Letters to the Editor - Letters

Anyone who manages a business can easily put themselves in Gov. Linda Lingle's shoes.

[dargent77]

Nice front page photo of the 22 year old getting a year in prison for revealing someone's HIV status. Who cares? Come to Nashville, Tenn. Mary Winkler shot her pastor husband in the back while he slept and got 3 months.
Got her children back too. Another Dr. killed his wife and mother-in-law and got 5 years. Got his medical license back too. Justice is blind all right, as a bat.

[willie]

Steve McKean - rather than constantly increasing taxes on "the rich"

Quote "Applying targeted luxury taxes might also be used to achieve more balance."

just do as the governor is proposing, spread the pain around. The private sector has already suffered and the state workers just keep on keeping on. Is it hard? You bet but they are NOT some sort of special class.

If a 3 day furlough means the loss of services then perhaps they need to re visit the work being performed by them. Many businesses reduce staff by 15 or 20% and STILL manage to get the job done, it is called actually WORKING all the hours of your shift and not goofing off. The remaining workers pick up the slack. If state workers don't understand that then perhaps they can be replaced by folks who do have that work ethic, there are lots out there willing to do that.

[Pau]

willie wrote:

Steve McKean - rather than constantly increasing taxes on "the rich"
Quote "Applying targeted luxury taxes might also be used to achieve more balance."
just do as the governor is proposing, spread the pain around. The private sector has already suffered and the state workers just keep on keeping on. Is it hard? You bet but they are NOT some sort of special class.
If a 3 day furlough means the loss of services then perhaps they need to re visit the work being performed by them. Many businesses reduce staff by 15 or 20% and STILL manage to get the job done, it is called actually WORKING all the hours of your shift and not goofing off. The remaining workers pick up the slack. If state workers don't understand that then perhaps they can be replaced by folks who do have that work ethic, there are lots out there willing to do that.

This is an accurate assessment and I agree. The only thing though is that workers with a great work ethic aren't being hired. In fact, nobody is doing any sort of hiring these days...

[Big John-Hawaii Kai]

Ref Donald Mack's ltr, "Higher standards for governor needed." Why just the governor and their staff? How about our legislators? Most are attorneys who have no business sense and most, if not all, have never worked in the public sector. These criteria that you put forth for the governor and staff should be equally applied to anyone running for public office.

[Yeah]

Steve McKean - Amazing! You're "willing" to cut the furlough days in half and raise taxes 50% in order to save the entitlements of 40,000 who just 1 year ago were working because businesses were making money and paying taxes.

Now that these same businesses are downsizing or gone, you're will to increase the burden to those who are left standing just to keep these people employed?

I guess you have a stake in either the people who work there or the retirement plan.

[alice]

Big John-Hawaii Kai wrote:

Ref Donald Mack's ltr, "Higher standards for governor needed." Why just the governor and their staff? How about our legislators? Most are attorneys who have no business sense and most, if not all, have never worked in the public sector. These criteria that you put forth for the governor and staff should be equally applied to anyone running for public office.

well said..we need greater productivity and comeptence throughout government here

[oldfart]

Mr. Mckean, you are either a public union hack, a state government worker or both. I know for certain, you are not an economist.(or very rational)

Imposing a 40% increase in state taxes in this recession is not logical. it will make things worse.

[stanislous]

Has anyone suggested that the state should just spend less money?
LOL LOL LOL

[Johannes]

i suggest hawaii spend itself into oblivion, then the volcanoes will take over and the ohia trees will grow over everything and the fish will become plentiful and the vog will increase and the ozone will increase and the highways will be full and more red tape will be in government that will create more jobs for folks to insert punctuation into long run on sentences that make absolutely no sense.

[sue mason]

Willie, it seems only the private sector earns a living as opposed to the public sector. By your own words businesses have cut their payrolls by 15% and STILL do the work. Is it possible those 15% weren't actually working and earning their pay as well..perish the thought? Is it possible that management was 15% less efficient? The management of the State is probably way more than 15% efficient, however, the burden of the deficit and inefficiency is placed on the workers when it really should be on management. Do you think current management will say they are 15% less efficient?

[wendell]

sue mason wrote:

Willie, it seems only the private sector earns a living as opposed to the public sector. By your own words businesses have cut their payrolls by 15% and STILL do the work. Is it possible those 15% weren't actually working and earning their pay as well..perish the thought? Is it possible that management was 15% less efficient? The management of the State is probably way more than 15% efficient, however, the burden of the deficit and inefficiency is placed on the workers when it really should be on management. Do you think current management will say they are 15% less efficient?

I think he means private sector organizations adjusts staffing to sales or revenue levels accordingly. And so should the public sector.

Private companies also generally don't raise prices of goods and services during a downturn thinking to make up for loss of sales or revenue volume. And so shouldn't the public sector, i.e. raise taxes.

[Yeah]

wendell wrote:

<quoted text>
I think he means private sector organizations adjusts staffing to sales or revenue levels accordingly. And so should the public sector.
Private companies also generally don't raise prices of goods and services during a downturn thinking to make up for loss of sales or revenue volume. And so shouldn't the public sector, i.e. raise taxes.

Also unlike the public sector, private companies can't force you to pay higher prices or be thrown in jail.

[willie]

Yeah and Wendell interpeted my words exactly Sue.

I do like the union mindset of everything being "managements" fault though, been hearing that tune for all of my 58 years and it simply is NOT true. There may be too much management I will grant that but their efficiency being off 15 or more percent? Funny.

So what is YOUR solution if we can't cut state workers hours and save some money, raise taxes? Take away a layer of management so they can really goof off without having to worry about managers catching them?