Subsidies create distortions
In Sunday’s article regarding a U.S. senator’s efforts to make college more affordable, there is the following quote: "Despite the federal government investing more money than ever before in higher education, the cost keeps going up" ("Proposal would press colleges to make education affordable," Star-Advertiser, Dec. 29).
This is like saying, "Despite me banging my head against the wall more than ever, my headache keeps getting worse."
When the government massively subsidizes something, it artificially inflates demand.Economics 101: When you increase demand, prices go up.Then, when colleges raise tuition beyond affordability, you step in and subsidize student loans.
Now colleges can keep tuition high and students can go into debt.So a young person can now rack up $80,000 in loans for an English literature degree that won’t get him or her a job.
In magic that can only be achieved by government, college degrees are now vastly more expensive while simultaneously being less valuable. The obvious solution? More government involvement.
Scott Moore
Mililani
‘Ads on buses’ already a reality
The "ads on buses" discussion is getting silly.
There are only two issues: Is it illegal advertising and, as the American Civil Liberties Union loves to say, is it a "slippery slope" to billboards?
The first issue seems silly when you look at every truck, van or private bus on the road. Plumbers, builders, Oceanic, the Star-Advertiser, a dozen photovoltaic firms and thousands of other firms advertise with ads on their vehicles. I want to compromise with all those who feel this is a slippery slope. If they all agree to give up their property tax homeowner exemption to make up the $8.5 million in lost revenue, the rest of us will agree to live without ads on buses.
At least this $8.5 million wouldn’t come out of our pockets, unless you want to buy an ad.
Ed Slavish
Kaneohe
Personal data already abused
It’s a bit amusing to me that folks are so worked up overthe news that the National Security Agency collectspersonal data.
Amazon, Yahoo, Google and myriad other online sites are "mining" personal data for retail purposes 24/7 withnary a peep. People who surf the Web have long been aware of this.
Do an onlinesearch for any product and shortly thereafterunelicited offers for thoseor similar products startarriving magically by email. But it isn’t magic.It is a highly complex and refined marketing technology at work. Your privacy is compromised from the moment you turn on your computer and log onto the Internet. Is that a revelation?
Gary Meyers
Salt Lake
Spying needed to protect us
Champions of Edward Snowden are missing the point.
Snowden reiterated facts routinely revealed innewscasts during the Bush administration, that the National Security Agency was spying on the American public. So it wasn’t really news. I thought that it was a violation of the Constitution then and still do.
But when Snowden released records ofsecret governmentspyingon foreign powers, which was not unconstitutional, he violated his oath of secrecy and became a traitor.
As hehides out behind the Iron Curtain, I wonder how long it will be before someheadline grabber claimsthatSnowden is releasing Russian secrets? Where will he hide then?
I don’t support government spying on U.S. citizens, but I can understand why it continues. How would the president explain the cessation of spying if it werefollowed byanother 9/11?
Smoky Guerrero
Mililani
Snowden should not be pardoned
The article about pardoning Edward Snowden was disturbing ("Pardon Edward Snowden," Star-Advertiser, Dec. 25).
Edward Snowden is a traitor.Heshould not be pardoned, since his actions put the American military and civilians directly into grave peril.There were avenues he could have sought to expose his concerns other than the one he took.There is no gray area here. He betrayed his country.My hope is that he enjoys his life in Russia.
Linda G. Wida
Laguna Woods, Calif.
‘Turtle tours’ behaved badly
On Christmas Day, a "turtle tours" company invaded Alii Beach Park.
In a residential area, they destroyed local residents’ family day, harassed turtles and disrupted the area with little or no supervision.
Traffic on Haleiwa Road is already congested and dangerous, and this firm has exponentially expanded the problem.
It will try to justify its exploitation by saying that other tour companies do it. But the others are wrong, too. It will try to justify its actions with the line its driver used: "Tourism drives our economy."
I encourage visitors to rent a car and explore the North Shore on their own and at their own pace, as it has always been.
We do love the tourists who come to enjoy our community to walk through town, shop and eat at the stores and restaurants and enjoy the slower pace we have. Don’t be the ones to take this lifestyle away and leave nothing but more barricades.
Richard Ames
Haleiwa
Beach barrier not only option
Here is a long-term solution in response to the editorial, "Beach barrier good for now but not in long-term" (Star-Advertiser, Our View, Dec. 28).
The city already owns three acres of land mauka of the Kamehameha Highway at Laniakea. Rerouting the highway over this property would allow parking for cars and buses on the makai side of the highway, removing the need for a constant stream of pedestrians crossing the highway and causing traffic delays.
As we already own the land over which the highway would be diverted, and the diversion would be shorter than any of the three options currently under consideration by the state Department of Transportation, the additional cost would be lower and the bypass could be constructed in 12 months rather than the five to 10 years quoted by the Department of Transportation consultants in August.
Bill Quinlan
Velzyland
Open stairway, start a lottery
There are a couple of issues that bother me that never seem to be resolved.
The Stairway to Heaven debate keeps going nowhere year after year. Figure it out and re-open it. There have been a lot of sensible solutions offered that will make everyone happy.
My other issue is regarding a state lottery. People in almost all the states have the opportunity to buy a lottery ticket and someone wins multi millions of dollars.
In Idaho, the state lottery since its inception has raised more than $300 million for the schools.
Edward H. Lewis
Kailua
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