Military unfriendly to PTSD victims

Sunday’s article on Sgt. Daniel McCarley and post-traumatic stress disorder is only a tip of the iceberg ("Seeking peace after war," Star-Advertiser, April 1).

I am constantly hearing similar stories of soldiers coming home to their families truly needing support, but either won’t ask or can’t ask for fear of being labeled within their battalion as weak. One couple had to go off-base, to the other side of the island, to make sure that no one saw them coming or going from the counselor.

Medical staff do not have the resources to handle the number of soldiers requiring support. I can hear the leadership spin on that already.

Don’t for a second think it doesn’t affect us. These families live next to us, work with us and go to school with our kids, so pray they are healthy and happy.

David Smith
Mililani

Democrats should have bigger tent

I experienced considerable anger and discouragement while reading thearticle in Sunday’s Star-Advertiser about Laura Thielen ("Thielen isdenied status as a Democrat," Star-Advertiser, April 1).

I felt anger toward the Oahu Democrats for deciding such an ablepublic servant, who has been nurtured by our community and raised by along-standing, well-respected kamaaina family, cannot run as aDemocrat for the state Senate.

I experienced discouragement because an inflexible following of rules became a convenient way of preventingsomeone from running against an incumbent.

Most of us, no doubt, expect better results from our democratic formof government. It makes me wonder about the ability of those in power to show respect and fairness toward those who have the courage toexpress themselves as an independent. Hopefully, it isn’t because Ms. Thielen is a champion of environmental concerns.

As a voter in Senate District 25, I would appreciate this choice.

John Heidel
Kailua

Bag bill changed personal outlook

I strongly support Senate Bill 2511, which would place a small fee on plastic and paper checkout bags in Hawaii.

I also thank the many organizations and citizens of Hawaii who have worked tirelessly to support the bill and bring the issue into the political spotlight.

Our growing population of 1.2 million consumes nearly 500 million bags per year.This is not a fair or respectable legacy for future generations to deal with.

Instead of producing more single-use bags and adding more waste to Hawaii’s overflowing landfills, this bill will encourage people to bring their reusable bags. It will protect both the environment and marine creatures, while also helping to fund watershed protection.

In some ways, SB 2511 and the plastic-free movement have motivated me to examine my impact on Earth. For me, this has meant shifting my life from five- to 20-minute decisions to five- to 20-year decisions.

SB 2511 would create a new legacy for Hawaii.

Marion Ano
Nuuanu

Search inward for new UH chancellor

I read recently about the search for a new University of Hawaii-Manoa chancellor.

I noticed there were no internal candidates from UH-Manoa or the UH system for the position and I wondered why.

There are some very capable leaders at UH-Manoa or the UH system, like Dr. Linda Johnsrud, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost.

It seems like UH continues to believe that outsiders, who have little to no experience or knowledge of Hawaii, have the magic answers to lead UH-Manoa. Time after time, we have been greatly disappointed in these searches.

Hawaii has the leadership capacity to identify someone like Fujio Matsuda (who knew Hawaii’s social and cultural dynamics).

UH should look in our own backyard, in addition to the mainland, for leadership. We might be surprised what we find.

Alan R. Shoho
San Antonio, Texas

UH chancellors can be justified

Eliminating the University of Hawaii-Manoa chancellor position is ill-advised.

First, the UH system and each campus have grown in stature, complexity, and impact. To expect one person to effectively run the entire statewide system and the flagship campus is ludicrous. It would be inefficient and cumbersome.

Second, if the president is also the chancellor of UH-Manoa, the smaller campuses would rightfully feel slighted, as the president’s main commitment would be to Manoa.

Third, if UH-Manoa does not need a chancellor, then surely the chancellors of the other smaller campuses are equally dispensable. Perhaps the Legislature should abolish them all.

Your article did a disservice by not stating obvious reasons to keep the system president and Manoa chancellor separate ("Chancellor," Star-Advertiser, March 28).

Your reliance on supporting statements from students who do not know how the UH system works (and why should they?) and from disgruntled faculty hardly painted a balanced picture.

Christopher Dunn
Honolulu

Entitlements at root of U.S. debt crisis

Lloyd Lim hit the nail on the head ("Voters oblivious about debt crisis," Star-Advertiser, Letters, March 31).

Similarly, Alexis de Tocqueville had it right when he observed that a democracy cannot survive when the populace realizes that it can vote itself largesse from the public treasury.

Of course, any ideology that suggests that more can be made sitting on the sofa than participating in the economy is going to come out ahead in an election.

That very same public treasury, funded by working taxpayers, is the victim.

Hence our current debt crisis, which, by design, provides the excessive entitlements that are at the root of the dominance of government.

Joan Rank
Waialua