in my speeches and many published articles and on my website, are bold and unwavering. I look forward to Ramsay revealing her philosophy and stand on these vital issues in the very near future so that we both can prepare to offer 2nd District families a clear and well-defined choice and direction for   Hawaii’s future. Like Ronald Reagan in the 1976 Republican National Convention, I reject those who say that we must broaden the base of our Party, when they seemingly wish to blur the differences between our opponents and us in order to make us more like them. We must resist this strategy, but instead “…raise a banner of bold, unmistakable colors with no pastel shades.” Beginning this Saturday, we should resolve to put the bickering and squabbles behind us. Instead, we must join to reinforce and strengthen the values and principles that will – from that day forward – control and direct the actions of the Hawaii Republican Party. Beginning this Saturday, me must strive to embrace those standards each of us knows to be noblest and best, keeping our obligations, and focusing on the Hawaii Republican Party goals each one of us has accepted as our own. Beginning this Saturday, we must pledge to conduct ourselves such, that as election day in November approaches, each one of us will be able to proudly say – looking back over these past months –  I am fighting the good fight, I am doing my work, our Hawaii Republican Party, our community, and our Nation will be better because of me. I look forward to meeting each one of you on Saturday and working closely with you over the next six months and beyond. Most of all, I pledge to support your wishes and sail the direction you have charted. With warmest regards, John Willoughby Tue, 11 May 2010 03:20:00 CST http://www.willoughbyforcongress.com/site/Viewer.aspx?iid=27443&mname=Article http://www.willoughbyforcongress.com/site/Viewer.aspx?iid=27443&mname=Article http://hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?b60f5713-feb7-42f1-b13d-85ea259b829b Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:31:00 CST http://www.willoughbyforcongress.com/site/Viewer.aspx?iid=26530&mname=Article http://www.willoughbyforcongress.com/site/Viewer.aspx?iid=26530&mname=Article "The people of Hawaii are ready for real change" "It's time for a fresh voice -- Hawaii's voice -- in Congress" Key Issues: Restoring Fiscal Responsibility, Cutting the Pork Lowering Taxes for Hawaii and Military Families Saving Our Retirements Securing Our Borders, Enforcing Our Laws Improving Our Children's Education Defending America, Defeating Foreign and Domestic Terrorism Lowering Gas Prices, Freeing Hawaii and America from Dependence on Foreign Oil Taking Care of Hawaii's Farmers Increasing Access to Affordable, High-Quality Health Care Our Ohana, Our 'Aina Community Involvement John Willoughby’s Commitment: As members of Hawaii’s Ohana, we all embrace life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We cherish our families, value hard work and self-reliance, and reward the entrepreneurial spirit. We believe in protecting and nurturing our children, caring for our elderly, and honoring our heroes whom have served our nation so unselfishly. We are fair and honest in our dealings with others, strong in principle, and unwavering in our commitment to freedom and democracy. Unfortunately, our government has strayed. Our state and national representatives have demeaned our values, disregarded our desires, and abandoned our principles. They have put their political ambitions and special interests above Hawaii’s. This is no longer acceptable. Hawaii needs representatives who are driven by what is right, guided by the Constitution, loyal to the people of Hawaii, and committed to personal integrity and unconditional accountability. We must have real, measurable, and verifiable change in Washington. It’s as simple as that. The single greatest hope for the People of Hawaii, for our families, and for our future is to re-embrace the conservative principles of fiscal responsibility, limited government, uncompromising accountability, and a strong national defense. So today I am announcing my candidacy for Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional Districtin United States Congress. The driving force behind my decision to run for public office is the sobering reality that we have all been taken advantage of and misrepresented by Hawaii’s Democrat politicians in Congress for far, far too long. One need look no farther than the Federal Elections Commission campaign contribution website to see that they have become political dupes of the radical left, special interest groups, and the extreme liberal Congressional leadership. We, the Republican Party of Hawaii believe that our citizen voters are every bit as sophisticated as voters on the Mainland. Here at home Governor Linda Lingle showed us that a political candidate in Hawaii having an “R” behind his or her name at