Constitution column opinion, not fact
Constitution column opinion, not fact
The Constitution Corner appeared as a guest column in WHT on April 15, written by Mikie Kerr. The primary thrust of the piece appears in its title, “All branches are not created equally.” I’d like to take issue with her conclusion and her reasoning.
She asserts that the framers of the Constitution intended for the legislative branch to be the strongest branch of government. The logic she uses is two part: first, the largest part of the Constitution is devoted to the legislative branch; second, the description of the legislative branch appears first in the Constitution, before the other two branches. That’s a weak argument in my opinion, and goes against the common understanding of most legal scholars.
As a current alternative perspective, let me quote Sen. Charles Grassley, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee: “The Constitution grants the authority to nominate and approve Supreme Court Justices to coequal branches of the federal government. The President has authority to nominate a candidate for the Supreme Court, and the Senate has the authority to consent or withhold consent.”
Clearly Sen. Grassley, a Republican, considers the branches coequal. Sen. Grassley wrote his commentary on March 1 of this year in regard to President Obama’s recent nomination to the Supreme Court of Merrick Garland.
The column also expresses other opinions, yet the whole piece is presented as if it were factual. It’s not.
Bill Graham
Hawi
Don’t be so sensitive to delightful column
There was a recent criticism in West Hawaii Today in the letters section about Wally Camp’s April 6 column on the comparative use of the word “pake” when referring to people being cheap, particularly noting the Chinese. Note: p¯ak¯e means Chinese, China. The letter writer chastised your paper for publishing a racist column.
There are miserly, stingy people in this world coming from all ethnicities. This would be the group Wally Camp was referring to when using “pake” as it is heard here in Hawaii.
Current hypersensitivity on racism and political correctness abounds. All people have inherent characteristics, some of which provide an anatomical advantage, i.e. operatic singers … basso profundos, sopranos; in sports: basketball players, etc. Others have inherent intelligence skills … scientists, etc. ad infinitum. The Scots, Jews, and Chinese are indigenously thrifty people and famously known for being so. Don’t some of us wish we had been frugal in our youth! Wally Camp’s columns on Pidgin’ are a delight. Please keep ‘em coming,
Ann Medve
Hawi
Tax increase a sign of the times
You have to be kidding raising the GET tax by one-half percent! Not only is the tax very regressive and adding further to the burden of the middle- and lower-income class population trying to survive in an island economy, it will also create a negative impact on North American tourism. The tax rate for hotel and short-term rentals will increase to 19.42 percent from 14.17 percent. If the county wants to direct tourism away to the Caribbean and Mexico this is a good way to do it. Canadians are already paying 30 percent more to visit Hawaii due to their currency devaluation.
The county simply needs to manage its finances more efficiently. Finally, this tax proposal is just another example of why the national population is fed up with government and in such a rebellious voting mode.
Reed Fitkin
Wailoloa