Letters to the Editor

Great things happen with businesses' help

Every day we hear about businesses partnering with schools, but sometimes the simplest assistance is overlooked.

Palolo Elementary School is a small school with a big heart. Our teachers work hard to help each of our students achieve the high standards set for them. Many of our students come from an immigrant background, and English is not their primary language. Our students need every opportunity to learn in order to succeed.

Like a few other companies, American Savings Bank stepped in last month to help us out. Most of our computers were old and used to their capacity. American Savings Bank donated over 40 computers to our school to complete a working computer lab. Our students will be able to learn the basic computer skills needed in our society today, including word processing and simple Windows applications. Great things can happen when businesses get involved.

We are thankful for American Savings Bank's generosity, and it warms our hearts to know that they care about our students and our community.

Why won't Democrats let the people decide?

Merits or problems of local school boards aside, the Democratic Party's display of complete disrespect for the abilities and desire of people to be involved and decide how our schools should be controlled dumbfounds me.

How can they deny us a chance to decide? Plantation mentality? Afraid kids might learn something, become successful and vote Republican? Donations from special interests?

Any number of reasons, I guess, but bottom line, the Democrats think we are not only too stupid to make the decision on how our schools will be run, but also so stupid we'll re-elect them. The sad part is they are probably right.

Coverage was pitiful on candidate Kucinich

It's a pity that The Advertiser kissed off the appearance here of Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich — using only a photograph with a caption.

Kucinich did not speak in Hawai'i because he is a pretty face but because he had something to say about the environment, the economy and the evils of the U.S. war in Iraq. Several hundred people rallied around him in downtown Honolulu Sunday night.

This was an unusual political event for two other reasons: It started pretty much on time, and there was no introduction. Obviously this was a man who needed no introduction.

How is it Gov. Lingle has too much power?

Here we go again, another election year. Does this give the Democrats the right to put down our governor, the one we the people put into office?

How is it Gov. Lingle has too much power? It seems to me that our two past Democrats who held that position exercised far more power than our current governor. No one complained about their running slipshod over our state.

If the Democrats take control again, we will see mass increases in taxes and prices; if that's the ticket, vote Democratic and lose it all.

CB-CPB merger makes good financial sense

I have served as an administrator in the land-use planning and development agencies of the County of Hawai'i, City & County of Honolulu and state of Hawai'i for over 30 years. I also served as an executive in a private land-development company for a little over 10 years. Therefore, I feel I can speak with authority on the subject involving financing of land development activities in Hawai'i.

The time is ripe for the merging of City Bank and Central Pacific Bank. In my over 40 years of experience in Hawai'i, I have become very aware of financing major land and building development projects. The sad fact is that most, if not all, of the large projects are financed by the two major banks in Hawai'i, namely Bank of Hawaii and First Hawaiian Bank. Why? Mainly because the other banks, including City Bank and Central Pacific Bank, are not capable of providing the needed financing. They can only handle smaller projects, thus making smaller profits.

However, if City Bank and Central Pacific Bank would combine their resources, they could compete for bigger projects and would be able to make bigger profits.

As Gov. John Burns used to espouse to the people of Hawai'i, we need to break away from the old "plantation mentality" and think big, not manini. As sure as night follows day, the two big banks — one owned by Mainland interests, the other by foreign interests — will continue to show no mercy in making big profits for their shareholders.

My father, an uneducated but learned man, used to remind me that if I forget the past, I will be sure to repeat it. We need to clearly remember why both City Bank and Central Pacific Bank were started after World War II.