Negative campaigns taint trust in politics

We live in an amazing time in history. People can make their feelings known worldwide in an instant and political mudslinging has reached new heights.

While we try to protect our youth from cigarette and alcoholic beverage advertising, nothing is being done to prevent them from being bombarded by the hours of negative political advertising during prime time radio and television. Our young people are being subjected to brainwashing techniques with skewed and outright false information about the candidates running for office. And, after the election, will they have confidence and trust in any our elected officials who were tainted during the campaign process? I think not.

Responsible parents will explain to their children that each voter must seek and study factual information on the candidates to make their best choice. The difficulty is sifting through all the manufactured garbage that has been published in all forms of media. All of this will be confusing to our children.

John Tamashiro
Pearl City

Political sign wavers endanger others

It might be said that a "good" sign waver distracts as many motorists as possible while getting them to focus on the candidate or issue noted on the sign.

As a bicyclist, the following are some of the things that go through my head when I see sign wavers:

» I note that many of them are standing on the edge of the curb (or totally occupying the shoulder area). Am I going to hit one of them?

» Will one of them hit me with a sign? I was nearly hit by a pole when a volunteer turned around on the curb while holding the pole out.

» Will nearby motorists pay attention to the road? Or will they be distracted enough that they hit me or someone else?

As the political season comes to an end, I ask all candidates to consider alternatives to sign waving and let motorists do what they are supposed to do — pay attention to their driving.

Natalie Iwasa
Hawaii Kai

Reproductive rights must be respected

When the representative of what was once a legitimate party calling itself Republican states his objection to gay marriage (this from a follower of Joseph Smith) then stutters dismissively, "Planned Parenthood? We’re gonna get rid of that," this person becomes ineligible to govern all the people.

Such politicians continue to criticize repressive religious laws making women’s lives intolerable in other cultures. At stake in this election are not only the constitutional rights of females but of Everyman’s rights; all of us supposedly being equal and free to believe (or not) in whichever Supreme Creator we choose.

Planned Parenthood is a solution to many of the world’s social and economic ills. Women’s right to choice should not be violated by people failing to recognize the separation of church and state. Separation of church and state requires me to vote for President Barack Obama.

Penelope Cardoza
Kahala

Invest in the fight against tuberculosis

Drug-resistant tuberculosis is not only scary, but costly as well. As highlighted in your article, tuberculosis is not a disease of the past — and Hawaii is feeling the brunt of it ("More isle TB cases come up resistant to drugs," Star-Advertiser, Oct. 27).

But this doesn’t have to be the case. In fact, investing in international TB control in high-burden countries has been proven to reduce TB in the U.S., and saves us money in the long run. Unfortunately, funding cuts to global health initiatives like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which was forced to cancel its last round of funding, are threatening progress we have made to date.

I encourage Sen. Daniel Inouye to maintain Senate funding for both bilateral tuberculosis programs and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for fiscal year 2013. Helping control TB around the world will help Hawaii be a safer and healthier place.

David Root
Kaneohe

It would be good to report good news

You report on wars, murders, child molesting, incest, slander, burglaries — all the bad things.

Why don’t you (the Star-Advertiser) devote at least one full page to good news? There are a lot of good things happening and good people doing good things.

I know bad news sells newspapers, but you would set a good role model for the rest of the country — and maybe the world. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

Thomas Q. Fisher
Honolulu

Use all 100 players on UH football team

The University of Hawaii football team is suffering too many injuries. Why is this happening?

The team is losing and the players are on the field too long. More fresh players must be used to give the coaches a first-hand look at players in actual playing conditions. The UH football season has nothing to lose by giving players on the bench the needed experience for next season. Use all 100 players on the roster and next year you will have 100 veterans returning for spring practice.

Herbert Morioka
Aina Haina