Lessons learned as we enter new era
Now that we are in the post-Trump era, there are a number of lessons that we should all take to heart:
>> To change Washington requires the knowledge of one who understands how Washington works on the inside. Simply campaigning on a slogan of changing Washington will not bring about any change, even if the candidate is elected.
>> Realize that just because someone is allegedly a billionaire does not mean he will be successful as a president. Family- owned businesses answer to few constituencies, whereas the president is answerable to all.
>> Appreciate the wisdom of the Founding Fathers in creating a system of government where there are checks and balances.
>> Cherish the role of federalism, where certain rights and powers are divided between the national and state governments — for example, election management and vote tabulation.
>> Celebrate the high level of ethical behavior as exemplified by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, by Supreme Court justices, and other judges at the federal and state levels.
Bill Sharp
McCully/Moiliili
Trump’s legacy could earn him reelection
Like a pendulum, every few years the mood of the American electorate swings from one political party to the other one. This occurs for one major reason, such as alleged corruption or malfeasance, or any number of other reasons, such as a desire for a change, disenchantment or an administration ineffectively coping with the economy and/or foreign affairs.
This has happened repeatedly in the past and will happen again. In fact, the significant accomplishments of a prior administration may be recognized belatedly and the pendulum will swing back to it.
This happened in 1893 when Grover Cleveland, our 22nd president, was reelected over Benjamin Harrison, who had succeeded him, to become our 24th president.
However, I wonder if Donald Trump would subject himself and his family to another four years of vindictive, unwarranted and unrelenting abuse.
He would have to endure the media’s lies and the swamp’s resistance to return to fix America because he really cares about our country and our future. A crucial factor will be the damage done in the next four years.
J. Mark Webster
Waialae-Kahala
15-minute proximity too long for app
Are there any data about how many COVID-positive contacts the AlohaSafe Alert app has alerted (“AlohaSafe Alert app will notify users alert about COVID-19 exposure,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 6)? The 15-minute proximity seems too long; I might spend 30 seconds in the bread aisle at a grocery store near a COVID-19 carrier and pick up the virus.
In the current conditions, any proximity long enough for the phones to establish connection is a better recording criterion. There would be some extra testing, but that’s a good outcome.
Daniel C. Smith
Pearl City
Vaccinate before returning to school
I’m a special-education teacher. When we teach kids to drive, we teach them to buckle their seat belts before driving.
When we teach kids to play football, we teach them to put on pads and helmets before playing. We teach kids to put on sunscreen before they go to a sunny place.
We do these things to teach kids about protection, safety and personal responsibility.
When there’s a deadly virus and we bring kids back to school before vaccinating students, teachers and staff, what are we teaching the kids?
Daniel McLaughlin
Waialae Nui
Vaccines delivered to island care homes
Rico Leffanta said mobile vaccination units needed to be sent to elder care homes (“Not all elderly can reach vaccine distribution sites,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Jan. 21). He should be glad to hear this already is happening.
I have a close friend (a neo- natal intensive care nurse practioner) who has been volunteering her days off to administer vaccines to kupuna in small group residential care homes all over the island.
She and all those like her are our new superheroes!
Courtney Nichols
Kailua
Legislatures should support nuclear ban
I read with enthusiasm and hope Ann Wright’s “Treaty offers U.S. a way to push for ban on nuclear weapons” (Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Jan. 19).
She aptly uses our “nuclear winter” scare scenario of 2018 that caused a collective “gulp” and sense of Hawaii’s vulnerability to buttress her case for U.S. action toward making this world nuclear-weapons free.
As we transition from Trumpism to a kinder, gentler and decent America, we must not neglect to honor the memory of Martin Luther King Jr., who called out the destructive triplets of militarism, racism and materialism that continue to haunt us.
I hereby make this challenge to our Honolulu City Council: Let its members draft and issue, with nine-person unanimity, a “sense of Hawaii” appeal to all four of our federal congressional representatives urging/demanding that the legislative branch stand tall and advocate immediate and urgent action in signing the 2017 U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and participation in periodic (say, semiannual) calls for its full implementation until there is not one nuclear weapon remaining on this planet.
Robert H. Stiver
Pearl City
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