Taxes, fees help build a better city

Present-day Honolulu is a result of 30 years of mismanaging our future. We have a mayor with a vision longer than the next election, only to be met with sneers of why we "no can" do things.

Yes, taxes and fees will need to be increased to fix the roads, sewers, refuse collection, public safety and homeless situation, but emerging from this will be a city of which we can be proud. Or we can contribute to the problem and do nothing but complain for the next 30 years about our mismanaged future.

Roy Kamisato
Niu Valley

Minimum wage raises cost of living

When I was a boy, Hawaii used to brag about having the highest-paid agricultural workers in the world. However, the plantations and canneries moved to Asia where labor was cheap, so thousands of our sugar and pineapple workers lost their jobs.

Three generations of emigrations so far have turned Las Vegas into Hawaii’s "Ninth Island." Higher minimum wages in Hawaii have led to unemployment, poverty, unfunded pensions, and brain drain.

Will your friends and relatives who left for the mainland ever return? Will you also leave our green mountains and blue ocean forever? Manpower may have cost too much to maintain the Honolulu Harbor molasses pipes, so a spill killed thousands of fish. Please also take a look at our roads, sewers, dams, water mains, etc. Higher minimum wages cost much more than money.

To restore Hawaii, we must greatly lower our cost of living. Lower minimum wages should cut costs and prices for everyone and help to restore the lifestyle that we cherish.

Gordon Kitsuwa
Kaimuki

Seniors’ discount costs too much

As a senior citizen I took a double whammy from Zippy’s senior discount program — a 2,000-percent fee increase, from $1 to $20 annually, and an effective reduction of its proclaimed 10 percent discount.

The discount is easier to understand when you realize you have to first spend $200 to get any discount or to break even. Spend $520 a year and the 10 percent discount equals $52. Deduct the $20 fee, and the discount is less that 6.2 percent. Spend $1,040, and the discount minus the $20 is less than 8.1 percent.

I don’t know of any other restaurants on Oahu demanding a fee for senior discounts. Also, I don’t know the number of Zippy’s Senior Club members, but I’m told it is substantial. I won’t accept Zippy’s word that the majority want this change.

Zippy’s is preying on seniors for additional income.

Steve Good
Ewa Beach

Millennial values will weaken U.S.

There are two articles in the March 8 Star-Advertiser dealing with education. One was a front-page story about an extremely successful programat Washington Middle School ("Are you smarter than a mathlete?").One has to wish all education could be like this.

The other, on Page A3, reported on the decided shift in attitude within the millennial generation toward being less religious, less patriotic and more liberal ("Millennials lean more liberal, optimistic than other age groups"). This attitude is clearly not what the founding fathers of this country had in mind. They will also weaken the country in every respect.

Jim Pollock
Kaneohe

Pedestrians better able to spot dangers

With respect to Boris Netupsky, 90 percent of the responsibility for safety rests with the pedestrian ("Safety ultimately falls on motorist," Star-Advertiser, Letters, Feb. 27).

Yes, legally the driver of a motor vehicle is responsible for the safety of all around his or her vehicle.The driver has to contend with all the functions of a two- or three-ton moving vehicle, while the pedestrian has to deal only with the movement of a 150-pound person.The driver’s view is obstructed byhundreds of square inches of solid vehicle and with only about half the visibility of the entire vehicle, while the pedestrian’s view is 360 degrees in all directions.

The pedestrian may be legallyright. However, in many accidents, the pedestrian is critically injured or worse while the driver usually goes unscathed.

Robert J. Daniher
Makiki

Waikiki has become big concrete jungle

My wife and I have vacationed in Waikiki many times over the years. It was always a beautiful place to visit.

Now it seems like a concrete jungle: The higher and bigger, the better. The International Market Place is gone. King’s Village is next. The homeless problem is a disgrace.

Why won’t Hawaii’s elected officials listen to the voters? What are they going to do about it?

The next thing that will likely happen is the sale of Diamond Head to a foreign corporation. Then it could come in with bulldozers and flatten the top of Diamond Head. Talk about a true high-rise condo!

Patrick J. Kelley
Elyria, Ohio

Put money where mouth is on solar

I recently received my Hawaiian Electric Co. bill with the Ho‘oku‘i brochure, encouraging us all to consider installing photovoltaic/solar systems. Unfortunately, HECO seems to be having problems with net metering, and some customers in East Oahu have been denied benefits after spending considerable amounts of money installing solar panels on their houses.

HECO seems to be unable or unwilling to buy back electricity from its customers with newly built solar systems. Throughout the country, electric companies have figured this out. Any extra electricity generated should offset usage and overages refunded to customers.

Is this really rocket science? HECO, put your money where your mouth is and stop bragging about your valiant efforts to encourage solar. I, for one, am tired of your ever-increasing rates.

Deborah Peck
Palolo