GEN. ERIC SHINSEKI

NON-INVITATION SPOKE VOLUMES ABOUT STANCE

I can only assume that The Advertiser and The Washington Post printed Lawrence Di Rita's opinion piece ("Eric Shinseki has chance to right a wrong," Dec. 16) to make him look like the fool and toady that he is and was to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

American military officers may not criticize their civilian leaders. Gen. Eric Shinseki's non-invitation of Rumsfeld spoke volumes of his opposition to the war.

His statement, "Beware a 12-division strategy for a 10-division army," was as far as he could go. But then, how many people would know this?

O'AHU STREETS

SAME-OLD POTHOLES REAPPEAR AFTER THE RAIN

I live in Hawai'i Kai, and after the rain the old potholes are back again at the same spot.

Evidently the material that is used to fill them is of poor quality, and when the rain comes they just fall apart.

One way to fix this problem is to fill the holes with ready-mix concrete with a fast-drying additive and color to match the asphalt. It will stay together as a block and will not fall apart. If it is done properly it will stay in the hole until the road can be redone again.

INVESTMENTS

SUSPEND FUND FEES DURING FINANCIAL CRISIS

I am recently widowed and retired from state government. My husband left me an insurance policy, which I prudently (at least, I thought so) invested in a mutual fund company. My investment has whittled down more than 30 percent from the initial investment. In the meantime, management fees are being taken from my account.

I plead with Congress to pass legislation that will suspend management fees until the funds become level with the initial investment.

I am a middle-class widow living on a fixed income, and I have been very careful and responsible about wanting to take care of myself. Yet we are the ones being punished and taken advantage of during this crisis.

Any legislation requiring suspension of management fees, at least temporarily, will be compatible with President-elect Obama's intent to stop foreclosures until the economy rebounds. Such an initiative will be prudent and welcomed.

It seems obvious that responsible taxpayers are severely punished during this economic crisis, while irresponsible actions by large corporate administrators are rescued and rewarded.

People like myself who are adapting responsibly by making our payments in a timely manner are often overlooked. We do need Congress' help and we need it now.

MADOFF SCANDAL

SOCIAL SECURITY IS OUR BIGGEST PONZI SCHEME

I see where everybody is stating that Bernie Madoff was running the biggest Ponzi scheme ever. Granted, he was one of the worst, but he isn't the worst.

A Ponzi scheme by definition is where you take in money while promising big returns. It works for a while, but it eventually collapses under its own weight. He did well for several years, until the present financial crisis. Then he cut and ran.

My friends, the biggest Ponzi scheme in America is operated by our own government. It is called Social Security. When it started, there were about 50 people paying in for every one person drawing on it.

Now SSA has an unfunded liability of around $2 trillion. On top of that, all of the money that should be there isn't. In its place is a bunch of IOUs from Congress because they borrowed the surplus funds.

In the near future, the Social Security tax will have to be raised to 30 percent or it will collapse. Are you ready for that?

So when you watch TV about Madoff, remember the Social Security tax.

FOOTBALL GAMES

MEN SHOULD REMOVE HATS FOR U.S. ANTHEM

One of the most aggravating points for me when I attend the University of Hawai'i football games are those males in attendance who for one reason or another fail to remove their headgear when the national anthem is played.

When the public announcer asks everyone to rise, he should also ask that headgear be removed. With the bowl game coming up, we should make a good impression.