Government should discourage junk foods
Mahalo for highlighting a culprit in our country’s obesity/poor health problem: our food ("Sugary snacks linked to addiction," Star-Advertiser, May 17).
It takes only a minor effort toward being informed to realize that our government and the food industry are complicit in supporting products that are detrimental to our health. Subsidies for corn syrup, marketing that targets children: Outrage is justified.
Our first steps to decreasing health care costs can easily be to eat well and expect federal government policy to support healthy eating. I prefer aggressive action: Redefine food to include only food with nutritional value and heavily tax junk food and nutrition-poor drinks.
Tax changes take time and perhaps aren’t popular. But who can argue with living and eating to optimize health?
That action, according to the article, could eliminate 75 percent of health care costs related to reversible and preventable diseases. And think how good we’d feel.
Patti Callahan
Honolulu
New ‘Hawaii Five-0′ dishonors original
Regarding your "Hawaii Five-0" story ("‘Five-0′ finale ranks second in its time slot," May 18), Leonard Freeman, producer of the original "Hawaii Five-0" TV series, must be rolling over in his grave.
The new producers have exploited the "Five-0" name, theme music and the names of the original lead characters, and are giving viewers a lively, entertaining show that has nothing to do with the attitude or sensibilities of the original series.
I wish they’d had the integrity to launch a new series without riding on the successful coattails of the original, which they dishonor.
I do wish them well for the sake of Hawaii’s tourism industry. I also hope in the second season, they show more willingness to cast our talented local actors, not only in bit parts that have one or two lines, but in some of the meaty roles, instead of bringing in five or six mainland actors every week for parts, some of which could and should be cast locally.
Joe Moore
Honolulu
Mayor doesn’t seem to understand economics
The recent poll that shows a 64 percent approval rating for Mayor Peter Carlisle sends a dangerous message to other politicians: The less you do, the more popular you will be.
Kudos to Gov. Neil Abercrombie for not adopting this approach, and for having the courage to tackle our financial problems before we’re brought to our knees. It’s very worrisome that the mayor doesn’t seem to understand that we can’t spend money we don’t have.
Robert Rau
Honolulu
Article shone light on tobacco industry
I want to thank you for running the article, "Philip Morris CEO says cigarettes not that hard to quit" on May 11.
I actually attended that Philip Morris international shareholders’ meeting as a member of REAL, a youth-empowered tobacco prevention and advocacy organization in Hawaii.
How could anyone trust the words of a man who directs a company that continues to heavily market a product that kills more than 6 million people around the world every year?
This statement was just one of many nefarious claims made by Camilleri during the meeting, including mocking youth advocates who asked serious questions about his company’s policies.
Your article really shines the light on the entire tobacco industry. I hope more people will stand up against the immorality of these tobacco companies.
Grady Sullivan
Pahoa
Groups feed the hungry, not the homeless
Meaning well, Gov. Neil Abercrombie and homelessness coordinator Marc Alexander are way off track saying that feeding homeless people doesn’t solve Hawaii’s homeless problem, so let’s stop giving them food.
We don’t feed hungry people because they are homeless or not. We feed hungry people because they are hungry.
Father Marc needs to go to confession for asking Christ’s followers in Hawaii to cease acts of Christian charity. Jesus said: "Depart from Me, you cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave me no drink …" (Matthew 25:41, 42).
Ron Valenciana
Haleiwa
