CHOICE DISAPPOINTS FORMER PARTY CHIEF

I am very disappointed by The Honolulu Advertiser's endorsement of Ed Case for Congress. Citizens will accept many flaws in a candidate, but will not tolerate being misled by a candidate.

After Congresswoman Patsy Mink's untimely death, I was authorized by her family to inform candidates, both Democrats and Republicans, who were considering running for Patsy's congressional seat that John Mink was filing papers to complete the last few weeks of her term of office.

All of the major candidates, both Democrats and Republicans, decided to allow John to complete Patsy's term, except Ed Case.

Case indicated that a few extra weeks as congressman would provide him with additional seniority over Democrats from other states who would be elected in November.

Yet, only a few years later, Congressman Case decided that it was not important to abandon his growing seniority in the House and simultaneously ending Sen. Daniel Akaka's seniority in the U.S. Senate, where seniority is extremely important.

It certainly appears that Ed Case was and is more motivated by self-interest than by Hawai'i's public interest.

Anyone considering voting for Ed Case should ask themselves this question: How can I vote for a person who has demonstrated that he is not candid with the citizens he represents?

GARBAGE SHIPMENTS

HAWAI'I SHOULD TAKE CARE OF ITS OWN TRASH

It's amazing how trash can stir up so much controversy.

For the past couple of years, the City Council has been harping on taking our trash to a landfill on the Mainland even though our landfill still has years of life available.

Now that this waste shipper is on the verge of securing its final permit or two, the council wants to pull the plug. Unbelievable!

I have always thought that whatever trash we generate, we should take care of ourselves. Why should be put this burden on another community on the Mainland?

What the council should be doing is bonding together to find a way to keep our landfill open past the 2012 deadline. That should be the most important item on its agenda.

'DISTASTEFUL'

DJOU CAMPAIGNEDAT CITIZENSHIP EVENT

During my naturalization ceremony on April 14, I was surprised to find that Charles Djou was a guest speaker. While Djou, in his own words, did "not give a political speech," the main emphasis of his address was the upcoming congressional election. He made it clear he would be running in a close race, and he urged us to register to vote.

While definitely tacky, I did not consider Djou's address objectionable, since participating in the democratic process is indeed crucial.

But as I exited the building, I was immediately handed Djou campaign material. It was in a daze that I walked out in the sunny parking lot, holding in my hand a partisan pamphlet less than 30 seconds after becoming an American citizen.

I found Djou's shameless promotion of his agenda at that venue incredibly distasteful, and I never would have thought that I would be spending my first moments as an American citizen feeling anything resembling distaste.

The same day I registered to vote, and Djou can rest assured that, as an American citizen, I will participate in the democratic process.

SIT-INS

'ORDINARY PEOPLE' WILL 'SAVE THE DAY'

These words from Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda are in response to the sit-ins at the governor's office and the plight of the parents involved.

"At a crucial moment it is the strength and courage of ordinary people who have no name or position in society that save the day. The famous, the well-connected almost always have too much to lose, and they abandon the cause in order to protect themselves."

STATE GOVERNMENT

QUESTIONS GETTING TOUGHER TO ANSWER

I am a furloughed social studies teacher and I have always tried to give my students both sides of the story when responding to their questions.

However, it is getting harder and harder to give support to Gov. Lingle's side of the story. When furloughs came about I told my students that balancing a budget is a difficult thing to do.

Then came the questions about why we were not employing local workers for the renovations at Aloha Stadium.

Today, my new debit card for child support came in the mail. The state signed me up for this card without my consent and will be charging my children $25 a year for child support services. The card comes from a bank in North Dakota because there are no longer enough state workers to send checks through the mail.

Not only is this card useless in paying for my child care needs (they only accept checks), but it reduces state jobs even more. Lingle did not even use a local bank for the debit cards. No wonder we can't balance the budget — there are not enough people left.

'NO' TO EDITORIAL

REPUBLICANS ARE REALLY PARTY OF 'YES'

The Honolulu Advertiser's April 16 editorial profiling the congressional candidates suggested the Republican Party candidate is the candidate of "No."

Republicans say yes to cutting Hawai'i's punitive taxes, especially regressive taxes hurting the poor. Republicans say yes to cutting waste, inefficiency and exploitation from government budgets.

Republicans, joined by enlightened citizens of all political persuasions, say yes to restoring economic freedom, personal liberty and responsibility to citizens. Republicans say yes to quality public education by choice in the marketplace rather than the debacle that is the Department of Education.

Republicans say yes to churches, charitable institutions, and the good hearts of Americans as opposed to the often exploited government programs that create dependency. Republicans say yes to equal opportunity rather than creating a system where government dictates equal outcomes.

Republicans say yes to the U.S. Constitution rather than activist judges who make rulings based on popular opinion. Republicans say yes to states' rights as guaranteed by the 10th Amendment.

In short, we say yes to the values, and hopes of Hawai'i's people and to the change necessary to guarantee individual citizens the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.