July Fourth — Independence Day — wasn’t it great again this year?

It’s the American way to be self-sustaining, to enjoy our independence proudly. It’s also the American way for corporations to seek increased profits and growth.

Therein lies the competitive clash between homeowners and Hawaiian Electric Industries and NextEra. We homeowners had no other viable source for electricity before the development of solar. But with rooftop solar, now we can be independent. It’s time for homeowners to stand up and speak up.

If we don’t, the power companies will buy the votes and we’ll be regulated right out of our independence as they fill our lovely green spaces with ugly windmills and industrial-framed solar arrays. Not only will they be ugly but, once again, we’ll be just a miniscule part of the big corporations’ profit plans.

Rise up, voters! Write or call, or it’s back to the chains of dependence on big power.

William Reese Liggett
Waialae-Kahala

Open Mauna Kea and move on

The Thirty Meter Telescope protests show how inept state government is when it panders to perpetual malcontents.

Every time there is progress to be made, someone complains, bringing things to a screeching halt.The lack of a ferry service, decades of rail delay, and even the continued Haiku Stairs closure are salient examples.

The Mauna Kea protest isnot about a sacred mountain; it is about malcontents of one ethnic group continually seeking attention for more entitlements for perceived wrongs.Most Hawaiians have embraced newcomers’ influences to bring them into the modern world, but the chronic complainers want to live in the past on someone else’s dime.

It is time for our feckless politicians to stand up to these troublemakers and not let our state be held hostage to attention-seeking malcontents.Clear the road and let’s move on.

Art Whistler
Manoa

Provide help for poor, middle class

The bipartisan consensus to remove the Confederate flag is a positive step toward improving race relations in America. This gesture of unity should be extended to finding solutions to the plight of the victims of social and economic injustices caused by institutional racism. The victims are oftentimes the poor and working middle class.

Simply taking down the flag without also addressing these problems may relieve the symptoms but does not cure the disease.

To alleviate this unfairness, both parties must bury all political hatchets and resurrect the spirit of togetherness by enacting legislation designed to help the working class, such as increasing the minimum wage to a livable level, approving the infrastructure jobs bill, increasing, not cutting, taxes for corporations and the wealthy to fund job programs dedicated for the working class, and investing in education to help those who lack the financial means to pursue a college degree to improve their chances of landing a better-paying job.

Rod B. Catiggay
Mililani

Thank those who sacrificed for us

As we enjoyed a nice warm day in paradise this July 4 weekend, with our main concern being how to keep cool, let us not forget the sacrifices of many who gave us this privilege.

We often forget to compare our lives with those who live in foreign countries. We can protest against GMOs and building telescopes on Mauna Kea without fear of our lives.

Let’s take a few minutes and thank those before us who gave us this privilege and those serving today away from home.

Roy M. Chee
Moanalua Gardens

Ethanol is worth the investment

When writing a letter to the editor, facts, not broad misconceptions, must be used.

For example, a recent letter saying that ethanol is not environmentally friendly and is produced at the expense of everyone is not supported by research as the author contends ("Industries succumb to new conditions," Star-Advertiser, Letters, July 6).

The Argonne National Laboratory in 2007 reported ethanol emissions were 19-52 percent less than petroleum products. In addition, the corn planted to produce the ethanol absorbs all the carbon dioxide produced when the ethanol is burned. Real research proves that there is a net zero increase in carbon dioxide to our atmosphere from using ethanol.

The Department of Energy research reports that 87,000 American jobs are created by the ethanol industry, adding $30.7 billion to household incomes. At the current cost of $2.05 per gallon for ethanol, everyone benefits with decreased fuel costs. With the new ethanol-free mandate, fuel prices at the pump will go up for us all.

Gary R. Johnson
Kaneohe

Academics should override athletics

Dave Reardon is way off-base when he attempts to scold school principals for holding coaches accountable for their behavior during practice and games ("Kalaheo’s vague edict left Smith no choice but to quit," Star-Advertiser, Further Review, July 1). If there is a power struggle within a school, that power should always tilt in favor of the leaders of the school, not the coaches.

The school athletic arena needs to be seen as an extension of the classroom, where coaches are held to the same standard as teachers. Yet Reardon dismisses those standards as "a bunch of platitudes about leadership and sportsmanship that can be interpreted any way the principal and athletic director wish."

I can’t imagine that any school adheres to a mission statement that winning at all costs is in the best interests of the students. He makes a valid point that parents are part of the problem, and at private schools, alumni donations are a major factor when calculating the cost/benefit of athletics.

Nevertheless, athletics in schools should be de-emphasized, and these administrators deserve our praise.

John Cheever
Kalani Iki