Randall Roth’s commentary was nothing more than the same old propaganda from rail opponents that we’ve heard before (“Still time to turn rail woes into bus way,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Dec. 25).

Changing the rail to a bus line would constitute a violation of a funding agreement with the Federal Transit Administration.

Roth advocated expanding existing roads and shoulder lanes for buses. He doesn’t specify where. Our roads are already crowded.

He mentioned statistics from 1979, 1984 and 1986 and how public transit’s share of ridership has decreased in certain municipalities. He failed to mention how much the population has increased in these areas over the past 30 to 37 years. He spun his numbers.

He never mentioned the Ho‘opili and Koa Ridge housing projects. Gov. David Ige has pledged more money for affordable housing. There will be more cars on the road. Period.

A lack of foresight got us into this mess. Are we going to look back 30 years from now and say, “We should have built rail”?

Really?

Robert K. Soberano

Moiliili

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Converting rail to buses makes sense

Randall Roth presented interesting facts concerning the ill-conceived rail project for Oahu (“Still time to turn rail woes into bus way,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Dec. 25).

It was factual and well thought out. It boils down to say, “It is not too late to fix it.”

Converting the existing rail guideway for use by buses is a good solution. Expanding the bus system makes a lot of sense.

The city knows how many cars are removed for each bus added. They also know how many buses can be bought for each rail car that is not built. And none of those figures includes the dollars already spent to build the ugly, noisy railroad.

Oahu drivers won’t give up their cars. The rail isn’t planned to go where they need to go. Drivers will be unwilling to park and ride, even if the city builds parking lots and provides shuttles to and from train stations.

Keith Haugen

Nuuanu

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Obama could act to help Hawaiians

Hawaii was overthrown on Jan. 17, 1893. The United Nations has taken an interest in the manner of Hawaii’s “decolonization.”

Hawaii’s statehood vote deserves a do-over because didn’t reflect the wishes of the indigenous people. The self-interests of Americans and immigrant-workforce voters tainted the results.

A legitimate vote by Native and part-Native Hawaiians is possible with today’s DNA technology.

The Native Hawaiian people should be afforded the rights to self-determination, self-governance and self-sufficiency with freedom from tyranny and oppression.

Queen Liliuokalani wrote: “I implore the people of this great and good nation … to sustain their representatives in such acts of justice and equity as may be in accord with the principles of their fathers …”

Benjamin Franklin wrote: “Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.”

To keep a “great nation” we foremost need to be a “good nation.”

President Barack Obama could enact a righteous executive order.

Do what is right!

Michele Lincoln

Lahaina

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Bad drivers should pay for recklessness

We have a very bad driving situation on our roads and highways. Drivers are speeding too much, causing a dangerous road situation of too many unnecessary accidents, deaths, and road-rage incidents. And this bad situation keeps getting worse.

To reduce this problem, we need our police to ticket reckless drivers in record numbers and give offenders no breaks whatsoever — and that includes our court system.

But the public’s help is needed. Anyone noticing reckless driving must try to record the vehicle’s license plate number and report it to the police. The police need to follow through and have a face-to-face talk with the offending driver. A record must be kept, and should be used to help prosecute such drivers if and when they are involved in a mishap.

Stephen Kabei

Salt Lake

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Israel dispute latest in crazy news events

The world seem to be going crazy.

First Brexit, then the Donald Trump victory, and now the U.S. abstention from, rather than a veto of, the U.N. Security Council vote condemning Israel for continuing to build settlements on its occupied Muslim and Christian-owned territories in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Apparently Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not pleased that we did not veto the measure, which was supported by the rest of the world in the 14-0 vote, and his supporters in Congress are threatening financial sanctions against the U.N.

What more craziness could happen? Next thing we know, the U.S. could be ending its annual gift of $3.8 billion in military aid to Israel (up 18 percent since last year, even in a period of domestic austerity), which amounts to more than $600 annually for each Jew in Israel, in support of the abovementioned illegal settlements.

One wonders if that $3.8 billion could be better spent by investing in our decaying infrastructure or helping to solve our health care problems. We can dream, can’t we?

Peter Knerr

Kailua

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Legislature can stop agriculture land grab

The state of Hawaii wants sustainability, as outlined by Gov. David Ige. The city, on the other hand, keeps giving away our agricultural land for development (residential taxes bring in far more revenue than agricultural land).

Can’t the Legislature stop the land grab?

John Burke

Waianae