A bit of reading could be useful

I would like to suggest to the Republicans, tea party members and conservatives that they go to the library and check out some books on economics and history and read them very carefully.

Government cannot be run like a household. If government cuts back on spending during hard times, it only make matters worse, as many jobs are lost during this process and you end up with a domino effect. Good economics indicate that governments should spend during hard times and pay down or back their debts in good times.

Some recommended books are: "Power and Plenty: Trade, War and the World Economy in the Second Millennium," by Ronald Findlay and Kevin H. O’Rourke; "The Conscience of a Liberal," by Paul Krugman; and "Good Capitalism, Bad Capitalism and the Economics of Growth & Prosperity," by William Baumol, Robert Litan and Carl Schramm.

Carol Carpenter
Honolulu

End lifetime pay for retired politicians

Why can elected politicians receive income for life?

I think we could save lots of money if, like most people, these people are no longer paid once they leave their office. Like most Americans, these officials can collect Social Security based on their income when they retire.

Janie Yamamura
Honolulu

Birth control is preventative care

You are planning a wedding for 300 guests, and you know that one person attending is a strict vegetarian.

Would you simply decide not to have food served at all?

In essence, that is what is being demanded by far-right groups like the Family Research Council and other small groups of extremists.

Contraceptives should be covered by insurance as preventative care. There should be no controversy over birth control.

As always, if you don’t believe in birth control, then don’t use it. Experts see preventing unwanted pregnancies as critical to women’s and babies’ health, as women with unwanted pregnancies are less likely to receive prenatal care and more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors such as drinking and smoking.

No one should have to cancel an entire wedding feast because one guest doesn’t eat meat. Neither should all women go without critical preventative care because a very small vocal fringe minority disapproves.

Shay Bintliff
Kamuela

Respite pay is for just the caregiver

A letter to the editor stating that "the state funds a ‘respite’ program that sends parents of some Department of Education students on vacations" is not true ("State not playing fair on issue of teacher pay," Star-Advertiser, Letters, July 31).

Beginning in 1990, the state Legislature appropriated $1 million annually to the state Department of Health to provide respite to family caregivers of a family member with special needs. Respite is for the caregivers and does not pay for a family vacation. It provides short-term relief and a break from caregiving.

Budget cuts ended the program on June 30, 2009. The Legislature restored funds to the program and in December 2010, Gov. Neil Abercrombie released the funds, which eligible families received.

Implying that families with special-needs members are taking money away from our education system is false. Precious state funds do not pay for vacations.

Deborah Kobayakawa
Kaneohe

War memorials need some TLC

I recently had the opportunity to visit the Korean and Vietnam War memorials.

The landscaping and entryways were pleasing, with lots of plants that separated the two memorials. I admired the wavy walls, Hawaiian inscription, years of the wars, and the memorial with names of people from Hawaii inscribed on the steps. It was touching to see a lei and a small plant on the memorial.

However, I was shocked to see old newspapers and rubbish strewn on the grounds. I didn’t recall seeing a trash can.

Perhaps a trash can and regular maintenance would help show that Hawaii deems the war memorials to be important.

Mikki Kang
Honolulu

Deficit obsession is bad economics

Obsession with reducing the deficit will no doubt result in reducing jobs and job opportunities.

As programs are cut, people will be left unemployed and unable to contribute to the public good. Indeed, they will become takers from, not givers to, the national treasure.

As public works projects are stopped, teachers and police are laid off and long-term planning halted, our future will become dimmer. Our children will become less educated and less competitive than their counterparts abroad. China will soon have more college graduates than the entire population of the U.S. in a few years, while we make education harder for all but the rich to afford.

The Bush tax breaks resulted in fewer jobs as corporate executives were rewarded with huge bonuses for cutting payroll.

We have gone far astray from a rational economic policy to satisfy the irrational obsessions of a minority within a minority party.

Francis M. Nakamoto
Honolulu

Water plants along Ala Moana stretch

As I walked the center section of Ala Moana boulevard this morning picking up trash, I realized that while we are worried about the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation visitors seeing the homeless, we are ignoring what they will see when they travel: The center section of Ala Moana from Piikoi Street eastward is a devastated area of dried-up plants. Can’t we get some water on them?

Roy J. Gritter
Honolulu