What is Obama hiding from us?

So the Star-Bulletin now calls those who would like to see the original Obama birth certificate idiots? Why does the Star-Bulletin simply dismiss this fundamental constitutional question and instead call its neighbors, subscribers and fellow citizens such mean-spirited names? Where is the aloha?

Why not instead opine that President Barack Obama should produce the original birth certificate that, if in order, would verify his claim that he was delivered at Kapiolani? Why won't Obama clear up this growing controversy? What is the downside to Obama if he's told us the truth? Why does Obama continue to spend tens of thousands of dollars fighting lawsuits that ask for nothing more?

Call me an idiot for asking. Or maybe apologize.

Hawaii must reduce dependence on tourism

Can we please stop wishing for a quick rebound for tourism? It's obviously not going to happen until the global economy turns around, which will probably take years despite the rosy predictions of economists.

Instead of wishing on a star, we need to take immediate steps to shore up the economic factors we can control. Like putting some marketing dollars into our long-suffering agriculture industry and encouraging residents to buy more local fruits and vegetables. Or throwing more support behind the University of Hawaii; we need a high quality university system to produce an educated and motivated work force.

Finally, keep pushing hard for infrastructure projects, like school repairs, roadwork and new transportation projects like the city's rail project. In the short term, infrastructure projects help the construction industry and put people back to work. In the long term, infrastructure projects are essential to improving our quality of life.

Let's think outside of the tourism box. It's the only way to kick start our economy.

Gutting state film office wrong financial move

With Hawaii's tourism in decline due to TSA abuses and the economic crunch, now is not the time to be taking a club to Hawaii's other major sources of outside revenue.

Already we have seen the ill-considered revocation of tax incentives for high-tech development on the theory full taxation on nothing is morally preferable to half taxation on millions of dollars in investment revenues. Then, to add insult to injury, Hawaii's film and TV industry has suffered a major crippling body check with the announcement that Donne Dawson and several other staffers are to be let go from the Hawaii Film Office.

How can we turn the economy around when the first reaction to shrinking revenues is to fire the very people most able to draw new revenues into the state?

Higher shipping rates hurt the working class

The reported increase in Young Brothers shipping costs of 13.46 percent is almost identical to the furlough-based salary reductions Gov. Linda Lingle wants for public workers. One premise for those reductions is that the private sector has already suffered so much pain. If your information about past increases, since 2005, is correct, the compounded cargo rate increases have been 69 percent. If the administration is sincere in its statements about sharing the pain during this fiscal crisis it should revisit all of these increases. Otherwise it is just another example of regressive income redistribution and corporate welfare at the expense of working people.