GOP offers little more than tax cuts for wealthy

Shirlene DelaCruz Santiago Ostrov attempts to blame all Hawaii’s problems on 70 years of Democratic control of Hawaii’s government (“After 70 years of Democratic failings, turn to Hawaii GOP,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Jan. 25).

If only it were that simple.

This vacuous puff piece takes a broad brush to all the problems — high gas prices, expensive food, high rental and mortgage costs, and the usual keiki education funding — yet offers absolutely no “new ideas” on how to solve these issues.

We all agree these issues are difficult and urgent, but all I’ve heard from Republicans for the past 30 years is tax cuts and trickle down, resulting in budget deficits and greater income inequality.

Ostrov’s one promise is to listen to the people and social media to lead us into a new Nirvana!

But listening to social media has led the Hawaii Republican Party to believe the insanity of QAnon and Donald Trump’s endless lies about a “stolen election.”

Until the Republican Party of Hawaii decisively repudiates the tenets of QAnon and ceases its fealty to Trump, it will drown in its own world of alternate facts and lies.

Robert Coutts

Waikiki

Democrats rely on taxes, government spending

It may be difficult for the true-blue Democrats to believe, but there is a better way of governing the islands to achieve prosperity for all (“After 70 years of Democratic failings, turn to Hawaii GOP,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Jan. 25).

After delivering a big pay raise to state workers and state legislators, it was obvious the Legislature had no intention of changing course to meet the challenge of revamping the economy. So businesses continue to fail at great speed and the only plans seemingly in place are to clean up the Capitol fish pond for $30 million and raise taxes on the wealthy.

Systemic and dramatic changes have to be made that do not involve simply raising taxes and going on a government spending spree to spur the economy.

It’s time for a leaner, more efficient two-party government to move forward so all ideas are considered.

Mary Monohon

Kailua

VA clinic outstanding in vaccine service to vets

I am an 80-year-old veteran with underlying medical conditions. I would like to give a BIG mahalo to the nurses and staff at the Honolulu VA clinic who put the COVID-19 vaccine shot process in place. They did an outstanding job in planning and execution.

Their welcoming attitude, friendliness and demeanor were outstanding. The entire process from entry, getting vaccinated, observation period to checkout took less than one-half hour. Every phase was well coordinated and administered.

A job well done and much appreciated.

Edward Lingo

Kailua

Vaccinations needed at underserved locations

Please ask the state Department of Health to provide demographic information that shows the vaccination reach to those ethnic groups in Hawaii who are disproportionately represented in the COVID-19 infection and death rates, as compared with that of those who are actually being vaccinated at Pier 2 and the Blaisdell Concert Hall.

Also, what are the plans to establish such vaccination sites in rural communities? If they can do it for 500 people at the state Capitol, they certainly ought to be able to do the same for people in rural areas. As it stands now, the reach of the two big clinic sites is definitely urban. Is the problem that there aren’t any strong advocates for the underserved ethnic groups or rural communities?

Publicity campaigns regarding the importance of being vaccinated as well as greater efforts to “take the vaccinations to the people” are needed.

The practice of providing preferential (or exclusive) service needs to end. Access should be provided to all people residing in a particular community, given that the vaccine doses have been paid for with taxpayer money.

Julian K. Ako

Makiki

Ban fishing at Waialae (Kahala) Beach Park

Mostly local families — many with babies and children — enjoy swimming at Kahala Beach Park, as I have done many hundreds of times over the past decade.

The sandy beach area where swimming is possible, however, is quite small, about 40 yards. On the southern side of this beach is almost a mile of shallow water with rocks and coral in front of multimillion-dollar homes, and toward the Kahala Hotel there are almost 100 yards of coral and rocky beach where fishing is usually done.

On Jan. 6, however, a belligerent man decided to fish two lines inside the very limited swimming area, risking hooking or blinding a swimmer with a sharp fish hook. I asked him to move and he refused, saying he had a right to fish wherever he wanted to.

For the clueless who can’t figure out that it is selfish and dangerous to fish in the very limited swimming area of the Kahala Beach Park, it appears that fishing there must be outlawed. The fishermen have miles of beachfront to fish from. Local families deserve 40 yards of safe, sandy beach.

Jay Moller

Waialae

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