Kudos for helping seniors, disabled

Our legislators are to be commended for recognizing the needs of our kupuna and disabled in passing Senate Bills 2320 and 2779. By doing so, the Executive Office on Aging will have the funds necessary to continue with programs that are extremely vital to our senior and disabled population, as well as fulfilling the Administration on Aging’s mandate of having a fully functional Aging and Disability Resource Center.

Eudie Schick
Chairwoman, Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs

City office protects economic progress

The City Council is proposing to abolish the city’s Office of Economic Development (OED) and move its funding to the Community Services Department. This is shortsighted and counterproductive in the extreme. The Community Services Department’s primary focus is social services. OED’s mission is to promote promising economic activity that helps generate the revenue and support economic activity on Oahu.

As executive director of the Hawaii Book and Music Festival, I have seen our event grow in attendance over the past seven years from 10,000 to the 40,000 anticipated next weekend. We could not have achieved this progress without the proactive help of the city’s OED team, and we are now looking to that team to help us take the event to an even higher level — including international partnerships. We urge the City Council to maintain OED, its budget and staff, to continue to help businesses and community groups and support Oahu’s economy.

Roger Jellinek
Executive director, Hawaii Book and Music Festival

Agency needed to support growth

I learned with alarm that there are plans under consideration to abolish Honolulu’s Office of Economic Development.While there are undeniable economic pressures on the city budget, cutting back on the agency that supports economic and cultural growth in Honolulu seems very shortsighted.

I have personally seen the professionalism and can-do approach that this department exhibits and can attest to the value that it contributes to this city. I hope that the city will find a way to maintain an agency that is a valued contributor to the economic and cultural well-being of Honolulu.

Frank Haas
Dean, Hospitality, Business and Legal Education Kapiolani Community College

Rich should pay their fair share

We all know that tax breaks can stimulate small-business owners into creating jobs. However, we seem to put tax breaks for millionaires into the same job-creating basket. If the CEO of a major company makes $40 million per year and gets a $300,000 tax break, does he take that tax break and create jobs? His company might create jobs, but his tax break goes into the bank or stock market. His sacrifice to our country in these troubling times? Nothing. Yet it’s this country that gave him the opportunity to be successful.

Then we have the men and women in our armed services. Do they sacrifice? I think so. We send them home in a box with a flag around it. They come home with arms and legs missing, and with mental problems.

Maybe it’s time to let those who succeeded thanks to this country make some sacrifice in helping us all. Just like those men and women who have sacrificed for all, since the beginning of the country.

Robert Roast
Waikiki

To be fair, everyone should pay taxes

President Barack Obama wants the rich to pay their fair share of taxes. It would have been better if he had asked us all to pay our share. Approximately 50 percent of the working population pays no federal income tax. Getting them to pay a token amount would be equitable.

All this anti-rich talk is divisive and contrary to what candidate Obama campaigned on and when he promoted himself to be the unifier. More to the point, taxing the rich will not bring in the revenue needed to reduce a ballooning deficit which has surpassed the sum of all the previous administrations combined. The solution is to cut spending and reduce the size of government so that we don’t saddle our grandchildren with this multi-trillion-dollar deficit.

Cheong Lum
Honolulu

Sullum wrong about Martin shooting

There are lies, damned lies and then there is the syndicated column of Jacob Sullum ("‘Stand your ground’ critics refuse to retreat in debate," Star-Advertiser, April 28). His defense of George Zimmerman, who shot an unarmed teenager after ignoring a police dispatcher’s warning not to pursue him, ignores the facts of the case for an ideological pony that might as well have been dreamed up by the National Rifle Association.

First, Zimmerman pursued Treyvon Martin, completely waiving the defense that Zimmerman could not retreat. Second, it took national outrage over the case to override the lack of police investigation and get Zimmerman charged. Third, the "threat assessment" does indeed mean "people make their own decision as to whether someone is threatening or not." Finally, correlation does not equal causation. Declining crime can just as easily be linked to boosted police forces and better economic conditions.

The Star-Advertiser should apologize to its readers for subjecting us to that eyesore.

Michael Inaba
Mililani

Publish more conservative voices

I scan the editorial pages for anything of interest. My request is simple: For every liberal propagandist could there possibly be a conservative opinion — such as Victor Davis Hanson, Thomas Sowell or Pat Buchanan? If diverse, truthful opinions were offered, there would be a better, more informed electorate.

Alice J. Rogers
Mililani