Broken system gives voters few choices
According to the CBS news magazine "60 Minutes," George W. Bush and John Kerry both come from privileged backgrounds and both are members of Yale's secret organization "Skull and Bones." That leaves voters with such a pathetic variety of choices.I do not think the Founding Fathers envisioned anything like today's modern elections with all the money, the special interests, the slick marketing, the defrauding of the American people and the lack of honesty.
Unless the United States changes its campaign-financing rules, we will decay and crumble. The last honest politician was probably Abraham Lincoln -- and he was murdered.
Phil Robertson
Honolulu
Lingle succeeded in canning activist
After being thwarted, at least temporarily, in gaining control of lower education, Gov. Linda Lingle has ensured that nothing will stop her from dominating higher education. With the end game of her strategy to remove University of Hawaii President Evan Dobelle now finalized, Hawaii can look forward to a university president who will be less of a visionary and activist and more of a team player (loyal to the governor and her minions on the Board of Regents).No need to go through the cumbersome process of scouring the nation for the best and brightest leader for our flagship university. The governor's people have made it clear that we'll settle for someone homegrown, who knows there's no room in public office for those who don't know their place ... and who the real star is supposed to be. The last thing we need is another uppity president at UH.
Egan Kawamoto
Honolulu
Let Capitol algae clear the dirty air
Instead of battling the algae in the Capitol ponds, use it to purify air in a way that is aesthetic and of service to the public ("Die! Scum! Die!," Insight, June 27). Enclose the ponds with low-tech greenhouses of concrete and recycled glass, suspend a grating above the water for human traffic and planters and inoculate the ponds and interior with low-density plants of natural diversity that will grow to a sustainable equilibrium. This can be a design that is neither labor nor energy intensive.I've been in the emergency room on Kona days because Honolulu smog injured my lungs. The government is violating the public trust with unsafe air pollution levels. Converting this Capitol space into aquatic greenhouse microcosms is an honorable and sustainable solution to the algae situation.
Victoria Rectenwald
Kailua
Don't wait! Go get your absentee mail-in ballot
July 20, 2004: That is the earliest date that application forms -- filled out -- will be accepted for the upcoming elections through absentee-by-mail voting.I encourage all who are eligible, including new citizens, to vote by this method. It will give you time to study the issues.
The general election will be important because we will be voting for the president and vice president and trying to get the best people to solve our No. 1 problem -- Iraq.
To have 85 percent or more of our eligible population to vote would be a great surprise! Are we up to it?
Call the city clerk at 523-4293 for your application for to vote absentee-by-mail.
Roy E. Shigemura
Honolulu
Women should be in more city jobs
It must be pretty clear to everyone by now that Honolulu Hale is a place where contributions and contracts have gone hand in hand. Now we learn that 80 percent of the city's upper management are men -- only 20 percent are women. I'm shocked. Who would ever guess that City Hall is a place where the all-boy network was alive and well?I read that Duke Bainum plans to bust up the Boys Club and put women in half of the city's leadership positions. Amen to that.
Marilyn Gates
Honolulu
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[ BRAINSTORM! ]
The city owns a large, underground facility at Fort Barrette in Kapolei that is sitting empty. What could it be used for? Some sort of archive? A place to stash gigantic holiday decorations? A temporary storage site for Evan Dobelle’s ego?Send your ideas -- include your name, address and phone number -- by July 16 to:
Or by mail:
Brainstorm!
c/o Nancy Christenson
Star-Bulletin
500 Ala Moana
7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813Or by fax:
Brainstorm!
c/o Nancy Christenson
529-4750
