Letters to the Editor

Economic recovery is just for the wealthy

I keep reading and hearing about this jobless economic recovery. Well, if it is jobless, then what in the economy is recovering?

The only beneficiaries of such a recovery in America are the rich and the large corporations, and that is no recovery at all.

Most people I see are struggling, barely meeting the increasing everyday expenses amid the ongoing slaughter of their job benefits.

This is no economic recovery. Rather, it is another lie supporting the big businesses, the big money and the big mouths of the obscenely wealthy.

Other states know how to get decisions

Thanks to Lynda Arakawa for her in-depth articles about the Hawai'i Supreme Court. It's about time the public is made aware of the frequent delays in the judicial system here.

As noted in the Nov. 24 article, the Supreme Court has adopted its own rule (No. 9) that states that the high court should issue a decision "within 12 months after oral argument of a case or matter or ... within 12 months of the date oral argument would have been scheduled ... insofar as practicable."

Is there anything to be done?

Consider Alaska. Its rules (22.05.140) clearly state that if judges don't move on their cases within six months, they don't get paid. They figured out how to make that happen.

How about California? The California Constitution, Article 6, Section 19 states, " ... A judge of a court of record may not receive the salary for the judicial office held by the judge while any cause before the judge remains pending and undetermined for 90 days after it has been submitted for decision." Imagine, 90 days for a decision.

In a case with which I am painfully familiar, the Hawai'i Supreme Court took over four years to issue a decision. In that time, the plaintiff's attorney quit the firm, the bank rescinded a capital improvements loan, FHA stopped insuring mortgage loans for the 132 properties involved, property values went down and the plaintiff died. That's justice in Hawai'i.

Finally, consider Arizona. Any person who issues payment to a Superior Court judge with knowledge that the judge hasn't resolved all cases within 60 days is guilty of a class 3 misdemeanor. Now that's justice.

Contact your legislator. These delays must stop so people can get on with their lives. You can find your legislators, and the members of the Judicial Committee, at http://www.state.hi.us/

Campbell Estate went right to work on traffic

I commend Campbell Estate for its no-excuse approach to solving our traffic problems.

After the Makakilo Community Association meeting on Oct. 8 during which more than 300 people voiced their concerns, our association immediately went to work with Councilman Nestor Garcia and Campbell Estate to resolve those concerns. Councilman Garcia has been extremely responsive and diligent in searching for solutions.

Campbell Estate's move to build new roads is proof that we can accomplish much under the spirit of cooperation.

Medicare too important for private insurers

How can the local and national AARP support the Medicare bill? Its heavy reliance on private insurers should be questioned. The poor performance of many private insurers in the Medicare plus Choice program shows that there is a real danger of insurees being dumped and insurers bailing out of the program entirely.

Medicare is too important to be put into the hands of private insurers who cater to the affluent, young and healthy: the profitable. Under this kind of system, traditional Medicare will be left with no choice but to bear the burden of primarily caring for the costliest: the poor, the old and the sick.

Everyone should keep conserving water

Regarding the water conservation article of Nov. 25: The conservation of water depends on everyone's help.

I mean everyone from the people who serve the government to the individuals of the community. We all must work together to save what little resource we have left. Otherwise, there will be nothing left to conserve.

We must plan ahead now so that our children's children will have this precious resource in the future. Even though the restriction was lifted, we all should still be conserving water. The water levels are still not back to normal. This is one resource we cannot afford to lose.

Students, pay attention before it's too late

I am writing this letter for a class assignment, but also to show that students share some of the responsibility for their education. Parents and schools just enforce the fact that education is important.

The students' responsibilities are simple. They just have to go to school Monday through Friday, pay attention to the teacher, do their homework and turn it in. It's not very hard, and it's really for their benefit.

I was a student at Castle High School for the last three years. Last year, I finally realized how important my education would be in the future. I tried to make up the work, but it was already too late. I am now in a GED prep class and making progress to get my high school diploma.

I have learned from my mistake and must live with the consequences. I hope students realize how important their education is before it's too late.

Writers in Hawaiian should also be studied

Evelyn Cook ("Look at the real record of Hawai'i," Nov. 24) writes that she spent a year studying the historical archive. I wonder, does Cook read Hawaiian?

Historian Noenoe Silva has demonstrated that Hawaiians shared their experience and opinions about colonization mostly in 75 Hawaiian-language newspapers published between 1834 and 1948.

Earlier historians of Hawai'i unfortunately ignored this immense archive. As a result, their books misrepresent how colonization, the overthrow and annexation played out within the Hawaiian community.

I hope that Cook and other opponents of Hawaiian sovereignty have begun including a reading of the Hawaiian-language archive in their research. Without reading Hawaiian sources, they will discover only what English-language sources indicate about the past.

Those who chose to write in English did so at least in part to mark themselves as supporters of colonization. Opponents of colonization in the past, as now, preferred the native language.

Welcome back, Opus

It's wonderful to see Opus back in your Sunday funnies, but it's a travesty to lose Prince Valiant, which has won many awards as a top comic strip.

If you need space for Opus, why not get rid of some of the garbage like BoNanas?