• Delay paying the governor • Harder and harder • Explanation needed • Hybrids a long-term relationship Delay paying the governor The story in Tuesday’s paper that the State of Hawai‘i, as directed by Gov. Linda Lingle, will delay tax
• Delay paying the governor • Harder and harder • Explanation needed • Hybrids a long-term relationship
Delay paying the governor
The story in Tuesday’s paper that the State of Hawai‘i, as directed by Gov. Linda Lingle, will delay tax refund payments to make up for a budget shortfall is nothing less than shameful.
Someone entitled to a tax refund has already provided an interest-free-loan to the state for up to a full year. To then delay repayment of that free loan to cover budget shortfalls is a clear case of biting the proverbial hand that feeds you.
While I understand that this action is legally justifiable, it doesn’t make it conscionable or moral, and it is a horrible trick to play on the working families and individuals of Hawai‘i who count on that “windfall” at this time of year.
Constitutional attorneys please inform me: Is there a clause or legal justification for delaying pay to the governor or state legislators until they balance the budget properly? I hope so.
Jason Blake, Kapa‘a
Harder and harder
I just read that the County Council wants to pass legislation to extend their time in office from two to four years.
They will probably have reasons like “it will save money on elections” or “it will save time over new members getting assimilated.” It really just gives them time to relax about their job future.
I wouldn’t count on more being done by them in that time frame. We all know that a politician’s main job is to get re-elected to office, period.
How many of our current council members have a degree in political science? Most of them probably have business backgrounds and realized that being in office would further their business opportunities.
If they are allowed to pass a law giving them a longer time in office, their next move will probably be to modify that and eventually give themselves unlimited time in office with no salary cap. Talk about job security!
I find it hard to vote for any of the “old boy network.” It’s kinda like choosing which snake you want to bite you. And although you can tell I’ve grown very apathetic about politics in general, it just keeps becoming harder and harder to try to vote for the lesser of the evils at election time.
I absolutely don’t want their job and probably couldn’t do any better at it. But I would certainly have a different way of going about my business each day. And I would try harder to retain some dignity.
Jack Custer, Lihu‘e
Explanation needed
As a longtime loyal Democrat I’m tired of the guys in D.C. taking me for granted.
The straw that broke the camel’s back was the Senate sellout to the health insurance lobby. The Republican victory in Massachusetts is the beginning of a long slide to oblivion if the party leadership doesn’t wake up and smell the coffee.
As I’ve said previously, the health care issue is dead. Let’s look forward to the next challenge and do the right thing.
Incidentally, I think that my good friends, Sens. Inouye and Akaka, should give us some sort of explanation as to what happened, and give us some assurances that it won’t happen again in the near future.
Harry Boranian, Lihu‘e
Hybrids a long-term relationship
After reading the welcomed response by Mark Beeksma on the economic feasibility of hybrids (“The economics of a hybrid,” Letters, Jan. 20), first off let me say that Mark has some very valid points and has done some homework into calculating the worthiness of buying a hybrid.
However, I find it interesting that he chose to use the Toyota Camry Hybrid as the basis for his comparison. If he were to research DMV as to what the majority of hybrid models are being registered I believe he’ll find that compact hybrids like Honda’s redesigned Insight and Toyota’s Prius make up the vast majority of those on our roadway today.
The Camry is classified as a midsize import vehicle and has a significantly larger gas engine mated to the electric motor on a much heavier chassis. The Camry was never designed to go head to head with the fuel economy champs like the Insight and Prius in the first place. Now using the mpg-versus-cost figures by Mark based on the Camry Hybrids mpg ratings needs to be taken with a grain of salt in my opinion.
Looking at the numbers he stated one would get the idea that all hybrids are not very cost effective which is not completely accurate. Rather than get into a tug of war on mpg numbers let me just say again that hybrids are not for everyone whether that’s based on how you drive, where you drive, how much you drive or what you can afford. Whenever I speak to someone about owning a hybrid I always tell them that hybrid ownership was always intended to be a long-term relationship.
According to Consumer Reports, the average length of ownership in the U.S. has increased to about eight to 10 years as general reliability has improved dramatically, warranties are better and financing terms are longer. This is a very exciting time in the history of the automobile.
The technology that’s around the corner will revolutionize the way we drive but it will take time to become mainstream not only in our own little corner of paradise but globally. By the way, I find any dialog on this subject to be interesting and healthy.
Stephen Shioi, Kapa‘a
