Stimulus bill will avert another depression

These are some important portions of the economic recovery act:

» Creates or saves 3-4 million jobs in the next two years.

» Averts hundreds of thousands of teacher layoffs.

» Creates hundreds of thousands of green jobs and doubles our clean energy production. Gets people back to work!

What it still lacks is enough funding to help struggling families keep their homes today. Please support this important legislation that will help keep us from another Great Depression.

Elected officials aren't above the tax law

It is almost a daily occurrence now. It is really annoying to read about our government officials not paying their taxes. Hard to believe that officials of such calibre do not know that they have to pay taxes on their household staff, chauffeured car, business, speaking engagements and gifts of travel. The list can go on and on. If they do not know what to report, surely they can hire a good tax accountant. Don't give excuses that you did your tax on Turbo Tax. They have to let the accountant know what they earn, and obviously they choose not to.

Maybe it is time to create a special task force to audit ALL government officials starting from the city and county, state and all the way to the federal levels. Enough already with this corruption!

Hawaii must stop relying on dirty oil

Electrical power production pumped 8.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into Hawaii's air in 2005 (the last year for which statistics are available). Hawaii relies on imported fossil fuels for 90 percent of its energy.

This is true in spite of the abundance of renewable energy sources such as sunshine, ocean waves and wind. Here on Hawaii island, we also have two active volcanos, one of which has been erupting continuously for more than a decade, potentially providing an abundance of geothermal energy.

With the new administration in Washington seeking energy sources to help America escape the clutches of foreign carbon-based fossil fuels, it would be a great idea to use Hawaii as the national laboratory for renewable energy research.

We have it all—the alternative energy resources, the research capabilities of a vibrant large university and the engineering talent that would be needed to produce exciting new technologies.

Our congressional delegation should be urged to offer Hawaii as a solution to America's energy needs for the coming century.

Abrupt closings are morally bankrupt, too

As a small business owner for more than 20 years, I understand the challenges of meeting our costs of doing business while making a fair profit, decisions that have to be made and the responsibility we carry to provide a livelihood for our employees and their families.

This week we have witnessed two restaurants, Brew Moon (10 years in business) and Nick's Fishmarket (40 years), shut their doors abruptly. Without any other means of information except from the media, it appears that the current owners of these two restaurants left their employees and vendors hanging ... no advance notice and, especially, no reimbursement for service or products already delivered.

Just this Monday, I reserved the private dining room at Nick's Fishmarket for an association meeting for later this month. Reservations were made with confidence that our venue was set. No phone call, no e-mail from Nick's indicating otherwise, but I am now looking for an alternative venue. We will have another place to meet, but where will their employees find work?

Today we not only are seeing a rise in financial bankruptcy, we are also witnessing a rise in the bankruptcy of leadership integrity.