With local bankruptcies and unemployment soaring, our government-caused high living costs worsening, the state's finances still in crisis, our children continuing to be exposed to the dire conditions in public schools, and given the do-nothing posture of our legislators, it is time for an overhaul.
The general election provides some very viable alternatives to the current power structure.
Gene J. Dumaran
Your reported interest in "good government" now falls flat. You endorsed a man who would stoop to taking advantage of KHON's poor judgment. The station's producers showed no guts in not informing Frank Fasi and Arnold Morgado of their plan.
Your own story on page A-3 had a statement indicating Harris' own doubt about the ethics of it all. (He had to ask his media rep if it was OK.)
Your banner above the story clearly announced there was "a stink" involved! Yet, after the fact, your editorial page made no mention of this crummy decision by all concerned.
Ray Thiele
Kailua
Is he suggesting that anyone born outside of Hawaii should not be elected to office? Is he inferring that we don't have decent values?
I have immersed myself in Hawaiian culture, studying hula at one of our great na halau, and feel that I do have a good appreciation of Hawaiian values and culture.
I have already cast my vote for Jeremy Harris, and am more certain than ever that he is the right choice. His values encompass those of all our people.
Barbara Stuck
Pearl City
At no time did Mayor Harris appear in person to articulate the city's position on the "Safe Streets" program before that committee.
Unfortunately, Carol Costa, in her Sept. 19 letter, may have been misinformed as to the mayor's intended appearance on Feb. 5. While the mayor was expected (and committee members waited for him), he never appeared.
Hence, Rep. McMurdo was correct and Costa was not. An apology will be accepted.
Costa also noted in her letter that "it took outside pressure by Mayor Harris and Oahu's neighborhood board chairmen . . . to finally get the state off the dime."
Not quite. Sam Bren, chairman of the Waikiki Neighborhood Board, did mail and fax an "alert" from Honolulu Hale to all neighborhood board chairs urging support for certain bills. Among them were bills dealing with correctional facilities. However, there is no evidence that more than a handful of board chairs submitted testimony representing official actions of their respective boards.
Mayor Harris has made offers of cooperation which are, no doubt, sincere in their intent. But a premature claim to "victory" misleads and erodes public confidence in government. A cooperative spirit is hardly encouraged by sniping at Rep. McMurdo, who sought to clarify those misconceptions.
Debbi Glanstein
Kailua