Your Oct. 16 report "Stinging fire ants discovered on Maui" is distressing, but the expansion of the ants' range was predictable given the frequent transport of plants, soil and materials between our islands. Hundreds of alien species are brought into Hawaii annually even with our inspection procedures, with 20 to 30 new species breeding and surviving each year to make Hawaii their permanent home.
What is more of a concern is that the state continues to encourage commercial importation of potted plants from the Mainland, including areas with climates similar to ours, making Hawaii a comfortable new home for many of the invaders. The profit made by retailers who import plants is small compared to the cost of eradicating pest species once they become established here.
The variety of new species of plants, insects, escaped cage birds, fish, seaweeds, amphibians and reptiles that continue to become naturalized and do harm to our environment is astounding, costing millions of dollars each year to the state in crop damage alone.
It's better to ban importation of all live plants and soil. The demand can be met by encouraging in-state horticultural enterprises and commercial-scale composting, benefiting our local farmers as a sustainable agricultural industry. Grow them here, don't import them from Florida.

William r. kramer | Kailua

HEALTH CARE

GOVERNMENT SHOULD TEND TO ITS OWN FIRST

Writer Gary Grimes (Letters, Oct. 18) feels that "A government-run health care insurance program would be an adequate, effective check on our dysfunctional system." Yet government-run Medicare, Medicaid and S-CHIP programs are running out of money, battling waste and fraud, and hopelessly inefficient.

The government's VA medical system struggles with mismanagement and scandal. Why not demand that government fix what it has broken before tackling a takeover of the rest of our health insurance systems?

Grimes cites abuses in a for-profit system, such as bonuses, price-fixing and gouging. These are usually held in check by competition, yet government restrictions on crossing state lines directly prevent real competition. Ever wonder why you can buy home or auto insurance from any provider in the nation, but not health insurance?

Let government repair its existing dysfunctional programs, while freeing the market in private health insurance. Then we can examine which is better, cheaper, faster, etc.

I wager it'll be like the post office versus FedEx or UPS: No contest.

JOHN CORBOY, m.d. | President, Hawaiian Eye Foundation

FURLOUGHS

PAYCUT NOT FEASIBLE FOR OUR TEACHERS

It seems interesting how the public is reacting to furloughs in the state Department of Education. The governor presented the issue of furloughs months ago. It was the primary reason for public worker contracts taking so long to be resolved. It was interesting that the state's chief negotiator has said that furloughs were the product of the DOE, BOE and HSTA.

Public sentiment at the time backed furloughs. The budget for education was restricted by an additional 14 percent — the amount of furlough savings the governor demanded. While teachers would like no furloughs, it is unreasonable to ask them to work for less pay and fewer resources.

At a time when the economy is weak and teachers are spending more of their personal income for supplies, does less pay and fewer resources make sense?

Teachers have done more with less for years — spending their own money, fundraising for necessities and getting very little respect.

If the governor is really concerned about the budget deficit, do it like the teachers. I would suggest Portuguese sausage, chili or maybe chicken.

EGAN KAWAMOTO | Ewa Beach

TOBACCO TAX

NEW LOOSE LEAF TAX WOULD TARGET POOR

I fully understand that smoking is not good for your health, and that the increases to loose leaf tobacco are supposed to help defray the costs of providing health coverage for the uninsured children. It's a sound idea, except for a few considerations.

First, those who buy loose pouches of smoke are most likely the underprivileged or homeless who can't afford pre-rolled cigarettes. To me, this sounds like taxing the poor to pay for the poor. Is this fair? I might also add that large cigars are exempt. Who usually smokes cigars? The well-to-do.

Secondly, the tax of approximately $1.38 is to be levied on pouches that weigh 1 ounce.

Guess what, the most popular brands weigh only .65 ounce. We are being gouged by both federal and state. What can be done? The pouch that cost $1 last year is now $6. Auwe!

MICHAEL ENYART | Waianae

'BARBARIAN PRINCESS'

DENIGRATING TERM SHOULD NOT BE USED

Marc Forby, the writer and director of the "Barbarian Princess" movie, claims that he is using the term "barbarian" in the title only to attract more viewers and that he doesn't mean to offend anyone. This is a specious excuse.

In the 19th century, the term "barbarian" was intentionally used to denigrate, demean, mock and injure its intended target, in this case, Princess Kaiulani. It was a racial/ethnic slur in the same way the N-word is used by Americans today.

A slur is a slur. It is particularly offensive when it is being used to promote box-office receipts.

Shame on Marc Forby and shame on the people who accept his smooth-talking jive.

If Forby cannot grasp that the very title of his movie is a direct affront to Kaiulani (and all Hawaiians) then and now, how can we think that his movie won't likewise smear the truth?

LEON SIU | 'Aiea