No Superferry unless it’s private

In response to the article regarding the legislative proposal for a state ferry system, may I say, absolutely not (“Senate committee approves measure for state-run ferries,” Star-Advertiser, March 22).

I loved the Superferry and the convenience it offered for traveling to and from Maui. It was clean, affordable and efficient.

Unfortunately, we cannot say the same thing for our government-run facilities. One need only look at the city-run ferry that ran from Barbers Point to Honolulu. It cost taxpayers dearly for a few folks who used it for their daily commute. Thankfully the ferry was decommissioned after several years of wasteful usage.

The only way I would go for a ferry is if it was privatized. We have enough fiscal disasters here to deal with.

Margaret Peary
Mililani Mauka

 Hanabusa email not inclusive

I am outraged.

In attempting to urge our U.S. House of Representatives to vote against a resolution, I used the congressional e-mail system. I sent a message to U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono with no difficulty. On the other hand, U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa puts up a roadblock. She requires that one put in a ZIP code with the four-digit extension. If the Hawaii resident attempting to contact her does not reside in her district, the following message is received: “The ZIP code entered indicates that you reside outside the 1st Congressional District of Hawaii. Due to the large volume of U.S. mail, emails and faxes I receive, I am only able to accept messages from residents of the 1st District.”

I have always felt that Hawaii’s representatives in Congress are there to represent all of us, whether we live in their districts or not.  Hanabusa’s refusal to accept emails from people not from her district is beyond belief.

Cheryl King
Kailua-Kona

Casinos on ships would work best

I agree in principle with Jack Seigle about visitors needing more evening entertainment (“All things considered, a single casino in Waikiki is worth a try,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, March 27).

He favors a bill that would allow for a single casino in Waikiki with a 10-year license. I think we need something more.

When the Resorts Casino Hotel became the first hotel/casino to open on the boardwalk in Atlantic City, it was mobbed. Foxwoods in Connecticut is one casino on an Indian reservation, but it is huge.

I would rather not put anything like that on the land. I would have three boats circle Oahu three miles out and establish ferry services to and from these floating casinos. One  then could enjoy the ride, have dinner, enjoy the views, listen to entertainment, and gamble or not.

Every 10,000 people losing $100 each would be

$1 million fast — and we need how many millions to balance the state’s budget?

Ted Polovy
Wahiawa

Rail planners letting us down

Bravo to Edward Conklin and Kay Kibby for their observations on the proposed rail cars (“New rail cars lack seating,” “Riders won’t use rail’s cattle cars,” Letters, Star-Advertiser, March 24).

If the only people expected to ride the cars are young, strong and wearing running shoes, fine. But what about the mothers with babes in their arms and a toddler or two, or maybe a bag of groceries? Or the elderly ladies going to the community center? Or the exhausted office person with a heavy briefcase?

The lack of common sense on the part of the designers, and the planners who accepted the design, just boggles the mind.

It’s not that Honolulu doesn’t need rail. It’s that we have no faith in the planners who will saddle us with an expensive and unworkable system.

Susan M. Campbell
Kailua

Don’t give arms to Libyan rebels

Reports of terrorists among rebel ranks probably are exaggerated and should not be a driving concern, but arming Libya’s rebels would still be a mistake.

Have advocates for this idea forgotten the lessons learned from supporting the Afghan mujahideen in the ’80s?

Once provided, the U.S. will have no control over where the weapons ultimately wind up. Moreover, Libya is awash with arms and the rebels’ primary problem is cohesive leadership, not a weapons shortage.

Carl Otis Schuster
Kailua