Some think that the poor are like parasites on society because of “entitlements” such as Medicaid. This attitude may be a factor motivating the congressional Republican attack to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

In contrast, some think that the rich are like parasites on the poor, with decades of increasing wealth disparity. The Republican plan has been exposed as a tax cut for the rich, instead of any genuine compassion and concern for health care as a human right.

Taxing the rich to help pay for health care for the poor would reduce their wealth relatively little. However, the Republican plan would further enrich the rich with tax cuts, paid by depriving many millions of health care insurance and with the probable result of numerous deaths.

Is the real “death panel” the Republican Congress? Is this making America great? Is this reasonable, moral and just? Who are the societal parasites?

Leslie E. Sponsel

Hawaii Kai

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Get ugly bulb-outs out of Chinatown

An attempt to enhance pedestrian safety in Chinatown by installing bulb-outs has misfired. Our aesthetically pleasing community has been destroyed by bulb-out blight.

Instead of normal streets and pedestrian crossings, parts of the streets have been painted a reddish brown, with small towers, planters, yellow hoops and swaying vertical stanchions installed. Large vehicles are prohibited. Chinatown businesses are losing customers, deliveries cannot get through, those who want to drop by to pick up a lei or food cannot find parking.

As a pedestrian who was hit by a “distracted driver” several years ago at one of these intersections, I am appalled. It was safer then than now.

These bulb-outs must be removed immediately, for the convenience and safety of pedestri- ans and drivers, and to restore Chinatown’s economic viability.

Next month is the 20th anniversary of the Honolulu-Zhongshan sister-city relationship. Zhongshan is sending a delegation for the celebration. It would be an insult if the bulb-outs are still standing when the delegation arrives.

Lynne Matusow

Downtown Honolulu

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No. 1 quality-of-life rank is what counts

Your article, “State ranks 49th in business competitiveness” (Star-Advertiser, July 12), spends 10 paragraphs describing how terrible our state is for business — but only one sentence stating (more importantly for an overwhelming majority of residents) that Hawaii ranks first in quality of life for the fifth year in a row.

What isn’t obvious to many is that a high ranking for “business friendliness” may equate to a low ranking for workers (low wages), and a low ranking for protecting the environment, regulating such things as height limits and density, and other protections for the community.

I, for one, prefer to lead in overall quality of life.

Bob Meyer

Hawaii Kai

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Don’t repeat sad lessons of prejudice

Due in part to the mounting anti-Muslim rhetoric of the Trump administration, it appears the United States is destined to repeat the sad lessons of history because we are unwilling to learn from them: that an ethnicity or religion is becoming the target of religious and ethnic intolerance and prejudice. We are seeing more instances of hostile confrontations in which people of the Muslim faith are targeted by Americans with racial slurs and taunts.

Neither the U.S. nor our beautiful Aloha State should tolerate such prejudice and intolerance. Sadly, many have not learned from the Japanese internment during World War II: The president’s executive order, done out of “military necessity,” was later deemed unconstitutional and a violation of the civil rights of Japanese-Americans.

Hokule‘a recently returned from its triumphant Malama Honua worldwide voyage, sowing seeds of Hawaiian cultural resurgence and the importance of all people caring for our Mother Earth. We should embrace its goal to care for all peoples of diverse cultures, ethnicities and religions. Within this diversity truly lies America’s strength.

Myra Taketa

Mililani

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Give Neanderthals their due respect

A writer last month called President Donald Trump and another gentleman of whom she disapproved, “Neanderthals” (“Two bros without a clue are heading for destruction,” Star-Advertiser, Maureen Dowd, June 20). Presumably she intended to insult these men.

I consider it more insulting to Neanderthals.

After all, these remarkable early humans managed to survive millennia of glacial conditions in a far harsher environ- ment than most modern people will ever experience.

Moreover, although they themselves are long gone, recent genetic studies suggest that virtually everyone whose ancestors came from Eurasia (including the First Nations of America and Oceania) carries a small but critical amount of Neanderthal DNA in her/his genome. Most people living today, therefore, are actually part Neanderthal.

Is it not time give these ancestors some respect? Enough with the Neanderthal-bashing already.

Heuionalani M. Wyeth

Anahola, Kauai