• Kapa‘a Library • Fair share? • Green against cancer • ‘Hidden secret’ Kapa‘a Library In a Sept. 30 letter to the editor, there was a concern voiced about Kapa‘a Public Library’s policy on book donations. We appreciate the opportunity
• Kapa‘a Library • Fair share?
• Green against cancer • ‘Hidden
secret’
Kapa‘a Library
In a Sept. 30 letter to the editor, there was a concern voiced about Kapa‘a Public Library’s policy on book donations. We appreciate the opportunity to share how libraries handle donations.
Many people love and treasure their books and the library staff is sensitive to this when accepting donations.
We accept all donations to the library and hope that the materials are in generally good condition. This means that the books are clean, suffer no water damage or mold, spines are unbroken or only slightly-used, hardcovers have their original dust jackets and that there are no cockroach, rat, or gecko droppings, or live/dead cockroaches in or on the materials.
Adding these types of items to the book sale or the collection is not appropriate. We also find that our book sales shoppers appreciate items that are in good condition.
I invite everyone to please visit our book sale this weekend and find out for themselves. We strongly believe in reducing, reusing and recycling, and our book sales do just that.
We did take the letter-writer’s boxes and black trash bags of donations, but unfortunately found most of the items suffered from the conditions listed above.
Lani Kawahara, Kapa‘a
Fair share?
Friday’s political cartoon (Ed Stein) continues the Liberal drum-beat of “the rich aren’t paying their ‘fair share’ of taxes”. The facts, however, reveal a different picture.
Liberal Democrat Warren Buffet (Obama’s favorite billionaire) claims his secretary pays a higher rate than he does. But Buffet’s main income source Berkshire Hathaway, draws revenue from corporate profits and dividends. Those categories are taxed at the corporate level before reaching Buffet’s bank account. He then pays tax at the appropriate rate for his income thus reflecting a double tax not mentioned by the soak-the-rich crowd.
A 2008 IRS table shows that Buffet’s income group ($1 million and up) paid taxes at an average rate of 23.3 percent, slightly less than the next lower ($500,000 to $1 million) of $24.1.
After that the average rate drops to 7.2 percent for the $30,000 to $50,000 level. Buffet’s secretary clearly pays at a lower effective rate than the “Oracle of Omaha.”
But if rich-guy Buffet really wants the rich to pay more, he could start by coughing up the $1 billion owed by Berkshire for seven of the past nine years, and stop fighting the feds in court. How about “sauce for the gander” Mr. President?
The top 10 percent pay 70 percent of all taxes. At what point can we expect the Left to concede what really is the wealthy’s fair share?
John Burns, Princeville
Green against cancer
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and as a dietitian, I’m thinking more about green and less about pink.
All women should know that increasing the amount of vegetables and other plant foods in their diets can help protect against breast cancer.
Scientific research has linked breast cancer risk to dietary fat — but plant-based diets are naturally low in fat. Plant foods are also packed with antioxidants and high in fiber, which helps move excess hormones and other cancer triggers out of the body.
Lifestyle changes like eating a healthy diet, exercising, and limiting alcohol decrease breast cancer risk by about 38 percent, according to a recent report released by the American Institute for Cancer Research.
Vegetarian diets built from a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes can play an important role in preventing cancer — and they also help fight obesity, heart disease, and type-2 diabetes.
This year, let’s look past the pink-washing and focus on greenifying our diets to protect our health.
Susan Levin, M.S., R.D.
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Washington, D.C.
‘Hidden secret’
According to the American Psychological Association, “the nations economic crisis has deeply affected the lives of millions of Americans. Sky rocketing foreclosures and job layoffs have pulled the rug out from under many families.” Our community of Kaua‘i is feeling the impact.
Amid the economic storm, as our nation remains suspended on the edge of financial collapse, there is what The Boys and Girls Club of Hawai‘i CEO referred to as a “hidden secret.”
This is the Boys and Girls Club of Kapa‘a. Dedicated staff, parents, community members, and professionals come together to create a safe harbor for the children in this community during these unprecedented times.
Members of BGC have contributed equally in making this gathering place a success. Members are involved in programs such as recycling, beach clean-ups, the Leaders in Training Club, inter-session programs including camping and canoeing.
The club offers sports and physical activity such as a dance crew, flag football, ping-pong and pool tournaments. These student members — The Kapa‘a Titans — were named 2011 BGCH Basketball undefeated champions!
We work together — all of us — to make the Boys and Girls Club of Kapa‘a what the CEO referred to as a national “hidden secret,” and as one social worker warmly expressed, “Together we are the glue that holds us all together.”
Deborah Morel, Kapa‘a
