Have you checked out The Hot Seat? It's our opinion-page blog that brings in your elected leaders and other newsmakers, and lets you ask the questions during a live online chat.

On The Hot Seat last week was U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawai'i.

Jerry: As I recall, during her campaign, (U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono) had an advertisement that said that Bush was going to destroy Social Security. Now that she is a member of Congress, what is she proposing we do about the fact that both Medicare and Social Security have made promises to the people that they cannot possibly fulfill? What is she proposing to solve the funding shortfall? If she does have such a proposal, is the proposal one that will permanently solve the funding problem, or simply kick the can down the road a little further? If she does not have a solution, why doesn't she have a proposed solution?

Mazie Hirono: To clarify, I said that Bush wanted to privatize Social Security, which I do not agree with. We cannot strengthen Social Security by taking money out through privatization. I have a commitment to make sure that Medicare and Social Security remain strong and viable. And I am making sure that our budget and appropriations priorities reflect that commitment. The president's budget made major cuts to Medicare and other social services programs, and I voted in Congress to restore these cuts.

Ken: I remember that you spoke a lot on education and No Child Left Behind in the past. What's likely to happen to the act this term? Can we expect changes that will put more curriculum choices in the hands of the education professionals who know what works — the teachers in the classrooms?

Hirono: Education is a top priority because education is the great equalizer. That's why I requested — and got — a key committee position as a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor. With regard to No Child Left Behind, prior to being elected to Congress, I had met with many educators about their concerns with NCLB, and I had also said that this law needed to be fixed.

We've already had over a dozen hearings on various aspects of NCLB in my committee. As a result, there will be changes that will provide more flexibility for schools in their testing and assessment procedures as well as other changes that will positively support student learning. I have emphasized at these hearings my support for early education and will be proposing an amendment to NCLB to support early education programs.

Lorraine Robinson: What were your reasons for voting against the latest supplemental funding bill for Iraq?

Hirono: The majority of Americans believe this war is a mistake, and want it to end. I do not support giving the president a continuing blank check on this war. I did not support the latest supplemental funding bill because it did not have a timetable to bring our troops home safely.

I voted three times to support our troops in Iraq, and I voted for increasing funds for troop readiness and healthcare for our troops and veterans.

I support a timetable to bring our troops home safely, and I have voted consistently to do this.

James Roller: Your reply as to why you voted against the troops in the Iraq spending bill is unsatisfactory in light (of the fact) that your Senate counterparts from Hawai'i clearly saw that there is a difference between supporting the troops and bringing them home. How can you possibly justify voting against a measure that will provision our troops and enhance their survivability? This is not a time to be partisan. It is time to be red, white and blue, not red or blue.

Hirono: I agree with you that this is not about partisan politics, since as you mention, our two Democratic senators voted for this measure and Congressman Abercrombie and I did not. I know that our entire congressional delegation agrees that we need to bring our troops home safely. It is time to hold the president accountable for this war.

Concerned Citizen: What are you doing to bring mass transit to O'ahu?

Hirono: We need a transportation system that will be sustainable over time — without adding more pavement, without emitting more pollutants into our air, and reducing our reliance on oil.

Mass transit is about the quality of life, especially for the future generation. Today's highway system is obsolete, and we cannot ignore a basic infrastructure that is so important for decisions on where to live, where to work, and how to build our homes and community.

That is why I support Mayor Mufi Hannemann's efforts to develop a mass transit system to serve the residents and visitors to O'ahu.

Marti: I am deeply concerned about toxic contamination in our environment. It is clear that previous generations made hasty decisions about how to treat our land and now we are paying for it with our health. I realize it is unlikely that our contaminated communities will be cleaned up to any significant degree, but I hope we have at least learned an important lesson and will not leave a similar legacy for our own children.

Tell me, what will you do to prevent the continued and potentially deadly contamination of our land and sea by military activities in the Islands?

Hirono: The safety and welfare of the people of our Islands is a priority. I am working closely with the military and the affected communities to take appropriate actions to clean up the chemical and weapons dump sites both on land and in the ocean. I am working with the other members of Hawai'i's delegation to make sure the past and future actions of the military do not adversely affect our people. I also support the military's need for resources to protect our country.

Dennis DeBell: After reading about the alternative minimum tax on the House Committee on Ways & Means Web site, I get the feeling that our government is interested in only certain segments of our society. I have no problem with fixing the alternative minimum tax, if it's in the best interest of the country. However, I have a big concern about people who have worked all their lives and were the backbone of the country in their working lives being treated differently.

The people I am talking about are the Social Security recipients being taxed on their benefits. The tax on these benefits was sold to the public on the basis that it only affected wealthy seniors. However, like the alternative minimum tax, the benefits tax is not protected for inflation.

In the 2007 tax year, thousands of seniors will be taxed for the first time on their Social Security benefits, just like those that will pay an alternative minimum tax. Why? Can you give a rational explanation of why Congress would treat any segment of our society any different than the other, when it comes to indexing for inflation?

Hirono: I agree with you. Just as the alternative minimum tax is hitting a larger number of taxpayers, taxation of Social Security benefits should be indexed to inflation.

Andy: As a nursing student, not only have I been studying medicine, but the medical institution. The more I learn, the more I realize that medicine is turning into a capitalist runaway train. Healthcare costs are continually rising while health outcomes are declining. We are a drug-based society. Watching the nightly news requires having the patience to sit through dozens of drug ads, and we tend to spend substantially more on preventing fatal outcomes through advanced medicine than on preventing patients from reaching that point in the first place.

Some European countries, as well as Canada, boast of a less expensive and more effective prevention-oriented form of healthcare in socialized medicine. What are the chances that the United States can follow their lead, or does the medical monster have too much money to lose to improve the healthcare of an entire population? As a member of Congress, what kind of laws do you propose? What kind of progress are you helping to ensure, to decrease the cost of, and improve the health outcomes of, the population?

Similarly, what plans are being made to control the future power crisis we face with our dependency on fossil fuel? What kinds of incentives are being offered for alternate technology, and why with all the collective resources of this country, have we remained dependent on a foreign import for so long?

Hirono: Your concerns are very insightful. I couldn't agree with you more that we need to focus more on prevention and less on crisis management. It is the only fiscally responsible path to take, and more importantly, it is the only way we would want our own families to be treated.

I think we do need a major overhaul of the healthcare system. But as you point out, that is a very difficult policy initiative, since there are so many people and companies invested in the system. Meanwhile, we can take smaller but just as vital steps. For example, in this Congress, we have directed Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for its seniors. I was a co-sponsor of that bill.

You are also very much on point with your concerns about our over-reliance on foreign oil. That is why one of the very first bills we passed this year made major investments into the development of alternative energy.

Bear: Do you have immediate plans to move into the 2nd District?

Hirono: Moving into the 2nd Congressional District is a personal decision that I must make in consideration of my family, which includes my husband, Leighton, and my 82-year-old mother, Laura, who lives with us. Because my work requires me to be in Washington, D.C., most of the time, I am hesitant to take an action that will cause such a major disruption in their lives in Hawai'i. I hope the people of Hawai'i will understand the situation I find myself in at this time.

In the end, I will place my faith in the voters of the 2nd Congressional District who have indicated that they believe in my values, my experience and my ability to serve them well by sending me to represent them in the U.S. Congress.