Ron Curtis in 2018 HI Senate race
On Budget & Economy:
Balanced budget achievable: stop waste and reduce spending
Government is responsible to balance the budget by eliminating waste and reducing spending before raising taxes.
Before any law or regulation is enacted, the economic impact should be calculated fairly and disclosed publicly. Government should not burden future generations with excessive debt.
Source: 2018 Hawaii Senate campaign website RonCurtis808.com
Aug 8, 2018
On Civil Rights:
Americans are equally entitled to Constitutional rights
Freedom to pursue inherent American guarantees of Life and the Pursuit of Happiness. Freedom secured by the rule of law, not by arbitrary judicial or executive decrees, provides all Americans an equal choice to pursue a productive and meaningful life.
The security and protections guaranteed to every American under our Constitution must apply equally to all. Each individual has the opportunity to achieve, without any guarantee for a particular outcome.
Source: 2018 Hawaii Senate campaign website RonCurtis808.com
Aug 8, 2018
On Education:
We can better serve students teaching them the "how" skills
The current "common core" based curriculum in our K-12 classrooms does more for preparing for standardized tests than it does for preparing them for post high school education and careers. We can do a better job by focusing more on teaching
the students how to learn, how to reason, how to problem solve, how to troubleshoot, how to research, and how to analyze. Those skills on the "how" will serve the students far better than the standard based test knowledge.
Source: 2018 Hawaii Senate campaign website RonCurtis808.com
Aug 8, 2018
On Energy & Oil:
Manage renewable electric power with smaller community farms
We need to migrate to a more distributed utility grid to help protect it from disasters and from bad actors. The recent lava flow that destroyed the Puna Geothermal Venture on the Big Island took out 30% of the island's electrical power production.
Through some early research, the most practical approach appears to be a transition to smaller neighborhood or community renewable energy farms that are managed from a central location.
Source: 2018 Hawaii Senate campaign website RonCurtis808.com
Aug 8, 2018
On Environment:
Protect environment with common sense daily routine changes
Global warming and the environment: To the extent that we can, we need to be responsible caretakers of the `Aina without causing economic hardships for anyone.
We need to implement common sense changes in our daily life routines to eliminate the creation of problems like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Source: 2018 Hawaii Senate campaign website RonCurtis808.com
Aug 8, 2018
On Government Reform:
Take back our elections from lobbyists & special interests
We need to take back control of our elections from lobbyists, special interests, and foreign entities.˙Our government is meant to be "of the people, by the people, for the people"--not of the few, by the few, for the few, for the special interests, for
the lobbyists. Our election process has become more about fund raising than about the issues. The lobbyist and special interest impacts in our elections have grown beyond the point where they can't be properly vetted.
Source: 2018 Hawaii Senate campaign website RonCurtis808.com
Aug 8, 2018
On Health Care:
Affordable health care for all calls for effective planning
The long-term vision is to provide an accessible and affordable nationally-guided quality health care system for everyone in the United States. The challenge is in how to reach this national health care vision and how to sustain it. It is going to take
significant planning, preparation, and persistence to implement an effective comprehensive approach to achieve this vision.˙We're not going to get there overnight and we need to approach this in a gradual, phased-in, step-by-step process.
Source: 2018 Hawaii Senate campaign website RonCurtis808.com
Aug 8, 2018
On Immigration:
Base immigration policy on meeting job market needs
We need a more dynamic immigration policy based on government known facts. I propose a needs-based policy that allows for a higher immigration rate when unemployment is low and a lower rate when unemployment is high. I propose making the immigration
process more like an application for those jobs where the market data indicates the need. I propose prioritizing the needs-based immigration in accepting immigrants from countries that are under-represented in America's population diversity.
Source: 2018 Hawaii Senate campaign website RonCurtis808.com
Aug 8, 2018
On Principles & Values:
Principles of campaign are liberty and limited government
Core campaign principles: - Liberty: "Freedom to pursue inherent American guarantees of Life and the Pursuit of Happiness.
- Limited government: "Government exists to protect our inalienable rights, to defend our sovereignty and borders, and to
provide infrastructure for the common good." Based on the Constitution, the government that governs least, governs best. Government should not perform functions which are better and less expensively performed by individuals or private organizations.
Source: 2018 Hawaii Senate campaign website RonCurtis808.com
Aug 8, 2018
On Social Security:
Make Social Security sustainable long into the future
Social Security reform:
Ensure that Social Security is sustainable and tamper-proof long into the future.
Source: 2018 Hawaii Senate campaign website RonCurtis808.com
Aug 8, 2018
On Tax Reform:
Make tax cuts for individuals permanent; no expiration
We need to revise the tax reform passed in 2017 to make the individual income tax cuts permanent. We also need to address the mortgage interest deduction cap of $750K. In July 2017, the average cost of a single family home in Hawaii was over $795K.
Hawaii has the worst ratio of average housing costs per sq. ft. compared to average income in the nation. We need to revise the tax reform to take that ratio into account when calculating the income tax mortgage deduction caps for each state.
Source: 2018 Hawaii Senate campaign website RonCurtis808.com
Aug 8, 2018
On Technology:
Personal background in managing evolving technologies
I am an agent of change. I worked for over 35 years for federal government contractors as a systems engineer in a wide variety of roles across multiple disciplines. All my roles involved managing change and innovation,
especially with new and evolving technologies, to deliver or improve efficiency and effectiveness on government contracts while significantly eliminating or preventing waste.
Source: 2018 Hawaii Senate campaign website RonCurtis808.com
Aug 8, 2018
On Gun Control:
For mandatory background checks but wants minimum age 18
I support gun-control legislation that is not overly intrusive or too˙broad in scope. I support mandatory background checks for all means of gun purchases. We entrust our 18-year-olds with guns to defend our freedoms in our military,
but many states ban them from owning a gun until they are 21. I don't like that hypocrisy. The minimum requirement to serve in the military is being 18 years old and having a high school diploma or GED. Make that the same for gun ownership.
Source: The Civil Beat on 2018 Hawaii Senate race
Jul 1, 2018
On Homeland Security:
Welcomes military presence in Hawaii, vital in today's world
Given the strategic location of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, I view the˙presence of the U.S. military in the islands as a vital role in our national defense. I think it makes a Hawaii more secure as a state as well. I welcome the members of our
military and their families to our ohana during their tour of duty. The defense spending also contributes to the economy of our state. I think the role of the military in Hawaii is about right given the current state of world affairs.
Source: The Civil Beat on 2018 Hawaii Senate race
Jul 1, 2018
On War & Peace:
War should be last resort but we need to always be prepared
America should go to war as a last resort, but it should also be prepared˙for war at any given moment. I support the position of "peace through strength". Diplomacy is a complex carrot and stick process and for the carrot to work, there needs to be
an effective stick. This Ronald Reagan quote has always resonated with me as a foundation for world peace, "Peace is not absence˙of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means."
Source: The Civil Beat on 2018 Hawaii Senate race
Jul 1, 2018
Page last updated: Dec 27, 2019