Criticism of hotel is short-sighted

There have been many criticisms of the new Ritz-Carlton Hotel coming up on Kuhio Avenue, especially from residents adjacent to the project .

Most of the criticisms are short-sighted, about protecting self-interest, and fail to see the bigger picture: that tourism is the industry that drives our economy and Waikiki is the engine that powers it.

Under the conditions given to the developer, the hotel will better serve the area by providing new jobs, reducing crime and greatly improving the streetscape and ambiance of that part of Waikiki.

The plan calls for large landscaped areasfronting the hotel that openly flow to the street, inviting pedestrians to walk in and enjoy.

One more thing: No one guaranteed the people in the neighborhood their views will never be obstructed.After all, they live in an active urban setting that is certain to change over time.

Steve Fukunaga
Ewa Beach

Call Batman hotline to bust aerial ads

"Holy polluted skies, Batman!" shrieked Robin. "How can we prevent airplanes from displaying ads over Oahu?"

"Why, it’s simple," replied Batman. "We just need citizens to heed Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s plea to call 911 whenever they see ads flying overhead."

"But, Batman, won’t that cause residents with real life-safety issues to be put on hold while these incidents are being reported by who knows how many people?"

"Priorities, Robin, priorities. If we allow aerial ads, next thing you know, buses will also want to have ads on their sides," explained Batman, "and we can’t have that now either, can we?"

Peter Junker
Waikiki

Some homeowners face daunting tax

Honolulu has a new real property class called "Residential A" property, defined as a single-family dwelling, including condominiums with an assessed valuation of $1 million or more and that does not have a home exemption.

The City Council passed the new property tax rates on June 4 to be effective July 1, increasing the tax rate of Residential A property to $6 per $1,000, up from $3.50.

The city posted the 2014-2015 tax bills on its website on June 30, and it does reflect the new $6 rate.

The financial impact: If your residence is valued at $1.5 million, your previous year’s tax was $5,250 and for the following year it is $9,000, if you do not have a home exemption.

The problem is, one may be entitled to a homeowner’s exemption but may not have filed for it when purchasing the new home, or may not have refiled for it when changing title.

Homeowners in this situation need to file for exemption for the 2015-2016 year bySept. 30.

Dennis Kohara
Kaimuki

Schlep luggage on rail and bus? Ha!

So, let me get this straight: After a five- to 10-hour flight, jetlagged tourists will be expected to schlep their own luggage to a train platform, load it and ride a cramped train to busy Ala Moana Center, unload luggage, drag it to a bus station, then board a bus to Waikiki?

Really?

I want some of what our transportation geniuses are smoking.

Michael O’Hara
Kaneohe

Poll arrivals if they would use rail-bus

I agree with Michael Lilly that using a combination of rail and bus to get from Honolulu Airport to Waikiki and back will not work for families and maybe also not for other travellers ("Tourists likely won’t like rail to hotels," Letters, July 22).

Rather than speculate, how about the Star-Advertiser getting together with Hawaiian Airlines and conducting a survey of arriving and departing passengers for one week, asking them if they would consider this option for a future visit? Tell them what would be involved and the cost of the available options, and see what they tell us. It’s best if the survey is done by two entities not associated with rail so the results can be regarded as independent.

Bill Quinlan
Velzyland

Are these things too much to ask for?

On the state of Hawaii wish list:

» A new Oahu Community Correctional Center.

» A new Aloha Stadium.

» Housing for the homeless.

» Food security on an individual and state level.

Question: Does the state prison work-furlough programs or the homeless and unemployment job- training programs partner with diversified agriculture and Housing First?

Thank you for excellent news coverage on all fronts.

Cindy Hartwell
Wailupe Valley

Israel not aggressor in fight with Hamas

I am writing in response to letter-writer Judith Lutfy’s assertion that Israel is targeting Palestinian civilians with vicious attacks on Gaza ("Gaza is one big open-air prison," Star-Advertiser, July 18).

Israel is not the aggressor and is justified in defending itself against Hamas’ indiscriminate targeting of Israeli civilians.While I sympathize with the number of Palestinian lives lost compared to Israeli lives, this toll does not determine who the true perpetrator is nor does it mitigate the objective of Hamas’ rocket strikes.

Hamas has succeeded in using the number of Palestinian casualties as propaganda to garner international support while divert- ing attention away from the root cause of these deaths — which is its unrestrained aggression toward Israelis who respond to defend themselves, and its deplorable use of civilian homes, schools, mosques, hospitals and the Palestinian people as human shields.

Suzie Lum
Aina Haina