election time and beyond is a good thing. Hawaii Republicanscan and should be leading, inspiring, and empowering change on the Mainland, and not the other way around. We want to introduce and fight for policies that are in the best interest of both Hawaii and our nation. There is widespread anger and frustration at the lack of principled and common sense based policy that has been coming from Washington. Mrs. Hirono, Mr. Abercrombie, and the Democrat majority have had their day. During their time as leadership, they have rejected, ignored, and virtually abandoned the most fundamental principles they promised time and time again to uphold. Instead they accepted and subscribed to snobbish, elitist Mainland political opinions of the day. They and their irksome colleagues purport that our Hawaii families who embrace Judeo and Christian philosophies and beliefs cling to “irrational superstition” and are not capable of making rational decisions. Unconscionable is the fact that Mrs. Hirono has failed to provide even the most basic representation that reflects the positions and priorities of the People of Hawaii. In less than four years since Mrs. Hirono took office, annual government spending has increased over 50%, our national debt has increased over 50%, and the budget deficit has grown an astonishing 600%. She voted in favor of virtually every spending scheme and bailout plan imaginable. This haphazard degree of fiscal irresponsibility on Mrs. Hirono’s watch is unfathomable, unsustainable, and unacceptable. A politician representing our state who revels in her exploitation of our children and grandchildren’s future while touting her ability to garner costly, wasteful earmarks for her special interest groups is shameful and also unacceptable. She has supported efforts that will allow illegal immigrants on the Mainland to “cut in line” in front of our Hawaii families who have played by the rules,waiting patiently for years and years for the greatest honor they will ever earn. She also supports efforts by her Democrat leadership to nationalize and ravage our retirement system. But perhaps the most unforgivable act she could have performed in Congress was to directly reject the will of the people of Hawaii by consistently undermining the efforts of American troops in harm’s way. It’s time to return to the core principles that made America the world’s economic superpower and more importantly its respected leader. A leader mind you, that has nothing for which to apologize. It’s time for Hawaii to have a Congressional Representative who will never forget that he has but one special interest group – the People of Hawaii. The People of Hawaii are ready for a new Representative -- a true Representative of the People who will work tirelessly every day to ensure Washington knows that Hawaii’s hopes and dreams, her values and principles, and her virtuous desires are finally represented in Congress. The People of Hawaii have a voice. John Willoughby will be Hawaii’s voice in Congress. Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:52:00 CST http://www.willoughbyforcongress.com/site/Viewer.aspx?iid=24596&mname=Article http://www.willoughbyforcongress.com/site/Viewer.aspx?iid=24596&mname=Article HONOLULU, HI – A distinguished airline pilot and retired Navy Officer is announcing that he will seek the Hawai`i Republican Party nomination to challenge incumbent Democrat Representative Mazie Hirono for the 2nd Congressional District seat in the 2010 General Election.  John Willoughby, a 51 year-old proponent of lower taxes, smaller government, and unconditional Congressional accountability, is a member of the Airline Pilots Association - - a labor union that has supported Hirono in past elections. Hirono, 61, has held the seat since winning a 10-way Congressional election in 2006 with 21.8% of the vote and has consistently voted to support higher taxes and increased government spending. According to Willoughby, “The first day in office we will submit tax reform legislation that will increase the take home pay of 40% of military and Hawai`i families by an average of $4,700 a year.  This will result in a $940 million annual infusion into the state economy - - money that will stay here in the islands where it is needed, in the pockets of those who earned it, and it won’t cost taxpayers one dime.” Willoughby also intends to fight efforts currently underway in Hirono’s House Committee on Labor and Education to nationalize America’s retirement system.  Her efforts would eliminate $80 billion in annual 401(k) and Individual Retirement Account (IRA) tax credits.   Hirono favors a government-controlled retirement account that supplements Social Security with a small monthly stipend. Additionally, Willoughby vows to fight unjust immigration reform.  Current efforts in Congress would allow tens of millions of illegals on the mainland to receive preferential treatment over Hawai`i families whose legitimate immigrant family members have been waiting years for immigration relief.  