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POSTED: Tuesday, May 18, 2010

3 ex-governors reveal hypocrisy

I noticed with amusement the panic setting in as three former Hawaii governors scramble to find a way to keep the state's 1st Congressional District seat in Democratic hands because electing Charles Djou would be the equivalent of halving Hawaii's vote in Congress — the prospect of Djou being elected would negate one of Hawaii's Democratic votes in Washington, so they say.

So if Djou does indeed win this weekend, shall I assume that George Ariyoshi, John Waihee and Ben Cayetano would have no objection if Hawaii eventually sent four Republicans and no Democrats to Congress to help keep our state congressional votes as united as possible? Of course not.

Having Hawaii's entire congressional delegation in one party's hands is ludicrous. A sizable chunk of Hawaii's population has no representation at all in Washington with this formula. And the fact that these past governors would fight with all their might to make sure we didn't send four Republicans to Congress to present a united state front is further proof of the hypocrisy of this reasoning and the self-serving interests of the Democratic power brokers who have held the levers of control in this state for far too long.

 

 

               

     

 

 

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Democrats must be desperate

Neil Abercrombie should have never quit his position early - then we wouldn't be in this mess of a very, very costly special election. The Democratic Party must be very desperate that they have three former governors asking the people of Hawaii to vote for the Democratic Party.

If the people of Hawaii listen to the last-ditch effort by the three former governors telling us how to vote, then the people deserve the consequence.

 

Djou's arrogance can't dictate win

Here's a quote from Charles Djou to the national Capitol Hill newspaper, The Hill: “;This election is pretty much over.”; He told the paper that, “;Mathematically, it becomes next to impossible (for Democrats) to win this race unless you stuff the ballot box. It is almost anticlimactic. Now it is just sort of a waiting game.”;

Undoubtedly this arrogant statement is based on the fact that there is no unity in the Democratic Party. Folks, is this whom you want as your representative in Congress?

Only 35 percent of voters have cast their ballots;

65 percent are still outstanding. Exercise your privilege to vote, and vote for the person who has the experience and the temperament to navigate the treacherous waters of Congress. My choice is Ed Case.

 

Loud motorcycle violates privacy

I was sitting in my $2,200-a-month apartment, listening to music on my stereo, when a moron on a Harley roared past. I could feel his illegally amplified engine through my apartment's floor boards, and the dulcet sounds of my $15.99 Jack Johnson CD were all but overwhelmed by the Harley.

This is an outright violation of private property rights. He (motorcyclists, especially ones looking for attention, are almost invariably male) and his machine noise intruded on my apartment - my bought-and-paid-for space. And the Honolulu police, who are meant to protect private property, did nothing about it. Not to mention the flagrant violation of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu, Sections 15-19.

Inconsiderate jerks on Harleys disrupt the peace, producing noise far in excess of normal traffic. Worst of all, they purposely do this, and have spent tens of thousands of dollars to make this noise.

These criminals disrespect not only you and I - but also the police. What, I wonder, should the police do if I walked around shouting: “;The police are fools!”; That is what Harley riders are saying with their sound-amplifying mufflers: “;The police are fools and no one but me matters.”;

 

Obama is isles' premier politico

In a recent two-week vacation to Hawaii, we found relatively little knowledge or recognition by Hawaii's people about President Barack Obama. In fact, our driver to the airport told us he was not sure that the president was even born in Hawaii.

People of Hawaii have an opportunity to embrace President Obama as a native son, one who holds the qualities of love, tolerance and hope that are characteristic of the Hawaiian people and culture. We found an excellent “;Obama map”; in some stores showing locations and historical information. There are also nascent “;Obama Tours.”; But much more could be done to provide information on Hawaii's premier political “;native son”; and his historic importance.

 

Police action cuts Maui speeding

There is a growing problem of speeding on Maui. Lately, I have been seeing more people being pulled over all around Maui. I think it is very beneficial that police traffic officers have been doing a crackdown on speeding. I have seen a difference on the road, as people are more aware that officers are becoming more strict about speeding. They know that more traffic police are monitoring common roads on the island. With just a reminder, people will drive slower.

Since the start of the speed-limit crackdown, people have been driving at a slower rate. If police keep enforcing this, our roads will become safer. Hopefully, there will be fewer traffic deaths on Maui County roads.

 

Education jobs good for future

This is in reply to Tracy Ryan, chairperson of the Libertarian Party of Hawaii (”;Stimulus has not helped economy,”; Star-Bulletin, Letters, May 15). Before we get too critical about the recent Economic Recovery Act and the stimulus package and whether public money creates jobs, I think we need many of the public jobs that even Gov. Linda Lingle said are necessary and were saved. I include in that public schools, police, fire protection and some public safety.

I agree that one may feel that all of them were not necessary and not private-job creating. However, certainly in regard to overall job creation, public education down the road creates many jobs, as an educated population is one of our greatest assets. One has only to look at some of the countries of the world with their uneducated populations and their levels of achievement to see how much good public education does.