Not all 99 percenters share same beliefs

I am one of the 99 percent, but I totally disagree with the Occupy Wall Street movement.

I lived through the recession of the ’70s and ’80s, when unemployment ran as high as 10.8 percent. During that time my wife and I raised five children. We lived within our means and did not buy things we wanted, just what we needed. We drove old cars, watched black-and-white television and the children drank powdered milk. They survived and grew up to be outstanding adults.

Today, as a retiree, I still buy what I need, not want. I do not own a fancy new car, a 60-inch LCD TV or any other fancy "got to have" electronic gadgets. We are living comfortably because we saved rather than bought things.

Ben Boychuck hit the nail on the head when he stated that the difference between the tea party’s marches of 2009 and the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations of 2011 is the difference between "no more bailouts" and "where’s my bailout?" ("What is the meaning of Occupy movement," Star-Advertiser, RedBlueAmerica, Oct. 16).

Bob Volkwein
Aiea

Mahalo to APEC for picking Hawaii

Mahalo to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit for coming to Hawaii next month.

Mahalo to the team that continues to work hard in making this event seamless and successful (APEC management team, security, police and everyone else that will be participating, including volunteers).

Mahalo to you all who will be inconvenienced, yes, but will show our aloha spirit. We will all do our part. We are blessed to have this important event here in Hawaii. Let’s show people worldwide that they can come to Hawaii and know that we can do business. Go, Team Hawaii!

Georgette Stevens
Kapolei

HECO needs to get with the program

We have all heard that about 90 percent of our energy use is from imported oil. No other state comes close to that level.

But why was it that the state of California and many California municipalities had tax incentives and rebates more than 10 years ago, some for as high as $10,000, for individual photovoltaic systems? Germany and Japan lead the world with photovoltaic systems installed, even with their colder and cloudy climates.

We now have a 35 percent income tax credit, but why the delay? We hear about feed-in-tariffs that have limited large alternative energy systems here, strict limits to reverse metering, and expensive studies required by Hawaiian Electric Co. I can understand the perspective that a company whose business is selling electricity is concerned about you and me generating our own, but technology moves on.

HECO won’t go the way of the horse and buggy, but we have some catching up to do, and the ball is clearly in the Legislature’s court.

Chuck Prentiss
Kailua

Union backing won’t guarantee election

With the Hawaii congressional races for the Senate and House seats set, the unions are starting to crank out the endorsements.

The Hawaii Government Employees Association, the largest public sector union, and the Carpenters Union, the largest private sector unit, have endorsed Mazie Hirono for the Senate.

The State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers, one of the most powerful unions in the state, has endorsed Mufi Hannemann for the House.

There surely will be many more endorsements to come as the races heat up.

We have seen in recent elections that endorsements do not always get candidates elected. In fact, in some cases the opposite has happened. For the endorsements to work, the candidates have to first connect with the voters. Without that chemistry, all the endorsements in the world will not work. The voters have to buy into their programs.

Steven Burke
Pearl City

Homeless not seen during St. Louis trip

Recently, I was in St. Louis, Mo., for five days. I visited downtown, the Budweiser brewery, walked through Forest Park, drove through not-so-nice areas at night and during the day. I did not see one homeless person or one blue-tarped encampment. Not one person asked for change.

It’s not the cold weather coming that keeps them away, either because Seattle and Chicago have a homeless problem. So what is St. Louis doing right?

I suggest that Mayor Peter Carlisle and Gov. Neil Abercrombie call the mayor of St. Louis for some ideas. Nothing is working here. Can’t hurt, can it?

David Nickle
Hawaii Kai

Dems helped kill Obama’s jobs bill

Andrew Taylor writes about "President Obama’s job legislation, which Senate Republicans killed in a Tuesday night vote …" ("GOP jobs bill would repeal health care law," Star-Advertiser, Oct. 14).

Wait a minute — which party has the majority in the U.S. Senate? Last I checked, Democrats do. The real story is that President Barack Obama was not even able to get his own party to vote as a majority.

This is another perfect example of media bias — inherent, subconscious, or otherwise blatant.

I would have written "Democrats were unable to muster enough votes among its ranks to pass it, overcoming a solid Republican opposition …"

Tom Kenney Sr.
Mililani

Are you ready for some free speech?

I am outraged that Hank Williams Jr. was fired from ESPN because of his comment about this president. Hank is about as proud an American as it gets. He has the right to say what he thinks or feels.

Is this president so thin-skinned that he can’t take criticism? Why is it that George W. Bush could be made fun of, poked at and insulted by the media on a daily basis, but God forbid anyone say anything negative about this president.

I am boycotting watching "Monday Night Football," and so should all football fans. ESPN should be ashamed of itself.

CT Gregoire
Ewa Beach