Letters to the Editor

Look into cause of recent spillage

Accidental spillage of medical waste anytime, anywhere creates a very serious medical threat that endangers the public’s health.

Obviously, any accident is unexpected; however, how a government deals with accidents defines its character.

The people of Hawaii deserve the truth about what is going on at Waimanalo Gulch landfill. What do we say to an innocent child who steps on a syringe infected with the HIV virus while playing in the sand?

I encourage the Honolulu Star-Advertiser to continue to do true investiga- tive journalism to determine the cause of the recent spillage.

Furthermore, I would encourage Gov. Neil Abercrombie to form a commission to investigate current problems at Waimanalo Gulch. We need both short- and long-term solutions to this battle. Clearly, this landfill should be closed before we have an even greater environmental problem that is catastrophic.

We have the ability to control our destiny. It just takes thoughtful solutions and commitment to doing the right thing. Stop passing the buck and act now with courage to save that potential child on the beach.

Landfill should have been closed

It was with great sadness that I read about the recent medical waste washing up on the Leeward coast.

I know it would never have happened if the Waimanalo Gulch dump had closed when it was supposed to.

There are always going to be catastrophic events that occur and in reality we should always be prepared for the worst to happen. Excuses are no good; once something like this happens, there is no going back.

I went over to see the cleanup being done. It was about five guys with trash bags covering the area by Ko Olina. You really need an army of people scouring the Leeward coast. Otherwise, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Hawaii chose Dems; get over it

Former U.S. Rep. Charles Djou said that "our one-party rule system upends voter control (over the leadership of the state House)" ("House leadership fight a travesty," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Jan. 17). He also said that the leader of the state House will clearly be chosen by the majority caucus.

Hawaii has spoken and we choose to continue to be Democrats and so will the House leader. The old boy network and back-room deals are parts of any government and the majority will always take advantage of this.

I am sure if the Republicans in Hawaii had this advantage, they would surely use it, too.

More people need to vote

I concur with the remarks made by Charles Djou regarding the need for a two-party system here in Hawaii. Perhaps it might cut down on the backroom deals and the old-boy networks.

However, one important component was not addressed by Mr. Djou — that so few people use their right and privilege to vote. As I understand it, more than 600,000 folks in Hawaii are eligible to vote but are not registered. To me, that is mind-boggling!

If everyone participated in democracy by letting their voices be heard via the ballot box, then, and only then, will our politicians start working for us again and stop the political rhetoric and wrangling and get down to the business at hand.

Health incident changed views

My son who lives in Kentucky had previously been opposed to the health insurance reform bill, thinking it was too much government interference.

When his wife had pneumonia last December, he found they had to pay for about 80 percent of the medication under their plan. Of course, Kentucky had little insurance regulation.

This month both have had to deal with a medical situation. He became a fan when he found that their medications were 80 percent covered and their share was 20 percent, without an increase in premiums — thanks to the health insurance reform mandates.

It’s amazing that some want to repeal the law, ignoring the $230 billion increase the Government Accountability Office estimates would be added to the federal deficit by any repeal.

Parents deserve some blame, too

In fairness to teachers and principals who get blamed for most of the failings of the public school system, wouldn’t it also be appropriate and useful to evaluate the third major group that affects the development of children — their parents?