Cancer screening
Cancer screening
Many have seen a recent study clearly demonstrating colon cancer screening reduces the risk of colon cancer by at least 50 percent.
Even before this study, the State of Hawaii wisely required coverage of colon cancer screening by all insurers — except one.
Unbelievably, our state and county retirees were excluded. Not surprisingly, few of them avail themselves of this lifesaving screening.
It has surprised me that the retirees were not already outraged by this blatant discrimination. Now they know their risk of colon cancer is double everyone else in the state, including the very union officials and legislators who have allowed this outrage. I encourage them to vehemently protest to those responsible.
Edwin M. Montell, M.D.
Hilo
Hazardous waste
Recently I collected household hazardous waste (HHW) at the Volcano Farmer’s Market — small loads, what 29 people could hand carry in one trip — to save them the hassle, time and money to take it all the way down the hill to the quarterly Pahoa HHW collection.
While waiting in line, I mentioned to the guy with the clipboard that the waste was collected at the farmer’s market. To my surprise he responded it was “illegal!”
What’s up with that? Isn’t the purpose of collecting HHW to keep it out of the landfill?
It’s inconvenient enough that hazardous waste collection is every three months and a 60-mile round-trip. Now I find out the rules prohibit collecting your neighbors’ waste, because large loads may be deemed commercial (requires a “tipping fee”) or may hold up the line. Why not pull large loads to the side and take care of them?
The guys at the dump were busting their okole, friendly and accommodating. No one behind me gave me stink eye or honked. Only in Hawaii! (Now if the government can only get its act together …)
Fred Fogel
Volcano
Show Obama aloha
With regard to the letter by J. Clement Burdick III (Tribune-Herald, March 10): We have watched with mounting disgust the present Tribune-Herald editor’s steady march toward making our only newspaper unfit for wrapping garbage.
Why would he choose to print a trash-talking Okie’s denigration of a president who is successfully struggling hard to remove us from the morass left by the last administration and perpetuated by the present House of Representatives?
It very much pleases us that he had to reach so far to find someone with so little aloha for our native son.
Mili and John Cort
Pahoa