Gathering great news for Honolulu

President Obama's announcement that APEC 2011 will take place in Hawaii is great news for the Aloha State. In the APEC meetings in Singapore there was talk about the three U.S. possible candidate cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Honolulu. Most everyone I spoke with had their fingers crossed that the winner would be Honolulu.

The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering will bring a global spotlight on Hawaii and what it has to offer. With government and business leaders at the highest levels attending, it will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase Hawaii's incredible natural beauty, the warmth of its people, the convention center, real estate and business investment opportunities and its educational institutions.

Hawaii is the perfect location at the center of the Asia-Pacific region, to welcome the heads of government of the region including those from China, Japan, the Philippines and Korea. The state has proven itself in hosting the annual International General Meeting of the Pacific Basin Economic Council and the annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank early this decade. These meetings were extremely successful events and proved that serious business can and is conducted in the Aloha State in a wonderfully warm atmosphere.

Congratulations, Hawaii, on landing this most important meeting.

Robert G. Lees
Director, Global Sources Ltd. (Hong Kong); strategic adviser, The University of Cincinnati; former president, The Pacific Basin Economic Council

Health care

Fears of government control unwarranted

Lois Zygowicz's letter (Nov. 17) fears "government-run" single-payer health care is in the House bill, but it isn't. Its "public option" only covers those who can't afford more expensive private insurance like hers, which she may keep.

I'd rather keep my affordable "government-run" Medicare and choose any doctor, instead of only from a private "network." No government bureaucrat "runs" my doctors' care either. Congress likewise prefers its "government-run" plan. Congress should let uninsured people — or anybody else — choose Medicare instead of forcing most to "choose" a private health insurer. If taxpayers have to subsidize private insurers' profits, costs will climb, especially if private insurers can't drop millions of "unprofitable" people anymore.

If private insurers get subsidized, we taxpayers would also still have to subsidize Medicare because it covers only the oldest, sickest and poorest people. But if we all could choose Medicare, then Medicare could enroll enough healthy people to support itself without taxes. Our "taxes" would only be our premiums — and cheaper, as Medicare saves costs on a large scale without having to make a profit.

Medicare-for-all couldn't drop you or dictate to doctors; Medicare only reimburses the private providers who actually care for you.

Roxanne Fand
Kaneohe

State budget

Rainy day fund is there for a reason

I would just like to say that raiding the rainy day fund is a very bad idea. You are taking about $50 million to pay for the teachers for the next two years; what would happen if there was a natural disaster? Would there be enough money to help whoever really needs it? What happens when the contracts come up for negotiations? Are we going to take another $50 million from the rainy day fund to pay for their salaries?

I would really like to know how we are going to pay for all this and also keep the schools open.

Joey Lee
Waipahu