Letters to the Editor
Lawmakers must step in and eject Harbin
What an embarrassment for Governor Lingle and to the Republican Party
to have appointed Beverly Harbin to replace Rep. Ken Hiraki, and what an insult to the residents of his 28th District! The governor was elected because the public was tired of the exploits of some members of the Democratic Party. To appoint someone who doesn't pay her taxes to a body that makes these laws is a slap in the face of the public. Next we also learn that Harbin was found guilty for passing bad checks.
We hold our elected officials to a high standard so as to set an example for us. Hiraki was such a person.
Harbin must realize by now that neither Democrats nor Republicans will support her. Since she has refused the governor's request for her resignation, it is now up to state legislators to exercise their constitutional right to expel her for misconduct.
Laura G. Manis
Kakaako
Democrats must be pleased about Harbin
I could not stop laughing after reading Charles Memminger's
Sept. 29 column about state Rep. Bev Harbin. What an incisive political commentary! And Memminger is supposed to be a humorist?
But the Democrats are not simply ticked off. They have an acute case of schadenfreude, which would continue as long as Harbin remains the representative appointed by Governor Lingle.
Sam Lee
Mililani
Dems use residents as gas-cap guinea pigs
This poorly thought-out gas cap needs to be repealed. It has
radically changed the pricing structure here for the worse. I have lived here my entire life and never seen prices jump 25 or 44 cents in a week. Hence people's buying habits have changed. I find it really annoying that I have to fight the lines to get gas now, thanks to this gas cap.
The people who suffer are the citizens of this state who are being used as guinea pigs for the Democrats to stick it to the big bad oil companies. Not Democratic legislators, who ignored all the warning signs that this would be a disaster waiting to happen. I for one will never vote Democrat in this state ever again because the Democrats shoved this communist-inspired price control on us. It appears the People's Republic of Hawaii is alive and well.
Aaron Stene
Kailua-Kona
Atheists cannot take God out of our nation
In the beginning, something or someone created this universe and gave it existence. Whatever it was, we called it God. There were no people then, so there were no churches, no religion, only God. Then it is understood that God is not a member of any church or religion.
Our founding fathers believed in and recognized this creator when they formed our nation, a republic of "we the people," that there is a higher power and authority than our elected leaders. A spirituality that is uncorruptable and immutable on justice for our nation.
One would think, "what a wonderful concept." Our President Bush must be accountable to this higher authority. However, presently in our courts, a religious group of atheists is trying to remove God from our nation's pledge. While it might be possible to eliminate churches and religion (manmade), it is impossible to eliminate God (spiritual).
Atheists, whose religion denies God, cannot deny existence. Not only do they want to emasculate our nation, they want to take the heart out of it.
Our courts, ironically, acknowledge a higher authority. They should reject this attack on our pledge.
Ken Chang
Kaneohe
No one has a claim to another's money
Regarding
the Sept. 28 letter from Alissa Schneider concerning the estate tax: I find it unbelievable that she feels people who have money owe her (or anyone else) anything!
How does she rationalize the fact that what she wants does not belong to her? Because others have accumulated wealth either by their own drive or from other family members does not mean that it should be given away to anyone other than the family members of the deceased or anyone the owner of the money wants to give it to. It belonged to him. No one else has a claim on it, nor should they.
She also claimed that it was this country that enabled him to become wealthy, just as it has enabled every one of us. What we do about that enablement is up to each of us.
Richard Broyles
Frequent Oahu visitor
Fort Mill, S.C.
Tax cuts bring more money to government
In the Federalist Papers the brilliant James Madison wrote, "experience is the oracle truth."
The truth is that the tax cuts of Presidents Bush, Reagan and JFK spawned increased revenue collections to government. The big lie often repeated in recent times by the mainstream media is that Reagan and now Bush's tax cuts have created national deficits. This is absolutely false! Those tax cuts spawned economic growth and resulting increased revenue to the federal government. Deficits have been created by wanton federal spending, which I freely admit has been done by Democrats as well as Republicans.
I hope the facts on tax cuts will be recognized in future editorials. Tax cuts increase productivity in our economy, resulting in increased tax revenues to government.
Sen. Fred Hemmings
Senate minority leader
R, Lanikai-Waimanalo
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