It’s easy to divine APEC travel routes

Gene Park’s column attempted to assist readers in their planning to avoid heavy traffic when Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation dignitaries are in town ("Routes APEC dignitaries will use remain unknown," Star-Advertiser, Aug. 19).

He stated, however, that major routes remain unknown. Really?

All one has to do is pay attention to where the roads are presently being worked on and nicely resurfaced. Alternatively, one can also accurately predict routes where APEC dignitaries will definitely NOT be traveling. For example, I can assure you that none of the VIPs are planning to drive to the top of Ward Avenue to visit me. If they do, I hope they have a mechanic on speed dial.

Reid Morrison
Honolulu

Immigration action taken unilaterally

The Obama administration stated that it will halt deportation proceedings against illegal immigrants and will review these cases to see if they meet "certain criteria," which is the same criteria of the Dream Act voted down by Congress.

What happened to the Constitution? If the president believes an enacted law is bad, he should try to have it overturned by the courts or changed in Congress. That is why we have a balance of powers. Since when does the president blatantly decide not to follow federal statutes because he feels it is bad law? It appears that the White House has simply decided to usurp the role of Congress and implement its own amnesty program. This does not bode well for the republic.

Mark Desmarais
Honolulu

Homeowners bound by city zoning laws

Gene Altman questions why the government is sticking its nose in his business if he wants to rent out part of his home to tourists ("Vacation rental rules unfair to homeowners," Star-Advertiser, Aug. 21).

The reason is simple. Oahu has zoning laws that distinguish residential areas from resort areas. That means he is free to rent a portion of his home to long-term residents. If he wants to rent to tourists, he should purchase something in a resort area.

Don’t allow illegal resort rentals to displace residents and change the character of our neighborhoods. I ask the city Planning Commission to protect Oahu’s zoning laws by giving the Department of Planning and Permitting the amendment to Chapter 21 to find and close illegal resort rental properties operating in residential neighborhoods.

Barbara Krasniewski
Kailua

It’s not ‘misguided’ to recognize reality

Walter Williams’ colorful descriptions of the tea party representatives were not only baffling, but seemed to reflect perfectly his own views of this movement ("‘Terrorist’ term used incorrectly," Star-Advertiser, Letters, Aug. 18).

Since when is it "misguided" or "bombastic" to point out the obvious fact that America spends more than it takes in? Why is it "hubristic" or "destructive" to ask that we hand future generations something more than massive debt?

Anyone who thinks our financial system is sustainable is "misinformed" and will "bumble" the country into destruction.

Kris Schwengel
Hawaii Kai

Cost of rail will last long into the future

The expose on the rail project by Walter Heen, Ben Cayetano, Cliff Slater and Randy Roth ("How the city misled the public," Star-Advertiser, Aug. 21) pointed out glaring cost issues.

However, they omitted the cost of rail maintenance. Michael Cooper’s article from The ("New public transit survey finds higher fares, less service ahead," Star-Advertiser, Aug. 21) stated that two in 10 city agencies with public transit service expected delayed maintenance.

Other operating costs will skyrocket from fuel, crew salary and benefits, liability insurance and sales and marketing.

The rail project will shackle us now and in the future.

Rebecca Kang
Honolulu

Homeless deserve more compassion

The recent story on the homeless ("Squatter problem plagues several Waikiki properties," Star-Advertiser, Aug. 22) was completely awful. It references the homeless as a plague and as animals: "If they were animals, we would not allow them to stay here," one person was quoted.

Seriously? How inconsiderate and utterly ignorant. We don’t know why these people are homeless or the hardships they are enduring on a daily basis, trying to find shelter out of the rain and heat, and trying to find a safe place to sleep at night.

I’m not saying all of them are innocent of crimes or drug use. But to refer to another human being as a "plague" or an "animal" is outright repulsive.

Alicia Straub
Honolulu