Kennedy worked for those in need

Sen. Edward Kennedy was part of a family that brought a period of hope and optimism in U.S. history that some called Camelot. It was a place where they worked together to enhance the benefits in this country for all. He was a leader in the Democratic Party, supporting important legislation to aid our nation's children and provide a better education. He looked out for seniors and sought justice for those who were denied civil rights. He tried to bring everyone into the glow of Camelot.

Kennedy didn't view public service as an opportunity to increase his wealth or profit from the less fortunate, like many of his colleagues across the aisle do. You have witnessed how they not only manipulate and manufacture events to euthanize health care reform, but go to war for oil and contractor profits while leaving U.S. troops without adequate equipment and medical care.

In contrast to Kennedy, for those like the Bushes and Cheneys of this world, Camelot is a place where Arabian oil sheiks park their ride.

Smoky Guerrero
Mililani

Subdued event reflected reality

A reader wrote to express disappointment that statehood celebrations were subdued. He condemns this as political correctness, and brushes away the idea that had Hawaiians known there should have been an option to vote for independent status under U.N. rules, the outcome of the statehood vote might have been very different.

His criterion for his right to have the statehood argument his way: He's lived here a long time. Many people believe that choosing to live here gives them the right to determine how all decisions are made. But choosing to live in someone else's home doesn't make it yours, no matter how many years you have been a guest, amiable or otherwise. He has a place to return to; Hawaiians do not. This is it. When the U.S. president admits that the overthrow of the indigenous government was illegal, “;subdued”; statehood celebrations—if any—are appropriate. I wish the Hawaiian viewpoint had not been at the very end of your special 50-year section (Aug. 19). Still, that did give them the last word. May it be so.

H.E. Henderson
Honolulu

Honor Ted Kennedy by bridging divides

How to honor Ted Kennedy? Pick up and run with his legacy. His successor, the entire Senate and House of Representatives should copy his formula of intensity and perseverance and bipartisanship cooperation.

The Democratic Party should take full initiative to commit itself to set its sights to the real work of legislating and diminish time and money to the cumbersome and unproductive business of getting re-elected. The country and its people should come first; the dynamics of legislation should be driven and crafted from the needs of its people, not the concerns of one or the other party's dogmas.

Our president got elected on the promise that the ownership of this country would return to its citizens. That was the passion with which Ted Kennedy did his job.

President Obama, this letter is also addressed to you, as you are key to the leadership of bringing legislators of both parties together.

A good place to apply Kennedy's legislative methods is the health plan. It sorely needs serious across-the-aisle cooperation.

James Tanabe
Honolulu

Inouye predictable in military support

It is no surprise to open the Star-Bulletin of Aug. 24 and find Sen. Daniel Inouye supporting the program to build more F22 fighters (”;Inouye parries Obama on jets”;). Or that Inouye seems determined to spend billions of dollars our government does not have on a warplane that is both obsolete and useless under modern military conditions. For Dan Inouye is the kind of senator who almost never finds a weapons system he doesn't like, who gives the military budget priority over our country's desperate needs in health, education, the environment.

Noel J. Kent
Waialae

AARP is failing to represent seniors

AARP is in the process of self-destruction. It doesn't represent seniors in the manner that it pretends to do.

AARP only cares about its financial and political position, not only in the reform of health care but in its entirety. A full-page advertisement run in our daily newspaper states facts that they cannot substantiate. AARP states “;health care reform will not cut medical benefits or increase your out-of-pocket cost for medical services.”; I ask it: Where are the extra doctors and money going to come from? Insuring 47 million new people through a government-run program as well as everyone else, and it will be everyone else eventually, will change everything to the worst.

You bet it will cost seniors more money and more precious time waiting in line to see your doctor.

If the new health care will crack down on fraud and wasteful spending, then why don't they do that now? I ask you, who does AARP really represent, the government or us seniors? I dropped my membership a long time ago when all I saw was it trying to sell me things instead of trying to help me.

Steven G. Norstrom
Honolulu