You shouldn't joke about local beliefs

Regarding ”;Local AIG doing all it can for its customers”; (Letters, Sept. 25): It is high time more respect is paid to various aspects of Hawaiian culture, and especially from those who call themselves local.

Robin K. Campaniano of AIG Hawaii shows to us what he thinks of the host culture by relegating Pele and her home to low-level mainland superstition. I quote: “;We'll be careful not to step on any cracks, break any mirrors and avoid stepping under ladders. We'll also tell our corporate office to return those lava rocks.”; Of course as a reply to this, we might hear the same excuses for this all-too-common ethnocentric disrespect and ignorance: “;No disrespect intended. I was just joking. Lighten up.”; We hear this too often when blatant disrespect is conveyed.

You can bet I won't support AIG anytime soon.

McCain-Palin earned their popularity

Your venerable political columnist Richard Borreca to the contrary, Sarah Palin is no William Miller (”;On Politics,”; Sept. 21). My wife and I are just back from a two-week trip to Alaska, and while there made it a point of talking with working people of all types - they are overwhelming supporters of their governor and ex-mayor. Granted, that wasn't a balanced scientific poll, but the enthusiasm was startling, as was Monday's Orlando Sentinel's report of estimates of up to 60,000 people waiting to see and listen to her in Florida on Sunday.

In contrast, Barack Obama scares the hell out of me as he mumbles and grumbles his way in answer to a rare straight-on question. He's never spent a day in a military uniform ... not even for ROTC at Punahou. He's been running for at least three years for president and he can't (or won't?) handle direct open-question meetings like McCain does.

John McCain might have a POW'S damaged body but he still has a naval aviator's vision and heart. McCain/Palin might surprise you on Nov. 4.

Local election wasn't perfect democracy

I was upset when I found out there were six more candidates running for mayor. I assumed the media were obligated to give equal time to all candidates. Instead only six were pushed and the other three simply ignored. I didn't find out until the day before the election that there were nine running and most people never knew they were running. When people don't vote, in most cases, it's because they don't like any of the candidates; so you can't say no vote, no grumble.

It's just too hilarious! This is a prime example why people don't like to vote. This is rigging the elections and should be a felonious crime. The other issue is when you go to vote; you're asked if you want a paper ballot or electronic voting. This is absurd. It's either one or the other! Electronic is too easily hacked and not a guarantee your vote is counted. Democracy is having your voice heard through your vote. To tamper with the votes is to commit high treason and a felony in the highest sense.

Socialism is OK if it helps greedy investors

The current financial crisis is due to greedy Wall Street financiers, insists John McCain. Are we surprised? Human beings are greedy.

“;Let the marketplace decide”; has been the mantra of Republican ideology. Left alone, the marketplace inevitably mirrors human greed. But the culprit behind the current crisis is deregulation, which McCain has championed. He needs to own up to his own complicity!

The irony is that both the president and McCain now call for the public ownership of financial institutions. This smacks of socialism - heaven forbid!

I don't oppose the public ownership of needed social institutions. However, it's strange that a solution for Wall Street takes only days, whereas for years no one has been able to construct a single-payer system of health care from public funds.

As always, the victims are ordinary folk who were persuaded to buy into high-risk mortgage schemes and now must take on a debt burden of $2,300 per person so that Wall Street can continue to do business. We only hope that it will not be business as usual.

More taxes on the rich would hurt everyone

Taxing the rich has a nice ring to it, but who are the rich? Is it everyone who makes more than $250,000 a year? I agree the loopholes used by the super-rich should be closed but wholesale additional taxes would tend to slow the economy.

Millions of Americans take on huge debts and risk their savings in order to start a business. If successful they would most likely expand, hire more workers and make more money. More taxes would slow expansion resulting in fewer new jobs. Additional taxes also means fewer Americans would be willing to risk starting a new business, resulting in new jobs mostly in government or big business.