Gov won't scrutinize others as harshly

Governor Cayetano has contended that his critique of Linda Lingle's economic plan was legal, ethical, unbiased and undertaken for the benefit of all Hawaii taxpayers. He has also assured us that his forthcoming reviews of all Democratic candidate's plans will be equally fair and unbiased.

If you believe that rhetoric, then I have some beautiful ocean-front property in Mililani that I would like to sell to you.

Kent Matsuo
Mililani

Study made erroneous economic assumptions

It seems that the Cayetano-Hirono group is helping the Lingle campaign more than they may realize. It is now clear why we are in such a bad economic condition at the state level. Cayetano and his staff's analysis of Lingle's economic agenda fails to apply simple math.

The analysis assumes that Lingle's economic policies would be the same as theirs. A proper analysis has to consider both sides of the equation, not just this administration's side with its failed economic policies. The critiques's conclusions are wholly without merit.

Joseph D. Pluta
Lahaina, Maui

Democrats motivated by selfishness

It saddens me to hear our governor say that this year's election is about holding onto political power in the state. Is it possible for the Democratic Party to care only about holding onto power, or to lose touch with the people?

If this is so, then it's time to kick them out of office. It's time for a change. If the Democrats care only about themselves, then they should not be in public office. Democrats have been in power for too long, and look what that has done: It has given them a selfish attitude.

This year's election should be about one thing and one thing only: electing the best people for the job, who will serve the people of Hawaii. Let's send a clear message to our government officials and show them who has the power -- the people.

Alan Kim
Aiea

Kids at Keolu skate park are just being kids

To those who have complained about noise and kids at the skate park in Keolu:

I grew up in Enchanted Lake. We hung out at the Fun Factory, which used to be at the shopping center. When that moved out, there was no place for kids to go at night. Sure, they could go to a movie or restaurant for a couple of hours, but what about after that?

Then this skate park moved in. Sure, there are a lot of kids there, and they can be loud. But they're not stealing, doing drugs or otherwise behaving badly. They're being kids. They're doing what they love.

Remember, people -- at some point we were all their age. Leave them alone. Stop being grumpy old people.

Amelia Woods

Store put proper end to political postings

Mahalo to 7-Eleven for moving the political campaign graffiti from its fence at the corner of Fort Weaver Road and Karayan Street near its Ewa store. What began as an informal way to give directions to private birthday parties turned to a blight on the landscape as political candidates covered 7-Eleven's fence with their signs without asking permission.

Local candidates Tesha Malama, Pam Lee Smith and Pam Witty-Oakland had the courtesy not to demean the community by posting their signs there. Those who did post signs at this location disregarded 7-Eleven's private property rights and the 45-day campaign sign law, and created an unsightly trash heap while they solicited Ewa citizens for their votes.

I would never vote for candidates who demonstrate a complete disregard for their constituents.

Earl Arakaki
Ewa Beach

Bush will wage war to win elections

Our nation's depressed economy continues to linger despite continued rosy speculations of an early recovery. With the fall elections swiftly approaching, there are signs that the Bush administration is beginning to panic. With increasing frequency, it is leaking a variety of often self-contradictory scenarios for attacking Iraq.

I do not support or condone leaders like Saddam Hussein, or their motives or actions. But can our apparent crusade against them, without the support of most of our friends and allies, be justified?

I am cynical enough to believe we'll be at war on some pretext against Iraq before the elections. How else can the administration ensure a Republican-run House and Senate? Expect an anti-Iraqi public relations campaign by the president in the next months, all wrapped up in red, white and blue.

Leslie Ralph Berger

Labor unions now a hindrance to change

The people of Hawaii are getting tired of hearing about the legacy of the Democratic Party and its marriage to the labor unions.

The workers, mostly immigrants in the early plantation era, relied on the union leadership to air their complaints for better quality of life. We are all forever grateful for their accomplishments. The unions' objective has changed drastically and now can be considered as a hindrance to the prosperity of the majority of the people in an era of a complex economy.

We need a governor and legislators who can ignore unjustified union demands and propose legislation that will benefit the majority of the people of this state, which, in turn, should boost consumer confidence and ultimately improve our stagnant economy.

Toshio Chinen

Libertarian was wrong tag for candidate

I would like to thank Alexis Skigen for the vote of confidence (Letters, July 26). However, I would like to clarify that I am running as an independent (nonpartisan) candidate and not as a Libertarian.

