Dems failed to respect Lingle’s prerogative

The rejection of Gov. Linda Lingle’s nominee for chief justice, Katherine Leonard, shows clearly why we need a better blend of elected officials in Hawaii, instead of the overwhelming majority of Democrats that we currently have.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a strong supporter of his Republican party, acknowledged President Barack Obama’s right to select Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court, because Obama won the election.

Our elected Hawaii officials just can’t get this. They have used their overwhelming majority to put a stick in the governor’s eye, whenever they could, ever since she was elected, regardless of the situation.

Vote for more spending will indeed cost us

Jennifer Tsuji’s letter ("Hirono vote not irresponsible," Letters, Aug. 12) alleges that Rep. Mazie Hirono’s "yes" vote on yet another bailout bill, this time for $26 billion, adds nothing to the deficit and allows cash-strapped states to get the relief they need.

Well, no. Hirono voted to bail out the states from their own excesses with money the federal government does not have.

The federal budget deficit for the current year is projected to be about $1.2 trillion. If this $26 billion was not spent on this latest bailout or anything else, the budget deficit would be $26 billion lower.

And the states don’t need relief, they need to cut spending and live within their means. All this bailout does is kick about 50 really big cans down some really potholed roads one more year by siphoning money out of the productive sectors of the economy, and handing the bulk of it over to special interests — public employee unions.

Australia an example of wise transit planning

I’m a Honolulu resident who recently traveled to Australia. I was struck by that nation’s future transportation vision. The Adelaide newspaper reported the city was looking to build a transit tunnel now because they would need it in 2050. Their current transit system is fantastic, consisting of trains, trams, buses and wide roads, and there is little traffic congestion, they are tending to their future needs to ensure their society keeps moving.

As I work on Honolulu’s rail transit project, I only hope that our community keeps its eye on the future by enhancing our transit system with rail. You can’t put a bus where there is no room. Let’s keep our eyes to the future and keep Honolulu moving.

Linda Sebald

With sewer obligation, we can’t afford rail

We now have a mandate to upgrade all sewage facilities and processing sites. I certainly approve of this, as it has been badly needed for years. However, I am aghast at adding more to the already ridiculous and back-breaking fees we currently pay.

We cannot afford this along with the proposed rail transit funding. Unlike the sewer upgrade, the rail transit is not a neccessity. I strongly recommend that the rail transit be deferred until the sewage problem is resolved, and possibly completely dropped from consideration and the funds slated for it be diverted to the sewage projects.