Votes not always cast for someone

I have been voting for more than 40 years and what’s most disturbing to me is that I started not voting for someone, but rather voting against someone.

In the debate between our two Senate candidates, I really couldn’t make up my mind. However, the Republican candidate has a history of deception that I cannot support.

I am not very pleased with the Democratic candidate, but I will vote for her, but only to vote against the Republican candidate.

This is really a sad situation and I am really sick of the negative attacks. I hope one day I can vote for someone rather than against someone and feel like my vote makes a difference.

Butch Lutte
Waikiki

News report was like press release

The front-page article on the second presidential debate sounded more like a press release from President Barack Obama’s campaign headquarters than an objective report on what in fact happened in the debate ("A two-fisted rematch," Star-Advertiser, Oct. 17).

The first reference to Mitt Romney’s participation in the debate was buried on Page A8.

It is evident that McClatchy Newspapers, from whom the Star-Advertiser obtained the report, has already made up its mind on who the winner in the upcoming election will be.

Obama’s lack of a plan to change the results of the last four years came across clearly to those who watched the debate, in spite of what was reported, and explains why Romney is trending ahead of Obama in the most recent polls.

Robert A. Wall
Kaneohe

Fact-checking ignores Obama

On Page A8 of Wednesday’s paper the Star-Advertiser ran a column provided by Bloomberg News Service entitled "Fact Check."

This fact check is all about fact-checking statements made by presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

So, in fairness, where’s a similar column fact-checking statement made by President Barack Obama?

Surely you can’t let your bias show that overtly, can you?

Robert Gillchrest
San Diego

Corporations lead double life

If corporations are persons for purposes of campaign contributions, why shouldn’t they be persons for reasons of human rights violations ("Corporations need to be held accountable for global abuses," Star-Advertiser, Insight, Oct. 10)?

How this works out in corporate board rooms and the courts will be interesting. If we get another finely diced decision, like calling Obamacare a tax, whether or not enough outrage carries over to the following elections to make a difference will also be interesting.

I’ll keep my bets to myself for now.

James Murphy
Mililani

FAST plan dirty and dangerous

I am convinced that the authors of former Gov. Ben Cayetano’s FAST transit plan never saw an internal combustion engine, an oil company or a paving contractor that they did not love.

Who could possibly believe that the solution to Honolulu’s traffic and environmental problems is to put more heavy, low-mileage gas or diesel vehicles on the road?

And what will be the full cost of the periodic replacement, maintenance and additional drivers for those buses?

Equally important, can these buses be kept running in the event of another hurricane like Iniki or tsunami like that of a year ago in Japan?

Most serious, we are already experiencing major problems with pedestrian fatalities on Honolulu’s existing streets. What are our elderly and youngsters going to do when they have to navigate across the additional lanes needed by FAST’s large, speeding buses?

John Madey
Manoa

Higher education has new meaning

I never realized how high higher education is.

A million dollars here, a million dollars there — $200,000 is tip money for these guys and gals.

Scott Clarke
Honolulu