It appears that interest in this election is building. It is my hope that all eligible voters exercise their right and responsibility to vote and help bring true reform to government in Hawaii.

Michael K. Medeiros
Independent candidate for lieutenant governor

Princess Pauahi's will deserves U.S. respect

When Princess Pauahi's will was written, it was with great foresight and aloha. She was the last royal descendant of King Kamehameha. She knew her words needed to be carefully chosen, written and later interpreted and executed by righteous men and women she entrusted. If those who are entrusted cannot be trusted, then what is the reason for any of us to leave a will? No, not even the U.S. government has a right to disregard and disrespect a dead person's will.

Shame on those who are not Hawaiian, who are envious, greedy and constantly trying to destroy or steal what little the Hawaiians or any indigenous people have left to claim. This is America. Go start your own school, corporation, hospital, college, church, elderly-care home, community or dynasty and leave us alone.

Whenever there are big bucks involved, everyone wants a piece of the pie. This, however, is not the American pie. Kamehameha Schools may be the last plight of the Hawaiian people.

Kalei Yocum
Mililani

State Web site has candidate information

While it is true that a campaign sign gives a candidate's name and the office being sought, voters need to remember that is all it does. When voting for someone it is imperative that a voter know a lot more about candidates than just their names and the offices they seek. Otherwise voters are just throwing their votes away or, worse yet, voting for someone who has no business in office.

The Department of Elections is helping the voters of Hawaii to get to know the candidates. It is doing this by providing an Online Voter's Guide at http://www.state.hi.us/elections/cand/candidates.html. Here voters can find out a little bit more about the candidates. This is also a great tool to see how accessible the candidate is.

If voters do not take the time to find out about candidates, they could be voting for someone who has just about as much depth and substance as a campaign sign.

Michael J. Golojuch Jr.
Candidate for House District 40

Corrupt capitalists terrorize Americans

It has been almost a year since terrorists inflicted their message of hatred on the United States. Our nation has been in a state of financial chaos since. Is there hope for recovery? I think so, but the real terrorism that needs to be handled is not in a far-off country. This terror isn't bred from religious or political beliefs, but from simple greed. The scary thing is that these terrorists could be running the company you work for.

Is your company the next Enron or WorldCom? Our government and the media have profiled the terrorists of Sept. 11, but how do you profile the executives of corporations that steal millions or billions and ruin the futures of their employees? Be on the lookout for American males wearing expensive suits and driving luxury automobiles.

I'm 30 years old, and I am not counting on Social Security being there when I retire. Now I am afraid that my 401(k) or stock investments won't be there, either. The idea of stashing cash in an empty coffee can is starting to look more appealing.

Ted Obringer

Kamehameha should help students in need

Guest columnist Keith Haugen is right ("At risk Hawaiian students should be admitted first," Star-Bulletin, July 23). Straight-A students can succeed anywhere. Besides, they could probably win scholarships at other private schools. Kamehameha Schools should help more kids who need the help, usually average students lacking direction and motivation. The schools need a suitable mix of average students along with those who are more gifted. Young people learn a great deal from each other.

I remember schoolmates who at first did not demonstrate much ability, but blossomed into achievers in the Kamehameha environment. Those were students who needed Kamehameha and reaped tremendous benefits they were unable to find elsewhere.

I have heard over and over again that Princess Pauahi's main desire was that her people's children be educated to become "good and industrious men and women." You don't have to be gifted or an A-student to become a good and industrious adult.

Helen Yonge Lind

Exempt Kamehameha from federal tax rules

Concerning Kamehameha schools student selection process, letter writer Patrick W. Hanifin stated in a July 29 letter, "Distinctions between citizens solely because of their ancestry are by their very nature odious to a free people whose institutions are founded upon the doctrine of equality."

If Hanfin looked at the big picture, he might think it is even more odious that a country founded to provide life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness uses its powers to run around the world bullying and overthrowing governments as it did with Hawaii where Hawaiians have yet to experience the justice America is supposed to be about.

Since the United States already has publicly apologized for overthrowing the Hawaiian monarchy against the will of its people, all that is needed is to correct this wrong. Should the United States withdraw and return the islands to their rightful heirs, Princess Pauahi's will as it was written before the overthrow would be exempt from all U.S. control, including the IRS tax regulations.

Since withdrawal is not likely in the near future, the very least the United States can do now is exempt Kamehameha schools from any IRS tax.

