Pro Bowl worth what it costs us

Gov. Neil Abercrombie opposes paying the NFL $4 million to bring the Pro Bowl to Honolulu and says that money could be spent on education.

Perhaps the governor is unaware that, in addition to Hawaii residents who attend the game, the Pro Bowl draws visitors here specifically for that purpose, and that they generate many times that investment for Hawaii through spending and taxes.

Add to that the millions of television viewers across the mainland who while watching the Pro Bowl see the beauty of Hawaii showcased, and they are all potential visitors.

Governor, please do not be short sighted and act in haste. The Pro Bowl and the visitors it draws are important to and welcome in Hawaii.

Anne Sabalaske
Honolulu

Voters not given options to rail

The problem with both the rail vote in 2008 and the recent poll conducted by the city to determine support for rail is that they did not give any alternatives.

The vote and poll should have said:

Given $5.3 billion, which would you rather have for our Island state to ensure prosperity of our citizens:

» A 20-mile elevated rail system that will cost $80 million annually to maintain and operate once completed, or:

» A world-class University of Hawaii at West Oahu campus.

» A world-class stadium.

» The repaving of all city and state roads on Oahu.

» Payment for half the cost of the federally mandated sewer repairs.

» Refurbishment of the dilapidated UH-Manoa campus.

» Renovation of the Natatorium (or tear it down).

If people were given an opportunity to choose, we would finally see a consensus on what our priorities should be.

Garry P. Smith
Ewa Beach

Don’t stand for canned answers

New York gets Weinergate and the best our investigative reporters can come up with is Rod Tam’s petty cash violations?

Seriously, before breaking any arms patting yourselves on the back about completing your first year (and congratulations, by the way), let’s start doing more in-depth reporting, asking second and third questions when the first answers are balderdash (too often the case when government staffers give canned responses), and let’s see some in-depth investigative journalism in our Honolulu newspaper.

Brian Bott
Honolulu

Santayana right about history

Leonard Pitts’ column is so right on ("The problem in Palin? She’s us," Star-Advertiser, June 9).

Palin’s lack of knowledge of history is disturbing, but she is no more ignorant in this area than the vast majority of us because this subject is no longer taught in school.

When I attended school, history from ancient to modern times was required, and I am old enough to have lived a lot of what is now considered history. Yet, when I take the "super quiz" in the morning paper I very often am instructed to "hit the books harder."

Santayana was right when he said that if we don’t know our history, we are condemned to repeat it.

Yes, Sarah Palin lacks knowledge in a lot of areas but we must remember — when it comes to history, Sarah Palin is us.

Arg Bacon
Honolulu

Use cellphones more prudently

We have read that cellphones may cause cancer in the brain region.

Cellphones were never meant to be held near the head for extended periods of time.

The first cellphone originated on the battlefield in combat for the military. Communication was brief and terse, requesting back-up support or more supplies. In the business world, cellphones are used for short duration to do business and hang up.

We are abusing the cellphone by talking about personal ordeals or gossiping for hours at a time. In such cases, a Bluetooth earpiece should be incorporated so the phone unit is not near the head.

Michael Nomura
Kailua

Pension amount not very much

I read the editorial on public worker benefits and was appalled ("State liabilities must be reduced," Star-Advertiser, Our View, June 7).

According to Aon Hewit, the state spends $390.2 million on its retirees through the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund.

For just 200,000 people?

This equates to $1,951 per person for fiscal 2010, or a measly $162.58 per month for each of them.

Is that really so much?

With gasoline at $3.94 a gallon? Potatoes at $1.99 a pound? Lettuce at $2.99? Or cable plus Internet at $129?

Wasn’t there a recent article about the high cost of just living in Hawaii?

I know a family of four that just moved into a studio because of the cost of rent. My rent is almost half of my after-tax income.

And you think $162.58 per month on a retiree is too much to spend.

With such thinking I fear for your parents. And worse, for your children.

Carlos Hernandez
Honolulu