Unions and money
Unions need not control the people and take our money. Money belongs to the people. Stealing our rights and our money needs to stop.
The people have a spending issue? Wrong. The government has a larger spending problem, with the $16 billion deficit they can’t even reduce is less than a year!
Troy Abraham
Hilo
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Allowing committee chairs to kill proposed bills without first conducting a vote by all committee members is a travesty.
Not only does it invest too much power in one politician, it also conceals from public view the specific position of individual committee members on the issue at hand.
If you really want to see constructive change in the world of politics, improve the basic operational procedures — a task evidently not palatable to career politicians.
Fred Fogel
Volcano
Saving more lives
The end of January marked 11 years since our daughter Sarah was killed in a traffic crash. She was just 31 years old when a young man disregarded a red light and broadsided her car.
Though the sense of loss never fades, we now work with the Traffic Safety Coalition to ensure no other family must endure the pain of losing a loved one in a traffic crash.
Our work and research have led us to become supporters of traffic safety cameras. We advocate for safety cameras for one simple reason: they save lives.
We’re pleased local lawmakers are considering legislation to create a red light camera pilot program in Hawaii.
Communities throughout the country are using red light cameras and reports show cameras are making roads safer.
A 2011 study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found crash rates involving red light running were reduced by 24 percent in the 14 largest U.S. cities using them. More importantly, 159 lives were saved in those cities because of the cameras.
If red light cameras were used in every large U.S. city, 815 lives could have been saved.
We ask others to consider the facts and support the red light camera program in Hawaii. There’s no reason another family should have to endure the loss of a son, daughter or parent to someone who refuses to obey the law.
Paul and Sue Oberhauser
National Co-Chairs, Traffic Safety Coalition
Ohio
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The county government states that the property taxes will not be as little as they thought.
The County Council and/or the administration have decided not to look at looking at the way property taxes are levied. There are many inequities in the property tax laws and should be reformed. All homeowners should review their tax bills, and look at the assessments, as the County assesors are behind in the decline in property values. Look at the recent sales of properties in your area, and if your assessment is too high, file an objection with the county.
Bob Dukat
Pahoa
