HCDA doesn’t really listen to the people

All I read about is more and more buildings being built.

When have the city or state really turned down a project or asked the developers to cut the size of a project down?

Where and when are the city planners going to look at the big picture and not build on every parcel out there?

Even when we have laws protecting the view plane, they let the developers build and block it.

What is the purpose of the Hawaii Community Development Authority? Because it sure doesn’t listen to the people who testify against these projects, and just acts as a rubber stamp to each new proposal.

Ernie Itoga
Waialae Iki

Bus ads would make traffic more risky

At least Ernie Martin voted wisely in not allowing city buses to carry advertising ("Bill to allow ads on city buses gets initial approval," Star-Advertiser, Dec. 12).

It is a pity that his vote was the lone dissent at this stage. City buses carrying external ads would only provide one more distraction to motorists, not to mention pedestrians. I wonder what the state Department of Transportation has to say about this? I would hope it would find that any new distraction in traffic is something to be avoided. One moment is all it takes for most accidents to occur.

I hope that our mayor and City Council agree that human safety on our streets should not be compromised, once they rethink this issue. Sure, innovations for increasing city revenue would be good for the city -— but not at the expense of life and limb.

Allan Samuelson
Kahaluu

Audit water board to prevent gouging

The Board of Water Supply is responsible for providing water and sewage service at the lowest cost possible to water and sewage users. Why is it necessary to hire someone like Jill Kuramoto as information officer in charge of communications ("TV anchor trading early gig for ruptured waterlines," Star-Advertiser, The Buzz, Dec. 9)?

It appears she is being hired at the water customers’ expense to provide "lip service" for Manager/Chief Engineer Ernest Lau. Is this position really needed? What will be the total cost to hire her?

Such a hiring indicates a need for oversight of all Board of Water Supply operations and expenditures. It must be continuously reviewed so that water and sewage users are not being gouged.

The city may need to require that the board be audited annually to ensure that expenditures and operations are appropriate.

Richard Ching
Kuliouou

Pharmacy school is paying its way

I wanted to comment about the letter-writer who thinks building a pharmacy school in Hilo is a waste.

First, as students we are paying for the tuition, and if you were to subtract the cost of running a pharmacy program, the state and university are actually profiting from this program economically and socially overall.

Second, there is only so much a medical school can achieve in terms of research and projects. What the medical school can’t achieve here in Hawaii is what the pharmacy school can help with.

Third, the pharmacy profession is moving toward provider status, allowing for better patient specific care and medication therapy management to compensate for the under-saturation of doctors.

We are actually learning and doing more than one might think.

Chau Dang
Downtown Honolulu

Palestinians always refuse a solution

In November 1947, the United Nations voted to partition Palestine into Arab and Jewish states.

This was unacceptable to the Arabs, who sent their armies to "throw the Jews into the sea."

As it turned out, Israel survived, and absorbed most of the Jews driven out of all Arab countries.

Palestinian Arabs who stayed put in Israel are full citizens and enjoy all health, social and educational benefits, and have their representatives in Israel’s Parliament. Time and time again, Israel offered the Palestinians their own state, but they always walked away, even when a solution was close.

Marion Cornfield
Hawaii Kai

Legalize pot but within parameters

I brightened upon reading The Associated Press article, "Government-run pot market gets OK" (Star Advertiser, Dec. 11).

My spirit was lifted not because I envisioned a globally "stoned" world, but that, step by step, world leaders are approaching legalization of marijuana with responsible parameters.

Uruguayan President Jose Mujica asserts that this approach is not "liberalization" of marijuana, which can only be consumed within strict regulations established by law. His viewpoint is that "the global drug war is a failure and (he) feels bureaucrats can do a better job of containing addictions and beating organized crime than police, soldiers and prison guards."

That point given, I perceive the approach of a global legalization of pot, bracketed by sensible parameters.

Stuart N. Taba
Manoa