Jobless rate not accurately stated

It was misleading to report that the Hawaii unemployment rate dropped to 4.3 percent in August ("Jobless rate dips to lowest in 5 years," Star-Advertiser, Sept. 20).

While the article did mention that the size of the total workforce also fell, the writer did not fully explore the impact of this factor on the "official" rate.

From 2011 to 2013, the population of our islands increased by 2.5 percent, while the size of the workforce declined by 2.6 percent. When one adjusts for a workforce that should have grown by 2.5 percent since 2011, the total drop is much more severe, amounting to a negative 5 percent.

To more accurately reflect the true unemployment rate in Hawaii, at least some part of this 5 percent must be added back to the 4.3 percent. The actual unemployment rate could be as high as 9.3 percent.

We get enough spin out of Washington. Let’s demand a little more of our state statisticians.

Bernard Wilson
Laie

Matson ignoring its responsibility

The public in Hawaii is not buying the lukewarm explanations from Matson.

A shipping giant with piles of cash and rusty pipes? Just a few miles east and Waikiki Beach would have been ruined. Can you imagine Hawaii without tourist dollars? This would be an economic disaster.

Matson is enjoying a near-monopoly in shipping to Hawaii — with these millions in profit comes some responsibility. The federal and security experts should start an investigation and Matson should compensate the people of Hawaii, and be punished by fines that will make a difference between rusty pipes and no responsibility and costly cleaning that cannot be paid by taxpayers.

Joe Stacy
Keehi Lagoon

Obamacare does favor Congress

The Star-Advertiser recently printed two letters to the editor about whether Congress has exempted itself from Obamacare.

Both were only partially correct.

The fact is that Congress has done an end run around Obamacare for itself. Congress has made them the only participants to receive generous subsidies in the Obamacare exchanges to get financial help to pay for their health insurance.

This is pure and simple political chicanery and is what you get with a massive law no one fully understands and which has built-in exemptions to be awarded the powerful and influential.

U.S. Sen. David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican, has now demanded a floor vote on his bill to end the exemption. Let’s see how Hawaii’s U.S. senators vote on this, assuming the vote even comes to the Democratic- majority Senate floor.

Anson Rego
Aina Haina

GOP gets bad rap about civil rights

In his article, "Obamacare running into same blocks as civil rights" (Star-Advertiser, Sept. 11), Nelson Lichtenstein uses the adjective Republican negatively six times, without once inserting Democratic into his civil rights history lesson.

As the civil rights abuses used in the comparisons were actually committed by Democrats, inserting the adjective Democratic would have been historically accurate, but wouldn’t have allowed for the reader unfamiliar with history to assume the author was comparing Republican actions against civil rights to actions against Obamacare.

The omission had to be intentional. To include the fact that Democrats, not Republicans, opposed civil rights would make a reader wonder about the author’s conclusion that Republicans want to block civil rights because they oppose Obamacare.

Barbara O’Nale
Kapolei

Trees would help counter the heat

Regarding air-conditioning our schools: For a quick fix, please plant trees in the school yards. This will provide shade as well as cut noise levels. Hedges along fences and walls may also help.

Ruth Shima
Kakaako