• Mahalo for your help
• Governor, you let down this state worker
• It’s our turn for a bailout
Mahalo for your help
My family and I would like to express our sincerest thanks to Fire Chief Westerman and the Kaua‘i Fire Department, especially Battalion Chiefs Russell Yee and Teddy Williams; Police Chief Perry and the Kaua‘i Police Department, especially Claire Ueno; Ken D’Atillio and Inter-Island Helicopters; Chris Kim and Jack Harter Helicopters; Kaua‘i Search and Rescue; DLNR; Marvin and Geary Masada; Matt Kaleiohi; Nicolai Barca; and the many other individuals who helped to rescue my brother. Mahalo, also, to Public Information Officer Mary Daubert, for her sensitivity and professionalism.
Until a family member or close friend is involved, one doesn’t realize what rescue personnel go through to save a life and reunite families. We were deeply moved by the dedication, skill and compassion of all who helped.
JoAnn Yukimura, Lihu‘e
Governor, you let down this state worker
One of the biggest mistakes I ever made was to vote for you, Linda Lingle. I believed that you would help all of us.
Don’t tell me that the only way to correct this was to have a three-day work furlough for state workers. If you or your staff couldn’t figure it out, let a state worker help you: excise tax, legalized lottery, higher tax on the rich.
If I stop to think I bet I can come up with more. If you can’t budget the finances of Hawai‘i then fire all your staff. Give all of us a 22 percent raise and I will be happy to give back 5 percent of that raise.
You have caused low morale, confusion, hate and emotional stress. You hurt many local families and their children. Is this revenge? Shame on you! Thanks for nothing.
Rodney Medeiros, Hanama‘ulu
It’s our turn for a bailout
Let’s see.
We bailed out the banks with billions of dollars with no real restrictions on how the money was spent.
We bailed out the stock market/financial folks with over a trillion dollars with no real restrictions on how the money was spent.
We bailed out big business with billions of dollars.
Many of the folks above got big bonuses from our tax dollar bailout, and probably most of them will have a “good” tax plan to prevent paying it back in taxes.
Who paid? The middle and poor class who pay taxes. Me, and, unfortunately my son and probably his daughter. Me in taxes, and they with a bigger government debt to pay.
Certainly it was not the rich folks or corporations with their offshore accounts they don’t pay taxes on. You remember those Caribbean Islands tax shelter companies that were in the news for about two days? The ones we no longer hear about?
We paid because they created a financial crisis and needed us to bail them out.
Well, President Obama and Mr. Congressperson, health care is our bailout. Health care is the middle class, the working and non-working and the poor bailout.
Private plan care, i.e. single-payer health care, you remember the kind you promised us when you were campaigning? That is our bailout.
It would also help to stimulate the economy because without medical expenses we would have more money to spend. Small businesses would be helped too. They would have more money to grow.
We pay and our politicians, who have an exceptional health care plan, say it would take away our ability to have a choice of plans. I think that is rather creative reasoning.
I read an article once by S. Hayakawa about good reasons and real reasons.
Sen. Grassley is one of the finest examples of a politician using our good reasons without stating the real reason. He says a single-payer plan would eventually take away our choice of medical provider. He has received millions from the health care industry.
This issue is going to conclusively prove without a doubt who this democracy runs for. Will it be the special interest big money folks or will it be for the people?
This is the real test for President Obama. It is not the war. It is not the foreign diplomacy.
It is, will big business dictate over the will of the people?
We will see a lot of brainwashing by politicians to try to make us believe that any plan is better for us than the one where the government pays. We will hear how it is not possible because blah, blah. Other countries can and have done it.
Just remember, is it better to have a choice and pay or have no medical bill to pay?
To pay or not to pay, that is the question. Whether it is better to suffer and pay continuously rising medical costs or to fight and pay none.
Either way, we are going to continue to pay taxes. The question is will the politicians help bail us out? Do they understand we are the engine of the economy? We are the group who needs help.
You better get involved. Write a letter to your Congressman or to the president.
I think its our turn for a bailout.
Scott Robeson, Wainiha