Ron Rhetrik
Mililani

Ending quarantine would be wrong

Mahalo for the courageous act by the Board of Agriculture to kill a proposal that would have ended quarantine for vaccinated pets in Hawaii.

The board's action was the right thing to do because Hawaii is the only state in the nation that is rabies free I give state veterinarian James Foppoli and the board members credit for standing up and not giving in to the vocal Community Quarantine Reform Coalition, whose primary purpose is "damn the quarantine" and our beloved Hawaii.

All it takes is one "vaccinated" pet infected with rabies to cause havoc to our economy and quality of life. The other day, I saw two mongooses in my backyard, the very same place where my granddaughter was playing. Living in paradise can be expensive, but our quality of life and keeping Hawaii rabies free is worth it.

Jake Ng

Birth defects study ignores problems

I was stunned when I read the story on the state Department of Health's birth defects program (Star-Bulletin, July 14). It said, "The program collected data that disproved reports of a cluster of children born in Waipahu's Village Park with a higher rate of birth defects because of possible contamination of the land from agricultural pesticides."

Life of the Land worked closely with the Village Park community to understand what its problems were. From the outset, community members told the Health Department that their children with problems were not listed on the birth defects registry, and that most of their problems were not detected until the keiki entered first grade. Therefore, the birth defects study did nothing to address the community's concerns.

For the developer of the program to say that this irrelevant study saved the state "what could have been a multimillion-dollar lawsuit" is appalling when families are suffering and racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in medical bills. Three children on one street had to have open-heart surgery before age 5, and numerous keiki from that community have asthma or other respiratory ailments.

The families in the Village Park community that Life of the Land worked with were not interested in gaining any financial benefit from their problems; they wanted only to address the health problems of their children and to prevent other families from suffering.

The Board of Water Supply was up front with the community by meeting with everyone involved, providing raw data on what contaminants were in the water and doing appropriate testing. The Department of Health continues to bob and weave and leave the community's concerns unanswered.

Kat Brady
Assistant Executive Director
Life of the Land

Suicide among elderly may be preventable

Suicide among the elderly has always been disproportionately high. As your article "Suicide rates rise for seniors" (Star-Bulletin, July 28) points out, depression and failing health are likely explanations for some of those who take their own lives. It is ironic that enactment of a physician-assisted dying law, such as the one that was defeated this past session, could help to reduce the number of suicides.

Colleagues of mine in Oregon, a state where physician-assisted suicide is legal, have related numerous stories of elderly patients who initially sought assistance in dying under that state's law, but decided against it after a physician's evaluation and diagnosis resulted in treating the underlying cause of concern, such as pain or depression.

In other words, with physician-assisted suicide a legal option, patients were less hesitant about discussing their end-of-life choices with their doctors, which in turn led to alternatives to suicide such as hospice or pain management.

Even where these other options were rejected, a patient could experience a peaceful and compassionate death, rather than subjecting his or her family to a violent ending. Suicide among the elderly and terminally ill will continue to increase as long as we force people into killing themselves in secrecy.

Only when we are willing to offer assisted dying as an option will people feel comfortable in discussing their concerns with a physician, which could end up prolonging, rather than shortening, their lives.

Roland L. Halpern
Executive director
Compassion In Dying of Hawaii

Tax credits aren't best incentive for solar use

In your July 17 editorial, you made a case for a renewal of the solar-energy tax credit, and said it should be a campaign issue. I don't disagree with your reasons for supporting the tax credit, and would like to see it addressed by candidates. However, tax credits are not the most efficient way to offer financial incentives.

The problem is the deductibility of state income taxes from federal income taxes, which means that any reduction of state income taxes are effectively taxed by the federal government at one's highest marginal rate. This is especially a problem for the solar energy credits, because those who take advantage of such credits are likely to be homeowners, who are much more likely than the average taxpayer to itemize deductions on their federal returns because of the property taxes, mortgage interest and points they pay, all of which are deductible.

For example, if someone (let's call him Ben) in the 27 percent federal tax bracket buys a $3,000 solar system and takes advantage of the state tax credit, that credit reduces his state tax bill by $1,050.

However, that also reduces his Schedule A deductions by $1,050, which increases his federal income tax bill by $283.50. The state thus gives up $1,050 in income tax revenue to reduce Ben's total income tax bill by $682.50.

If the state is committed to providing financial incentives for the use of nonpolluting, renewable energy, including solar energy, I hope we have some candidates who are insightful and creative enough to come up with more efficient incentives than tax credits.

Nobu Nakamoto

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