Check out track records before voting for governor
Maui Mayor Linda Lingle has a fabulous track record. With the exception of the County of Maui, the rest of the state is dead, economy-wise.As numerous publications have stated, Hawaii resembles a communist state more than a capitalist system. This reality has come about because government takes care of its own workers first, not those in the private sector. And the private sector is the engine that is supposed to run the economy in the first place. No wonder the state of Hawaii is sinking into the deeper trenches of hell.
It's a no brainer here: The choice for governor is Lingle.
Dean Nagasako
Pahala, Hawaii
A new Big Five is in power in Hawaii
In a June 1 article, Sen. Mike McCartney said voters no longer have a Big Five to get angry at. Although I agree with McCartney on many matters, I disagree with this view.Many Hawaii voters would say that the Bishop Estate, our two largest banks, the United Public Workers and the Democratic Party are the Big Five today and for the next century.
The goal of voters and political leaders should not be to destroy those institutions, but to urge them to bring their actions more in line with the public interest of the people of this state.
Is there a way that Bishop Estate can do a better job of educating more Hawaiian youths while controlling less land and repatriating some of the billions that it has taken out of Hawaii and invested elsewhere?
Will banks recognize that trickle-down Reaganomics will not help the average laborer or small-businessperson? Will the UPW accommodate privatization?
Does the Democratic Party have to hold every seat in the Legislature? A large minority of Republicans and Greens would add some welcome new ideas, without paralyzing government.
The voters will be watching to see if our leaders, especially Governor Cayetano and Mayor Lingle, will speak up about these institutions and their effect on the public.
Alan Burdick
(Via the Internet)
Early Alzheimer's patients need to help each other
Thank you for the wonderful article on Alzheimer's disease in last Saturday's Insight section.There is a very important group of us who have been given the diagnosis of early stage Alzheimer's or dementia with Alzheimer's symptoms. Why make us hide to suffer and deal with the complicated journey through this unfamiliar life? We could help scientists, doctors, nurses and caregivers, but most of all each other.
It will be three years in December since my diagnosis. We are not yet bedridden, speechless or stupid, nor are we in nursing homes. We are struggling to live with dignity.
My next challenge will be to start my own "get-together meetings." I have decided it's OK that I need help with a word or to live with a note pad around my neck. I will be talking with people who understand.
Jeanne L. Lee
Seeds of Success are being planted at prison
At OCCC, inmates are making a serious adjustment by addressing negative issues through the Seeds of Success Program. Their efforts are focused on correcting negative attitudes and criminal behavior. This problem is not only affecting the inmates but society as a whole. The program removes the pacifiers -- card games, pool, television, dominoes and various other games available to pass one's time while awaiting legal disposition.Participation in game activities is not bad, but when they become the focal point of the inmates -- not allowing them to seriously focus on the reasons for their being here -- then they become negative tools.
Harold Brinkley
Inmate Program Coordinator
Seeds of Success Program
Oahu Community Correction Center
Slowness of government sickens private sector
The other day I went to the Business Action Center of the state Department of Commerce to register a trade name. I entered the office and there were no customers. The three women behind the service counter were chatting. When they saw me walk in, they all quickly returned to looking busy."What do I need to do to register my trade name?" I asked.
"Just fill in this form," answered the lady. "It will cost $50 but it will take one month to process. If you pay an extra $20 or a total of $70, you can get your certificate in one week."
"Why should it take you so long to process this application?," I asked, looking around at the empty office.
"Oh," she answered, "We are so busy that we have to hire extra people to process it quickly. That's why we ask for $20 more."
I was absolutely appalled. Why should it take one month to register my trade name?
The reason Hawaii's business climate is so deadly for small business starts right in government offices like this one. These government bureaucrats haven't a clue about how to earn a decent buck, yet they set up blockades (i.e. registration fees) to drain the coffers of small-businesspeople.
Michael P. Mau
(Via the Internet)
Why aren't people talking about guns on the street?
John Latchum Jr.'s murder was not manslaughter; it was not an accident. If you have a gun, it's intent.Yes, everyone is remorseful. And yes, this is a nationwide problem. But why didn't anyone say, "If there wasn't a gun, it wouldn't have happened!"
It was the gun. Latchum wouldn't have died if those kids didn't have a gun.
Sueann Carter
Makakilo
(Via the Internet)
Twigg-Smith is wrong about sovereignty issue
With respect to Thurston Twigg-Smith's book on sovereignty, if the Hawaiian annexation Resolution 51 of 1898 is law, then the Hawaiian apology public law, Resolution 103-150 of 1993, has precedence over Resolution 51. Resolution 51 then becomes void.Therefore, the Hawaiian apology law, 103-150, verifies that the Republic of Hawaii was illegal.
Eric Po'ohina
Kailua
(Via the Internet)
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