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POSTED: Thursday, May 20, 2010

Isle pork report was eye-opening

I just finished reading the Hawaii Pork Report. People, read this report and learn how your tax money is being wasted. There are several articles about the Department of Education that the public should read. The report tells you where money has really been mismanaged. Read and find where money could have been saved instead of wasted on senseless projects. When I finished reading this book, I wanted to fire the entire group of politicians and start with a clean slate.

One article that really bugged me was about the Alii Nui sculpture by Jean Charlot being moved from the Ala Moana Hotel to the Foreign Trade Zone. Why was it moved? Who made the decision to move it? Where was the $22,180 found for the move? Supposedly the state has no money.

I urge the public to read this pork report and keep in mind this wasted tax money when you enter the poll booths in November.

 

               

     

 

 

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Media presented candidates well

Mahalo to the news media for the information they reported on Ed Case, Charles Djou and state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa in the 1st Congressional District election.

The news reporting, the candidates' PR and ads, plus what I know, have learned, and/or experienced about government and politics, I combined, contrasted and assessed. In fact, what I gleaned from the foregoing helped me to evaluate the candidates—and, to vote for Colleen Hanabusa.

Hawaii needs her in Congress. Her word is good. I know this first hand. She is honorable.

 

Ex-governors did not see the irony

The article “;Ex-governors warn against Djou”; (Star-Bulletin, May 17), quotes Ben Cayetano as saying “;(Djou) is walking lock-step with the national Republicans against everything that Obama is trying to do.”;

I had to chuckle there because that's a darn good reason to vote for Charles Djou!

I think Hawaii people are starting to wake up. We're sick and tired of the Democratic machine (Hawaii and Congress), and it's time to revolt.

 

Democrats were party of surpluses

Democracy was invented in Greece 2,500 years ago. If Charles Djou is elected to Congress, it will confirm the cynical judgment of a friend who recently told me that, in America, “;Democracy means one dollar, one vote.”; I refer to a half-hour of prime-time TV several evenings ago, during which Djou's mean-spirited attack ads, and those of Colleen Hanabusa, outnumbered the ads of their target, Ed Case, by five to one. Djou is trying to buy this election—and he may succeed.

But Djou's brand of “;fiscal responsibility”; would transform America's tomorrow into that of Greece today. Remember that our only years of budget surpluses in nearly half a century came when Democrats were in charge, during the 1990s.

 

'Marriage' could easily be revised

I respect and honor Judge Steven Levinson's dedicated service to the state and people of Hawaii; however, since his retirement, he clearly has been driven by an agenda to establish same-sex marriage as the law in Hawaii.

House Bill 444, if enacted, provides an avenue for accomplishment of that goal.

I find his commentary disingenuous.

Watching how HB 444 was passed “;in the dead of the night,”; I find it completely believable that a nominally 90 percent Democrat /10 percent Republican Legislature (as it is today) could easily rewrite the books to enact a re-definition of marriage to include same-sex couples with a complicit future governor and sympathetic, activist court. That would surely fulfill Judge Levinson's legacy (and ego, perhaps).

 

Don't take land out of farming

We have to stop approving zoning changes of our precious land, as oil prices continue to increase the cost of shipping our food and will only become more and more expensive.

We need to support a sustainable future for Hawaii. That means maintaining a balance with our lands' use.

The ancient Hawaiians had a system that worked for years to ensure a healthy future. In comparison, our society has a way of thinking only of the immediate financial gains of a few over a sustainable future for many.

Please protect Koa Ridge from being another lost opportunity in moving toward a more sustainable future that benefits the majority of people in the most basic need: buying healthy, affordable food.

 

Military concert was appreciated

I am writing to express my appreciation for the excellent performance of the Combined Military Band Concert held at the Hawaii Theater May 15.

I was deeply touched by the beautiful selections of music performed. Many of the selections touched many of us with memories of our lost loved ones in the military.

 

Cash for Clunkers wasted resources

One day before Cash for Clunkers, America had millions of serviceable cars produced and sold at a profit.

Under the laws of economics—as irresistible as gravity—that means their value was greater than the value of the labor and resources consumed to build them; i.e., they added value to the economic pie we share.

One day after Cash for-Clunkers, America had millions of serviceable cars produced and sold with a government subsidy (i.e., at a loss). That means their value was less than the value of the labor and resources consumed to produce them; i.e., they subtracted value from our economic pie.

We also had the cost of safely scrapping millions of cars (and dangerous battery metals and corrosive chemicals), billions of dollars worth of lost labor and resources consumed to keep the same number of cars, and tens of billions of dollars of new debt.

Great! Let's hire thugs to break windows and subsidize businesses to replace them. “;Create jobs”; for glazers. “;Stimulate”; the glass industry. Make no change in the number of windows.

Then let's junk working refrigerators. This can work forever. Right?