August institutions complicit in crimes

Regarding the editorial, “Vigilance needed to fight sex abuse,” (Star-Advertiser, Our View, Jan. 21), the lawsuit and the tragedy aren’t only about Kamehameha’s psychiatrist. This is also not about reminding the public to be more “vigilant” in spotting impropriety.

The Jerry Sandusky/Joe Paterno case, the Catholic Church sex abuse crisis and this lawsuit show how career predators are abetted by powerful entities such as Kamehameha Schools, Penn State and the Catholic Church. The entire organizations are complicit in these crimes.

It is unconscionable to handle these august institutions with kid gloves, considering their patterns of damage control and wanton negligence, willful failures to honor legal reporting obligations.

I don’t know much more about this scandal than what I read in the papers. This editorial is deplorable. Former Kamehameha student Blake Conant said, “Shame on them.” Star-Advertiser, you are condoning systematic cover-ups: Shame on you.

Michele Daily Markel

Pahoa, Hawaii island

Tough talkers also called demagogues

We should thank Mark Terry for a glimpse into the mind of a Donald Trump supporter (“Tough talk is how Trump succeeds,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Jan. 19).

Pretty scary.

Terry recalled President Ronald Reagan’s tough talk with nostalgia, and compared that with Trump’s rhetoric.

There is another word for those two and their tough talk: demagogues.

When Reagan took office, the tax rate on America’s .01 percent had long been at 70 percent and at times had even been above 90 percent. Reagan slashed tax rates for the very wealthy, which critics characterized as “trickle down economics.”

Now, .01 percent of Americans — about 16,000 people — own as much as 75 percent of the rest of humanity, about 4 percent of the world’s total wealth.

Reagan would be proud of Trump, but all I see is another master of tough talk, another scam artist.

Jan Becket

Manoa

Trojan Nation fans will miss McKenzie

Mililani quarterback McKenzie Milton has decided that his best opportunities for athletic and academic success in college lie in Orlando, Fla., rather than in Manoa (“Mililani quarterback McKenzie Milton decommits from UH,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 21).

We faithful fans in the Trojan Nation watched with pride — and awe — as he led Mililani to its first-ever state championship in 2014, and lamented his absence from several games in 2015 because of injuries.

Naturally, we would have loved for him to play in front of hometown crowds, but I respect his decision, made with his family, to expand his horizons and head to the University of Central Florida.

I wish McKenzie all the best as he wraps up his senior year with Coach Rod York and fellow Trojans and prepares to begin new academic and athletic pursuits.

I’m sure we will be hearing more about this very humble and outstanding young man in the years ahead. Thanks for the memories, McKenzie!

Sen. Michelle Kidani

District 18 (Mililani-Waikele-Kunia)

Voters should care about government

The “Big Q” asked about the people’s interest in what goes on at the Legislature and 34 percent indicated they were not interested (“How closely will you be following the Legislature this year?” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 22).

Why should these people, who don’t care what the government is doing, have a voting right that could influence what legislation is being passed?

If they don’t care, then they should have no say in who makes the rules.

Jim Pollock

Kaneohe

Legislators have conflict on housing

There was an interesting paragraph from an article by Sophie Cocke (“Lawmakers moonlight as attorneys, consultants, farmers,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 21): “Working as an attorney or earning money from rental properties were the most common ways that lawmakers supplemented their income.”

This could be one of the reasons for the absurd cost of rents in Hawaii and homelessness. It seems like it would be a conflict of interest when some lawmakers are voting on affordable- housing bills.

Douglas Bennett

Kailua

Save downtown from rail project

More people are talking about ending the rail outside of downtown Honolulu.

If you see the current construction, you will realize what a sight, sound and aesthetic blight building through town will produce. Construction also will negatively affect businesses.

We only have to listen to the problems currently created by the rail build to realize that we should save our downtown from this.

Our politicians owe it to us to come up with an acceptable exit plan.

We should seriously consider rail ending at Aala Park. This option is great in that it provides the needed transport into town and then would provide the option of a short walk or short shuttle ride into work.

Perhaps organizations like Historic Hawaii Foundation could weigh in on preserving our downtown.

Joette Wheelon

Waikiki