What rising rates really mean

As I understand the situation, the American medical insurance industry commonly denies coverage based on such factors as an infant being “;too fat,”; the “;pre-existing condition”; of spousal abuse, a liver transplant termed “;too experimental”; or simply someone becoming “;too sick.”;

It heedlessly renders many millions uninsured through its increasingly unaffordable premium fees.

Now the insurance giants have stated that if Congress passes health care reform, insurance rates will rise drastically.

I offer my paraphrase: “;If reform is passed we will intentionally spike our rates upward. We are the near-monopolies and corporate 'death panels' by whose decree tens of thousands of Americans die every year due to our service refusals and spiraling policy rates. If you dare put a kink in our gravy train, we will kill more of you next year. We're powerful, we're pernicious and we are vicious. We're uninterested in your health — we are interested in your money.”;

The industry calls this “;lobbying.”; It is not; it is mass terroristic threatening.

America, who, in God's name, have we become?

Farmers should be treated fairly

Our household read with interest “;Rising rent worries Hawaii Kai farmers”; (Star-Bulletin, Oct. 11). These farmers should be worried.

Recently, the lease on our Waikiki condo rose from $120 a month to $675 a month. Definitely, the land owners had the best attorneys who wrote leases in their favor.

We hope these farmers will be dealt with fairly.

Let's move on about rail issue

Now I hear the city may have to spend taxpayers' money on a possible lawsuit from rail opponents. This is a shame and unnecessary. The people have spoken and voted to build rail back in November. This is the democratic process and whether you agree with rail or not, the decision is made and we should all accept it. We need to move on.

Living in Kaneohe, I remember the lengthy legal challenges and delays to building H-3 across the Koolaus. In the end, it only increased the cost of the freeway and it cost the taxpayers more money.