On the evening of Nov. 8 when I became aware that Donald Trump would become our next president, I wrote the following email to my adult sons, which pretty well sums up how I reacted to the news:

“I cannot begin to convey my disappointment and frustration at this election’s outcome. I hoped in the final years of my life to see a world begin to emerge that was something upon which my grandchildren could build to create a better future for themselves and world they will live in. There are so many things needing to be addressed, social and gender inequity, environmental preservation, respect for knowledge and science, global warming, humanitarian aid and conflict resolution. Instead we are headed in the opposite direction. I go to bed tonight with a sad heart knowing it is unlikely I will ever witness progress on those things which are dear to me and so vital to continued existence on this lonely planet.

“Love, Dad.”

Richard Sullivan

St. Louis Heights

Democrats must become progressive

On Nov. 8, America voted to send the same message to the old-guard Democratic Party establishment that Chelsea Lyons Kent sent at the Democratic National Convention on July 26.

I would say it is about time that the ruling elite stepped aside and allowed a new, younger and more progressive leadership to take control of the party nationally, as well as in Hawaii.

While Donald Trump was able to manipulate populist sentiment to become the president, it was the Democratic rulers and their media allies who were unable to read the historic change in the American body politic, resulting in the nomination of an unelectable candidate.

Their party will not govern again nationally, unless it transforms itself from a liberal to a progressive organization.

Ritxard A.I. Weigel

Salt Lake

Pre-election polls are a disservice

Pre-election polls of voters serve no worthwhile purpose and can actually negatively impact elections in several ways.

They can discourage people from bothering to vote when the polls show that their candidate will be the winner; sway undecided voters to vote in accordance with their neighbors as indicated by the polls; discourage people from independently studying the issues and the qualifications and positions of the various candidates; and they can be very inaccurate.

Polls do allow the media to increase their viewer numbers so that they can charge sponsors more for advertising time, but this alone is not a good reason to sanction their continuance.

Robert Rau

Kaimuki

Hawaii needs more Republicans in office

As usual, Hawaii’s election results go against any semblance of common sense. While the nation goes Republican, Hawaii clings to its Democrats for reasons no one can fathom.

The Star-Advertiser explained how our Democratic U.S. senators could get key assignments to important committees (“U.S. Senate shift could empower Hawaii’s senators,” Oct. 16). Instead of a balanced delegation, Hawaii has all Democrats in the Senate and the House of Representatives. How much influence will they have now that both bodies and the president are Republican?

Sam Slom was the last Republican state senator. Now Hawaii has the status of the only state senate with only one party represented. How will a senate of all Democrats have meaningful debate?

Hawaii needs to get over its plantation mentality.

Pam Smith

Ewa Beach

State should return rail surcharge funds

There are so many things wrong with the state keeping 10 percent of the general excise surcharge collected to fund the rail project. The surcharge to fund rail will yield $4.8 billion for the project and $530 million to the state in administrative fees.

The state should do an analysis to find out exactly how much it costs to transfer money to the city. Banks charge nothing to transfer money between accounts.

The state’s take goes into the general fund, which is shared by the entire state. If other counties object to funding the rail project, why should they participate in the state’s take of rail funds?

The state should return funds it collected for work it did not do and stop taking funds from the city going forward.

If both the state and city work together to complete the rail project, it will be completed as promised.

Stuart Shimazu

Kapahulu

Marcos burial honor insult to his victims

Ferdinand Marcos died in exile in Hawaii in 1989, but the issue of where the former president and dictator should be buried has dogged the Philippines for decades. Marcos’ remains have been held in a glass-enclosed coffin awaiting final disposition of his family’s efforts to have him buried in a cemetery reserved for national heroes.

Previous presidents opposed those plans because of Marcos’ record of oppression and corruption, but the newly elected Rodrigo Duterte supported the burial. Now the Supreme Court has dismissed a petition to block the burial, clearing the way for Marcos’ interment.

The decision is a traumatic blow to the thousands of human rights victims under the Marcos martial law regime. Two former presidents owed their election to their opposition to Marcos — the late Corazon Aquino and recently her son, Benigno Aquino III.

But Duterte is very different from former leaders.

This decision is only one of several initiatives that are making Filipinos’ heads reel.

Carl H. Zimmerman

Salt Lake