Rally for kupuna at Capitol today

Caring for our kupuna is a major priority this session, as a third of Hawaii’s population will be over 60 by 2035. We have legislation moving through the process to help protect seniors from financial scams and abuse, and increase funding for long-term care, local aging programs and public awareness campaigns.

We are also hosting Kupuna Power Day at the Capitol Rotunda from 9-11:30 a.m. today. The event celebrates kupuna and empowers them through education, entertainment and exercise. Guest speakers will provide updates on Medicaid and Medicare, long-term care insurance and tips on how to avoid identity theft.

It’s never too late to start planning for the future, and these types of events arm our kupuna with the information needed to age in place and find affordable means for long-term care and care-giving.

One session at a time, we will continue to educate, provide information and empower our kupuna.

Brickwood Galuteria
State Senate majority leader

GOP was wrong, ACA succeeds

Recently, President Barack Obama announced that 7.1 million Americans have signed up for private health plans through the insurance exchanges.The number of enrollees clearly demonstrates that the Affordable Care Act is working.Further, it is a vindication of the president’s signature health care law after being vilified relentlessly by the Republicans, who claimed it is a government overreach and doomed to fail.The enrollment figures portray a picture of progress and proves that the Republicans are wrong in insisting that it is a bad law.

Since Republicans don’t have an alternative to the ACA, they should stop their fierce campaign to repeal it and join others in embracing the reality that it is here to stay and work together to improve the law.

When most Americans have access to medical care, the U.S. becomes a healthier nation.

Rod B. Catiggay
Mililani

Dairy farms are good neighbors

I was surprised to read that there is opposition to the planned dairy farm on Kauai ("Diverse interests join up to oppose Kauai dairy plan," Star-Advertiser, April 14).

I grew up on a dairy farm on the east coast of Australia. Before going to school each morning, I rounded up our 100 head of milking cows. In the afternoons I manned a shovel to transfer manure from the pen where the cows were held before being milked into a pile where it was stored until it was used as fertilizer.

Our house was about 500 feet away from the manure pile and we never had olfactory or fly issues.

The Kauai farm will be miles away from the tourist areas and flies and odor will not reach that far. The plan outlined by Amy Hennessey is very thorough and should assuage any reasonable concerns about the dairy.

I would welcome a dairy farm on the North Shore of Oahu.

Bill Quinlan
Velzyland

Abercrombie’s semi-apology

Ever notice how hard it is for politicians to really say they are sorry?

Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s apology to Daniel K. Inouye’s widow over doubting Inouye’s deathbed letter asking that Colleen Hanabusa be chosen to succeed him is a case in point ("Abercrombie apologizes to Inouye’s widow for ‘hurtful’ talk," Star-Advertiser, April 15).

"I regret that my comments were interpreted as hurtful and disrespectful," Abercrombie wrote.It seems like it’s the injured party’s fault for not understanding Abercrombie didn’t mean it that way.

Walter Wright
Kaneohe

Arizona’s cost to host Pro Bowl

I was just wondering how much money Arizona will pay to host the upcoming Pro Bowl? Do other prospective Pro Bowl hosts announce their future bids in the media?

Bill Geiger
Makakilo

Pensions benefit workers, Hawaii

I don’t criticize City Councilmen Stanley Chang and Joey Manahan’s "Say No to Kaiser Permanente" ads ("Candidates’ activity with pro-union ads is legal but ethically vague, analyst says," Star-Advertiser, April 9).

The two councilmen obviously saw that saving the guaranteed pensions for thousands of Kaiser retirees will benefit the people of Hawaii in the long term.

When workers reach retirement age with pensions in addition to Social Security benefits, that is money spent within the state, money that provides dignity in old age, money adult children do not have to spend to support their elderly retired parents, money that will not be gambled away by Wall Street money managers.

We should be glad that Local 5 and those elected officials found a common venue and chance to speak out for the interests of hard-working families of Hawaii.Somebody has to speak out for the regular working-class people of Hawaii.

Nobody else is doing it.

Christopher Abe
Kapahulu

Dental sealants are cost-effective

It has been more than 12 years since policymakers have addressed the issue of Hawaii’s poor oral health ("State trying to keep kids’ teeth healthy," Star-Advertiser, April 9).

Back then, Hawaii was ranked the worst in the country and we haven’t made much progress since then. The debate was held in the context of fluoridation of Hawaii’s water supply.

When it was obvious that such a mandate would not pass, advocates and oral health professionals were asked to provide suitable alternatives.

Dental sealants were proposed as being the most cost-effective, especially for low-income communities, and Kokua Kalihi Valley’s dental program had the track record to prove it.

Kudos to Kokua Kalihi Valley health services for having the vision and commitment to implement and sustain this service for the benefit of Kalihi kids.

Now it’s time for the state to step up and provide this valuable preventive service to keiki statewide, especially in other low-income communities.

Dennis Arakaki
Kalihi Valley

Does state invest in failed routes?

I recently returned on Hawaiian Airlines’ last flight from Taipei. I readthat Hawaiian Airlines invests upwards of $100 million to develop a route.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) is highly visible with sound bites and statistics when a new route is announced. I notice the authority is silent when a route fails. The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB) is silent before and after a route is announced or ceases.

I believe these entities should be held accountable when a route succeeds and, more important, when it fails. Our legislators should ask the HTA and HVCB what they did to support these new routes with marketing and money rather than just riding on the inaugural flights.

Chuck Reindollar
Makiki