Avoid the hassles; sign up to vote absentee
July 22 is the first day that the Honolulu city clerk's office will accept the filled-out application for absentee voter ballot forms for the primary election of Sept. 20. This form will enable you to receive the primary election ballot to vote absentee by mail.
Voting early will help you to avoid the expected long lines at the polling stations during the coming elections. Be akamai and vote absentee by mail. VOTE!
Roy Shigemura
Honolulu
Many illegal aliens commit identity theft
J.B. Young
(Letters, June 20) stated that the poor illegals were contributing to our Social Security, but not collecting. How wrong he is!
He, and your readers, should know that illegals who come into the United States to work first get fraudulent IDs, Social Security numbers (of real people) and other fake documents.
Yes, they have taxes taken out. But, as Congress has discovered - along with thousands of citizens - many illegals are collecting TDI, Medicare, Social Security, getting credit cards and buying homes with these fake documents.
An increasing number of citizens, who have retired or tried to collect TDI or other benefits, have been told that their "accounts" have been depleted or used by someone else.
This is the identity theft that occurs when illegals work. Make no mistake, they cause enormous problems with our system. I hope Young checks his Social Security statement carefully each year. It could happen to him.
Joseph Alexander
Waipahu
Mandating solar is good for Hawaii
The solar water heater bill will help break our state's dependency on fossil fuel. We are proud that the Legislature overwhelmingly passed it and urge Gov. Linda Lingle to sign the bill.
It is maddening that some local solar companies are trying a last-minute campaign of confusion against the bill (Star-Bulletin, April 3). Their actions serve their self-interest and betray the public interest.
For decades, a small, local solar industry has thrived in Hawaii. Its success was made possible by publicly financed incentives to homeowners. Now, some of these businesses are trying to create the impression that the solar bill is somehow flawed. Their real agenda is one of protectionism. They are worried that the bill will bring competition from new businesses into Hawaii to meet the demand for installing solar on new homes.
The governor should sign the solar bill into law and our local solar industry should step up to the challenge and become a bigger part of Hawaii's renewable energy solution.
Gary Gill
Honolulu
No shame in being exposed to other views
Regarding Terry Allard's June 11 letter questioning Sen. Barack Obama's choice of friends, mentors and acquaintances: Actually, thinking people would rather have a leader who has a well-rounded point of view cultivated through friends, mentors and acquaintances with divergent outlooks and opinions than a "W" clone who looks at the world wearing blinders. We must consider, before we vote, that the president represents not only a select constituency but all of the people. Obama is a product of not a select few of his friends, mentors and acquaintances, but of his total life experience, as are we all.
Mel Sakamoto
Honolulu
Federal money for rail will help economy
Reports from the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization paint a bleak future for our local economy. Weakness in the visitor, retail and building industries are disturbing, with a prolonged slump until at least 2010.
At the same time, the city's rail construction workshop revealed that the proposed rail transit project is expected to create 11,000 new jobs, of which 4,700 are for construction. These are local jobs, and that is good news. But more importantly, the federal government would contribute at least $900 million to the rail project. With private sector pulling back in spending and investment, this infusion of federal dollars could soften the blow of an impending recession in Hawaii's economy.
These federal dollars will be money in the bank to see us through the tough economic times that are coming. So think about it before you sign those petitions to stop the rail project.
Jonn Serikawa
Honolulu
Legislature shouldn’t hurt needy families
The Legislature blocked important TANF funds for needy families to save for a rainy day? Is it not rainy enough today with the economic downturn, soaring prices on commodities, large local employers Aloha, ATA and Molokai Ranch going under, tourism dropping 15 percent and a Legislature that is not interested in aiding the people it represents? That's rainy AND cold.
Ronald Orr
Honolulu
Aloha's top officers shouldn't be rewarded
Hooray! to Judge Lloyd King for denying former Aloha Airlines CEO David Banmiller and CFO Jeffrey Kessler the $600,000-plus in bonuses - each (Star-Bulletin, June 13). And a big "auwe!" to Chapter 7 trustee Dane Field for even thinking to ask for this.
Both Banmiller and Kessler were raking it in financially before they decided to bail out and pull the rug from under every one of the employees of Aloha Airlines.
It's ludicrous to believe that both of these guys didn't know what was happening on the business and financial side of things. A full investigation of everything that happened with Aloha under the direction of Banmiller and Kessler should be opened. The former Aloha employees are entitled to know the full truth about everything that happened, and why they lost their jobs ... and why their former CEO and CFO should even receive one red cent, while the rest of them are struggling one day at a time.
Mervin Kahumoku Jr.
Kailua-Kona