Kakaako for local residents

Developers are chomping at the bit to develop Kakaako. Some people will make lots of money developing Kakaako. Again as in the past, Honolulu is up for sale. It is disappointing that our governor is selling Hawaii. I guess this is part of his New Day plan to sell off Honolulu to investors and have developers make a bunch of money.

Kakaako state land should be developed totally for the residents of Honolulu. The Hawaii Community Development Authority’s grand plan sounds great, but in the long run only the wealthy and investors will own most of the units.

Most of the units will be unaffordable to most Honolulu residents.

Why bother to have rules and height restrictions if nobody is even going to follow them? And most people using the transit stations will live away from downtown, not the other way around.

Stan Sano
Honolulu

From Honolulu to Hong Kong

Contrast these different visions of how we live:

"We cannot continue on a path of urban sprawl. This (increasing building heights from 400 to 650 feet) is about enhancing the way we live. Sustainable urban density is the future." — Gov. Neil Abercrombie, 2011.

"I know it’s hard to believe, it’s hard to fathom, but this is ‘Mission Accomplished’ for (congressional Democrats). They want Americans to take transit and move to the inner cities. They want Americans to move to the urban core, live in tenements (and) take light rail to their government jobs. That’s their vision for America." — Rep. Michele Bachmann, 2008

Do we really want to turn Honolulu into another urban Manhattan or Hong Kong? Is that really what we all crave, or is this just more forced social engineering for the worker bees, done by the elites who will then escape to their own separate homes?

Edward Gutteling
Conservative Forum for Hawaii

Postal service budget fixable

The recent troubles at the U.S. Postal Service regarding a $4 billion budget deficit and the proposal to cut Saturday deliveries and lay off 100,000 employees gives us a chance to consider outside-the-box solutions. A voluntary 15 percent wage reduction, coupled with a 15 percent earned income tax credit, would allow the post office to regain solvency with little impact on employees’ take-home pay.

If one third of the workforce participated, it would cost the government less than cash for clunkers or about one-fifth the cost of the first-time homebuyers credit.

It would also save the government the additional costs of 100,000 new jobless people, including unemployment compen- sation, SNAP food assistance and job training.

Statistics gleaned from such an experiment could be used to better understand the impact of future tax policy. To quote economist Paul Romer, "A crisis is a terrible thing to waste."

John LeRoux
Honolulu

Voter ID laws cause hardship

Several states have passed laws requiring voters to present photo identification before they can vote. Justification: to shield the voting process from voter fraud.

This assertion, however, does not have factual basis. I have no quarrel with these laws if there is, with certainty, an imminent threat to the sanctity of the voting system.

But mere perception of threat is not a valid justification. It is apparent that the real intention of these laws is to disenfranchise certain groups of voters, such as the elderly, minorities and poor who tend to vote for Democrats.

Obtaining a photo ID may involve a rigorous and hectic process that could pose undue hardships due to health reasons for many of these elders.

Nevertheless, if these laws go into effect, the government is duty-bound to assist everyone to become compliant with these laws.

The right to vote must be protected at all costs.

Rod B. Catiggay
Mililani

Rating based on homelessness

I believe Gov. Neil Abercrombie fared poorly in a recent poll because the people of Hawaii see through his cynical approach to solving homelessness.

It was easy for him to spend $100 million to fill potholes, and $300 million to redecorate the passenger arrival area at the Honolulu Airport. But he can’t find nearly as much to help the homeless.

All he seems to be worried about is how to hide the homeless from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conferees’ eyes — as if they have no poverty or homelessness in their homelands.

I hope our next governor has a sense of compassion and the courage to help our most needy residents. And Mayor Peter Carlisle is no better. Neither will ever get my vote again.

John Gibbs
Honolulu

Better things to do than bingo

These are suggestions for those who spend hours playing bingo at our military bases, as well as for the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Office of the military: Do something worthwhile!

Form a book club or read to children or adults. Visit places of interest on Oahu, attend plays or musical performances or bring plays or music to the base.

Get together with the young women whose husbands are deployed. Take a course at a university.

Go outdoors and talk story while enjoying the beauty of our island, and watch the whales.

Nonprofit groups needing help are listed in the newspaper.

The list is endless.

Do something worthwhile!

Grace Miller
Honolulu

Say no to ‘50,000 Voters’

The Hawaii State Teachers Association has started an online petition entitled "50,000 Voters." The petition is also known as the School Supplies Income Tax Credit Law Petition. The purpose of the petition is to allow teachers to claim a refundable tax credit for school supplies they purchase out of their own pocket.

On the surface, this would seem like a fair proposal. But upon deeper consideration, it becomes apparent that this proposal would completely circumvent the budget process. It would be giving teachers a blank check and that would blow the budget real quick. For this reason the Legislature should not take up the measure.

Who knows? If teachers quit buying supplies, then maybe their principals would start funding them. There seems to be enough money to buy Apple laptops for grade-schoolers and iPads for physical education classes, so why not for basic classroom supplies?

Bill Nelson
Haleiwa