Impressed by Lahaina roadwork

I was very impressed in how quickly the intersection of Keawe Street and Honoapiilani Highway was completed. I thought for sure that it would be weeks of interrupted traffic. Not so. Start to finish in about three days – amazing. Hats off to the road crew that pulled this one off!

DENNIS BERGREN

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Look for signs of Jesus’s return

Finding their way to Jesus, Middle-East astronomers followed a star. Stars direct places to go, people to meet and things to come.

Studying stars originated with God. On the fourth day of creation, God put the stars in the sky for “signs, seasons, days, and years.”

Satan counterfeits God’s ideas; using stars is one of his biggest deceptions. Worshiping creation rather than the Creator has resulted in curses.

Consequences are death, natural disasters, pollution, corruption, fighting, sickness, suffering and countless evils. Yet, we eagerly wait in hopeful expectation of redemption.

Reminding us that He is in control, God asks, “Can you bring out the stars at the right time?”

Hawaiian history testifies. Stars that led ancient mariners guided more than just their canoes. Love is the evidence. “God is love!” Love as the essence of Hawaiian culture endured despite centuries of brutality, human sacrifice and tyrannical oppression. That gives us hope.

Worthy to be praised, David acknowledges the Lord Almighty. In Psalms he wrote, “I see the moon and stars, which You created. Why is man important to You? Why do You take care of human beings?” The answer is God’s love.

Desiring that no one should perish, “the heavens declare the glory of God.” Beginning with Jesus’s virgin birth, the 12 signs of the Mazzaroth (Zodiac) from Virgo to Leo tell His story.

Stars guide wise men to Jesus. Look for signs of His return. Jesus said, “I am the bright Morning Star… I am coming soon!”

MICHELE LINCOLN, Lahaina

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Coal in the stocking

It was just like yesterday – when Wall Street still had momentum – that a certain Mr. Trump was crowing how good he is in directing the economy and how everybody trusts him.

Now let’s look at what happened lately, now that it is finally sinking in that at the White House, all kinds of private and legal fights are going on – but no governing:

DOW JONES: Since the beginning of September a loss of about 4.300 points, from almost 27.000 points to just over 22.600, a loss of over 21 percent.

S&P: From about 2.940 to just over 2.400 points.

NASDAQ: A loss of over 21 percent.

And all of this in the last 3-4 months.

Maybe people are waking up? It seems that companies and the basic investor and citizen are not trusting Mr. Trump that much anymore? Oh, and by the way, those losses just happened in less than four months, since the beginning of September.

Let’s make America great again! Maybe building an almost 2.000-mile wall between the U.S. and Mexico could boost the construction industry? And then dismantling it, since it wouldn’t work anyway? Hiring thousands of border guards? Not that it would help, since desperate people would find a way to go over or dig under the wall, and guards can be bribed, you know.

Our esteemed commander-in-chief should look at the country and not so much changing his cabinet and advisors so often. Then there might be time for some governing (for which he was elected). Actually, he wasn’t really… just our strange voting system got him in the White House. He does not have the majority of the popular vote.

All he deserves after two years are stockings full of coal. Maybe it will get better? I keep my motto: I’ll believe it when I see it. So far, all I see is disaster.

The next president will have her/his work cut out for her/him to repair the damage Mr. Trump has done in just under two years. And unless somebody can finally nail him for an impeachable offense, we have another two years to endure.

JOHN BLAHUTA, Lahaina

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Trump administration plan could impact the Post Office

The Postal Service charges uniform rates across the country. You can select a flat rate box that goes anywhere for one price, no matter what’s inside. Or if you pack your own gift, we price it based on weight and distance.

If you took your packages to a private delivery firm, on the other hand, you might be hit with extra charges because of where the recipient lives.

But my real worry is that these extra costs are just a taste of what would happen if the U.S. Postal Service is sold off to private, for-profit corporations.

Last summer, the White House Office of Management and Budget recommended postal privatization in a report on government restructuring. And just in time for the holidays, a presidential task force just made recommendations that would slow down the mail, privatize large portions of the Postal Service and lead to other service cuts.

If these privatization efforts succeed, millions of people may well face a return to 19th century standards of expensive, private delivery services and limited USPS access.

For the first 121 years of U.S. history, postal services were limited to those in cities. Farmers and other pioneers had to either travel long distances to cities or pay handsomely for private carriers to deliver their mail periodically.

Without competition from the public Postal Service, for-profit firms would likely jack up delivery fees even higher for the 70 million people who already live in areas hit by delivery surcharges.

And of course, USPS doesn’t just ship gifts. Millions of people rely on us for delivery of prescription drugs, medical supplies and other essential items.

I think of myself as a public servant. I’m glad that the Postal Service treats all Americans fairly, regardless of where they live or work. A privatized, for-profit company won’t do that.

If the armfuls of gifts customers bring into my post office are any indication, that means holiday shipping would be a lot more expensive for millions of people.

Let’s protect the world’s finest public postal network, and together insist that the U.S. Mail is Not for Sale.

KATHY TOLER, Gresham, Oregon