Additionally, he will vigorously support a strong national defense and fight to ensure safe, secure, and drug-free borders while vowing to uphold a swift and sure response to terrorist aggression.   Even before taking his seat in congress, Willoughby plans to launch a bold new public service and education initiative by building partnerships with the business community that will drastically improve Hawaii’s beleaguered public school system. Willoughby also wants to make a clear distinction that, unlike Hirono, he is not a “career” politician.  He pledges that if elected, he will serve no more than two terms. John and his wife Yong Hui have been married nearly 20 years. They live on Oahu with their two sons Josh and Jeremy.  They also have an adopted daughter Su Jin, who is grown and lives on the mainland. Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:29:00 CST http://www.willoughbyforcongress.com/site/Viewer.aspx?iid=24594&mname=Article http://www.willoughbyforcongress.com/site/Viewer.aspx?iid=24594&mname=Article Who is the biggest hypocrite in Hawaii? Please check out my article "I'm Shocked, Shocked to Find that Profiteering is Going on in Here!" which appeared in the Hawaii Reporter April 6, 2009.  Simply follow the link below! http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?3c112e37-ec65-421d-a2d7-5b47ef1ba5a7 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:15:00 CST http://www.willoughbyforcongress.com/site/Viewer.aspx?iid=24568&mname=Article http://www.willoughbyforcongress.com/site/Viewer.aspx?iid=24568&mname=Article Democrats in Congress Take First Step Toward Nationalized Retirement By John W.Willoughby Psych! The government hasn’t taken the first step... Whether you know it or not, they’re already on, like, step 10. After the attacks of 9/11 on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, the airline industry was thrown into turmoil. The Bush administration sprang into action and in just eleven short days established the Air Transportation Stabilization Board, a U.S. Treasury Department office designed to stabilize an airline industry that was already in dire straits prior to 9/11. The ATSB was to issue federal loan guarantees to viable airlines unable to acquire conventional credit. An amount that seems now like a paltry sum of $10 billion in loan guarantees (not bailouts) was appropriated by U.S. Congress to assist the airlines. In essence, establishment of the ATSB provided the means by which airlines (including my employer, United Airlines) could continue to operate while meeting their financial obligations, including the funding of the employees defined benefit pension plans. Instead of immediately applying for the loan guarantee, United Airlines -- hemorrhaging money and suffering from self-inflicted wounds including a flawed business plan, an expensive, outdated, and fuel guzzling fleet of aircraft, inefficient work rules, bloated payroll, and unpaid pension obligations -- opted to choose protection under Chapter 11 bankruptcy as a means to stop paying leases on aircraft, slash payrolls, layoff nearly half its work force and abrogate its contracts with its labor unions to include defaulting on pension obligations. This effectively ended the defined benefit pension plan. Under bankruptcy protection, UAL then applied for the ATSB loan guarantee. They touted elimination of the pension plans and other draconian cost saving measures to prove to the ATSB that they were serious about staying viable and thus worthy of the loan guarantee. After a lengthy application process including a rare reapplication after initial denial, it was determined by the three-member ATSB that UAL was perfectly capable of establishing credit withoutthe government guarantee and denied the second application. This is significant in two ways. First and most important, the market, not government determined whether UAL would survive (which it did). Secondly, by not taking government funds, UAL CEO Glenn Tilton was able to parley some $40 million in executive compensation for himself and tens of millions more for his immediate staff with nary an objection from the public, media, or Representative BarneyFrank. But it was after this process that I first realized how little control (whether a result of government intrusion or other external forces) we the people actually have over our future, our financial security and the legacy we will be allowed to pass on to our children and grandchildren. With the stroke of a pen, we employees lost our hard earned retirements. You see, in the past UAL and its labor unions negotiated a comfortable defined benefit pension plan that promised to pay a specific monthly payment at retirement (just as federal, state and local government agencies do now). Unlike government pension plans, that are funded by taxpayers, UAL (and other private and publically held companies