U.S. SENATE RACE

HAWAI'I NEEDS TO KEEP SENIORITY IN SENATE

I do not want to appear ghoulish, but the people of Hawai'i need to consider Rep. Ed Case's argument regarding transition and seniority very carefully.

For some reason, Case presumes to know that Sen. Dan Akaka will become incapable of carrying out his senatorial duties before Sen. Dan Inouye would.

This is the ultimate in arrogance. (He also arrogantly presumes that he will live longer than Akaka, which is bizarre because nobody knows when their time will come).

If Ed Case replaces Senator Akaka now and something were to happen to Senator Inouye then we wouldn't have any senator with an ounce of seniority. Hawai'i would not be well served.

REP. CASE UNDERSTANDS SMALL-BUSINESS ISSUES

I am the owner of a small business and I'm voting for Rep. Ed Case because he understands so many of the issues I and thousands of other small-business owners face.

From 2003 to 2004, Congressman Case supported the National Small Business Association positions 55 percent of the time. Sen. Dan Akaka never supported its positions. In Hawai'i, small business organizations have endorsed Case for the race.

As a member of the House Small Business Committee, Case has worked toward reducing the paperwork burden, alleviating the ever-increasing cost of health care (a very big concern here in Hawai'i) and reining in the increasing amount of contract-bundling within the federal government.

He has opposed rate increases in the Small Business Administration's 7(a) loan program. This is the program that got me off the ground.

Case will better represent all of Hawai'i's small business in the U.S. Senate.

SEN. AKAKA OBTAINED FEDERAL FUNDING FOR H-3

So many people are asking, "What has Dan Akaka done for Hawai'i?"

Here's a simple answer that we can all understand and appreciate. He obtained the federal funding for the H-3. The H-3 is not just any road, it has opened up a whole new world for many of us.

The Windward side is now just a short but incredibly beautiful drive away. Mahalo to Dan Akaka!

IT TAKES TIME TO ACCRUE KNOWLEDGE, WISDOM

Sen. Dan Akaka comes from an era of "Paa kou waha hana ka lima," meaning shut your mouth and work with your hands. There were no teachers to teach him the proper way of the English language, only the Hawaiian language, which was spoken at home and not at school. He has a background in education as a teacher. The people who came from that same kind of background also speak slowly and carefully.

Senator Akaka, speaking slowly while looking down at his notes, took his time answering during the debate. Senator Akaka, like all of us, has a way of speaking slowly, but that doesn't mean we can't carry on the work.

Rep. Ed Case is from another time zone than Senator Akaka. Ed Case is a very young person who has gained knowledge in emphasizing an American way of education. He has done a lot for this island.

Hawai'i is a unique place and this island has a culture that no other state has. Senator Akaka and Representative Case are both right in their thoughts but, as I said, they live in two different time zones. Wisdom comes with age but knowledge is a gift that one accrues only with time.

CONGRESSIONAL RACE

HOOSER RISES ABOVE REST FOR 2ND DISTRICT

"Who will rise above the pack?" asked the front page of The Advertiser (Aug. 25).

Perhaps from downtown Honolulu it is harder to see there is one person who stands above the rest: Gary Hooser.

He is the only Neighbor Islander in this race for a country seat. Surely rural voters should be represented by one of their own rather than by a Honolulu-centric candidate.

Surely this country district with its fragile environmental assets is best represented by someone who has earned the highest marks from the Sierra Club of any candidate as well as their endorsement.

Surely this country district with its pressing education and health care needs is best represented by the person who co-sponsored the Fix Hawai'i Schools Act, who stood with nurses in the picket line and who has spoken out on the need for better access to health care for rural Hawai'i.

Surely the legislator who was one of the primary sponsors of the resolution opposing a preemptive strike against Iraq is the one who will lend his energies as a congressman to a strategy for peace.

I am working to help get Gary Hooser elected because I know that his is the only authentic country voice in this race for the 2nd Congressional District.

SCHATZ STOOD OUT IN PUBLIC RADIO FORUM

Mahalo to Hawai'i Public Radio for its two-hour broadcast of the 2nd Congressional District forum.

This race has received far too little attention from the commercial media in Hawai'i. HPR is again showing itself to be a vital asset to this community.

As for the crowded field of candidates, the most impressive during the forum was Brian Schatz. His concise and thoughtful answers displayed the focus, discipline, and intelligence we need in Congress.

SENIOR CITIZENS NEED MENOR IN CONGRESS

Hawai'i's senior citizens have a real friend in state Sen. Ron Menor. In areas from affordable housing to the cost of prescription drugs and health care, he has been in our corner. If you're on a fixed income, like most seniors, it makes a big difference when you can significantly reduce the cost of prescription drugs. Ron Menor co-authored the law that made this happen.

He knows the importance of Social Security and programs like Medicare to older retired people. Senator Menor has also worked hard to cut the cost of gasoline, which takes a big bite out of our budgets. We need someone in Congress who is a proven fighter on the issues that affect us.

Seniors need Ron Menor in Congress where he can do even more to help and protect Hawai'i's seniors.

ELECTION 2006

INCUMBENTS THE CAUSE OF HAWAI'I'S PROBLEMS

Who's responsible for the highest taxes in Hawai'i's history? Who's responsible for the poor maintenance of our schools and parks? Who's responsible for the low test scores of our school children? Who has contributed to the homeless problem by charging excessive property taxes and causing rents to raise to unaffordable levels?

In all cases the answer is the incumbents, who seem to have forgotten whom they are serving and why they are serving.

If you want improvements in Hawai'i you need to consider new candidates who will be accountable to the people. The incumbents have already proven their worth, or should I say, they have already disgraced themselves in Hawai'i.

IRAQ WAR

BUSH CONSPIRACY BEHIND LACK OF PHOTOS

David M. Walter's letter (Sept. 15) blasting the media for not depicting the toll of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan fails to mention the most obvious reason these images are hidden from the public: Bush and his pals do not want the public to see the true horrors in order to help us to "stay the course," however misguided it may be.

Since March 2003 a new military regulation has forbidden taking or distributing images of caskets or body tubes containing the remains of soldiers who died overseas. President Bush and the military are very clever in these actions. They know that they would lose public support when the thousands of U.S. soldiers arriving in flag-draped caskets are seen by the public.

Therefore, showing the tens of thousands of wounded soldiers would only further hurt the credibility of Bush and his misguided war in Iraq.

Wake up and smell the conspiracy.

BULK PURCHASING

STATE CIRCUMVENTING PRESCRIPTION DRUG LAW

The Hawai'i Rx Plus law that became effective in July 2004 was supposed to require the state to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs.

Unfortunately, the Lingle administration and Department of Human Services Director Lillian Koller have circumvented the law and the intent of the Legislature.

Between July 1, 2004, and June 30, 2005, Hawai'i was to have collaborated with other states to negotiate bulk purchase discounts estimated at 15 percent to 60 percent off retail prices. Koller told a legislative briefing held at the request of consumer advocacy groups that she is allowed to ignore that provision of the law because it is worded "may" instead of "shall."

Hawai'i Rx Plus not only was intended to benefit seniors who have used up their Medicare Part D benefits but would apply to uninsured and underinsured residents of any age with incomes below 350 percent of the federal poverty level.

This refusal to negotiate with drug companies as the Legislature intended is reminiscent of Lingle's early veto of social service bills, including services for the blind, and her withholding of funds for extended periods of time for a number of badly needed programs.

The only beneficiaries when the state won't negotiate are the big drug companies. The losers are those who will need to choose between medications and food or shelter. There's no excuse for the administration's bucking the Legislature and denying this important benefit.