Media, take cover from Hurricane Sarah

Alex Dahlman described as "ridiculous" a story of the forced resignation of the former Wasilla mayor's museum director (Letters, Sep. 16). This teapot tempest gives cause to wonder if the myopic media elite will ever tumble to the real story: they are forging a sword with their witless, savage, unending attacks on Sarah Palin ... even daring her to use it.

She gave fair warning: If elected, she will not come to Washington for the privilege of kissing the royal tushies of the self-proclaimed fourth estate. When media Prince Charlie (Gibson) leans back, spectacles perched forward, arrogantly lecturing this nobody governor from nowhere, he doesn't have the first clue that Barracuda Sarah's sweet smile masks the deadly weapon of her resolve.

Should McCain/Palin prevail on Nov. 4, you nattering nabobs of negativism better prepare for heavy weather: Hurricane Sarah is likely to take up where Spiro Agnew left off and the prophetic words of two famous Americans come to mind.

John Paul Jones: "I have not yet BEGUN to fight!"

Al Jolson: "Baby, you ain't seen NOTHIN' yet!"

GOP doesn’t seem to have sense of urgency

John McCain says our nation's economy is fundamentally strong. He apparently, like the man he seeks to replace, listens only to his misguided advisers, like Phil Gramm, rather than the objective economists. He also seems oblivious to all the bad news of failing corporations, lost jobs and economic dislocation.

Perhaps, for the rich and connected Republican fat cats he associates with and who dream of four more years of Bush policies, the economy suits their purposes and lifestyle. But for the millions of wage-earners and retirees watching their economic futures evaporate, the U.S. economy, like other GOP-Bush-McCain policies, needs an immediate course correction that only Barack Obama appears to appreciate is necessary and promises to deliver.

We can’t afford more Republican spending

John McCain thinks the fundamentals of our economy are strong. We can't afford another four years of an administration that doesn't understand the issues that we face and makes gut decisions about policies. This is how we got into this mess. What kind of outcome did we get from eight years of this? Four thousand U.S. soldiers dead, trillions spent on a reckless war and our economy going into the tank.

Barack Obama understands the issues in depth and has the vision, commitment and intelligence to turn this country around. Let's not make the same mistake by electing the same old politicians and their failed policies and then expect that we'll get a different outcome.

Maybe they’ll visit if we ban more fun things

It's sad to see our state suffering so badly with the downturn in tourism affecting all aspects of our daily lives.

But hold on, I've got a brilliant solution. Pass more bans! On anything. There are a host of really, really bad things out there to choose from. From shoyu to rap music, from Krispy Kreme to exhaust. And dare we forget the Hawaiian killer, mac salad.

Besides, bans do wonders for tourism and image. They provide sweet incentives for people to visit Hawaii nei. It makes them feel welcomed, wanted and protected. Hey, get some tips from the Hawaii County Council. They got it down pat! Big Island tourism down 24 percent. Great job guys!

Methinks they banned the wrong smoker. They should have banned the volcano. So Hawaii voters, vote with appreciation. Or, seriously, vote with vengeance.

Budget cuts hurt disabled athletes

When the going gets tough, the needy get hurt. That's the message sent by the Board of Education's decision to cut $130,000 from Special Olympics Hawaii's budget (Star-Bulletin, Sept. 16). This money goes to give mentally and physically handicapped students and adults a chance to participate in sports, to socialize and to have a community in which they are welcome and can compete. Special Olympics is often the only place they will ever have the chance to be part of a team, much less to win a medal and feel that they have succeeded.

The Department of Education spends $2 billion a year, $42 million on state-level administration and $12 million on athletics. One hundred and thirty thousand dollars is less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the DOE budget. For the Special Olympics organization and the disabled people who so happily participate all year long, however, that small sum of money is vital. Please don't hurt those who are least able to help themselves.

National sales tax would be fair to all

I favor immediate tax reform next calendar year. I have confidence that we will survive this economic meltdown. A national sales tax would be an efficient method for revenue enhancement. We could have a 5 or 10 percent sales tax on all sales, except food, water, rent, mortgage payments or catastrophic medical bills, which could be exempted. This way, everyone would pay a little bit for their government. We could keep the income tax because that is constitutional.

These people who want the benefits of society, but do not want to contribute their fair share, are nothing but parasites of society. We cannot keep cutting taxes and spending like hell for these wars without going bankrupt.