Tax was based on wrong assumptions

It’s great news for Oahu property owners who fall into the “Residential A” property tax category — a Tax Appeal Court decision ruled this designation unconstitutional (“Court nixes city’s higher property tax class,” Star-Advertiser, Oct. 19).

This category was based on some false assumptions: that such property owners were speculators or didn’t deserve the same rights as owners living in the homes, that the $1 million threshold was justifiable (it was arbitrary), and that the tax rate of $6 per $1,000 assessed value as opposed to the $3.50 rate for other homeowners was fair.

It is no surprise to anyone that the $1 million threshold is now easily reached due to the high cost of homes. Mayor Kirk Caldwell should be interested in protecting all homeowners and not only those who occupy their homes. He still favors the current “Residential A” tax category, whereas Charles Djou has stated that he opposes it and will work toward eventually eliminating it.

Stephen Kealoha

Pukalani, Maui

We need a president, not a dictatorship

Finally, someone of stature, Harvard Law professor Laurence Tribe, said it straight, calling Donald Trump a “tyrant.”

When I hear Trump deride the United States, a beacon for the world, as “rigged” and “corrupt” I weep. He offers himself as an apostle of change, but it feels like he wants to change a democratic republic into a dictatorship.

“God helps those who help themselves,” my mother said. There is no dictator who is going to take care of us. Besides, how do you eventually get rid of them? It certainly isn’t through a democratic election.

To work well a democracy requires responsibility, participation and persistence from you and me. We can’t blame the guy behind the tree. Benjamin Franklin laid it out when he said, upon the delivery of the Constitution, that the Founders had given us “a Republic, if you can keep it.”

Will we keep it?

Sidney M. Rosen

Hawaii Kai

Stories about Trump shallow and biased

Thursday started with more blatantly biased, questionable reporting of our never-ending presidential election.

This time it was two articles from Associated Press that the Star-Advertiser deemed worthy of Page A2.

The first article took one questionable poll and built a suspiciously shallow story around the results (“Clinton has 14-point lead over Trump, poll shows,” Star-Advertiser, Oct. 27). The second article headline said, “Republican uses hotel to try to boost his candidacy.”

Couldn’t you use Donald Trump’s name in the headline? No mention of his hotel creating jobs and opportunities. Time after time we see complete misuse of our media coverage. This election has only proven that the “free press” is now completely bought and paid for.

John Waring

Kailua

Misuse of pCards can be restrained

The use of pCards in bars and liquor stores is an open invitation for abuse. Most of Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi’s drinking forays were for his personal use. Certainly such use should not have been allowed.

Every credit card company assigns a unique Merchant Category Code (MCC) for every vendor and, at the direction of the county, has the ability to decline accepting charges for certain classifications of merchants, such as bars, restaurants and liquor stores.

If Hawaii County had prohibited the use of its pCards in bars, Kenoi would not have had the opportunity to abuse his card.

Joe Gedan

Round Top