ERTF's 'trickle-down' formula is flawed
According to the Economic Policy Institute -- which did an extensive, academic study of the effect of tax cuts over the last 40 years in the U.S. -- the "trickle-down" effect of tax cuts and subsidies on the economy is not large. From past experience, estimated growth in "a small state with 350,000 jobs... (is) an additional 875 jobs over 20 years or an average of 44 extra jobs per year for 20 years" for a 1 percent reduction in state and local taxes.Even Moody's, which recently downgraded the state's bond rating, asserts that "major tax changes proposed by Governor Cayetano's economic task force likely will deepen Hawaii's short-term financial problems with no assurance they'll lead to long-term economic development" (Star-Bulletin, Feb. 10).
Moody's, which deals with the actual effects of economic policy, is in complete disagreement with the governor and ETRF. Instead of trickle-down policies that hurt 90 percent of us in this state, while benefiting the most well off 10 percent, our elected officials need to start looking at what really works.
Renee Ing
Arnett tells it like it is about UH sports
Let's give a pat on the back to Paul Arnett for having the courage to write objectively about the UH basketball program. With a squad including five returning starters, the bottom line is that the team fell short of accomplishing most of its goals for the season.Despite their promising early season record, the players were unable to challenge for the regular season title. For the second year in a row, they were eliminated in the first round of the WAC tournament.
Given the unusual advantage of three home NIT tournament games, they were still unable to advance to the tournament's Final Four in New York.
Critical and objective commentary is the mark of a good newspaper. Parroting the head coach, athletic director or a government official, for that matter, is not.
Keep up the good work, Mr. Arnett!
Steven West
Ball fields aren't being paid for by taxpayers
State government is not paying for the ball fields under construction at Sand Island, contrary to James McBee's March 28 letter. During the past eight years, I approached many officials to discuss the need for more after-school activities and for more playing fields in urban Honolulu.Only Governor Cayetano stepped forward to take action. He told us that the state had no money to support our programs, but he would make 15 undeveloped acres available at Sand Island State Park, help us gather community support, and make state departments available to help build the fields.
As a result, the state enhances Sand Island Park, saves $2 million in development costs, and more youngsters get to enjoy productive activities during after-school hours, when many of them are at risk.
Marvin Wong
Ka Lima Kokua Inc.
Australian consul 'facts' on mac nuts were wrong
Good try, Colin! I salute the Australian consul general (Letters, April 6) for springing to the defense of the Australian macadamia industry. But, in this case, he has got it badly wrong.First, while macadamias are certainly an Australian native, they were commercially developed in Hawaii -- not in Australia -- and the commercial varieties were exported back to Australia in the late '60s and early '70s.
Second, 20 years ago, the Australian crop represented well under 10 percent of a then very small world industry, so nobody much cared where it was sold. For the record it was not sold in the U.S. but in Europe and Japan, wher it was heavily subsidized (10 percent free samples) by the Australian Government Export Development Grant.
Nobody wants to close off any markets. But we do want to see Australia and other developing producers taking a responsible position in market development. Currently, they are not doing so, although we hope this will change.
Rick Vidgen, President
MacFarms of Hawaii Inc.
Captain Cook, Hawaii
Censorship is alive and well on Big Island
The Naalehu School/Community-Based Management is concerned about the content of a radio program. It was reported, by a member of SCBM, that businesses will be encouraged to withdraw their advertisements. They find the program suggestive.I am well aware that there are two choices when it comes to this or any other objectionable programming. Change the station or turn the radio off! Since when was I, or anyone else, given the authority to infringe upon someone else's right to see or hear?
This is the tactic that I would expect from a church pulpit on a Sunday morning, not from an American public school organization.
Michael L. Last
Naalehu, Hawaii
Quentin lacks substance, the experience to run
Rep. Gene Ward knows small business. He owned and ran one, has authored and co-authored three books on entrepreneurship, and co-founded the Hawaii Entrepreneurship Training and Development Institute, which has trained 3,000 people to start and run their own businesses.He is the past recipient of awards including National Small Business Advocate of the Year for Minorities, National Small Business Advocate of the Year for Veterans and Most Outstanding Legislator of the Year by Small Business Hawaii. Ward is founder and co-chairman of the Legislative Small Business Caucus. That is experience money can't buy.
Ward's campaign war chest would be as full as that of Rep. Quentin Kawananakoa if he had the same kind of big-dollar contributions flowing from the likes of Larry Johnson of Bank of Hawaii, newspaper mogul Thurston Twigg-Smith and a multimillion-dollar trust fund from the Campbell Estate.
Kawananakoa is the one who shouldn't be in the race for Congress. All he can offer us is a Colgate smile, GQ good looks, a smidgen of Hawaiian blood, and an historic middle and last name. In other words, he's a lot of show and no substance. Don't we already have someone like that living in the White House?
Roosevelt L. Evans
Kaneohe
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