Hawaii is no paradise for frustrated doctors

What a surprise that doctors are turning away from Hawaii ("Doctors leaving Hawaii fed up with red tape," Star-Bulletin, May 16).

What other professionals train so hard and pay so much to educate themselves only to be treated like slaves when they finally become M.D.s? The over-regulation of the medical industry by a busy-body government and an entitlement-mentality by the populace combine to make life unbearable for doctors.

If you want the best medical professionals to stay in Hawaii the state should do everything possible to completely deregulate the industry and penalize flagrant malpractice suits.

The current socialist-minded voters of Hawaii may think they have a right to medical care, but they do not own the lives of doctors, nor can they force doctors to be motivated to save the lives of their oppressors.

Now it's Lingle's turn to preserve shoreline

Many thanks to our legislators who almost unanimously voted for House Bill 2555, which preserves open space on public land in the Kewalo shoreline area of Kakaako.

The representatives and senators who voted for this bill "get it." These legislators understand that preserving our shoreline is a basic part of what makes Hawaii unique as both a place to live and as a world-class tourist destination.

We have one more thing to do to ensure this bill passes: We can write letters and make phone calls to Governor Lingle, urging her to pass HB2555.

GOP has abandoned its fiscal responsibility

Mike Strong (Letters, May 15) mixed up cause and effect when he wrote, "Maybe the Democrats (in the state Legislature) could have provided more tax relief, but at least they understand that if you spend money, you have to recoup it in the form of taxes." That implies budgeting, prioritizing and some form of fiscal austerity. The way the Democratic legislators here actually think is, "If we get taxes, we have to spend it all."

As for the so-called Republicans in Congress Mike Strong mentions, they're mostly RINOs (Republicans In Name Only). Real Republicans don't run huge budget deficits. If the Democrats seize control of the House in Congress, serves those "Republican" buggers right for abandoning their principles -- if they ever had any to begin with. Just don't insult Hawaii's Republican state legislators by comparing them to the fake Republicans screwing things up Washington, D.C.

Dems blew chance to offer tax relief

The Democrat-controlled Legislature once again came up short during this legislative session. The gas cap law was not repealed, only suspended, so the gas cap bureaucracy continues to produce "phantom" cap figures, which is a further waste of taxpayer dollars.

The governor proposed serious tax relief that would have benefited most taxpayers. But the Democrats made no real effort to enact serious legislation to reduce the tax burden. And Sen. Brian Tanaguchi had the nerve to say that "something is better than nothing."

The Democrats do very little for the people each legislative session, yet spend plenty of time congratulating themselves for it. When we vote later this year, we need to remember that the Democrats continually take the attitude that "something is better than nothing." Politics as usual has to stop. Let's give the governor more legislators who will work with her for the betterment of Hawaii.

Money can reverse even cultural abuses

The only way for native Hawaiians to get back lands that were illegally and immorally taken from them through civil and cultural rights abuse will be to buy them back.

Kimo Kekahuna

Where was Robertson's wrath this time?

When Sen. Edward Kennedy's plane was struck by lightning Saturday, I was surprised the Rev. Pat Robertson did not immediately seize the opportunity to proclaim to the world that God was punishing the good senator from Massachusetts for his un-Christian lifestyle!