Our Founding Fathers created the most prosperous nation on Earth. Their covenant was with the American people, not with government. They knew greatness originated with the citizen; and the law of the land was seeded in a simple idea: “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Although our nation is not perfect, the American Idea should not be torn down by political strife. America’s success has endured, because its people have always engaged in critical debate, listened to an opposing point of view, and formulated sound positions to bring people together.
America is approaching a critical point in its history. Americans must recognize that they have been poisoned by the politics of division. The most enduring relationships have become strained.
America’s greatness is with its people. Americans must reject division and embrace their neighbors, loved ones, and their opponents.
America is much too precious to be lost to politics.
Rick Valluzzi
Mililani
Partisan gridlock angered voters
I was attracted to the headline of Jeff Bergner’s commentary suggesting both sides needed some introspection after a brutal election (“After a brutal election, both sides need some introspection,” Star-Advertiser, Nov. 12). But the commentary just lectured Democrats.
Suggesting Democrats should have run a better candidate was especially galling considering President-elect Donald Trump’s myriad flaws. Trump won because he promised radical change in Washington, not because he had the fewest flaws.
Second, Bergner castigated Democrats for being unaware of the breadth and depth of voter dissatisfaction with government. Maybe so, but that didn’t make them any different from the GOP elites who were mostly horrified by Trump.
In fact, GOP obstructionism had a lot to do with the paralysis of government that angered voters. So the introspection that needs to be done here is for both parties to govern with win-win solutions rather than the partisan, “my way or no way.”
We shall soon see if Trump can lead that change, but I am not optimistic.
Jim King
Hawaii Kai
Majority of voters chose Clinton
I am not sure whether the commentary by Jeff Bergner represents an individual who is illiterate or innumerate (“After a brutal election, both sides need some introspection,” Star-Advertiser, Nov. 12). He refers to Donald Trump voters as a “majority” three times in his piece, so he either does not understand the meaning of “majority” — as the latest count shows that Hillary Clinton received nearly 800,000 more popular votes than Trump — or he simply cannot do the math.
I suppose that we can find it amusing that Trump supporters are calling for the majority of Americans who voted against their candidate to rally behind the president-elect to help him succeed. We can contrast that with Rush Limbaugh (who at the time was considered the voice of the Republican Party), who said on Jan. 16, 2009, “I hope (Obama) fails.”
My sincere hope is that the president-elect does succeed, not in the agenda that he proposed in his campaign, but that he succeeds in keeping America great, for all Americans.
Tony Tarrant
Ewa Beach
Blame parents for immigrant’s woes
Liz Cortez, the pitiful subject of Sophie Cocke’s story of illegal aliens fearful of deportation under a new administration, was smuggled into the U.S. at six months of age (“The great unknowns,” Star-Advertiser, Nov. 13).
Liz has only her mother’s illegal entry, not President-elect Donald Trump, to blame for her unfortunate situation. I’m grateful that my mom immigrated legally.
And why do presumably objective reporters cling to political correctness, continuing to use the euphemistic “undocumented” term when referring to illegal immigrants?
John Corboy
Mililani
Protesters on left are poor losers
I don’t know what I enjoyed more: watching Donald Trump win or the crying of despair from the left since his win. Isn’t it amazing that only the left seems to protest everything they don’t win? In looking at the pictures of the protests across the U.S., it would appear the average age of the protesters is about 18 to 30. I call this the Generation of Free or the Generation of Entitlements.
They are such poor losers. Come on, left, keep crying a river.
Carl Bergantz
Kaneohe
Trump deserves chance to succeed
The trending tendency of those on the left to so vocally and heatedly reject the ascendancy of Donald Trump into the White House is illustrative of a childlike, “It’s my ball and I’m going home” hissy fit (“Trump begins to tear nation down,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Nov. 13).
In, 2008, when then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama was elected for speaking of “hope” and “change,” my immediate reaction was, “OK, Americans have spoken. Let’s see what he’s got.” Boy, did we see.
Trump has stared down a heavily funded radical progressive movement bent on the implementation of a system of global socialism and America has once again spoken. Perhaps it is time to also say, “OK, let’s see what he’s got.”
Stephen Hinton
Waialua
Electoral College still essential
Our Founding Fathers were far more prescient than Hillary Clinton. They chose a constitutional republic as our system of government — the rule of law, not a democracy.
Examine the voting map of the recent election. It is a sea of red with small islands of blue. Without the Electoral College those islands would tyrannize the whole country. We need the Electoral College now more than ever.
Rhoads E. Stevens
Hawaii Kai
Will Trump stop climate progress?
It took the Obama administration years to bring together more than 190 nations in Paris to reduce carbon emissions and fight climate change. President-elect Donald Trump has promised in his first 100 days to withdraw the U.S. from that agreement.
Several climate scientists have written, in so many words, “Well, there goes the human race.” Does anybody out there have kids and grandkids?
Rick Lloyd
Nuuanu
Ala Wai polluters should be cited
It’s hard to imagine the amount of filth in the Ala Wai Canal and our other streams.
We have done a great job educating the community about the environment; the subject is in every school’s curricula, and the city’s Adopt-A-Stream program partners with community members and businesses for regular cleanups. Hawaii just hosted the World Conservation Congress.
Education isn’t the issue. Some people continue to use storm drains as trash receptacles, stream banks and beachfronts as dumps. They just don’t care. It’s a small fraction of the population.
I’d like to see the police reports include citations for littering and illegal dumping. Can you imagine enforcing the $500 fine for discarding a cigarette butt at a stoplight or for dumping green waste at the rear of your property to wait for the next flood to carry it away, so you don’t have to put it in the city’s recycling container?
Kevin and Susan Mulkern
Kuliouou