• Take action or risk losing programs you paid into • Best for all sides to just get along • Road rage endangers drivers, passengers • Spic and span: Tree Tunnel ‘looks great’ Take action or risk losing programs you
• Take action or risk losing programs you paid into
• Best for all sides to just get along •
Road rage endangers drivers, passengers •
Spic and span: Tree Tunnel ‘looks great’
Take action or risk losing programs you paid into
Is there an American anywhere who doesn’t get all choked up and patriotic when watching Jimmy Stewart in “Mr. Smith goes to Washington”?
We are watching that movie being played out right now as the Republicans figure out how to steal your Social Security and Medicare and give that money to the 400 richest Americans — who already own over half of America. And the Democrats are letting it happen.
Social Security and Medicare are not entitlement programs. You pay the insurance premiums every month. Look at your paycheck.
There are a few “Mr. Smith” Congressmen trying to stop this theft, notably Sen. Bernie Sanders from Vermont.
But the vast majority of Democrats, including Hawai‘i’s own, just go along since (like Sen. Paine in the movie — a good man gone astray) they don’t have the courage to stand up to “the Taylor machine” — the Koch Tea Party and Fox News.
Does your congressman give you a straight answer — or “promise” to take your comments into account? Do his letters sound strong or mealy-mouthed? Where are his statements supporting Social Security in The Garden Island? What is his stand?
What is it going to take? When are you going to fight back?
“America, where are you now? Don’t you care about your sons and daughters?”
Obama (and the Democratic party) is doing a tragically horrible job. You would be right to not vote for him. But voting Republican is economic suicide.
Get out there and do something!
John Zwiebel, Kalaheo
Best for all sides to just get along
“There are those, and there are those…”, I suppose!
There are those who wish to remedy a situation and those who think that theirs is the only point of view that is right, no matter what anybody else thinks.
There are those who live and let live and those who feel that anyone who doesn’t feel the same way like them are “lesser beings” who cannot be tolerated.
There are those who are pleasant to be around and those who are chronic complainers you want to avoid because they tend to bring you down with their litany of complaints.
There are those who contribute their time, abilities and services to their community and those who prefer to criticize and demean those that do!
Sure makes a difference in the way one operates! I can’t help but wonder if the second set of “those” are those who are just born to be miserable or take joy in making others miserable because misery loves company!?!
Or, they may be those who simply have the knack of being antagonistic, suspicious and self-centered, involved in their world of “me, myself and I,” and very much what the capital letters of their disposition spell out.
Through it all, it may be best for “those” and “those” to get along!
Jose Bulatao Jr., Kekaha
Road rage endangers drivers, passengers
Driving into work this morning I was once again astounded by another driver’s actions in a passing lane.
I was heading toward Lihu‘e from Kalaheo and approaching the second passing lane Lihu‘e side of Lawa‘i. A full size pickup in front of me, with two children sitting in the bed, was going about 45 so I decided to pass.
The pickup stayed in the left lane so I pulled into the right and started my pass. As I pulled up alongside the pickup it started speeding up. It took the whole length of the passing lane to pass and when I looked at the speedometer I found I was going 65, and the pickup barely gave me room to pull back to the left, as it was also going 65.
The pickup then tailgated me, obviously angry that I had passed. It had sped up from 45 to 65. Looking back, as soon as I realized the pickup was accelerating I should have slowed back down and stayed behind it.
But why, if the pickup was going 45 before the passing lane, did the driver speed up? If she wanted to go 45, fine, go 45. If she wanted to go 55, then go 55. But why race me through the passing lane then tailgate me with children sitting in the bed?
I just wanted to drive at the safe, acceptable speed of 50 to 55. She was going 45. She endangered me, herself, those children and everyone else on the road.
Bruce Savage, Kalaheo
Spic and span: Tree Tunnel ‘looks great’
Mahalo to all who participated and facilitated the “Tree Tunnel” cleanup this year! It looks great!
Ryan Buhk, Koloa
