Hawaii got its money's worth from Miss Universe
WOW! Miss Universe producers Al and April Masini should be elected in November as Hawaii's first couple. Having been involved in public relations and advertising most of my adult life, I can honestly say their program was not only the best produced pageant I've seen, but one of the best shows produced in a long time.The key in any ad campaign is the number of impressions one can make, meaning the number of people who actually see your commercial and understand your message. That being the measurement of success, Hawaii got more than its money's worth from the pageant.
If anyone in the state's social services programs, any state worker or anyone else in Hawaii doesn't believe they have directly benefited from the state's $3 million investment in the pageant, then they simply don't understand where the money for their programs or paychecks actually comes from.
Bob Endreson
Kailua
Hana hou to hosting big events like pageant
Kudos to Miss Universe Pageant Hawaii producer Al Masini. The creator of "Solid Gold" and "Entertainment Tonight," etc., did us proud with Tuesday evening's global telecast on CBS. I'd bet those two hours in prime time did more for our state than all the mainland television and radio commercial buys made by the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau during the past five years.The local features within the show were spectacular and displayed island attractions in a compelling setting. We were proud!
Hawaii needs to now focus on more big, dramatic events like Miss Universe. For instance, bring cable comic star Sinbad and his show to Hawaii. Why should he go to the island of Aruba instead? Let's soften up on the expenses of production crews, provide incentives, lend a true helping hand and get creative.
Buying mainland commercial time to advertise Hawaii in selected markets doesn't have the impact anymore. Let's think BIG.
Bernie Armstrong
General Manager
Caribou Broadcasting, Honolulu
KQMQ, KPOI, COOL 102
Citizens know they paid for extended session
Speaker Joe Souki, some of us may have been born at night, but we weren't born last night! According to a May 8 Star-Bulletin article, Souki said that "the extra cost (for the extended legislative session) won't be a burden on taxpayers since the funds come out of the Legislature's existing budget."So where does the money in the Legislature's budget come from if not from the taxpayers, the tooth fairy?
With this kind of thinking from our legislative leaders, no wonder the state's finances are in such a mess.
Michael VonTungeln
Kaneohe
(Via the Internet)
It's payback time for enemies of the public
Now that the ludicrous general excise tax increase is dead, it's time to pay back the plan's backers appropriately. To businesses like Bank of Hawaii, which attempted to use the power of its PAC money to sway legislators, the people of Hawaii should "thank" the bank by depositing their money elsewhere.To politicians who don't have a clue as to how to improve the economy other than to raise taxes, the people of Hawaii should put them out of their misery by firing them -- i.e. not re-electing them -- and find others who might have a few ideas.
Finally, to institutions like the public-employee unions that supported the tax increase, I say keep up the ostrich-head-in-the-sand routine and, maybe, just maybe, we'll get privatization sooner than later.
James Ko
(Via the Internet)
Vote on partial-birth ban abetted child abuse
Shame on the senators who voted "no" on the bill to ban partial-birth abortions in Hawaii (Star-Bulletin, April 29). That vote is tantamount to condoning child abuse and infanticide.Rhetoric about the bill being "unconstitutional" and concern for "women's health" are just smoke screens that allow women to shirk the responsibilities of motherhood, regardless of the circumstances.
Also, shame on the religious leaders who do not instruct their congregations on the evils of abortion and the selective interruption of inconvenient pregnancies. Regardless of our religious beliefs, abortion is intrinsically evil and is detrimental to humanity.
Charles E. Lehmann
Kaneohe
The secret to power: Lots of government jobs
You want power? You need votes? How best to obtain votes other than to be entrusted with it? You purchase it.How do you purchase votes? You hire 10,000 voters and put them to work in government. With their spouses and children, you've purchased twice as many or more votes.
How do you maintain their loyalty? You make their pension benefits more lucrative than in the private sector. There! You've bought a whole generation of voters and all the power you could ever want.
Bruce Wong
Spirituality is important facet of life to ponder
My wife and I read Diane Chang's May 11 column on anchorman Joe Moore's comments about TV programming, and noted Chang's comment that she has "found" religion. I assume that she has become a "born-again" Christian (in reality, you can only become a Christian by being "born again;" see Nicodemus in John 3:3-7), and was not merely poking fun at Christians.If she has truly converted, I pray that she will discover that true Christianity is not a "religion" but rather a way of life. Often, people who are not Christians have this idea that all Christians must behave in a certain way. Thus, they point fingers and say, "Christians aren't supposed to do this or that."
We need to remember that God doesn't change everyone overnight or in the same way. Everyone is at a different "level" and, although we'd like to see everyone conform to the standard that Christ sets, we must remember that we all come to Him at different points in our lives.
Gary Fuchikami
Pearl City
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