Eating Spam isn't a healthy choice

The article about Spam that appeared in the Star-Bulletin earlier this month made it appear that Spam was the greatest thing since sliced bread (”;Uncovering Spam,”; April 8). But wait, there's more.

Spam is not a healthy thing to eat. One 12-ounce can contains six servings. One serving, or two ounces (174 calories), contains 16 grams of fat—80 percent of its calories is from fat. Of that fat, 6 grams (50 calories) is saturated, and the remaining 10 grams (87 calories) is undisclosed. Trans fats, anyone? One serving also contains 33 percent of your daily allowance of sodium (high blood pressure).

A study performed by the University of Hawaii found that people who consumed large amounts of processed meat were 67 percent more likely to develop cancer. Sodium nitrite, a listed Spam ingredient, has already been linked to cancer. Coincidentally, Hawaii is not only the Spam capital of the world, but the colon cancer capital of the world as well.

Yum, yum, yum.

Force immigrants to obey U.S. law

The recent Arizona law against illegal immigrants results again in an outcry and charges of discrimination and racial profiling.

What is it that people do not understand about the word “;illegal”;? They insist on using terms such as “;undocumented alien.”;

The crime, illegal drug, education and medical costs involved in this problem are monumental. The federal government refuses to fix the problem.

Many people favor illegals either as cheap labor or potential voters.

The cry now is for amnesty. Next we will favor amnesty for drug smugglers because there are so many of them.

Everyone should favor legal immigration. If you don't like the present immigration laws, then fight to change them. In the meantime, let us obey the law and punish the criminals.

Racial profiling patently illegal

Arizona's new immigration law brings to mind New Zealand's attempt decades ago to crack down on “;overstayers,”; primarily people from the Pacific Islands who'd had temporary visas but stayed to live and work. Police were told to stop people in the street and demand identification and proof of legal residency. They stopped anyone who was big and brown and had bushy hair, quickly finding that many of those were born in New Zealand, as were their parents and even, sometimes, grandparents.

Other than racial profiling, what other reason could you have to suspect that someone is an illegal immigrant?

Fortunately this one doesn't have a chance of standing up in court.

Cut costs rather than raiding fund

Hawaii government: Keep your grubby hands off the hurricane insurance money.

For 20 years I have paid into a fund. If there is a disaster, I do not need to find out that there is no money there or that the state has to have a special assessment or raise taxes to cover the losses.

It could be like Social Security. There are a bunch of I.O.U.s and no money. Money can be invested and rates for the insurance can be kept lower. I am sorry that the state does not have money for Furlough Fridays, but maybe they will rethink the operation of government and cut back.

I run a private business. If I do not have money, I cannot hire or keep people on. What right does the state think it has taking money paid into a fund for a possible future emergency just because it's there?

Stop it. Learn to live on less, Hawaii.

Wall Street needs strict regulation

It is clear that those who work in the world of finance have been taking terrible risks with investors' money ever since deregulation laws were enacted under the Republican-controlled Congress of the late 1990s and early years of this century. They must be reined in with new laws regulating what is done with our money.