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POSTED: Monday, May 10, 2010

Furloughs only hurt tax revenue

During a period of declining tax revenues, I cannot help but recognize the irony in the continuing furlough of state employees including, of course, educators.

The state Legislature and administration, acknowledging the significant tax revenue lost to cash-only businesses, enacted the “;Cash Economy Enforcement Act of 2009.”; Soon after, the state negotiated furloughs for thousands of tax-paying employees. I have not heard anything more about the effectiveness of the act.

I lack a comprehensive understanding of the complexities of tax collection, but I believe a lack of political will exists to aggressively pursue tax revenues from unreported and underreported sources. It seems that a robust effort to collect taxes from all sources may substantially increase the flow of revenue into state and city-county coffers.

Aggressive tax collection alone likely will not solve the state and city budget shortfalls, but the furlough of taxpayers seems utterly absurd when other means of resolving the problem have not yet been exhausted.

 

               

     

 

 

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If duress exists, it's not voluntary

Those who urge teachers to earn public gratitude by “;volunteering”; their services to eliminate furlough days, as proposed by Gov. Linda Lingle, miss an important point.

Unless the entire teacher corps accepts this proposal, it would result in an impractical patchwork of classrooms with and without teachers. Anyone declining to participate would have to wonder whether the administration would place a black mark against their name.

When a worker is under real or perceived pressure to perform unpaid work for his employer, it is not truly voluntary. That's why federal law explicitly prohibits federal employees from “;volunteering”; to do their jobs without pay.

It's ironic that the Republican governor has put forward this proposal, which harks back to the unpaid “;subbotniks”; imposed in the Soviet Union decades ago by Communist Party dictator Vladimir Lenin, and to the medieval unfree labor practice known as corvee.

 

Case got credit where not due

The editorial that appeared on May 6 regarding Ed Case (”;Ed Case is best election choice,”; Star-Bulletin) contained a glaring misrepresentation which needs to be corrected.

The statement that Mr. Case “;authored the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Refuge Bill, which led to President George Bush's proclaiming the islands to be a marine national monument”; is not accurate.

The fact is that, while Mr. Case did author a bill for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, the bill never got out of committee. The designation was accomplished through the executive branch of government and was initiated here in Hawaii.

This misrepresentation needs to be corrected in the interest of editorial accuracy. I would be happy to validate this by providing documents and photos.

 

Editorial on Case was well written

Your May 6 editorial (”;Ed Case is best election choice”;) was well written, timely and provided a better perspective of Ed Case's true character and personality. Yes, we need an independent, intrepid politician who cannot be easily swayed by the leaders of our so-called political machine, one who is willing to cross party lines for the good of the people he or she represents.

That's the reason I am actively campaigning for him. He is behind in fundraising, but money alone does not always win an election.

 

Many motorists drive callously

Daily we are confronted with people who elevate themselves above the law. They abuse their power by openly disregarding statutes they have pledged to obey. They are arrogant in their actions and, when caught, act as if they are immune from punitive measures.

I am not talking about our politicians or corporate executives. I am speaking of drivers on our roads.

Recently, I was talking with a law enforcement officer and asked if he could check my speedometer by driving alongside me and giving me any corrections I needed. My concern was that when driving up or down Makakilo Drive, my speedometer reads the posted speed limit but cars are passing me and drivers are giving me dirty looks as they go by.

I told the officer the city could post a single officer on Makakilo Drive and they could earn their yearly salary from violations issued in one week.

Who are these people in a rush? They are our friends and neighbors. They are our relatives. What gives them the right to defy the laws laid down for everyone's protection and safety?

We expect our business and government leaders to follow the rules; how about us? I'm a little tired of all these folks who are so special they can ignore rules established for our safety. People scream about their rights. How about their responsibilities? Driving is a privilege, not a right.

 

Licensed nurses in high demand

Good news for people currently unemployed. Many nursing homes and care homes are looking to hire licensed practical nurses, who seem to be in short supply lately.

These licensed practical nurse programs are one-year programs that train nurses to work in hospitals, nursing homes, care homes clinics and doctors' offices. One may earn somewhere between $35,000 to $55,000 a year.

Nursing is no longer a career limited to women. Many men have gone into it after being laid off from previous careers.

There is plenty of room for advancement and many job opportunities throughout the United States.

 

LGBT community grateful for help

Many thanks to the House of Representatives for supporting House Bill 444 and to the thousands of straight allies who joined us in advocating for justice for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender) community.

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “;Justice delayed is justice denied.”; Our legislators, both Republican and Democrat, repeated this insight of King's on the floor of the Senate and the House this year. We are proud of their leadership and commitment to justice.

The LGBT community makes up less than 10 per cent of the population. Like other oppressed groups, we struggle for our rights but we must rely on the sense of fairness of the larger community. We are grateful to all who came forward with their public support of HB 444 by allowing their names and photos to be included in the booklet published by Citizens for Equal Rights. They represent the rainbow of diversity in Hawaii.

With the vote on HB 444, we reaffirmed that we are the Aloha State.

We trust that our governor, who has always supported justice, will allow the bill to become law.