U.S. should help heroes of 9/11

We are going to remember all of those that sacrificed their lives on that day.

I want everyone to remember the heroes that survived. Too many firefighters, law enforcement officers, and good Samaritans lived through this attack and now have medical repercussions. Many are being denied medical insurance benefits for illnesses associated with their heroic deeds.

Why is it that the United States has a medical agreement with the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, but can’t cover our own citizens?

It is time that the U.S. takes care of its own before taking care of other nations.

Lizette Haneberg
Hawaii Kai
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A lawsuit could settle B&B issue

Ursula Retherford mentioned how vacation rentals or bed and breakfasts she was trying to classify as “resort accommodations” would “represent an unfair taking of rights without due process” (“Vacation rentals impose on neighbors,” StarAdvertiser, Letters, Aug. 21).

Interesting choice of words. Recently some vacation rental owners sued the city of Venice, Fla., for trying to stop them from renting their properties to whomever they wanted for whatever time period they wanted, i.e., less than 30 days.

They sued for an unfair taking of rights without just compensation. A Florida state court invalidated the municipality’s attempt to regulate short-term rentals.

This is what these B&B and vacation rental people need to do to wake up the City Council.

Alan R. Wehmer
Haleiwa
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Hope lives that rail can be killed

Thanks to Ben Cayetano, Walter Heen, Randall Roth and Cliff Slater (“How the city misled the public,” StarAdvertiser, Aug. 21).

You gave hope to one who had lost all hope — that this disastrous boondoggle of rail may yet be averted, if only we face the truth of alleged “job creation,” the reality of future costs in dollars and environmental impact, the energy drain during operation, the lack of environmental and archeological studies, leading to mammoth cost overruns in the future — all of which they have detailed.

We also need transparency and accountability regarding the favored business interests enmeshed in the process so far. Anyone associated with Parsons Brinckerhoff should recuse themselves. We need answers from officialdom before the “done deal” has metastasized into an invasive albatross that will burden our future in perpetuity.

Robert B. Fraser
Kapalama
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Rail technology is so last century

Mayor Peter Carlisle states that former Gov. Ben Cayetano, in regard to rail, is stuck in the solutions of 30 or 40 years ago (“Carlisle railroading citizens on other side of rail debate,” Star-Advertiser, Volcanic Ash, Sept. 7).

It is the heavy rail project, sold to Oahu residents by the previous administration as light rail, that is proposing 20th century technology for the 21st century.

If the proponents succeed in getting the rail built as conceptualized, I would ask the mayor to please make sure to write ironclad contracts for every vendor so that cost overruns and blunders (unfortunately the norm for our public works projects) will be covered by the contractor, not the taxpayers.

Why can we not emulate the city of San Diego, where a bonus was given for completion before deadline, and a penalty imposed for late completion?

Rike Weiss
Honolulu
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Stop fiddling with monk seals

This beautiful animal has been sunbathing on our beaches, including Waikiki, and rightfully so!

Like with other animals, we move, modify and molest the Hawaiian monk seals in the name of preservation. We proclaim we’re giving them a better life. Realistically, we’re engineering a pleasanter life for only ourselves.

It is one thing relocating the endangered grey wolf from wilderness into another wild area; but moving the seals from one set of endangered isles to a set of even more endangered islands — and then back a couple years later — is not going to allow the seals their rightful, evolutionary life.

Kosta Stojanovich
Honolulu