Your Views for January 4

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More exemptions

In a recent state funding article on the front page, Gov. Josh Green proposes to eliminate the general excise tax on food and medicine.

Also to be seriously considered should be eliminating the general excise tax on doctors and health services.

This would not only save Hawaii residents additional money on a critical service, but also would save medical providers some money, and particularly save them the additional work and cost of preparing and paying those taxes.

These benefits might encourage some medical professionals to stay in the state of Hawaii, rather than leaving for the mainland.

Richard Stancliff

Honolulu

Nice addition

Wanted to take a minute and say how pleasantly surprised I am to find the new New York Times pages in the Monday paper.

Not the first thing that I expected, and I am enjoying it!

Gegg Niceley

Pahoa

Special gift

About a year ago, I noticed a couple of ohia trees in my back yard sprouting new growth on the trunk of a tree presumed gone as a casualty of the Rapid Ohia Death fungus.

This created a feeling of hope that these trees would somehow survive the fungus that has destroyed thousands of Hawaii’s majestic, beautiful and special trees that have graced the state.

As months passed, new, beautiful growth sprouted on trees presumed gone, with no known cure for a disease now spreading over wide areas of ohia forest.

Travel over Saddle Road (Daniel K. Inouye Highway) brought so much joy, warmth and even hope for a better world.

Take a ride, and treat yourself to a forest of beautiful, plush new growth in a forest of ohia trees.

Thank you to all the powers in be for this most special and most cherished of gifts.

Harry Kim

Hilo