that provide a defined benefit pension plan) was responsible to make regular contributions to the plan in addition to insurance premiums it was required to pay to the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, an independent agency of the federal government designed to assume pension obligations in case of pension plan failure. When UAL filed for Chapter 11 protection, its pension obligations and all monies in the plan were turned over to the PBGC. This was a windfall for the PBGC who developed a formula to continue making current pension payments at a drastically reduced amount and establish a schedule for paying future obligations -- my and other’s retirements -- at pennies on the dollar. This is what my Hawaii public and private Union brothers and sisters have in store for them in the immediate future (when it is realized that there is no money to pay the $39 Trillion in unfunded pension obligations) and the rest of working Americans have to look forward to if Democrat Congressional Representative Mazie Hirono and “that San Francisco crowd” have their way. There is method to their madness. Despite the majority party in Congress’s absolutely unconscionable gargantuan spending spree and outlandish promise to pay down their $13 Trillion plus obligation without the means to do it, they know they have a yet untapped resource from which to draw and plan to follow. Our Union benefactors (and recipients of millions in union campaign contributions) Hirono and her fellow House Democrats including Speaker NancyPelosi, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller, D-California, House Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support Chairman James McDermott, D-Washington, invited Teresa Ghilarducci, Professor of Economic Policy Analysis at the New School of Social Research in New York to testify at McDermott’s committee. Professor Ghilarducci provided a plan to nationalize America’s private pension system and allow Congress to get their hands on $8 trillion of our money. (What’s especiallystinging is that my local Air Line Pilots Association council recently presented Representative Miller with an award for support of our Union. We lost our retirement once, and now he’s going to pick the bones.) First,they will nationalize (steal) our hard-earned 401K and IRA accounts -- every penny. Second, they will issue each family an account (with a starting balance of zero) administered by the Social Security Administration (oh, I feel better already). We will be required to contribute to the account, 5% of our annual income (non tax deductable). Third, the government will contribute up to $600 indexed for inflation (or it would actually be a negative sum gain) annually. Fourth, the government would guarantee a 3% rate of return (not indexed for inflation). So, if you have a job that pays around $50,000 a year, over a 30-year career you will have built a retirement account worth around $150,000. Now, let me see… That will yield a monthly retirement stipend that is less than the present SocialSecurity payment alone. The upside is that this will be guaranteed, hence the title “Guaranteed Retirement Account.” Oh by the way, only 50% can be passed to your heirs upon your death. Questions??? Yes. Are they out of their freaking minds! Who is speaking out against this? Who thinks the Democrat majority in both the House and Senate and the White House can’t get away with this? They have been preparing their “spread the wealth” strategy since early last election. They don’t actually believe they are helping Americans plan for their retirements… They simply want to get their hands on the $80 billion in annual 401K tax breaks millions of Americans currently receive and the crown jewel -- the $7 trillion currently in Americans retirement accounts to pay for their socialist agenda. What support can we expect this ill-conceived scheme to receive from our Hawaii Representatives? As for Mrs. Hirono, she has blindly voted with her Democrat majority nearly 100% of the time. We can alsocount on socialist Gubernatorial Candidate Abercrombie to be a chief drumbeaterfor this effort, then “bring the same change from Washington to Washington Place.” The rest is up to us. Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:09:00 CST http://www.willoughbyforcongress.com/site/Viewer.aspx?iid=24567&mname=Article http://www.willoughbyforcongress.com/site/Viewer.aspx?iid=24567&mname=Article Are we even going to need Light Rail if and/or when it is ever finished?  Please read my story, "Does Oahu Need Rail?" which appeared in the Hawaii Reporter April 17, 2009.  Simply follow the link below! http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?4df31d80-ac00-4585-b8fe-35c9ecdbc80b Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:04:00 CST http://www.willoughbyforcongress.com/site/Viewer.aspx?iid=24566&mname=Article http://www.willoughbyforcongress.com/site/Viewer.aspx?iid=24566&mname=Article