Abercrombie has embraced secrecy

Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s refusal to release the list of judicial candidates, saying that it would have a "chilling effect" on those applicants he is considering to appoint as state judges, is politically motivated, as were earlier appointments in forming his closed-door administration.

If he feels that harm may be imminent to the applicants on his judicial list, those applicants should be removed from the list.

Abercrombie should realize judges as well as politicians are first and foremost public servants. And by law he must comply with the Hawaii Uniform Information Practices Act.

He is once again rhetorically saying that he is the governor and "not your pal."

He is testing the limits of the open-door transparency law and, by doing so, rejecting the rule of law.

Drew Kosora
Moiliili

We need good jobs, not more welfare

I am weeks away from age 94. I was a child of the Depression.

You use the word "poor" to describe a single-parent family shown on a recent front page ("Poverty drags kids down," Star-Advertiser, Aug. 17). I doubt if 10 percent of the families in my Cambria County, Pa., hometown lived as well.

The family shown is a ward of the state and a society that sees fit to provide it with admirable creature comforts. I do admire the mother for her dedication to her family. I know it is not politically correct but I ask anyway: Where have all the fathers gone?

As a boy, if I was lucky, I would work 10 hours at a grocery store for a coupon worth one pound of cheap coffee. We need meaningful jobs, not welfare.

Our city and state would do a real service by creating a business-friendly environment (we rate near the bottom in most surveys). It can start by canceling the rail project, which will never return a cent on its investment and will be a drag on our economy for decades to come.

Ross Mickey
Kailua

TMT opponents not against astronomy

Something crucial is missing in discussions surrounding the contested case and other efforts against the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) proposed for Mauna Kea: It is not astronomy that is being opposed by those fighting TMT.

Science is very important to all of us, but, like anything else, it must first be pono — righteous and balanced for all.

I believe that our scientists collectively have the capacity to do this. It is the corporations that fund them that are not giving these brilliant people a chance to truly shine.

When science is made pono, and does not come at the cost of the aina and sacred cultural practices of Hawaii or the well-being of any of its people, I will support it all the way.

Laulani Teale
Kaneohe

Not all share Allen’s enthusiasm for B&Bs

In answer to Gail Allen telling me how wonderful bed and breakfast operations are for her many commercial ventures ("Transient business is good for Kailua and state," Island Voices, Star-Advertiser, Aug. 24): There are a lot of us in Kailua who bought homes we could afford so we would not have to rent out rooms to compensate for living beyond our means.

Some of us are retired but don’t have, as Ms. Allen states, "time on their hands to create turmoil in the community." Most retirees I know volunteer in many different organizations. We try to keep Kailua from becoming a Windward-side Waikiki.

We also spend time cleaning up the beach of food wrappers, soda bottles and other assorted junk left by the wonderful visitors who keep all the many shops and illegal B&Bs rolling in dough.

Pat Meyers
Kailua

How about enforcing auto insurance law?

The authors of the commentary "How the city misled the public" (Star-Advertiser, Aug. 21) made good points.

May I add that one simple and affordable traffic solution for Hono-lulu is to enforce the Hawaii auto insurance law, which is supposed to prohibit automobiles on our roads without proper insurance?

Here is the possible solution: No insurance, no gas. This would require that a driver pumping gas first swipe a plastic proof-of-auto insurance card at the pump. If the auto is not insured, no gas.

It is estimated that about 20 percent of the automobiles on Hono-lulu’s roads are uninsured. Even a 30,000 daily reduction in automobiles would decrease traffic congestion. Some uninsured automobiles will now be insured, possibly bringing overall auto insurance costs down. Some drivers will car pool or take TheBus. All good outcomes of "no insurance, no gas."

Bill Haig
Honolulu

Laie development mainly for Mormons

Envision Laie is an invasive goal by and for the Mormon church. Where there was once a 49-unit hotel, Envision Laie would more than double it to a 223-room Marriott. The chairman and chief executive officer of Marriot International, Bill Marriott, is a Mormon.

Yes, there will be temporary construction jobs. Of the 125 hotel jobs created, more than half, 75 jobs, will be filled by enrolled Brigham Young University students. The other 25 full-time and 25 part-time jobs will be filled by whom? Should we guess?

What about the rest of the community? What happens to our quality of life and enjoyment of our existing surroundings? The fleet of Polynesian Cultural Center buses up and down Kamehameha Highway is extra traffic already. Supply trucks for the hotel will be a factor as well. What do they plan on doing with the wastewater from sewage, countless loads of laundry and dishes?

What’s next, a Walmart in Laie? Is that what they envision?

Angela DeVargas
Haleiwa