OHA lawsuit tries to shut down TMT

The current lawsuit by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs against the University of Hawaii, the state, the board and department of Land and Natural Resources, and others they can’t even identify, is just another attempt to stop the Thirty Meter Telescope (“OHA sues to end UH’s stewardship of Mauna Kea summit,” Star-Advertiser, Nov. 9).

OHA’s complaint is largely based on a 1998 state audit, and ignores all positive improvements listed in more current audits. The OHA trustees claim mismanagement by UH, when they themselves are often in disarray.

Let’s stop all this subterfuge and move forward together.

Kerry Simpson

Kamuela, Hawaii island

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Make crosswalk light law more sensible

All over Oahu, I see people entering crosswalks after the light starts flashing with police around, who do nothing. Why is the law written that way anyway?

The law is intended to give people time to cross and not hold up traffic. If some people can walk faster than others, why not let them cross? They will be across before some of the slower pedestrians.

The way it is now, the police are unlikely to enforce this law unless they can ticket all the violators. Impossible.

Change the law to ticket people who do not make it across before the flashing light stops, and the violators who hold up traffic. This is a sensible and more enforceable way to control the crosswalks.

Wayne Nakamura

Aiea

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‘Good guy’ can’t stop determined ‘bad guy’

“Only a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun.” This awful propaganda fails to mention that the “good guy” can’t act before the “bad guy” has begun his rampage.

The fantasy of stepping up and stopping the bad guy seduces us all, and if you do find yourself in position to stop a mass murderer, may you have the courage to act.

But the reality of “good guys” who lack the skills and training to mitigate any active shooting is dangerous.

The “bad guy” has often been planning his assault for many months and uses surprise, concealment and even tactical gear to protect himself while inflicting mass casualties.

What has the ‘good guy” done to prepare for an uncertain scenario?

The answer to our mass-shooting crisis lies with banning weapons of mass murder, which is what assault rifles are.

Don’t be misled by people saying that trucks or knives or even hunting rifles can be used to kill people. That is not their purpose. What is the purpose of an assault rifle, except to assault people?

Stanley Yanke

Aiea

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Armed citizens can deter criminals

The Second Amendment was intended to be unrestricted.

Every government that imposed tyranny and killed its people in large numbers, including Germany, Russia and China, first disarmed the people so that they were unable to resist.

Gun-control laws restrain and disarm the law-abiding, making the lawbreakers more powerful. Chicago has strict gun laws and murders have increased. Criminals always have the edge because lawmakers disarm law- abiding people.

The problem is in the heart of man, not in the instruments he uses. Laws don’t stop crime. If they did, a simple, “You shall not murder,” would stop all murder. To prevent the crime, you have to change men’s hearts.

Armed law-abiding people are not the problem. Criminals are. A nationwide study by John R. Lott Jr. showed that more guns result in less violent crime, because even criminals are rational. When more citizens are armed, criminals have more risk. Concealed carry works.

Michael Lee

Wilhelmina Rise

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Lowering taxes can benefit everyone

Multiple letters to the editor oppose tax reform. They cite greed as the reason (“Tax reform built on greed, not good,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Nov. 9). Instead, it is envy.

When any friend, neighbor, relative or company does well economically, I am happy for them. When companies make more money, they hire more Americans, move jobs and companies back to the U.S., pay more salaries, and their stock that is owned by every pension fund or individual retirement account increases. Everyone benefits.

The idea of promoting more taxes rather than decreasing them could only come from a socialist or government employee who believes that government is more entitled to spend your money than you are.

What is so bad about lowering corporate taxes to promote more U.S.-based business, increasing the standard deduction, increasing the child tax credit, increasing the death tax credit on properties that have already paid taxes, and retaining deductions for charitable giving?

Gary R. Johnson

Kaneohe

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Rich will get richer under GOP tax plan

What a gift the president and the Republicans want to bestow upon us.

The new proposed tax bill will give hard-working middle-class taxpayers an extra $1,182 a year on average for a family of four. So everyone will get a windfall of 81 cents a day to spend and turbo-charge the economy.

Who are they trying to fool? The bill adds trillions to the national debt, bankrupts essential programs and adds the money to the coffers of the richest Americans and corporations.

If the president is being honest about this bill really hurting the wealthy like him, it would be the ideal time to reveal his taxes to show us why and how that works. Somehow I don’t see that happening.

Ernie Saxton

Wahiawa