Income inequality is routinely identified as one of the biggest challenges our country and state need to address. A recent Island Voices commentary proposed some real solutions (“If wealthy can get tax breaks, why not low-income earners?” Star-Advertiser, Feb. 9).

There was one disturbing aspect of the feature: who the authors are not. The feature was written by a retired bank executive, a retired business executive, and a partner in a law firm. Where are the business leaders? Where is the Chamber of Commerce?

I constantly read company mission statements that tout their commitment to their employees: “Employees are our greatest asset.”

Is the myopic obsession with the dollar putting a gag on responsible business leaders in the state to support these common-sense ideas, or offer their own ideas?

Business leaders should lead — not just their boardrooms, but their communities as well. If we, all of us, don’t do something to address this issue, Hawaii will become a few Shangri-las surrounded by slums.

Peter Walker Burns

Ahuimanu

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Public must address Alzheimer’s needs

In Hawaii, there are an estimated 26,000 individuals age 65 and older who have Alzheimer’s. There are more than 66,000 family caregivers caring for these individuals.

While these figures are alarming, there are minimal resources available to these families. We are seeing an increasing number of families becoming financially bankrupt and emotionally drained as a result of this disease. This is a public health epidemic that we can no longer ignore. The community needs to intervene and provide assistance.

This year, the Alzheimer’s Association, Aloha Chapter is advocating for a number of bills that we believe will help families affected by Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia. Those bills are Senate Bill 532/House Bill 611 (funding for an Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia services coordinator position); SB 528/HB 608 (kupuna care); and SB 534/HB 607 (Kupuna Caregivers Program).

We hope that the public will contact their legislators and ask for their support.

Christine Payne

Executive director, Alzheimer’s Association, Aloha Chapter

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Recycle lumber from Ward Warehouse

The Ward Warehouse should be deconstructed instead of demolished because the structure was well cared for over its 42 years (“Ward Warehouse to close in August,” Star-Advertiser, Feb. 10).

There is enough good lumber there to build several hundred homes. Those huge timber beams are rare unto themselves.

Re-use Hawaii should collaborate with the Hawaii Community Development Authority and the U.S. Green Building Council to ensure that all of this good material can be used in reconstruction, as that would be a shining example of Hawaii’s green initiatives as well as align with our state motto.

Hardly any of this material should ever end up in our landfills.

Von Kenric Kaneshiro

Downtown Honolulu

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President has power to limit immigration

Nancy Grekin makes a valid point that condemnation of the judicial branch of government by President Donald Trump does little to perpetuate and respect the separation of powers (“Trump lacks respect for judicial branch,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Feb. 10).

Unfortunately, she fails to mention the overriding issue that is most critical, as she puts it, “to the survival of the democracy our founders intended.”

As an attorney, Grekin might have pointed out that a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously blocked Trump’s immigration ban in direct conflict with the law.

The panel took the activist route rather than abiding by the constitutional powers afforded the president of the United States. In part, the relevant statute reads that the president may “suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens … as he may deem appropriate.”

Perhaps Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch will return some semblance of sanity to our country.

Peter Osborne

Kailua

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Travel ban proviso could hurt tourism

As reported by Politico, there was a less-heralded provision in President Donald Trump’s executive order banning travel from seven majority-Muslim countries that could have a devastating effect on Hawaii’s tourism industry.

That section called for the government to develop a “uniform screening standard and procedure” for all individuals seeking to enter the United States. That would mean all visitors, regardless of where they come from or duration of stay, and regardless of whether or not they are traveling on visas, would go through the same vetting process.

There are many questions regarding the actual meaning of this section and how it could be enforced, according to Stephen Legomsky, former chief counsel for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. But if interpreted broadly as it is written, “It would basically shut down tourism,” Legomsky said.

Jim McClelland

Hawaii Kai