Letters To The Editor

Truth be told

I have never read an article more accurate, more truthful, more knowledgeable than Jerry Coffee’s column “Obama Failing As A World Leader.” Congratulations in calling a spade a spade. Obama is “naive and is killing America,” and if the American people, including the ignorant in Hawaii, don’t realize what is happening in the world as well as in the USA, then God help us. At least we have Jerry Coffee to tell us the truth.

Pat Saiki Honolulu

UH dirty laundry

Sen. Donna Kim and her Senate committee inquisition of University of Hawaii President Greenwood, et al., have created an embar rassment for UH, especially since the Western Association of Colleges recently highly praising Greenwood for her “focus on key priorities and ability to keep in mind the long view rather than short-term matters … improving financial planning … making outstanding progress in securing federal grants.”

It is not necessary to “air dirty laundry” before the public, since the public has no say on the issues. The inquisition should have been held behind closed doors. Now everyone perceives UH and administration as completely dysfunctional. Anyone considering donating to the school, or any business or government considering a grant, or any professor considering relocating to UH, will think to themselves, “I’ll consider another institution.”

Garrett F. Saikley, M.D. Honolulu

U.S. health care

Thank you to Susan Page for bringing up a possibly bigger problem with Obamacare. Our nation faces many concerns, one of them being health care, but Obamacare opens the door to a bigger problem. I come from the Netherlands, where medicine is “socialized.” Obamacare is no different than this health care system. My family in The Netherlands complain constantly about their country’s health care system. In fact, they visit the U.S. for over-the-counter medication and supplements, as these too are “controlled.” I am forever grateful to my parents, who made the difficult decision to leave The Netherlands in the 1950s to emigrate to the United States, as they saw that health care and other programs were put in place that would alter our choices. Here in America, we worked, earned a living, paid our taxes and now live on retirement – the rights we worked for. We were able to live the “American dream.” Obamacare is just one of the systems that will propel our nation into devastation. If we don’t stop this now, it will never turn around.

John Rathjen

Kailua

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