Letters to the Editor

‘Tax cut’ was no such thing

I realize that the editorial page allows for a liberal range of opinions, but it seems to me that a complete contravention of the facts is out of bounds.

The members of the Fourth Estate continue to refer to the recently passed tax bill as a "tax cut for the rich" when it is in fact a continuation of the 35 percent tax rate for the higher income brackets.

And, yes, we still have a progressive tax structure with the higher earners paying the most taxes.

BOE response was pure shibai

State Board of Education Chairman Garrett Toguchi’s defensive rationalization of miltary-test performance is pure, unadulterated shibai: "The report itself acknowledges test takers are not a representative sample, is unclear whether applicants came from public or private school, whether they were Hawaii residents or how long they attended school in Hawaii, if at all," Toguchi said ("38.3% in isles fail military tests," Star-Advertiser, Dec. 22).

Does Toguchi really think this represents applicants who were from private schools? Does he really think teenagers from the mainland are coming to Hawaii to enlist in the military and fail the Armed Forces Qualification Test?

Better yet to simply acknowledge the failure of Hawaii’s public educational system in general and work to remedy the situation.

Global warming not funny fodder

Tuesday’s editorial cartoon featuring a hapless mainland homeowner digging out from a brutal snowstorm and thinking "Give me some global warming, please!" should have been left on the drawing board.

America’s widespread misperception that climate change is just about rising temperatures is something that a newspaper ought to be critiquing, rather than relying on for yuks.

In fact, buried deep in an unrelated article in the same day’s Star-Advertiser was a statement that scientists know all too well that "with a warmer climate, there is more moisture in the air, which makes storms including blizzards more intense."

As we slog through Honolulu’s recently flooded streets, dodge rain-soaked blackouts at Ala Moana, and watch our reefs fill up with mud and runoff from the latest downpour, hopefully we will have a better understanding about what is actually behind the "weird" weather of 2010 and start doing something about it.

Army cover-up sad to behold

As a former Korea combat veteran, I was deeply outraged and saddened to read the story of the reprehensible turn-around/cover-up by the Army regarding the tragic battle at Wanat, Afghanistan in 2008 ("Father slams ‘veiled’ Wanat report," Star-Advertiser, Dec. 20).

I have the utmost respect for Col. David Brostrom for his unrelentlng fight to find the truth behind this blatant cover-up and unjust accusation toward his son, the late 1st Lt. Jonathan Brostrom, making him responsible for the outcome of the battle.

Gays in military not a big deal

I’m amused by the "don’t ask, don’t tell" arguments in Congress.

Gays have been serving forever. The first I met was a 10-year Army sergeant. The second was the No. 2 in command on an aircraft carrier off Vietnam running bombing missions. Both came on to me when I was a young journalist. No big deal. Heterosexual soldiers and sailors came on to female correspondents every day.

They’re out there, the homosexual ones. Have been since the Revolutionary War. The simple rule is that whatever your sexual orientation, you don’t make improper "hits" on others. To do that is a criminal offense under military justice.

And you know this is mainly about men, don’t you? Not gay women.

Rail will put folks back to work

Our construction industry is suffering and so are its members. I and thousands of other construction workers like me need to get back to work.

We’ve been barely hanging on. Many of us have been on the bench for so long, we can’t pay our bills and feed our families. We are losing our homes and everything that we have worked so hard for.

By signing the rail EIS, Gov. Neil Abercrombie just gave us hope that we can get back on the job.

Thank you to all who made this happen. Now we have a chance to get back to work and make a living.

Rail cost likely underestimated

Everyone seems to be putting in their two cents about the rail system; why not two cents more? But this is a view from a slightly different perspective, one of human psychology and critical thinking.

Consider that a multitude of past public projects have rarely, if ever, come in under budget. One intriguing reason is that the planners were blinded by the illusion of knowledge. Under this bias, planners overestimate what they know and are overconfident that their conclusions are accurate. Humans in general underestimate what major projects will cost and how long it will take to complete them. This is especially true of novel projects like this rail system. This bias is not an indictment against building this thing. Given our limited space and the amount of traffic growing each year, we indeed need a public transportation system. What is suggested is that the project includes a small body of individuals who will remind the planners that their initial estimates are probably wrong and to expect problems. This will keep the planners grounded, and then, hopefully, they will institute contingency plans.

Then press the planners to compare this project with other similar projects to realistically gauge the length of building this thing.

Last, this small body would remind the planners that all of us, even the experts, are prone to error.

Build this thing, but build with your best thinking.