Americans can be pretty stupid

I read Edward Gencarelli’s letter about MIT professor Jonathan Gruber’s comment that "Americans are stupid" ("Obama adviser considered us fools," Star-Advertiser, Letters, Nov. 24).

Gruber’s right. According to Gallup, 25 percent don’t know if the Earth revolves around the sun. According to Fox News, 26 percent believe President Barack Obama was born in Kenya and is out to destroy America.

Americans voted for Michele Bachmann, Louie "Pregnant-terrorist-women-are-coming-to-breed-terrorists" Gohmert, Todd "Women-can-shut-down-reproduction-after-rape" Akin — I could go on.

As a former employer, I was distressed by how many applicants for jobs couldn’t spell or use correct grammar.Many American companies have foreign CEOs.Lucky we have them coming to our shores.

Joseph Alexander
Waipahu

Kaiser principal inspiring leader

I am writing to express my gratitude toward the educators at Kaiser High School, who have the best interests of the students and the community at heart.

Recently, the school learned of a post on a social media application that threatened the safety of a scheduled assembly the following morning. The school promptly took the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of the students and staff.

The following morning, Principal Justin Mew stood by the entrance to greet the parents and students to offer his reassurance. I was moved by Mr. Mew’s gesture, which showed how much he cares.When my son told me afterward that many students opted to stay away from school, my response was, "You made it worthwhile for Mr. Mew to stand out there."

We are fortunate to have a dedicated and committed principal who leads by example.

Alice Li Hagan
Hawaii Kai

Hawaii should back amendment

Luckily, the early leaders of our country put a safeguard into our government to protect us during times of dysfunction and corruption.

This safeguard is called an Article V Convention. This gives states the power to draft a new amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Thirty-four state legislatures need to send an official notice to our federal government saying they are calling for an Article V Convention.

Vermont and California have made this official call to draft a new amendment regarding campaign finance reform on all levels of government.

There is active legislation in 20 other states in an effort to make their official call. Hawaii is not one of those states, but it could be.

People should call their staterepresentatives and tell them fair and free elections should be a possibility for every U.S. citizen.

Alex Haller
Haiku, Maui

Our power costs should be lower

There is global glut of oil, with prices having dropped about 20 percent in recent months, with Brent at about $70 and Nymex at $75.

At these levels we should not have to pay 34-35 cents per kilowatt hour.

Hawaiian Electric Co. recently claimed that it pays about $130 for Asian crude, without naming the source. It should make public the source of supply and exact prices.

Why does HECO source oil from Asia when we have a glut in the U.S.? Conoco Phillips just started shipping oil from Alaska to South Korea. Hawaii is a lot closer than South Korea.

HECO claims that its use of liquefied natural gas will allow lower electricity prices. There is no LNG currently available on a utility-scale basis. Any use of LNG in Hawaii for utility purposes is probably at least 10 years in the future.

Christian Brunnschweiler
Kakaako

Cosby, Clinton treated unequally

Isn’t it strange that the media has suddenly turned on Bill Cosby?

What’s the difference between Bill Cosby and Bill Clinton?

Who speaks for Gennifer Flowers, Sally Perdue, Elizabeth Gracen, Paula Jones, Kathleen Willey, and Juanita Broaddrick?

So why Bill Cosby? Why not Bill Clinton?

Scott Gier
Ewa Beach